What attractions should we do with a one year old?

Character Meet and greets might be ok. My kids were a little bit shy of them at that age, but that depends entirely on the child. These are the MK rides that I would go on with a child that age.

- Jungle Cruise (may be a little Boring for her, it depends on how much she likes boats)
- Aladdin's Magic Carpets
- Small World
- Peter Pan's Flight
- Winnie the Pooh
- Tea Cups
- Little Mermaid
- Dumbo
- Casey Jr. Splash Zone
- People Mover (this was a favorite for my kids)

My degree is in early childhood development and education, and I've worked with children birth-6years old for 20 years. I don't think WHAT you do with a one year old at WDW matters as much as HOW you do WDW with a one year old.
My tip for WDW with a 12-13 month old would be, no matter what you choose to do with her, make sure she doesn't get too overstimulated for an extended period of time. Too much of a good thing for infants and toddlers can just completely push them over the edge. Overstimulation in infants and toddlers can cause major meltdowns, sometimes lasting for hours. Babies just don't have the cognitive ability to process too much too fast, and WDW can get very bad, very quickly for a tired, hot, overstimulated baby.

Here's an example of how to potentially avoid overstimulation. If you just rode the teacups with her, do something less stimulating immediately afterwards. You could get something to eat in an air conditioned restaurant or get on the TTA. Both would allow her to wind down, and cool off a little before going onto something else very stimulating. Alternate very stimulating activities with slower activities, meal times, and breaks to just sit somewhere with A/C and I think you could take her on any age appropriate ride or attraction.

If you get to MK early enough, you could ride some of the main street vehicles, watch the Trolley Show and watch the Dapper Dans. You could also take her into Monsters Inc Laugh Floor and Mickey's Philarmagic.

I have to mention that even tiny kids can get motion sickness. I couldn't play on the swings, see-saws, or any playground equipment that moved when I was a toddler. And while I can't recall being one year old, I imagine the problem didn't suddenly manifest itself when I was two or three. So think twice about those teacups.

I heard a great tip once that if you're taking a toddler, try PeopleMover as a test before taking them on any other dark rides. On PeopleMover you're pretty much on your own in your car so if your toddler gets upset by the dark aspects, it's only those in your ride vehicle that are disturbed. That way you're not subjecting an entire boat full of people to a screaming child through all of Pirates. Obviously if you already know that your child is anxious in those type of situations to begin with then there is no need to try it at all, but if you think they might be up for it then it's a good test run.

I was thinking more along the lines that miserable baby = miserable everybody. I don't always hurl when I get queasy, but I always feel icky, and if a baby feels icky SHE IS GOING TO LET EVERYONE KNOW IT.

Maybe that's something I should mention for the benefit of anyone taking babies and toddlers to WDW or any other park: If your baby starts screaming on the teacups or any other ride that moves a lot, it might not be fear, it might be that he/she is starting to feel queasy. No barf does not mean no queasiness.

Edited to add: I'm going to suggest a rule of thumb: Don't take a kid on a ride that spins or goes up and down until the kid is old enough to say in plain language, "I feel sick."

This is the plan I use to keep me from being cranky too...

One thing I will say is don't take them into "It's A Bug's Life". Anyone under the age of 3 was pretty much screaming and crying during that show. It has some really scary, jumpy moments for little ones.

I felt so bad for them. As a parent that's kid loved the movie, I wouldn't have thought twice about it either.

LOL! *I* don't even do bug's life.

We are taking my 2 year old grandson to WDW for his first trip at the end of this month. During our trip last week - we tried to "test" rides that might be OK for him. He doesn't like dark and scary and I was surprised how dark the People Mover gets as you move toward Space Mountain. I'm not planning to take him on it - no easy way to get off if he freaks.

Our ride plan is:
Carousel
Dumbo
Alladin's Magic Carpet ride
Disney Jr Live OnStage
It's a small world
Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Little Mermaid has one dark scary part so we're going to avoid it this trip. Birnbaum has a great guide: Walt Disney World for Kids. This is different than the WDW with Kids. They give a great description of the rides with tips and warnings.

I know every child is different, but my son just turned 2 and he had such a blast on all the rides he went on. I think he's young enough that he isn't afraid of the dark *yet*. That being said, the only time he got somewhat scared was during A Bug's Life when Hopper jumped out and they created all the fog. We were the closest seat to Hopper, so I'm sure had we been back farther it wouldn't have been bad. He absolutely loved the teacups! I think the lists others have put together are great!

Well said!

I would add Finding Nemo at Epcot if you're there. I can't be sure, but did anyone mention Storytime with Belle? Keep toward the side for exit if necessary, but the actors/CMs who do this are trained to use a very musical/acting voice. Just not sure which story will pop up.