BTDT Tips for babies under 12mos.

[MoeFam]

Hey all- Just back from the world!!! Had the "Time of our life" and "Celebrated" til we dropped!!! Here are a few quick tips for Disney with the under 1 set...( we had a 5 mos old and 11 mos old as well as a 3 1/2 yr old and 6 yr old...)

Orlando Stroller Rentals can not be beat. The City Mini Double was a goldmine for us. S thought it was his own personal little nap cave! He slept so well in it- we were all a little stunned. Shannon's service is impeccable- we will rent from them again and again.

For breastfeeding moms- I grabbed a "Cover in Style- by Hooter Hiders" at the Super Target near Orange Lake and man did that thing come in handy. It was thinner than a blanket and provided great coverage. I nursed all over Disney in that thing, and that includes water parks...nursing in a swim suit can be tricky (modesty wise) and the cover was excellent. We got up early to be at the parks before opening- since Spencer dosn't eat until about an hour after he gets up- this was always as we were standing in big crowds waiting for opening...each time I found a bench and nursed him with no problems and we were ready to go for rope drop.

This one is a WARNING- The Typhoon Lagoon family raft ride is not appropriate for infants in my view. We had never been there and we asked at least 5 cast members/lifeguards whether that ride was safe for infants ( no signs posted on height requirements etc)- they all said it was fine. The ride itself is probably OK but the torrential streams of water from the waterfalls the raft goes through are not. The water is very powerful and we desperately tried to shield our 5 mos old as best we could...in my opinion it should be avoided.

The SLING is the THING- have one, have two, have three if you like!!!! We used ours constantly for things like standing in line for rides, Fantasmic, etc.

Stroller Hooks- so handy. Wish we had remembered ours!

The insulated tote bag form the Thirty-One gifts company is the perfect size for a few frozen juice pouches for the older kids, sandwiches and snacks and a bottle or two as well. The keep things cold, are super cute and reasonably priced. LOVED IT!!!


Our son and nephew had a blast...and while at 5 mos and 11 mos they aren't likely to remember any of this trip...our family has some awesome memories of the babies' first Disney experience. Hope our trips help someone else as well!!

 

[AMB1]

Glad you had a great trip. We took our 3-month-old and our 3-year-old this year and had a wonderful time too. I completely agree with your recommendations and will add a couple more:

If your baby is too young for sunblock I recommend a Rayshade canopy extension for your stroller -- it completely protected baby no matter where the sun was in the sky.

Slings are GREAT for lines and rides, but remember that they don't block baby from the sun (I forgot a sunhat on the first day )

Diapers in the hotel room can be a wee bit stinky -- I bought a pack of scented diaper disposal bags (by Sassy I think?). I tied each dirty diaper in a bag and popped them in the garbage. Not something I'd ever do at home, but it really made the room more comfortable.

 

[katylady]

Thanks for the info. We're traveling in October with our daughter who will be eight months at the time, and I'm starting to get a little nervous. Anyone else have any tips/advice?

 

[HGD24]

Mandy - glad you had a great trip!

Thanks for the info. We're traveling in October with our daughter who will be eight months at the time, and I'm starting to get a little nervous. Anyone else have any tips/advice?

We took our 8.5 month old DD last Oct and had a great time!!! My best advice would be to go at your child's pace. If they want to nap in the stoller, find a quiet place to walk around or sit for a while and let them nap. Our DD tended to sleep during parades and fireworks shows

There are lots of rides LO's at this age can go on - they are amazed at the lights, sounds and people so let them take it all in.

Pack lots of Cheerios and puffies if your DD is eating them by then. They are great for feeding in between meals and at that age, LO's love to feed themselves.

Use the Baby Care Centers to get out of the heat and sun and to let your baby crawl around. They have great changing, nursing, feeding and play areas. We used them all at least 2-3 times a day.

Bring disposable changing pads for times when you can't get to a baby care center and need to use a regular restroom to change a diaper. I saw more moms put their babies down with nothing underneath them, change a poopy diaper and then leave without so much as cleaning the changing table YUCK! I shudder at the thought of putting my baby on a changing table with nothing under her!

Most of all, have fun! It really is a great age to bring a LO to Disney!

My #1 tip (aside from the Rayshade already mentioned) is to get a couple Sippy Pals. They are sippy tethers, but they work for toys too. It was so nice not spending our vacation picking toys and sippys up off of the ground!

