7 month-old baby at BWV

[stephen11]

Hi, we will be taking our 7 month-old (first) granddaughter to the BWV (members since 1997) - in early October. Any tips? We will be flying down and using Magical Express. We are hoping that our room will be available, but if not, we will bring her formula in a little cooler and bring her to the "Quiet Pool".

Can we carry the formula or her bottles on the airplane?

What about a crib at the BWV?

Any tips or advice will be extremely appreciated...

I have posted before about this trip, but cannot find my old posts.

Thanks, Steve

[noname70]

We did this before. Request a Pack and Play crib through MS. When we arrived it still wasn't in our room but a quick call and it was brought up.

Bring your own stroller (not an umbrella). The baby will be more comfortable, can recline, and can be somewhat protected from the sun. Storage advantages too.

I used a snugglie a few times too while waiting in line. Brought her on most of the dark rides -she loved Buzz and Small World at this age. Stay away from some of the louder shows like Tough to be a Bug. Even Ellen or Great Movie ride can get too loud as well.
As for fireworks, didn't seem to phase her either way. She was somewhat interested in Spectromagic but I would avoid the afternoon parades.

Also take full advantage of the Baby centers at the parks. You'll be amazed at how quiet an peaceful they are (esp MK). Nice break for Mom/Grandparents and baby. They also have supplies (diapers/formula etc).

You will still enjoy yourself-believe me.:)

[disneynutz]

Can we carry the formula or her bottles on the airplane?

Thanks, Steve

Liquids are not allowed, empty bottles are.

[CarolMN]

Copied this form the TSA website:

Declare larger liquids. Prescription medications, baby formula and milk (when traveling with an infant or toddler) are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in the zip-top bag. Declare these items for inspection at the checkpoint.

Here is a link to the portion of the TSA website that addresses items you may (and may not) carry on an airplane:

3-1-1- for Carry-ons (http://www.tsa.gov/311/index.shtm)

[flexsmom]

We had a family in front of us going through security last month who had a young baby. The dad had to pour out about 3 bottles full of water that they intended to use to mix with formula. The security official explained (very nicely - it seems like they've been much more polite lately, at least in some airports!) that if it was pre-mixed formula (or milk) then it was allowed but that since water was available on the plane (bottled water, too) that water IN baby bottles wasn't part of the exemption. The couple handled the changes pretty well and seemed more worried about the line of people behind them than the fact that they had to dump their water - I can understand how the intent is difficult to understand even as written.

[Deb & Bill]

There was just a story today in the news about a mother who had to dump out the water in her child's sippy cup when she was boarding the flight. Sounds like it got a bit ugly, too.

[disneynutz]

Copied this form the TSA website:

Declare larger liquids. Prescription medications, baby formula and milk (when traveling with an infant or toddler) are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in the zip-top bag. Declare these items for inspection at the checkpoint.

Here is a link to the portion of the TSA website that addresses items you may (and may not) carry on an airplane:

3-1-1- for Carry-ons (http://www.tsa.gov/311/index.shtm)

Thanks for setting me straight. Last month at SAT I overheard a mother talking loudly with a TSA agent about her baby's milk. I guess I should have stuck around to her the whole story. popcorn::

[Princess Roo]

You can definitely bring a bottle of formula through. We had mixed success bringing sippy cups of ~3oz. water through (since the cups are 8oz. cups, that is what they care about more than how full it is, I guess). You cannot bring ice or gel packs through, but you can use something like frozen peas to keep the formula cold.

When we board the flight we usually ask the flight attendant for a bottle of water for our son's sippy cup for when we take off and they have always been happy to give it to us. (I usually buy a bottle after security that I would like to drink myself, but would give to my son if they said no ;) )

Regarding the Pack&Play, they provide one sheet, but I'd recommend bringing at least one more, in case of middle-of-the-night accidents. (You can make do with a regular crib sheet if your granddaughter doesn't have a Pack&Play at home.) We always bring DS's favorite blanket and music from home, too, just to make it seem a little more normal for him.

There are a BUNCH of tips on traveling with little ones over on the "Disney for Families" board, too, if you want to go check it out!

[stephen11]

Thank you all so much! So we can carry one or two (or three) bottles of formula on the plane.

