Crying Babies

[DisFam95]

PJ is SOOOO cute!!

We went w/ our DS 17mo and friends baby at 5mo. Neither 1 had a meltdown. DS actually slept on most of the rides. We carried him in the onestepahead hip carrier and he just passed out in that thing. Meals were harder because when DS was done he was done and it was time to go. We tried eating at Artist POint and have a semi nice dinner and DS was done all he wanted to do was run up and down the ramp and out in the lobby so we took shifts eating. Whatever works!!!

I would make some plans before hand agreeing what will you do if PJ acts up...especially during meals..you should not be the only one dealing with it and not eating!!

Come on..WDW is full of thousands of babies daily..people are used to seeing kids (and parents!!) having a meltdown.

The worst was the flight! DS was just bawling as we took off. I had given him some Benedryl (per my doc) before hand. We tried getting him to drink, play w/ toys, eat a snack but everything we did made him cry louder so I sat back in my seat and looked straight ahead and after a few minutes he stopped. It was just the adjusting to the pressure.

You will have a wonderful time. Keep your cool and know you're not the only one going through this!

 

[DWhittles]

Thanks guys. 99% of the time, I'm a roll with the punches mom. Baby crying? Ok, deep breath and run down the list and see if we can't fix it. Crying never killed anyone.
My husband is the complete opposite. He gets so upset when PJ gets cranky and cries. (Honestly the only time he ever really cries is if he's tired or hungry) I KNOW the plane ride is going to be horrible terrible and awful and in fact, I know the entire experience at either end of the flight is going to be horrible terrible awful. Getting our HUGE suitcase, various duffel bags, and carseat to the airport will be fun. Getting them through the airport will also be fun. (I'm undecided about if PJ will fly on my lap or in his carseat) Once everything is checked in, then all I'll have to deal with is PJ on the plane because I'm quite sure he's going to flip out at the change in pressure and he's going to be slightly hysterical. (I'm considering baking cookies for the other passengers as an apology!)
Then I'll have to deal with PJ crying, and Mike yelling at me about what a bad idea this trip is.
Don't think I've not tried to warn my husband about how all this is going to go down and it's going to require a bit of extra paitence....

 

[DWhittles]

Oh, and my 45lb monster of a stroller. Did I mention that one?
For those of you who have the hip carry thingy from One Step Ahead, is it good?
I love my son, I really do, but the kid has trashed my lower back and I can't carry him in the Bjorn anymore. I'm trying to figure out the best way to get him on and off the rides.
If worse comes to worse, we can park the stroller and my husband can hold him in lines and I'll put him in the Bjorn when we get close to the front...I just can't walk very far with him strapped to my front.
Diana

 

[DisFam95]

I've posted on another thread that we absolutely loved our hip carrier by onestepahead. We used it for our 17 mo old. I tried it out at home and actually got into sorting some mail and forgot I had him strapped to me. I could not tolerate him in the front carriers much past 8months.

The hip carrier is so simple to use and after using both types (hip vs. Bjorn) I definitely think the hip carrier was easier on my body and much easier to use and get him in/out of.


Sorry about DH being so weird w/ the crying. Funny how men are like that. Hope all goes well!!

 

[DisFam95]

Also, we bought the Graco Citilite for the Disnet trip nd it's wonderful. If you can get away w/ buying a new stroller (with DH)that will save your back as well. I know I would not want to drag a 45# stroller with me! The Citilite was like $65 at BRU. Many of the other popular lighter ones are a bit more expensive. It will be worth the $$ IMO.

 

[justhat]

