1st Time with Baby, Advice please!

[monicastanner]

We have been going to Disney World throughout our 10 years of marriage, including our honeymoon. (Plus I grew up going once a year) We've had annual passes, stayed value/moderate/deluxe, we've Disney cruised, we've done Holiday parties, we know where to eat, where to shop, what to do for freebies. What we've waited on all this time, 10 long years is to go with our OWN little one and now it's time!!

We are taking our (will be) 5 month old in Oct/Nov. We're using hubby's military deal and staying at Riverside (again) for 7 nights @ 40% off and using our super duper (free for him) and $99 for me tickets. Plus, we have a set of free Universal Tickets eek I know, I know...but they are free.

Anywho-

Although we are considered by all of our family and friends as "the go to Disney freaks"... this will be new to us. So please, share your tips... I have planned on taking the travel size pack n play that he still sleeps in. (in our bedroom) Does Disney provide a large pack n play or crib, have you used it? Would you use there's or take your own? We are packing enough diapers, formula, yadda yadda to last extra time b/c I don't plan to do an off site shopping trip and know things like that are nuts crazy on site. I have always heard the "baby stations" in the parks are very nice. Did you always use those or just changing tables in the restroom that was close to ya? We've been so many times, we do take it slow. We are NOT open to close park hoppers. Often time we are go in the morning for a few hours and be done for the day... or play elsewhere all day and go in the evening, take afternoon breaks, whatever. So that part of taking it easy and being prepared for coming back for naps and rest will not be a problem! .... All that being said, now....lay it on me!

Thanks in advance

 

[FSUSammy]

First off since you said you'll be staying at Riverside make sure you put in a request or make sure you find out when you check in where your room is. Meaning if you are in Alligator Bayou all of the buildings do not have elevators and lugging a stroller up the stairs if you happen to be that lucky/unlucky (however you may see it) could prove to be a pain in the a$$! It was for us. If you are in the mansions those buildings have elevators so you won't have the same problem. Just an FYI from one mommy to another.

We used the baby care centers a few times. They are nicer but it helps when you are nearby. If you are all the way on the other side of the park and need to change the little one's diaper it doesn't make sense to trek all the way back to the baby care center.

Best of luck and have a blast. Definitely taking it easy is the best thing you can do and you were already planning on that.

 

[lov2b@disney]

We took our son the first time at 6 months...it was a wonderful trip. We use the disney pack and play... it is a regular size pack and play... he used it up until our last trip in June...he was 3. We never brought our own.

The baby care centers are nice, if you nurse there are rocking chairs in quiet, dim light rooms. Changing areas and they have extra supplies if you need. I think I only used them...but carried a pad to change in other bathrooms too.

i used a front carrier, baby bjorn...it was great he like to be able to look around and made it really easy to "wear" him on rides and such.

TAking breaks and going slow sounds like a perfect plan.

agree with pp, we did POR alligator bayou with a stroller on second floor...it was a pain to carry the stroller up the stairs

I know you will enjoy your trip...

 

[tarak]

monicastanner - I've never used the resort pack and play (we took our son last year when he was just over a year). I used a travel bed from home. It might be a pain to lug yours around, but you might want to consider it if you think he'll sleep better in something that's familiar.

 

[Symans3honeybees]

Happy belated birthday of your baby

We took our youngest son when he was just 6 weeks old. The trip was a total success and we had the cooler weather to thank(March) Please make sure the baby will be well hydrated and shaded at best as you could. Most importantly of all, you have to take tons of pictures to share with us, ok?!

 

[1971DBday]

This is one of the easier times to travel with a child! I have gone with a 18 month old, 22 month old, and now my youngest at 8 months, 18 months, 2 yrs. old and soon to be 3!

