Disney Babies:Let's compile our best tips for the under 1 set!!!

[celtick8]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! This is the best thread. We are taking our 7 yr. old DD for the 3rd time, but now we have a new DD that will be 12 mths. when we go. First time on a plane for both and all this info is so helpful! I was worried about the plane ride, food,formula,etc. Everyone's ideas have been so helpful. Thank you and keep it all coming!

 

[Meredith'sMom]

Just bumping up for some of the recent posters asking for baby tips!

 

[AMaloy314]

Due to family illness, I travelled with my son via airplane twice a month for almost a year beginning when he was 2 months old. I know that I will need a flame-proof suit as I say this, but we did not purchase a seat for him on any of these flights. Not only was finances an issue, but he HATED to be confined in a car seat. Being able to hold him made it much easier to rock him to sleep as the plane took off.

Don't stress too much about other passengers. In all those flights, I only had one person get snippy (and my son was actually asleep!!) about sitting next to an infant. Boy did she gets some dirty looks!! With very few exceptions, people are VERY understanding and will even try to help you if you look like you need it. I've seen men in business suits offer to hold babies while Mom gets situated.

Advice for the plane: Try to reserve a bulk head seat if you can. There is much more room. The one and only bad experience I had was when we had a really stinky diaper shortly after takeoff. There is no room to change a baby in an airplane bathroom and waiting until landing was not an option, so we had to do it on the floor. I just did it quickly and sealed the diaper up in a plastic bag. (Make sure that you pack some bags for this type of emergency). Even if you get a bulk head seat, check in at the counter before you board to see if there are any extra empty seats on the plane that you could sit next to. It only takes a minute and the extra room can be fantastic.

I didn't try to feed my son on the plane when he was tiny. I did it before we boarded and gave him his pacifier when we got seated. He would usually nap after he ate, so this was a good prelude to getting him to sleep. It also gave the food a chance to settle on his stomach a little, reducing the whole vomit/mess thing. As he got older, we did make sure that there were snack type finger foods for him in my bag. But I agree that some type of sucking is important to prevent ear pain. (Another tip if you use pacifiers, get one of those clips to attach it to baby's cothes. It is a nightmare trying to reach a binky that has bounced across three rows under the seats!)

The emergency instruction cards are great distractions, too. Pictures are bright and cartoonish. The card is stiff enough to hold with one hand without flopping all over and my son loved it. During takeoff and landing when you have to stow luggage, this is wonderful!!

For other toys, safety pin a piece of ribbon to your shirt and tie the other end to the toy. The child can play with it and drop it a hundred times without you performing gymnastics to get it back.


Bring your own stroller, even if you leave it in your room for the rest of the vacation. Trying to manage luggage, tickets, carseats, diaper bags, DHs, and a baby can be overwhelming. Your stroller can make it easier to get from the parking lot to the gate, to the baggage claim, to transportation, through check-in,.....well, you get the idea. You can gate check it right before you get on the plane and it will be returned to you at the jet way as you disembark.

That's all I can think of right now. I'm sure that others have more great ideas!

Have a great trip!

A

 

[pewing]

This is another great thread! I am already trying to figure out when we will make our first trip with our princess She is 3 months old now. Her big brothers are 10 and 9

Thanks for all the tips...keep 'em coming

 

[countingmomma]

We took DD to WDW at 5 months. At the advice of our pediatrician, we did not start any cereal or food until we were back home - convenience (I love that dr!). Also, we learned from our experience with DS (now 10 years) that most restaurants will let you roll a stroller right up to the table. Just ask. Its great when the baby is sleeping. I, too, was still nursing, so I started supplementing formula some before we left. We had a large family group (6 adults, and 2 kids, both ours) so the bottle issue made it easy for grandma to give DD a bottle while I was riding Space Mountain! It also helped having all those extra adults. One for the stroller, one for the diaper bag, one for the (then) six year old, etc. Have fun!

 

[Skroops]

Our baby (now 15 months) has traveled almost every other month because I am in the airline industry. One great thing I've seen is bringing a hand full of disposable ear plugs. These are great because they are very cheap, and you can pass them out if any passengers gets upset with your baby crying. Really though, it IS a flight to Orlando, so most passengers are understanding. I have found these earplugs very helpful in our house at times as well . It has been easier at times to just hand them to someone who glares. A baby can have a great deal of discomfort (or any of us for that matter) if there is any fluid in the sinuses. It is cold season! For adults, I recommend sudafed before hand and as many of the other posts suggested, something for the baby to suck on for takeoff or landing. Warming bottles on the plane doesn't work all that great, because there is only hot water. You can put the bottle in hot water to warm, but this doesn't usually get very warm if you intend to use it for take off. One thing I have seen formula parents use is a travel thermos that they bring half full of hot water. They plop the bottle in before boarding, and it is warm for takeoff. Of course you can ask the flight attendant to add both hot and cold water to your formula, but they don't have "warm water" and really, most babies shouldn't drink the airplane water at all.
Also, daipers cannot go with the "regular" trash on the airplane. They have to be brought to the lavatory for disposal. Most of the newer airplanes have changing tables that fold down over the toilet seat and work great up until the larger toddler size. I found it most helpful to bring quart size freezer type zip lock baggies to put daipers in when disposal isn't an easy option. Also, a changing pad is an important item to bring. Remember, germs from all over the world can be lurking on those changing tables!
Although I have flown a lot with my baby, we haven't been to Disney yet with him. That is coming up fast...day after tomorrow! We are in for a whole new experience! Wish us luck! Thanks for all of the awesome tips. You guys are great!

