5 kids, one who is a newborn at DL...

[mesbijoux]

How am I going to do it!?!?!

I'm SO nervous! We've been going for years (AP holders) but the idea of driving for 12 hours with a newborn and then worse yet being at DL for a week with a newborn (our other kids are 9, 8, 6 and 3) in December with the crowds has got me

Has anyone else here gone with a relatively new baby (my baby is 7 weeks old) and if so, was it a pleasant trip or one filled w/ anxiety trying to find a quiet place to feed, nap, change diapers etc?

I'm guessing I'll be able to go on a great deal of the rides w/ the baby (fantasyland, POTC, Haunted etc. ) My dh and I will switch pass other rides of interest to me. Still...I need to hear that others have been with new babies and had a good trip!

 

[Zoemakes5]

I imagine with 4 brothers and sisters around, baby is probably not all that used to quiet! I wasn't able to bring any of my kids to DL or WDW at that age, but I flew across country with them, took them to zoos and movies and other places and frankly, to me, that's the easiest age possible to take them anywhere. They sleep most of the time. As long as someone is there to feed them and keep them warm and see to their needs, they are great. They are basically adorable, loving ameobas! At that age, they'll sleep in a sling or a snuggli or their stroller. They can eat pretty much anywhere. They're not mobile, so they don't care about being up and moving around.
I'd say go for it and don't worry. You're a DL pro! I'd be more worried about the 4 older ones than the baby, but you've btdt with them already!

 

[abby]

The first trip my dd went on was a camping trip for a week when she was 6 weeks old. My advice from that trip is relax, babies are very portable. It should work out just fine.

 

[disney-super-mom]

5 kids at Disneyland?!!!

I'm just kidding.

You'll be fine. Most of the time your infant will probably be sleeping, either in the stroller or in your arms.

If the bathrooms are swamped with people and there's a long line for a changing station, it's pretty easy to find a inconspicuous corner somewhere, slip a changing pad under the baby, and change the baby right in the stroller. I did that several times when our youngest was an infant.

I can't really help you with a quiet spot for feeding. I bottle fed our youngest, so I fed him anywhere and everywhere at DL, even on rides. However, I've seen many, many mothers sitting just about anywhere at DL/DCA breastfeeding their infant and covering themselves up with a baby blanket.

I agree with Zoemakes5 - the baby will be the easy part. It's your four older ones that you gotta worry about.

 

[staley7580]

Definately take advantage of the babycare centers. They have a nice quiet env. to feed and change your baby. If you are nursing, or not, you can just go in there to decompress alittle while feeding your baby. The changing tables are great, nice high sides, and they have cushions! I loved it when we went, and my dd is 18 mo!

 

[Tink33]

My DD first went to Disneyland at 2 months old. She stayed in her snugli all day long. That was almost 13 years ago, and I think it was the easiest trip with her ever.

Use the baby care centers and you will be fine.

 

[dwheatl]

My DS's first trip to DL was at 6 1/2 weeks. He did great. We took it slow and easy. You might have DH take the other kids out for a bit while you rest in the babycare center. The CMs treat you like royalty, and you can meet other folks from all over. Or you might rest in the hotel while DH takes the other kids to swim at your hotel. I found the biggest problem wasn't DS; it was my post-partum body that was exhausted and just starting to heal. Take good care of yourself, and have a great time.

 

[MATTERHORN]

Went when DS was 8 weeks old, so really the same age as yours! We went in January so it was pretty cold. He pretty much slept the whole time. It was my 3 kids and a friend and her 3 kids (no DH's) so it can be done. We were there for three days with kids: 5,4,4,3,2, and 8 weeks. We had a GREAT time.

Some of yours are a little older so that helps as they can dress/eat/wipe themselves somewhat! I assume your DH is going, so it will be about the same ratio as us, only 2 adults.

Here are my tips - We ate a lot of table service restaurants so we didn't have to worry about puching strollers/getting high chairs/carrying heavy trays with all the food and so forth. It was much easier and more pleasant to be waited on. We made quite a few PS's.

Not sure if you are bottle feeding or nursing, but we never really had to stop to feed the baby, we just picked a ride that I could nurse on (would also work for bottles) Small World, Pirates, the Railroad, etc. I personally don't like changing stations and I just changed him in the back of the stroller (ours lays completely flat) and it worked great.