 

[left210]

My #1 tip is to get a couple Sippy Pals. They are sippy tethers, but they work for toys too. It was so nice not spending our vacation picking toys and sippys up off of the ground!

Where do you get these? I would love them for day to day with my 10 month old as he is into throwing things out of his stroller.

 

[HGD24]

Where do you get these? I would love them for day to day with my 10 month old as he is into throwing things out of his stroller.

We bought ours on amazon.com but they are sold out right now. At the time, it was the cheapeast place, including shipping. I believe stores like WalMart sell similar items, but these do not have velcro and we really liked that. We use these on highchairs at restaurants too and I think we'll start using them on the carseat strap as our DD is starting to toss her sippy "overboard" and then gets upset when she can't get to it.

Here's their site - they are $6.95 with flate rate $2.95 S&H
http://www.sippypal.com/

 

[left210]

We bought ours on amazon.com but they are sold out right now. At the time, it was the cheapeast place, including shipping. I believe stores like WalMart sell similar items, but these do not have velcro and we really liked that. We use these on highchairs at restaurants too and I think we'll start using them on the carseat strap as our DD is starting to toss her sippy "overboard" and then gets upset when she can't get to it.

Here's their site - they are $6.95 with flate rate $2.95 S&H
http://www.sippypal.com/

Thanks - I just ordered two of them. I can understand why you would not want the ones with velcro because at some point the children will figure out how that works. The sippy pal ones seem like they will be much better.

 

[bpetrow]

I'll be taking my daughter to the World for the first time this August - she'll be 10 1/2 months. This is a great thread - any other tips/tricks/ideas?? Keep 'em coming!!!

Beth

 

[HGD24]

Thanks - I just ordered two of them. I can understand why you would not want the ones with velcro because at some point the children will figure out how that works. The sippy pal ones seem like they will be much better.

YAY! I hope they work well for you. We keep one in the car for restaurants.

I'll be taking my daughter to the World for the first time this August - she'll be 10 1/2 months. This is a great thread - any other tips/tricks/ideas?? Keep 'em coming!!!

Beth

We packed meal bags each day. A quart-sized ziploc with a jar of food, a disposable bib and a disposable spoon. It was so easy to reach into the backpack and grab a bag when it was time to eat. We usually kept the spoons and cleaned them that night in the room, but it was nice to know we could toss them if we needed to.

 

[BigEeyore]

Thanks for the great tips! DD will be almost 6mos old at our next trip, and I have been worrying about nursing at WDW - I have not mastered the coverup with the blanket trick, so I am going to check out that cover you mentioned.
Question for you - did you bring anything special with you to the waterpark to protect baby from the sun?

 

[Momof4girls]

We have traveled with a fetus a four month old, and toddlers multiple times.

I have to say, hands down, best stroller for WDW EVER is the baby jogger city mini. It literally collapses with a strap and one hand!

When the baby was 4 months, I spent a LOT of time at the baby care centers. If you haven't been there, stop by. They're amazing! Private, nice nursing rooms, great changing tables, small potties/family bathrooms, etc. They also sell everything you could need. Sometimes we just went in to sit and cool off with the baby. Just - fantastic, all around. Disney should create the model for all public places!

Just go slow and listen to your baby's needs. We averaged three attractions/rides per day with the four month old. That was a little crazy (but it was an anniversary trip and we didn't want to cancel). We still had a blast. I like all the theaters for nursing, too. It gets dark quickly when the show starts and being in Orlando, they have a lot of indoor attractions.

Nursing shirts help, too, if you are going to be nursing in public. I often was able to find an out-of-the-way spot in Pinocchio's or Pecos Bills where I could comfortably nurse, angling my body to the side for more privacy. Muppets 3D, the Nemo Musical, the Lion King show in The Land Pavillion at Epcot, Philharmagic, you name it - I've nursed there.

For kids who are eating table foods, Babies R Us sells amazing adhesive placemats that can be colored-on. They're somewhat eco-friendly (made of chalk or something?) and my kids have always loved them. It helps at the table service restaurants because they come with triangular crayons that won't roll off the table.

As far as sun exposure, Target sells UV shirts and hats that work well. We've always used sunscreen and just made sure to give them a bath at night to let their skin breathe a bit. For our fair babies, it isn't worth the risk of burning. The UV Protectant sun shades for strollers don't work well for collapsing all the time. I find the regular canopy is fine (especially on the baby jogger city mini - it's HUGE). A silver cross pop (similar to a maclaren) also has UV protectant in the shade.