We are planning on ordering through one of the grocery chains that deliver (pampers, formula, baby food, etc.) to the BWV. Any recommendations?

Thanks again for your help!!

Steve

[Perditamarie]

Just a couple of ideas:

* You can bring powdered formula and buy water after you go past security...you want to make sure you have a bottle ready for take off to ease the pressure in babys ears. Powdered formula also comes in handy in the parks as you can mix up a fresh bottle w/o carrying much.

* Folks on the family board recommend a baby's best friend (abbf.com) to rent baby gear from and have delivered/picked up at the hotel -- I think they rent just about everything from cribs to white noise machines to strollers.

* Definately bring a sling/hip hammock to carry baby in rides/attractions/shows where you can't bring a stroller.

* We used gardengrocer.com to order groceries and they were excellent. They are very familiar w/Disney hotels and can leave your groceries w/Bell Services if you aren't in -- Bell Services has refrigerated cases to hold the items.

* Keep in mind you will have to do some stroller wrangling to use transport to AK and MK. That means holding baby and a ginormous diaper bag and holding a heavy/awkward stroller on the bus. A lightweight stroller that fully reclines would be good -- you can add a bigger shade for sun protection if needed.

* The walk to MGM from BWV is great -- not too long and time to enjoy a little bit of peace and coffee! The kiddie pool at BWV is also very nice, and very shallow.

* Bring a carry-on bag for immediate necessities for you and baby like diapers, clothes, formula, bathing suits, etc. as Magical Express may take a bit to deliver your luggage.

Have a wonderful trip!

[javaj]

Our almost 1 year old is a seasoned traveler. We're trying to work out or move to TX and unfortunately, DH has already been there 8 months.

Anyway, expensive option for formula -- but definitely most convenient: we buy the ready made sealed 8 oz individual cans of Good Start Supreme for the plane. I bring 3 or 4 cans each way.

For our Disney trip last February, I got formula and diapers on Amazon (free delivery over $25).

There was also already a crib and a high chair in the room at OKW.

ETA: I also realized during our last trip that they sold those formula cans at the Baby Care center!!! We didn't need it but it was great to know -- just in case!

[stephen11]

Thanks for all the terrific tips. We are looking into Amazon.com for the formula and diapers and will also check out greengrocer. Our granddaughter is on Similac advance formula. I will check to see if it comes in 8 oz. ready to feed. She is not on solid foods yet, but by the time we go, I'm sure she will be taking cereal and fruit.

We are planning on bringing a MacClaren Quest stroller.

Thank you so much!!!!!!

[stephen11]

Perditamarie...thanks so much for the tips. I meant gardengrocer not greengrocer. Our granddaughter has been using the ready-to-feed formula and I'm not sure if she will take to the powder. Maybe we will try it ahead of time to see how it goes....

Thanks again!

[las3888]

We took our DS at 8.5 mos and he has been 4 times since (he is now 28 mos). We are DVC members and stay at mostly BWV or OKW. Our first trip was at BWV.

On the negative side, we have found that check-in at BWV is never on-time. I don't know what day you are going, and we often try to check-in on Sundays right about 2-4pm, which is a very peak time. We have had to wait several hours for check-in, often beyond 4pm. Hopefully that will not be your case, but just be prepared, as it seems you do have a plan. We just found it difficult - DS really needed a nap desperately and ended up having a diaper blow-out in the lobby while checking in.

DVC rooms are supposed to have pack-n-plays in all rooms. If they don't, call mousekeeeping and they will have one to you fairly quickly. Disney does have metal cribs which seem to come in 2 sizes - full size crib size, and smaller size (about the size of a pack-n-play). Both are off the ground and have nice thick regular crib mattresses (along with bedding which fits whatever size you get). We have requested a "metal crib" and have had good success getting them, especially at BWV. The smaller one worked nicely for DS, especially at a younger age. None of this will matter to you if your granddaughter sleeps in a pack-n-play. We found out on our first trip to Disney that DS did NOT sleep nicely in a pnp. We found out the hard way. The mattress is about one inch thick. Many many kids do nicely though.

Please note that we have been advised in the last few months whenever requesting a metal crib that the standard line is: "Disney is phasing out metal cribs, so they are few and far between to get." You can still request one, but who knows if you will get one. On our last trip, we didn't chance it, and ended up renting a nice full size crib from abbf.com. They also offer other baby equipment rentals if you need them. We were very satisfied.