Some tips: 1. Definately agree with the above tips regarding the room; research the resorts. However, nothing is guranteed and one year we got stuck on the second floor w/o and elevator. 2. Bring some dish detergent in a little tupperware container. You will have no other way to wash the bottles if you don't have a kitchen and our resorts don't sell it. 3. The pak-n-play that they offer is just as good as the one from home. However, bring your own crib sheet(s). They use regular sheets and it is to much and I worried about it covering her in the middle of the night. 4. Bring a decent size stroller that your baby can lay down in. Great place to change the diaper on the go. 4. Use bottle water for bottles. Our pediatrician said it was going to be okay to use tap water while we in Disney and our daughter's stomach could not hanle it. We were there for 10 days an half of it she was vomiting and diarrea with no fever. The pedeatrician said we could keep going as long as she didn't have a fever - made it for an interesting trip. Had to keep 3x the extra clothes for her and some for me for the times she puked on me. 5. My daughter at 8 mons. loved the parades and she was a magnet for the characters. 6. The buses will not be fun, especially with the stroller so don't over pack your things: camera(s), baby clothes, bottles and a blanket. Keep it an easy to carry backpack. One parent on stroller duty - the other baby and backpack. Be prepared for some uncomfortable rides, but most (not all) are polite and will give you a seat if holding a baby. If the bus has shelves in the front try to grab it to put the stroller on. (We are staying at the Poly this year so we can take advantage of the monorail because we don't have to fold the stroller.) 6. Pack a baby boat for the pool (you can get them on clearance now) and just leave it at Disney when you leave. Ours was only $3 and came in handy at the pool. 7. Take advatage of "child swap" for rides. One parent will have to wait outside of the ride and then you get a ticket that allows you to go to the fastpass line (even if you didn't have a fastpass ticket originally). 8. Tie a balloon to your stroller on days when you will be going on and off rides. It makes it easier to find your stroller in the stroller parking areas, but try to get a unique one. It will make it a challenge when pushing the stroller, but I just weight it down on top of the stoller so it is not blowing in the wind. 9. Go straight to Fantasyland at park opening. The lines get much longer as the day goes on. 10. Buy a pair of "my first Mickey ears" - great photos.

Enjoy and don't worry - you can have a relaxing trip with a baby. (Baby nap times by the poolside are my favorite. Mommy has a cocktail and relaxes while baby is out!)

 

[BfloChick]

We have been going to Disney World throughout our 10 years of marriage, including our honeymoon. (Plus I grew up going once a year) We've had annual passes, stayed value/moderate/deluxe, we've Disney cruised, we've done Holiday parties, we know where to eat, where to shop, what to do for freebies. What we've waited on all this time, 10 long years is to go with our OWN little one and now it's time!!

We are taking our (will be) 5 month old in Oct/Nov. We're using hubby's military deal and staying at Riverside (again) for 7 nights @ 40% off and using our super duper (free for him) and $99 for me tickets. Plus, we have a set of free Universal Tickets eek I know, I know...but they are free.

Anywho-

Although we are considered by all of our family and friends as "the go to Disney freaks"... this will be new to us. So please, share your tips... I have planned on taking the travel size pack n play that he still sleeps in. (in our bedroom) Does Disney provide a large pack n play or crib, have you used it? Would you use there's or take your own? We are packing enough diapers, formula, yadda yadda to last extra time b/c I don't plan to do an off site shopping trip and know things like that are nuts crazy on site. I have always heard the "baby stations" in the parks are very nice. Did you always use those or just changing tables in the restroom that was close to ya? We've been so many times, we do take it slow. We are NOT open to close park hoppers. Often time we are go in the morning for a few hours and be done for the day... or play elsewhere all day and go in the evening, take afternoon breaks, whatever. So that part of taking it easy and being prepared for coming back for naps and rest will not be a problem! .... All that being said, now....lay it on me!

Thanks in advance

I'll add one other thing. Some of the resorts do offer full-sized cribs. And, they are comfy and awesome. Call your resort to check.

 

[SheenaXena21]

This is one of the easier times to travel with a child! I have gone with a 18 month old, 22 month old, and now my youngest at 8 months, 18 months, 2 yrs. old and soon to be 3!

Some tips: 1. Definately agree with the above tips regarding the room; research the resorts. However, nothing is guranteed and one year we got stuck on the second floor w/o and elevator. 2. Bring some dish detergent in a little tupperware container. You will have no other way to wash the bottles if you don't have a kitchen and our resorts don't sell it. 3. The pak-n-play that they offer is just as good as the one from home. However, bring your own crib sheet(s). They use regular sheets and it is to much and I worried about it covering her in the middle of the night. 4. Bring a decent size stroller that your baby can lay down in. Great place to change the diaper on the go. 4. Use bottle water for bottles. Our pediatrician said it was going to be okay to use tap water while we in Disney and our daughter's stomach could not hanle it. We were there for 10 days an half of it she was vomiting and diarrea with no fever. The pedeatrician said we could keep going as long as she didn't have a fever - made it for an interesting trip. Had to keep 3x the extra clothes for her and some for me for the times she puked on me. 5. My daughter at 8 mons. loved the parades and she was a magnet for the characters. 6. The buses will not be fun, especially with the stroller so don't over pack your things: camera(s), baby clothes, bottles and a blanket. Keep it an easy to carry backpack. One parent on stroller duty - the other baby and backpack. Be prepared for some uncomfortable rides, but most (not all) are polite and will give you a seat if holding a baby. If the bus has shelves in the front try to grab it to put the stroller on. (We are staying at the Poly this year so we can take advantage of the monorail because we don't have to fold the stroller.) 6. Pack a baby boat for the pool (you can get them on clearance now) and just leave it at Disney when you leave. Ours was only $3 and came in handy at the pool. 7. Take advatage of "child swap" for rides. One parent will have to wait outside of the ride and then you get a ticket that allows you to go to the fastpass line (even if you didn't have a fastpass ticket originally). 8. Tie a balloon to your stroller on days when you will be going on and off rides. It makes it easier to find your stroller in the stroller parking areas, but try to get a unique one. It will make it a challenge when pushing the stroller, but I just weight it down on top of the stoller so it is not blowing in the wind. 9. Go straight to Fantasyland at park opening. The lines get much longer as the day goes on. 10. Buy a pair of "my first Mickey ears" - great photos.