If you're flying, they sell these ear plugs called ear planes. Nursing on take-off and landing (or using a pacifier) can also help with ear pressure, but if you have a stinker who won't oblige, they are a god-send!

My other suggestion is just to avoid the heat. Go early in the morning, then when it warms up, head back to the hotel. Avoid the peak heat hours, then go back in the evening. It's always nice at night.

 

[MoeFam]

At Typhoon Lagoon- Spencer wore a swimshirt with UV and hat with UV as well...we also used sunscreen on him. All of our kids are super fair skinned and have red hair...our ped has said that the sunscreen is a better choice than taking a chance on a sunburn. We found a shady spot and hung out there with him while the kids played in the sand. I carried him in a sling for a while in the pool- I wished I brought one of the solarveil ones to help protect him even more.

 

[AMB1]

Thanks for the great tips! DD will be almost 6mos old at our next trip, and I have been worrying about nursing at WDW - I have not mastered the coverup with the blanket trick, so I am going to check out that cover you mentioned.

I used a great nursing canopy made by Bebe au Lait. I also tend to wear a thin camisole or nursing tank underneath my shirt -- that way my tummy stays covered, even if the canopy shifts or baby starts tugging at it. I feel very self-conscious when my belly is showing while nursing.
I found lots of quiet benches for nursing around Disney and I agree that the Baby Care Centers are awesome.

 

[adventure_woman]

I also tend to wear a think camisole or nursing tank underneath my shirt -- that way my tummy stays covered, even if the canopy shifts or baby starts tugging at it. I feel very self-conscious when my belly is showing while nursing.

I too hated when my tummy hung out when nursing! I also wore just regular thin tank tops under my regular shirts, that way I could pull down the top, and still be totally covered on my tummy.

As an FYI to all the nursing moms - I never had any trouble finding a spot to nurse my DD (she was 8 weeks the first time we went). If I couldn't find a private spot, I just pulled the stroller in front of me and that was good. Plenty of benches, take a seat under a tree someplace, the theatres, etc. I would say 99% of people don't notice what you're doing. (I know even my family/friends usually didn't notice what I was doing until they actually looked at DD and said Oh...

Also - don't forget to bring a stroller rain cover - priceless!

 

[Nennie]

Great tips everyone!! Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mom4graceandlogan]

Anyone have tips for washing bottles and sanitizing them in the room. We are staying at Universal Royal Pacific(will be staying at Disney later this year). Was going to use the microwave steam sanitzer bags but not sure I will have access to microwave. Travelling with 4 month old.

 

[HGD24]

Anyone have tips for washing bottles and sanitizing them in the room. We are staying at Universal Royal Pacific(will be staying at Disney later this year). Was going to use the microwave steam sanitzer bags but not sure I will have access to microwave. Travelling with 4 month old.

I would get a small travel-sized bottle and fill it with dishsoap and pack a small sponge. I would place both in a ziploc and put the ziploc inside another incase of spillage.

 

[JeMarie6]

I would get a small travel-sized bottle and fill it with dishsoap and pack a small sponge. I would place both in a ziploc and put the ziploc inside another incase of spillage.

Or by a pack of small sponges (or cut up a larger one), put dish soap on each one and allow to dry for a day or two. Then pack the sponges in a zip lock bag, wet each one when needed at the hotel. Less worry about mess than if packing the dishsoap itself.

 

[AMB1]

Also - don't forget to bring a stroller rain cover - priceless!

Yes! We had one day of heavy rain and I was amazed at the number of people who didn't have rain covers for their strollers. They were trying to cover their children with rain ponchos that were blowing all over the place. Also, if it looks like rain, put the rain cover over the stroller when you park it -- you will hate to exit a ride only to find a soaked stroller waiting for you

Anyone have tips for washing bottles and sanitizing them in the room. We are staying at Universal Royal Pacific(will be staying at Disney later this year). Was going to use the microwave steam sanitzer bags but not sure I will have access to microwave. Travelling with 4 month old.

If your hotel room has a kettle or a coffee maker you can boil water and pour it over the bottles/nipples. The Baby Care Centers in the parks also have microwaves, so you could use your sterilizer bags there.