Sounds like you have the formula situation under control. I believe Target sells even little plastic tubes of pre-mixed formula, but we are about 18 mos out of formula, and I swear things change ALOT in baby stuff in that little time. We flew in May and I definitely saw that they had signs all over that liquids were banned except for formula, etc.

We have not used the grocery delivery services ourselves, so can't comment.

Good luck and please post back on how it was!

[stephen11]

las3888, thank you very much. We will be trying to check in around 10 or 10:30 am... in the past, we have had some success, but on some occasions, we have waited until 4:00. I requested the metal crib from MS when we made our reservation, but I did not specify a size. Do you think the small or larger size. I will look into the service that provides full size cribs.

We are so looking forward to this trip and we will definitely post to let you know how it went!!!

Steve

[welovewdw]

Thanks for all the terrific tips. We are looking into Amazon.com for the formula and diapers and will also check out greengrocer. Our granddaughter is on Similac advance formula. I will check to see if it comes in 8 oz. ready to feed. She is not on solid foods yet, but by the time we go, I'm sure she will be taking cereal and fruit.

We are planning on bringing a MacClaren Quest stroller.

Great stroller for the parks - easy & quick to fold, too. We have a Techno - very similar.

We've travelled a lot with our 6 mo. old son - (he's been to WDW 4 times already. LOL) we've never had an issue w/ bringing the 8 oz cans of premixed formula on planes. We've never had an issue w/ the powder/water either, but I was prepared to dump the water if we had to - we normally just take the cans for the flight. (the similac definitely comes this way, too! :))

The buses were a hassle for us - so much so that we prefered to walk to the front of epcot and take the monorail to & from MK - it's more walking, but it was fun and easier not to have to wake him to move him in & out of the stroller. The walk to MGM is great, too. (and we drove to AK LOL I hate boarding buses w/ strollers - can you tell? LOL)

I second the baby rooms in the parks -they're fantastic. PerditaMarie had great tips!

Funny on the rides - Buzz scared the heck out of Chip (too much noise, lights, I'm thinking it was just sensory overload) but he really did fine on other rides.

We use the Baby Bjorn alot at the parks, too - it's really alot easier to go on most rides and to wait in lines with it.

Good luck - you really will have fun with a baby!!

[wildernessDad]

Please let us know how it works out for you.

I have a new granddaughter, my first, and she is almost 3 months old. Her mother rolls her eyes everytime I tell my granddaughter how I am going to spoil her at WDW and then hand her back to mommy. ;)

[vwlvette]

This is a great thread!! we are going to be traveling to VWL in Nov with our DD who will be at that time just shy of 11 months. This is our first trip with an infant! Thanks to all who have posted here for the valuable info!

[Anthony1971]

We used premade for the plane and packed powder in our luggage it is a lot easier... small premade bottles are in general not enough so use two... it is a LOT faster if baby cries on the plane.. Diapers we packed them as well they do not take up a lot of room and you will not be bringing them home with you... Ceral I would bring as well I just liked to know we had what we needed....... request a crib and use the matress from the crib in the pack in play if the baby not walking yet as the crib is very low and the mattress in the oack and play is not that great.. the height chairs are the wooden ones that you get in retuarants if he can not sit in it don't bother... you can check the stroller at the gate just let them know at the desk by the gate and they will tag it for you... Dinsey does sell Similac only but I dod not see any at BW??? but all the parks have a baby care center that carry it... Know where they are as sometimes the adjustment to the water can be hard on the baby so I would boil the florida water and the sell Soy pre made if he does have some issues.... Other tahn that we had no problems with the stroller Oct. is slow so it will be leaa of a burden and we just carried him onto the rides no problems... Most TS will aloow the stroller if he can not yet fit in the height chairs they have there are a few exceptions like Grden grill as they are not allowed on the building period.... But that is the only one I know of....
Dinsey does have all for the baby.... so do not worry
Yo can also ship a box to the resort on your own but I do not find what we needed to bring to be heavy just put it in your luggage and let ME do the rest
No problems with premade or if you make a bottle before security

[Anthony1971]

I forgot to mention our baby was 5 months and will be 14 this year

[las3888]

las3888, thank you very much. We will be trying to check in around 10 or 10:30 am... in the past, we have had some success, but on some occasions, we have waited until 4:00. I requested the metal crib from MS when we made our reservation, but I did not specify a size. Do you think the small or larger size. I will look into the service that provides full size cribs.