About a 45 pound stroller, don't bring it if you have any other option. We brought our Graco Coachrider with us to WDW in May and June even though we also had a Graco Literider and a Maclaren Techno Classic because the Coachrider was the only one in which Madison could face us (and at that time there was no way she'd be in a stroller unless she could see mommy). Not only was it tiring to push that heavy thing, but loading it on and off of the buses was an absolute nightmare. If anything will make your husband say the trip was a mistake, it will be carrying that 45 pound stroller over his head, not hitting all the other passengers in their seats, to get to the back of the bus, where he'll have to stand with it anyway cause the bus is packed! Plus anything else he might have to carry that you had stowed in the basket that you can't carry (imagining that you're carrying your son and the diaper bag). And then there will be the time when your son falls asleep in your arms or in the stroller where you have to transfer him to your arms, and then you can't carry the diaper bag, unless you want to knock it into every seated passenger. Yes, that will happen at least once on your trip, and after having travelled with my husband who hates that large stroller, I can tell you it will start the complaining. When we go to Disneyland next week, we'll be bringing the Literider, only because I want to be able to snap the carseat into the stroller in the airport so I dont' have to carry it, and I can't do that with the Maclaren. Once she moves out of the infant carseat, however, we'll only bring the Maclaren. So if you have any other option to avoid that heavy stroller, bring it.

If your son hurts your back in the Baby Bjorn, you might want to try the Baby Bjorn Active Carrier, if you don't try a hip carrier. The reason I say this is that we have the Bjorn Active and I can carry my daughter all day (she hates her stroller so I use it all the time at home, and in WDW and other vacations we've been on) and never have a problem with my back hurting. She's about 15.5 pounds now and when we were in WDW she was about 12.5-13.5 (she was there twice). I am sure your son is more than that, but I also have used it to carry my nephew when he was 9 and 10 months and at the time he weighed 23 pounds and I had no trouble with him either. My SIL has a regular Bjorn and even though she used it with my nephew at that size, she said it was much harder than when she used mine, and I switched with her and she was right. It's got extra back support that really works well, in case you don't like the hip carrier for some reason (though my SIL has one and likes it).

On the plane, don't worry too much about your son crying, there's nowhere for you to go so others shouldn't get annoyed cause it's not like you are enjoying the situation either. Like my mom tells people who glare at a crying baby "we all did that at one time, it's a part of life", which is true so don't let others bother you. We got my daughter her own seat on every flight she's taken (which is now 4 trips with a 5th next week) and I would recommend it for your son. Having his carseat makes the takeoff and landing so much safer, as well as any turbulence during the flight. To help with the pressure changes, I pump milk and give my daughter a bottle in her carseat during landing and she's never cried (she has cried during 2 flights because seh was tired, but never because of pressure changes). And trust me, at the ages she flew, she cried a LOT at home, so I expected the worst. She also hates her carseat and screamed anytime we drove somewhere until about 3 weeks ago, but she never had a problem sitting in it on the plane. It was really nice to be able to put her down and hand her a toy so I could eat my snack, get her bottle ready, etc. Also, we had severe turbulence on 2 flights (the 2 she cried on actually) and I was so glad I had her seat because I really would not have wanted to risk her getting hurt if I was holding her. One flight was so bad I really thought we were going to crash during the landing until the pilot finally pulled up and flew to another airport to wait out the storm. During the flight I held her when it was smooth and she wanted out of the seat, but usually the motion and noise during takeoff put her to sleep for most of the flight.

 

[DWhittles]

Thanks guys!
I actually do have the Graco Coachrider and I'm so totaly in love with it.
My inlaws bought a literider to keep at their place so I don't have to drag my stroller down there. I might do a stroller swap with them and take the literider verus my monster.
We aren't sure if we are staying on or off property yet. My husband is waiting for his hotel "connection" to come through with potential deep discounts on the Swan or the Dolphin but either way we are renting a car while we are down there. I'm thinking as I'm typing and I'll have to bring the carseat ANYWAY so I might as well just buy PJ a seat on the plane huh?
As for the Bjorn with the lower back support, I'm so annoyed at that company for coming out with that thing now. PJ is 20 lbs and at the last visit to the Dr. he was 27 inches long. I can't justify paying almost $100 for something he is going to be grown out of in a few months.
I think I'm going to try that hip carry thingy.
I also have a sling I never used because I couldn't ever figure out how to use the thing!
Diana

 

[justhat]

I love my Coachrider when I'm home too, mostly because it can face either way and like I said my daughter would not face outward until around 4.5 months. But we keep the Literider at my mom's house too and after we got back from WDW and went to my mom's I used the Literider for Madison and was amazed at how much lighter and easier to push it was. My husband used to like the Coachrider (though deep down he always wanted a Peg Perego instead), but once we got to WDW all that changed. We didn't rent a car in WDW, but we did rent one at the beach a month later and shoving that thing into the trunk of the rental car was such a pain. We ended up only taking it with us once because it was such a hassle. We have an SUV so that's not an issue at home.

