Disney World with a 17 month old

Many people advised me against taking Henry to Disney World..

"He wont remember it."

"He wont get anything out of it."

"It will overstimulate him."

and so the list goes.

I am so so so happy I decided to take him anyways.  I thought along with posting some photos I would give some practical tips/advice on how to make a day at Disney (or any other day at a park) run smoothly. 

First I will say.. if you are going to Disney get there fifteen minutes before the park opens.  You will take a ferry or tram to the parks and that takes about a half an hour.  Also it is not as hot in the morning.

I would also advise on staying at one park a day.  There are so many different things you can do in each park... 

Here are some tips to know if your baby will enjoy the day.

Take your child to something similar to Disney before hand.  The reason I had a hunch Henry would love Disney is because at the zoo he LOVES riding the train.  He stands up and says "WEE" the entire time.  If your child is scared of trying new things, Disney probably will be more stressful than fun.

LOL I love this pic.  Its on the Buzz Lightyear ride.  I dont think Henry knew what to think about it!

Henry also loves the Toy Story characters.  At the beginning of the day I pointed the characters out to Henry but did not bring him up to them.  Then we watched a parade and I realized the characters going up to Henry did not scare him.  Finally we waited in line to see Buzz and Henry loved it.  Ease your child into unfamiliar situations.  

At Disney and many other parks you can bring your own food.  I WOULD HIGHLY recommend this.  I brought some healthy and familiar snacks for Henry.  It helped make the lines go by faster.  Also bring some toys your kids enjoy.  This helps them stay in the stroller longer and allows them to entertain themselves and not get over stimulated.  

If your child cannot nap in the stroller leave the park before meltdown happens.  There are plenty of shady, quiet spots in the park if your child can nap in a stroller.  

It was so helpful in having 5 adults at the park with Henry.  We all took turns meeting his needs while everyone else could enjoy Disney for all it has to offer.

I know Henry will not fully remember going to Disney but I LOVED it.  It was so fun seeing everything through his eyes.  

So funny story... Ten minutes before the parade started a marching band came by playing music.  Henry got the idea that people were going to be marching down the blocked off area.  He got up by himself and started marching where the parade was going to happen.  Every one around got to see how he is such a crack up. 

Feel free to contact me if you are going to Disney soon! We had such a wonderful time.  I will post more photos of my vacation soon!