We are so looking forward to this trip and we will definitely post to let you know how it went!!!

Steve

If you are checking in that early, you may have good success getting your rooms. I have found that the fewer requests we have, the earlier our room.

I have never requested a size for the metal crib. We have pretty much just taken what we got (and felt lucky to get it!). Our DS moves around all night in his crib and he has done well in the smaller one even at around 24 mos. I think whatever size you get should be okay for your 7 month old. We found that DS wouldn't sleep in the pnp not due to the size, but due to the super thin mattress that came with it.

I do recall one time we got a smaller metal crib that had a thin mattress. It would kind of flip up on the sides if he was in the middle. We requested a thicker mattress (plus they can give you 2 mattresses if need be).

Sorry to go on and on - we have just run the gamut with cribs in our 5 trips with our DS.

From this point, we are caving in and renting because DS is now 28 mos and I don't think he would fit in the smaller metal cribs anymore and it's just too chancy to get a big full size one from Disney.

One tip for renting is to request the crib to be delivered to the resort the day b4 your arrival. This way the crib will be there when you get there at 10:30. That way if you get your room early, your crib will be ready to go. Just call bell services and have it delivered. It only takes about 10 minutes to put it together. Otherwise, most crib deliveries are not guaranteed until 4 or even 6pm on weekends. For us it didn't cost a dollar more since abbf.com has a flat rate for 7 days I think and our stay was only 5 days. This was the advice we received from abbf.com directly and proved invaluable to us to get that first day's nap in. It really helped start the trip on a positive note.

[jpolak]

Hi, we will be taking our 7 month-old (first) granddaughter to the BWV (members since 1997) - in early October. Any tips? We will be flying down and using Magical Express. We are hoping that our room will be available, but if not, we will bring her formula in a little cooler and bring her to the "Quiet Pool".

Can we carry the formula or her bottles on the airplane?

What about a crib at the BWV?

Any tips or advice will be extremely appreciated...

I have posted before about this trip, but cannot find my old posts.

Thanks, Steve

For the crib use http://www.abbf.com/ they rent everything you could possible need. They deliver to the resort and pick it up. All bedding is included, cleaned and sealed. We have used them 4x now and have never had a problem. A happy infant is worth the money.

[vwlvette]

question for the experts!!!
What do you ise to keep the bottle cold? Cooler w/what? Cannot bring the ice packs since they are gel.
How do you warm the bottle? Once again our travel warmer is a gel based pack that heats up when you click the tab.
Thanks!!!!

[stephen11]

vwlvette, I was thinking the same thing about the gel ice pack..we are flying on Continental, so I may call them to check how to keep the bottles cold.

Someone suggested a "stroller fan" from a specific catalog, but I cannot find the thread. Does anyone have any information on this?

Thanks,
Steve

[javaj]

For the ready to feed sealed cans-- you don't need to keep it cold. That's why it is so convenient! Just pop open and pour. No need to heat up since it wasn't refrigerated in the first place. For the above poster that mentioned using 2, I think they were talking about the smaller nurser bottles. We use the 8 oz cans, so only need 1 for a full bottle. We use Good Start, but here's an example of the same type of item from the Similac online store:

http://rosstore.com/store.cfm?Department=Pediatric&Category=Similac%20Advance&Subcategory=&OrderID=0

It is the second item listed on that ordering page --
"Similac Advance with Iron Ready To Feed Liquid / 8-fl-oz cans / case of 24"

By the way, we love our Maclaren Quest! DS #1 used it for years and DS #2 is using it now. Also used the Baby Bjorn a lot when we went a few months ago!

Edited to Add -- Warning to anyone that uses powder formula while traveling in FL: If baby's tummy is sensitive at all, don't use tap water for the powdered formula unless you're sure the water is very similar to the water at home. Use bottled water if you're not sure. We ended up using ready to feed cans the whole trip!

[TommyMommy05]

I have stayed two times with my son at BWV, this year and last year ( he is now 2).

