Why do families bring newborns and infants to Disney Parks so much?

[AnnabelleTheTalkingTree]

I mean.... why not? In my experience newborns are SUPER easy to tote around with you. Toddlers are actually harder. Sure, you might not sleep great but you wouldn't be sleeping at home either Personally I've waiting until my kids are out of the newborn/infant stage before taking them to Disney but I can certainly see why others do it.

 

[disneyseniors]

We took our kids for their first visit when they were 5 and 7 y/o. The Only reason was that we couldn't afford it before then, LOL. When things worked out for us, you can bet we headed for WDW.
I love to see the little ones at disney with their families. It was just never an option for us.

 

[NotUrsula]

Um, because I couldn't leave them home alone when everyone else went? We took ours all the time at that age; DD's first visit was at 6 weeks, and she had 4 more under her belt by the time she turned one. She rode in a stroller or in my arms in a sling, learned to sleep through any kind of light and noise when she felt tired, and was pretty much contented all the time there.

Infants are free, so it doesn't really matter how many rides they can or cannot do (and they can do a surprising number, FWIW.) Half the fun of being in the parks is the atmosphere, and babies soak that up like sponges; it's a blast to watch the gears turn behind their eyes as they take in all the sights and sounds. They laugh, and they kick their feet and giggle, just having a great time snug in the arms of someone who loves them. Can they later tell you exactly what each ride was about? Nah, but when they are older that early imprinting of happiness in the parks stays with them; my DD calls it that warm Disney glow.

 

[LSUmiss]

I’ve heard the OP’s perspective before and it’s often because they don’t view Disney as a frequent destination. I would agree that for a once in a lifetime trip, a 6 year old will get more out of it than an infant. But a lot of us on here are regular visitors so we take our kids from a young age and go over and over again. I have 3 little ones and we took them for the first time at 10 months, 12 months, and 8 months. DLR was always the first trip for all of them since we’re in CA and we also have family in LA, so we would make it a road trip and both go on vacation and visit family. WDW first trips were at around 14 months for the first 2 and hasn’t happened yet for baby 3 since we don’t want to fly yet. We don’t have anyone to watch a baby for us while we vacation (plus I would hate leaving them behind anyway).

We are also DVC members and have APs for both WDW and DLR. Since we go frequently enough, our trips are on the relaxed side and we don’t do too much in a day. This helps us minimize any crying that might occur since we’re taking it easy. We stay in 1BR or 2BR villas, get groceries, and settle in for some fun family time.

After becoming a parent, I really saw how young a child could be and still have a reaction to a Disney trip (or anything, really). Seeing my 1 and 3 year olds laugh and clap while watching parades and shows are priceless memories for us as parents, even if they don’t remember it. I adore the photos of them in the parks when they’re little, and we’ll even book a local photographer to do family photos at our resort or in the park (so worth it!). Plus there are studies emphasizing how critical the first few years of a child’s life are in making neural connections, and I believe travel and all these new experiences are an important part of their development. We want to travel with our kids to Disney and elsewhere because we believe it’s good for them as individuals and good for us as a family.

Exactly about people seeing it as once in a lifetime. DS (3) has been to WDW 11 times starting when he was 7 mos. His 12th trip is in 10 days.

 

[dez1978]

Tell me you don’t have kids without telling me you don’t have kids…

 

[MegaPowersPT]

We are first time parents and are bringing our son in April who will be 9 months old.

We wish we could have done it sooner but couldn't. He won't remember it BUT WE WILL. We'll have those pictures, videos and magical memories for the rest of our lives.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

We are first time parents and are bringing our son in April who will be 9 months old.

We wish we could have done it sooner but couldn't. He won't remember it BUT WE WILL. We'll have those pictures, videos and magical memories for the rest of our lives.

use some of those pictures to make him his own photobook. daughter did this for a grandson for his baby trip. for years he would tell you all about that trip from reading the pictures. he did not remember as such but he knew who that baby was

 

[KristaZ]

I'll be bringing my son in May - he'll be 5 months old. We're bringing him because we want to go. If it was a once in a life time thing I probably wouldn't be bringing him, but I'm an AP and frequent visitor, this is just the first of many trips (and the first of 3 he'll likely be on by his 1st birthday). I've been pretty determined that I'm not letting having a child stop me from going places and traveling, and that includes Disney.

 

[TreeFalls]

Because everyone else wants to go and the baby is free?