The baby center is great, but I rarely use it because my other kids can't come into the nursing room with me so I wouldn't have anyone else to watch them.

Now is the easiest time (besides the car ride) because they don't need regular food, they don't touch all the germy things yet (just you and your own gear!) they don't want to get down and crawl and are happy to just be held, and they don't "get" the rides so they will go on anything you can go on.

I do skip Roger Rabbit because it is the absolute loudest ride! But all my kids have been on Pirates, Haunted Manison, jUngle Cruise (cover ears in Hippo area) at just a few weeks/months old.

Have a great time, My son had the funniest and cutest interaction ever with Goofy at 3 months old. It was priceless as one of his white socks looked just like one of Goofy's gloved fingers!! He pulled DS's sock off and kept trying to fit it on his hand. From there is just got "goofier" and he spent about 10 minutes with DS and had everyone around cracking up!

Have a great time, I do this a lot with infants. Let me know if there's anything else you might wanna know!

Andrea

 

[MATTERHORN]

Forgot to add, as far as napping, my DS was used to noise with two sisters at home so he can sleep anywhere. He slept on A LOT of rides, and if you can bring a sling/carrier and the baby can sleep away while you enjoy rides with the rest of the family!! It also helps since a lot of babies at that age aren't too keen on the stroller yet!

I am sure you already have a hotel reserved, but staying within walking distance is a lifesaver for me. I would not be able to fold up stroller, carry what's in it, and hold baby while watching other two little ones and get on a shuttle. Hope you are staying close as it makes life that much easier (and easier if you need that 3rd change of clothes in the day that you didn't bring to the park!!!) Rare but it happens.

 

[mesbijoux]

Thanks for your input everyone

Really, my 9,8,6 and 3 yo's are so tame and well behaved, I've not worried about them. I've worried about my colicky son who is breastfed and likes to remained latched on to mom as much of the day as possible He's also colicky for several hours at night. MAYBE he'll be distracted enough by the lights etc. to not be so cranky? (I can hope, right? ).

I have a Mai Tei Carrier that I planning on using with him but have worried that the cast members would require me to take him out every time I go to ride something (it really depends on the cast member de jour at any given ride - it's amazing how the "rules" change from person to person yk? ).

Anyway, I need to just take a deep breath and re-evaluate my expectations for the trip. I should be SOSOSO excited about going. I kind of feel badly that I'm not b/c I've always found that the anticipation is one of the best parts of the trip ykwim?

 

[MateasMom]

I don't have 5 kids LOL, but have done Disney with a newborn LOTS of times. I think the biggy is a sling. I don't know how I could have done it without that. And then just know that there may be times that you need to sit one out. If the group is 'splitting up', volunteer to take the littlier one and go do things like Playhouse Disney, Princess Faire. Things where you can sit and nurse.

I'm sure if you just take it easy and regard the trip more as a 'people watching' excursion that you'll have a great time!

 

[dletz]

I love the baby care center. As for nursing, with other kids, they will allow you to sit in the room, just not the nursing room (where the high chairs are) with your other kids. The nursing room is for mom and baby only. Which I happened to like because I had a very distracted baby and if there were kids in there she would have been too busy watching them.

I have seen people sitting on the curbs nursing. So you will find it pretty much anywhere, it's just a matter of how comfortable you are.

My daughter was just shy of 2 months old her first visit. She rode everything without a height limit. She always managed to fall asleep on Small world. She must have ridden it 15 times before she stayed awake for the whole ride. I think it was just way too much overstimulation for her and she shut down. Of course she also fell asleep for fireworks until she was 3. Still hates can't stand the noise of them.

 

[MATTERHORN]

I love the baby care center. As for nursing, with other kids, they will allow you to sit in the room, just not the nursing room (where the high chairs are) with your other kids. The nursing room is for mom and baby only. Which I happened to like because I had a very distracted baby and if there were kids in there she would have been too busy watching them.

That's my only problem and why I don't go nurse in the baby care center. DH doesn't go with me so it's just me and the kids. Even with me being right there in the bursing room, I wouldn't allow my 5 and 2 year old to sit in the other room where I couldn't see them. I wish there was a way to have it work for both, but I totally understand why they don't allow older kids in the nursing room.

I just didn't want the OP to let the others go on a ride and trek all the way to the BCC with her newborn and 3 year old only to find out that she couldn't nurse in there and have her 3 year old stay with her!!!

Andrea