Enjoy and don't worry - you can have a relaxing trip with a baby. (Baby nap times by the poolside are my favorite. Mommy has a cocktail and relaxes while baby is out!)

Thank you for the post!!!! I'm not even the OP and I really appreciated it.

 

[TinkOhio]

You can have a great time with a baby that age! Our baby is 11 now, but we brought her down when she was 4 months old for a 10 day trip. I agree with what has been previously posted. Another thing that worked very well for us was to acclimate her to spending a good chunk of time in the baby carrier and stroller. You can't condition a baby to Disney crowds before you get there, but you can get them used to strollers and carriers. We used a convertable carrier that could be used front-facing or sideways, like a sling. She slept...like a baby lying sideways. Loved it! There are many times/places when/where you will have to park the stroller, so a sling is a must!

 

[badblackpug]

The babies are easier to travel with than big kids or adults! Last year we took my 8 month old, this year we will be taking an 8 week old and 20 month old. (I also have a 12 year old and an 8 year old) I took my full size stroller, and when she got tired we just reclined the seat and she slept in the stroller. This year I will be taking a double (nicknamed "the tank") and a sling. The sling is only for rides, the bus, and restaurants. I do hate using the things full time and none of the other kids ever liked them. Last year because my then 8 month old was sitting up we didn't even take one. The back seat of my double stroller has full recline so the new baby can sleep, and the front has partial recline. We used the pack and play supplied by WDW. She slept just fine in it. This year we the new baby (a boy!) will sleep in the pack and play. We ordered bottled water (for formula) diapers, swim diapers, formula and baby food from www.gardengrocer.com. It was just easier than packing them. We changed her in whatever bathroom was convenient. Sometimes we changed her in the stroller. The baby care center are nice, we used them if they were close by, but didn't make a special trip. Like I said we formula feed, so we just picked a bench and got the big kids a snack or sent them on a ride while we fed her. We go in Oct. or Nov. so the heat is not an issue, it gets a little cool at night so we make sure we put a sweater and a blanket in the stroller. We used powdered formula in the parks so we just packed a couple of bottles of water and added the correct measure of powder to the bottles. When she was hungry we just added water and shook. The dish washing liquid is a great idea.

Seriously, babies are easier than the big kids. They NEVER ask for anything in the gift shop!

 

[pixidustmom]

These are great tips I am making notes. We are taking my grandson and he will be 15 months. I have never taken my girls when they were little so it's a new experience for my DH and I. It's one we look forward to taking on and can't wait to see his excitement of it all.
We too are staying at POR and I will be requesting a room in the mansions. We got to stay in one a few years ago and loved them.

By the way congrats on your new baby. I see you had a long road until she joined you and what an amazing surprise that must have been. Good luck and have a fantastic time.

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Congratulations!

One added suggestion - the pack n plays and cribs are not sanitized after each use, so consider taking something to wipe it down before putting baby Cole in it.

Have a magical trip!

 

[jillhou]

We took 2 of our kids when they were just babies. It was great. One was almost 6 months old and the other was 4 months old. They loved it. My best pieces of advice - don't sweat it too much, take your own stroller, use baby swap. I breastfed my kids and was able to do it shows - VERY discreetly - on the back rows with a blanket over us. I did use the Baby Stations some - just to rock and relax a little bit while hsuband did things with older ones. They were great, but if you bottle feed, you hardly would need those I would think.

Don't let people tell you that you are nuts.....it is a great age - they are not wanting to be mobile yet and are happy to be in the stroller looking at the sights. Mine would sleep in their own strollers, so that was great.

And btw - my last baby to take was my Cole! He just turned 15! It was great - enjoy.

