Bringing baby to CP next year...

My first baby was born September 28th this year. We did have a crazy idea to go to CP closing weekend but nowone could have anticipated his health complications. Grant (our baby) was full term but was born with breathing trouble. He was on a nasal cannula, then a C-pap, and soon after intubated and on a respirator. He was then air lifted from Dearborn, MI to Ann Arbor to the U of M hospital at 2 days old for respiratory failure. Without writing a storybook let me tell you he did have pneumonia, a mysterious hematoma in his liver, and a blood infection. He is doing a lot better and should be out before Thanksgiving. Even though he wouldn't have remembered going to CP, we were still planning on going. Oh well, next year he will be in ship shape and we will take him memorial weekend. Were not at all dissapointed that we didn't get to the park at all this season, were just happy our son is alive and off of the respirator.

Sorry to hear about your son. I am glad he is doing better.

With no offense to anyone, I never understood why people bring babies to an amusement park.

I'm glad he is doing better!

CP_Obsessed_Freak1987 said:
With no offense to anyone, I never understood why people bring babies to an amusement park.

Parents need to have fun too.

Sometimes, you can't get a baby sitter eather. That's why they have parent swap.

^ What he said. Why wouldn't I bring my baby? I've never had a negative experience at any park, and little Kylah has now gotten free admission to Cedar Point, Kings Island, and Dollywood. Parent swap is fantastic.

I agree Crazy Horse, we took our 3 month old son to CP last month. He had fun, loved the carousel (cried when we took him off of it), fell asleep on the train and we got a nice photo with Snoopy and the gang. Didn't use parent swap because lines were pretty short. I hadn't been on a coaster since 7-3-08, so I was ready to ride rides again.

CP_Obsessed_Freak1987 said:
With no offense to anyone, I never understood why people bring babies to an amusement park.

Well, even though they won't remember it that early on in their lives, you can get some great pictures and show them years down the line. They can ride a couple rides with you even early on, and you can create a family tradition of going to the park every year, and soon you will have a mini Cedar Point fan. My parents started to take me at 4 1/2 years old and never quit. Of course we will bring our little munchkin next year and he will be 8 months old. The fun part will be enjoying the point with our little beloved baby boy.

I'm glad to hear your son is okay, congratulations on the little one! Our second son Alex was born in August of last year and we took him to Cedar Point for his first time when he was 3 weeks old. For us, it was nice to feel "normal" again after being couped up at home (in the middle of summer no less!), also our 2 year-old son Jacob was at the age to enjoy a lot of the rides.

I don't see anything wrong with resuming your normal life after having a kid, assuming that its something that is safe for the child to be a part of.

Next year is going to be fun for you! Grant should start walking on his own around this time next year and will be able to ride the Kiddie Kingdom rides and ride on a horse on the carousels! My experience at parks is so different with my boys, sure I don't ride as much anymore, but there's something about sharing the fun with kids that I wouldn't trade away for just coaster rides.

Have fun!

~Rob

Let me just ditto what (pretty much) everyone else is saying. For heaven's sakes, if you love Cedar Point, include your little boy. We took Ava when she was 5 months old (as soon as the park was open for the season), and we had a blast. It was only the beginning of many, many trips -- not just to CP, but to many other parks and all sorts of other places as well.

The Disney parks are MUCH easier with a little one. They do have the baby swap but they also have a lot of rides baby can go on with no trouble. My son rode Buzz Lightyear and a host of other rides at the MK at two months old. (Granted, he slept through many of them.)

Here's to healthier days ahead.

Yea, disney has a lot you can do together as a family.

The only rides my daughter was not able to get on when I took her last time was space mountain, big thunder, and splash mountain.

I respect everyone's views. And when the day comes I have children, I want to take them along, too, so that we as a family can appreciate amusement parks like my family did.

And even with the parent swap policy, I just think a little one would be more hassle and what not. They won't remember much, you can't ride the larger rides together with your friend or spouse, and you just have to worry about them all day rather than being able to relax and have fun away from reality.

Trust me, I'm all up for kids going to CP and what not, but I probably wouldn't take mine until he/she is 4-5 years old.

Again, this is just me and my opinion, do not let me offend you.

CP_Obsessed_Freak1987 said:
With no offense to anyone, I never understood why people bring babies to an amusement park.

After watching many a covered wagon w/screaming member(s) aboard being pulled through the scare zones, I have to agree. We will be bringing our son, who will be 4, next season for the first time.

Bringing a baby to an amusment park is not the problem. It is what you do wiith the baby while you are there. Doing age appropriate activities is what counts. Pulling a baby through a scare zone is probaly not age appropriate. However, taking them on rides in the childrens area is certainly OK.

I went to CP in August with my nephew and niece and their 2 1/2 year old daughter. I can tell you that the baby had a BLAST. She knew what rides she liked and which ones she did not. The parents had just as much fun watching their daughter have fun.

At 6 months to 1 year old they may not remember much. At 1 year plus they will at least have a lot of fun. And probably remember at least some of the trip. Most parents who have babies are not there just for themselves. They are there to enjoy CP as a family, and they enjoy seeing their kids have fun.

I say, take the baby to the park! Enjoy your time in the park with them. You will not regret the experience.

Andeven with the parent swap policy, I just think a little one would bemore hassle and what not. They won't remember much, you can't ride thelarger rides together with your friend or spouse, and you just have toworry about them all day rather than being able to relax and have funaway from reality.

I don't think you're being offensive at all. To each his own (especially as a parent). That said, it goes without saying that having a child certainly adds to the responsibility, but I would hardly call having our daughter there (even when she was 1) a "hassle". Much to the contrary, we had so much fun exposing her to the parks, taking pictures with her, riding the merry-go-rounds, etc., the experience became much more about her and "us" as a family than what rides we would get on individually.

If she did not enjoy it, we would not take her, but she had a blast; don't underestimate what even a 6-month old can enjoy at a park like CP, Disney, KI, etc.

I never once worried about her, and we were both happy and relaxed, not to mention absolutely thrilled to get ourselves out of the house and back in a park after being sleep-deprived and house-bound for the first months of her life.