You can not carry liquids on a plane, but dry formula is not an issue (you should also check the provisions the airport has for infants). What we did last year was measure the dry formula and put it in the bottles, then ask the flight attendant for water. This year, we needed milk, and it worked the same way, we just asked the flight attendants and they were helpful and accomodating.

We requested the Pack and play crib, and it was in the closet waiting when we arrived.

Bring a stroller (a good size one that reclines and has a visor), instead of renting one or buying one there. Airlines are happy to gate check strollers, and it is easy to do.

[Hopefully]

We have used wegoshop.com 4 times in the past for grocery deliveries. They were excellent. It was convenient and I found we definitely saved, even with the delivery fee, over what we would have paid at Disney shops.
HTH

[n2mm]

It's funny reading this thread as you see so many DVC members saying how many times their little ones have been to WDW. I'm one of those. My grand daughter just turned 2 and in August she will be going with us for her 5th visit already. Gotta love DVC. As for the thread, this was just one more reminder for me to make sure my daughter doesn't wean the new granddaughter who will be 3 months old for her first trip in August. No formula issues out for her. We used the baby care centers for GD#1 and found them to be great, so know all about them for GD#2. Having a 2 bedroom reserved at OKW then BCV is a life saver during the hot months. We know most likely that our room will not be ready, as it has never been ready in the last 6 DVC visits we've had. Worse comes to worse, the babies may be taking naps in the lobby, or maybe the hall of presidents. We have all traveled several times now since the newest set of liquid rules, so know what to expect. The empty sippy cut is tucked away in case GS#1 needs it for take off. Getting water and juice after the security check has not been a problem at either airport that we use (Dulles and MCO).

[n2mm]

vwlvette, I was thinking the same thing about the gel ice pack..we are flying on Continental, so I may call them to check how to keep the bottles cold.

Someone suggested a "stroller fan" from a specific catalog, but I cannot find the thread. Does anyone have any information on this?

Thanks,
Steve

As for the gel pack, I had to throw my away last year. I took it with me frozen in my checked bag to keep some frozen bottles of water extra cold. Coming home I had forgotten it was in my lunch bag and could not take it on and had to throw it away. I suggest the ready to serve cans that do not have to be kept cold.

[stephen11]

Javaj, thank you for the link to the similac 8 oz. rtf cans.. if we can't find them locally, we will order them for our trip. It is funny how we DVC members plan... we actually booked this trip before our little granddaughter was born. Everyone thinks we are crazy. Back in November, MS asked us for the baby's name and we said "we'll get back to you"... we called in February to add her name.

It's just amazing that we are able to bring another generation to our favorite place (BWV)... we are very happy and grateful! Grandchildren are such a precious gift..

Thanks so much for all your helpful tips!!

[vwlvette]

Our little princess is on enfamil gentle ease, it only comes in powder form.

[Princess Roo]

question for the experts!!!
What do you ise to keep the bottle cold? Cooler w/what? Cannot bring the ice packs since they are gel.
How do you warm the bottle? Once again our travel warmer is a gel based pack that heats up when you click the tab.
Thanks!!!!

You can't bring ice or gel packs through security for formula, but you can bring frozen veggies, which do a great job keeping things cold for minimal cost! :thumbsup2

I can't think of a way to heat the bottle actually on a plane, but I guess you could heat it by running it under hot water for 2 or 3 minutes in the restroom before you get on the plane?

ETA: Just saw your comment about powder. In that situation, I would bring the powder separately and then purchase the bottled water after you get through security (if your child is at the age where she still needs purified water). If you purchase it at a location that has a microwave, they may be willing to warm it for you. Also, if you don't already have one, I just saw these neat little cups (maybe 3" deep and 6" diameter?) that have different sections for pre-measured formula so that you can carry ~4 servings all set to go...around $5 at Target or BabiesRUs.

[stephen11]

We are probably going to order the 8 oz. RTF Similac from the web-site. We checked our Target and Babies R Us, and they don't carry the 8 oz. cans.

I just noticed on the "one step ahead" website "thermal ceramic packs" for keeping bottles warm or cool. I assume they would be acceptable to carry-on.

I also ordered the pinwheel fan for the stroller from that website (as well as bathing suits with built in swim-diapers)..