 

[treemi01]

You and your husband are pros, you'll do just fine! You know what to expect and what to pack just from being there so many times before! You sound just like me and my DH. We traveled with our son #1 when he was 7 months, 13 months, 18 months, and at his 2nd birthday. Now we leave in 2 weeks with son #1 who will turn 3 on the trip and his little brother who will be 5 months. I don't pack the pack-n-play, but we have received a pack-n-play, a portable crib and a full sized crib on our various trips (just what we got, we didn't ask for anything). We've also gotten really cute Disney sheets for the proper crib on some trips and a regular bed sheet on some trips (which I will NOT use in a baby's crib). Since there are so many differences, I usually pack a regular crib sheet, a portable crib sheet, and a pack-n-play sheet. I know it's a lot to pack, but it is still a lot smaller than bringing your own pack-n-play...and we always have what we need. Also, pack the supplies (or ship them down ahead of time to save on fees for checked luggage), but you can always get something if you need it. You may pay more, but hey, you're in WDW! Another thing, if your baby isn't sitting up yet, you may want to buy some sort of bath support to bring with you. I found 2 different ones for $5-$9 at Babies R Us. It really makes it easier than trying to use a tiny sink or supporting your baby in the tub. The baby care centers are great, but I don't always use them for feeding/changing...anywhere will work! It's so easy to travel with them at that age! Just make sure you have a lot of fun! If I think of more tips, I'll post again.

 

[Mlissa88]

I'm loving this thread because my husband and I are taking our little one this year as well.

I've been to disney many times but not with a baby so I'm enjoying everyone's tips and taking note for myself.

thanks!

 

[Mlissa88]

oh and sorry ... I meant to subscribe to this thread. Doing that now.

 

[marciedoo]

Hi! We've been several times with my little guys (now 4 and 2). Here's my thoughts...

Baby care centers -- great if you are nearby. They are quiet and roomy. Otherwise, we just changed in a regular bathroom

Sling or something -- we used a mei tai but really, whatever type of carrier you like for when you ditch the stroller. It seems like a baby can't get heavy, but they can!

Stroller packing -- here's how we did it (and managed a 2 year old, 10 month old, double stroller...only me and DH). One bag to hang off the handles -- that has the diapers, wipes, sippies. Small grocery-type bag for underneath the stroller (we've actually used the WDW shopping bags if it looks like it might rain) with some extra diapers and changes of clothing and a light blanket). Then when it's bus time, one parent takes child plus handle bar bag, other parent folds stroller, takes that and the grab-and-go bag underneath. Easy!

Blanket and clothespins -- This is totally ghetto but it works. Take a blanket with you to the parks-- if you sew or know someone who does, make a 40 by 40 square of flannel (it's a little bigger than regular so you get more coverage). Clothespin it onto the canopy of the stroller when it's sleepy time. It's not to block out noise...it's to block out visual stimuli. Disney stimulates your senses like crazy, even adults can get overloaded. Sometimes the little ones just need down time.

I think that's it. Have a great time!!

 

[1971DBday]

I think we need to keep this thread alive! I like the clothspin idea even for my now 3 year old. Even though we are treating ourselves for the convenience and beauty of the Poly this year and plan to take breaks pool(naps) at the poolside. That is another one...your baby will be used to the noise. You shouldn't feel like you need to sit in your hotel room (unless you want to) while baby is taking a nap. I would let our DD sleep in her stroller (since that was the theme for the trip) and find a nice shady spot or create my own while I relaxed and got some sunshine by the pool. She could sleep even with screaming children around her!

 

[jkcyoung]

I agree with the other posters that this is a very easy time to bring a baby to Disney. We traveled last year when our youngest was 6 months. We brought our graco metrolite from home wich reclines and has good size storage. We also brought a front carrier and a sling. I put him in the sling if I knew he was about to fall asleep because then I cuold just "wear" him on the rides without waking him. The front carrier was great when we were in areas like fantasy land, it kept us from constantly putting him in and out of the stroller. At the restaurants he did have trouble sitting in the wooden high chairs, so we sound up just bringing the stroller in and it wasn't a problem. My husband was very nervous ablut traveling with the baby, and when we got home he said you wouldn't have known he was there except for changing and feeding him! Have fun!!!

 

[monicastanner]

Thank yall' so much, I knew I'd come to the right place!! It's 3 weeks away and we're so excited!! We took him to the Smoky Mountains for a long weekend trip a few weeks back, it was fantastic. He'd gone to the beach this summer, but he was just a itty bitty baby then....a few months makes a huge difference. Anyway..he loved loved loved just looking at everything. Sights, sounds, lights, cars, the coke machine in the hallway (ha!) He used the stroller "sitting up" too instead of in the carrier on top. I didn't even realized it had shoulder straps since he's still a little bouncy. Duh.... He did great though and we know he will enjoy the sights, lights, sounds of Disney! It made me more excited for him!!

Thanks again and keep it coming if you remember anything!!