Yeah, the Bjorn Active is expensive. We got in in December, before my daughter was born. We debated about it since it was more than the regular one, but I'm so glad we got it. My daughter is now 26 inches and 15.5 pounds, so she's got awhile before she outgrows it.

 

[Disney Panda]

I'm worried about the same types of things you are. Our DS will be 11 months when we go in December. DH is not a worrier. Does your DS love the aquarium bouncer as much as ours does ? I look forward to hearing about how your trip went.

 

[laceemouse]

I have 4 kids, ages 13 down to 6, and when I see a baby fussing in public I also just think "glad I'm done with that!" I try to give the parents an encouraging smile. Go and have fun!!!! I like seeing everyone's cute babies on here too!

 

[janets]

and then again at 3.5 and almost 4. We have not been since. I didn't bring my stroller with me any of those times, but rented one while there.

This time, we are going w/ ds#1, who is almost 6.5 now, and ds#2, who turned 2 on 7/25. We're going the first week of December and I will be taking my stroller, since we're staying off site. I have a Graco with one hand folding action that I've had since ds#1 was a baby. I like it and it's never been a real problem for us.

I'm also concerned because ds#2 has never travelled before (he's been one of those kids who makes a 4 mile trip to WalMart a horror). He's gotten better recently but still doesn't love the car, much to my amazement, since ds#1 and I could fall asleep before the car is in gear. I have to expect that he's going to flip out on the plane, but frankly there isn't anything I can do about it. He might also have a fit when he sees how big the characters are or sees the rides. My thinking is...he's not the first toddler to do it and won't be the last. I'm just going to try and remain calm (I've been known to get really stressed if he refuses to cooperate when I know that he could) and just remove him if it seems like too much. Who knows...I might just be pleasantly surprised.

As for PJ, he's just such a cutie. We actually have the little blue outfit with the duckie on the front and loved it for ds#2.

Remember to post an update on your adventures.

 

[KerriMc]

Don't stress too much about your trip!! (I'm not one to speak as we went in February with our then 7mos old and almost 3 yr old). I planned to the max and ended up in a major meltdown mode about two days before we left. It was just too much. You can't plan for EVERY little thing. We learned a bit on the way and we did have a good trip, despite our 7mos old coming down with RSV half way through the trip. She was so out of it and up every night until we finally went to the ER and they used a vapour treatment on her and gave us some strong Tylenol for her. Then it was a bit better. We even ended up buying a vaporizer while there and then packing into a bag to come home My parents were along too so that did help, especially for our 3 yr old.

We bought Olivia her own seat on the plane and I'm so glad I did. I nursed her during take off and landing, except for the landing on the way home, and we had very little problems with her ears. Our oldest didn't have any problems either. Don't assume the worst ... he'll sense your stress too remember. As for the airport. We didn't find it too bad. Olivia was still in her car carrier seat so that snapped in the stroller, but even so we didn't really have to lug anything that far. We just used two trolleys.

As for WDW, Olivia was fascinated in It's A Small World. I did nurse her there once but once she opened her eyes and saw everything, she just wanted up to see it all.

We are going again in march, even after all the tough times, it was SOOOOO worth it. Julia, our oldest, absolutely loved it and still talks about meeting Cinderella, etc. It will all work out just fine. Don't worry about DH either ... he will eventually get used to it. Crying never killed anyone. It is true that most times we fret about our babies crying as it bothers others, but in actuality most people are thinking poor mom or glad it isn't mine. Tough bananas if they don't like it ... baby's cry ... they have no other way to tell us they aren't happy.

Have a fun trip ... don't overstress

Kerri

 

[frannn]

We took DD1 last year and bought her a plane ticket, so she would be able to use her car seat. Dr recommended we give her cold med about 1/2 hr before the flight to help the fluid from building up in her ears. I forget which cold med, but I'll be calling him soon since we'll be going again soon (yeah!). I very rarely medicate her at home, so the med just knocked her out for a lot of the 2.5 hour flight. The rest of the time, she had snacks and played quietly with a few toys. Someone on the plane even said, "Wow, I didn't even know you had a baby there, she was so quiet!". Well, who knows what will happen this time, but I will be sure to give her the med....just in case! With regard to the stroller, we took a medium sized reclining stroller (with all the trimmings), and it was great for her to nap in the parks, but boy was it heck on the bus! I can relate to the earlier poster mentioning the holding over your head, on your lap, smacking other people on the bus with the diaper bag, etc. That is why we will be taking the Graco Citilite this time.
Have a great trip!

 

[Trinity721]

Just a comment about babies crying. That's what they do! I used to stress out when DD cried or got fussy. but my DH would always calm me down and say, Babies cry and people know that, and if they don't like it too bad. Deal with it! Of course, we always tried our best to appease DD when she was getting fussy... But sometimes you can only do so much. I am always much more understanding when I hear a fussy baby anywhere.

DD was 10 mos when we took her to WDW for the first time. She slept most of the plane ride there, and when she woke up she was good on my lap. We took her on POTC and IASW, and she was ok. She didn't like POTC at first, but again she was fine after a minute or two sitting in my lap.

Don't stress too much! Like one poster said, they can sense your anxiety and that only adds to theirs. Relax, and pretend like everything is peachy even if you think your baby will get scared. I think he'll be just fine

 

[moinab]

Definitely buy a seat for the baby and use his car seat! If you hit bad turbulence, a baby can pop right out of your arms, no matter how tightly you're holding him! I held my 3 month old DD on a flight once, and I will never, ever do it again! Since then, we've flown several times with her in her car seat, and she's much happier in it.

What kind of sling do you have? I always carry DD, who is now 18 months, in my MayaWrap sling when we go to WDW. They are very easy to use, with a little instruction. If you don't have the instructional video/dvd, send me a PM. I might be able to talk you through it.

What is it with men and crying babies? LOL! My DH is the same way.

 

[DWhittles]

Thanks guys!
You are the very very bestest!
I think we are going to buy PJ a seat for sure and put him in the carseat on the plane and we are going to use the literider stroller rather than my monster.
What about a bathtub while in Disney? Any suggestions there?

 

[DWhittles]

Janet,
here in NJ we have a Carter's baby outlet and it's my favorite place to shop for PJ.
I'm in love with their footed snaped one peices and they are like $7 at the outlet. It's all PJ wears those and the Carter's onesies...
Diana

 

[justhat]

I usually take my daughter in the bath with me, so that's what we did in Disney too. I did, however, buy one of those yellow bath sponges for the trip, ya know the kind they can lay on when they're small enough. We don't use one home because of bacteria collecting in them over time, but we did use it there a few times on our May trip because our extended family was with us, so often one of my SILs or my mom would bath Madison in the sink while I showered. It was great for that because she wasn't sitting up yet so I laid her on it in the sink and it cushioned her body nicely. I've also used a new one in the tub at my mom's house a few times for a quick bath now that she sits up. I just sit her on the sponge and fill up the regular bathtub enough to cover the sponge, and I find it keeps her in one place much easier than just sitting her in the regular tub. We very rarely use our baby bathtub as I find it so much more inconvenient.

 

[ErinInCT]

Originally posted by DWhittles
What about a bathtub while in Disney? Any suggestions there?

When we travel with our little one we usually stick a towel on the bottom of the tub to prevent slipping. DD is 10 mo & just got out of her bath tub seat. She loves the freedom of moving around & splashing. At 9 months you may not even need anything to "restrain" your ds. Maybe try bathing him without his bath seat a few weeks b4 your trip to see how it goes.

 

[KerriMc]

If you want to use a baby bathtub and not just the regular tub, consider renting from A Baby's Best Friend (abbf.com). We rented an exersaucer (a life-saver!), a bouncy seat and a bed rail for our oldest daughter. They have everything you can imagine and they are reasonably priced ... plus it is there when you arrive VERY clean and all you do is drop it off where you picked it up in the same plastic and voila ... all done. Check it out it is worth it!!

Kerri
mom of Julia (3) and Olivia (1)