 

[pewing]

Okay...seems like the little babies travel and do well in the parks (who wouldn't...day in the stroller )

Is there a 'bad time' to take little ones? Say...after they are mobile and don't want to be confined to a stroller, but not ready to roam around freely...or walk all day? Be honest any horror stories with a 18 month old? I have seen a lot of unhappy babies in the parks. We didn't take our boys until they could walk all day (that was the motto...'stroller free' ) Of course...we are very active (camping, hiking, biking) so our youngest did great when he was 4 walking all day.

We want to take our youngest before too long (and while she is 'free' ), but we don't want to push it.

What say ye?

 

[my3princes]

I have been with 3 different babies at 6 and 9 mths. We found that bringing our own stroller was essential. It was familiar, completely reclined and had plenty of space for the baby essentials. We also had a baby front carrier which was essential when waiting in lines. A clip on stroller fan is invaluable. We had 3 of them on the little ones while napping, the noise of the fan blocks some of the other noises that might wake a sleeping baby and the air moving keeps them cooler. We also have white sheet (with Mickey Mouse on it) that we drape over the stroller for naps which blocks the sun and keeps it darker. Bring whatever supplies you need with you as they are very pricey in the parks. Stroller toys help, but there is so much going on babies really don't get bored anyway. Take pictures and have fun. The younger ones really do have a nice vacation.

 

[EagleHasLanded]

My greatest tip for anyone traveling with babies (or even small children) is to contact <b><U>A Baby’s Best Friend</b></U> Baby Equipment Rentals in Orlando when you are planning your trip. They have everything you need. We discovered them several years ago, these boards are covered in accolades about them, and I don’t know how we would manage without them. We have done everything from cribs to strollers to refrigerators to microwaves, and even toys.

They make traveling with a baby so much easier and enjoyable, especially since we are all going to the Happiest Place On Earth!

That’s my best baby tip: www.abbf.com

 

[Music Mole]

These are great tips! I am so grateful for the advice from those who have been there,done that. Our daughter will be 5 months when we take her this April, and while we are Disney veterans, we are newbies as parents and this will be our first trip with the baby. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and sdvice - keep it coming!

 

[cinjam]

I got this idea from someone else on this board a long time ago and it worked out great!!

Before we left I got about 25 sandwich size zip lock baggies.

In each baggie went a disposable bib, a tabletopper, a disposbale spoon and two anti-bacterial wet ones (the little individually sealed ones).

When we were headed out to eat I grabbed a premade baggie and tossed it into the diaper bag. Everything is garbage once we are done and I put it all back in the baggie as garbage.

It worked out SOOOO well!!

I also 2nd all the suggestions to:
1) Bring your own stroller (even though ours snapped in half while there!!)
2) Use A Baby's Best Friend rental when needed. They were awesome (they really saved us with a rental stroller when ours bit the dust)
3) Buying the baby a seat on the plane

 

[justhat]

That's a great tip about the baggies. I was always forgetting something, either a spoon or bib, last trip. Thanks!

 

[fan4life]

We took our 8month old in aug 2003. He loved everything about the trip.
It's a small world was his favorite and very first ride.
We bought a musical globe that played the small world song.
He is 2 now and enjoys listening to it all the time.
A memory suvouneir for him to have his whole life.

It rains alot in August so i bought a rain coat for my stroller.
they sell them at babies r us. (big see threw plastic type bag that fits
over top of your stroller.(it has plenty of air holes) It folds up very neat in a little bag to store under your stroller. We used it alot!!! It also saves your stoller from getting wet when you are in watching a show. Wow it saved us a few times when we got caught in the monsoon rains. He was safe and dry inside.

 

[bopper]

I have the cutest picture of my now 11 year old when she was 9 months old at WDW. She was wearing a Winnie-the-pooh costume-type outfit and when Pooh got to meet her it was so cute. All the characters loved her in that outit. She just had fun touching their noses.

We took her on many of the quiet dark rides and she had no problems. She would just nap in the stroller. She would nurse in things like the American Adventure or Tiki Room.

 

[DissyLove]

I have 3 kids that have been to Disney many times, the baby is now only 6 months old and we may not get there her first year, but this is what I have learned.

If you have a baby eating jarred baby foods, bring some that are packaged in the plastic containers and small containers of baby cereal, etc. That way no chance of breaking glass, etc. in your bag at the parks.

Also, get a new baby toy for the plane and parks-present it when baby first gets restless (while sitting with you on the plane, or waiting in line in the parks). It doesn't have to be much, but a new rattle, doll, or other gift can keep her/him interested for a while, and quiet time is money with a baby, right??

Also, don't be afraid to split up if needed-when our younger daughter was getting fussy one year, it was getting tough and I decided to take her back to the hotel and chill out. My husband and older son enjoyed the animal kingdom, and it was a nice refresher for me and the baby. (the next day we did the same thing, but this time my husband took the little one back for a nap)
Yes, it is a family vacation, but hey, it should be fun for all, and that doesn't mean every second has to be spent together!

 

[Meredith'sMom]

I just love all the tips that have been added since I started this thread. What a great idea about the individual baggies for meals.

Actually, what Meredith will be eating while we're at Disney is still a mystery to me. She will be starting solids next week and I have no idea what she might be eating (or not!) when we go--she'll be 8 months then.

I'm also wondering if it's worth it to rent a crib/linens from ABBF instead of using the resort pack and play. More things to think about . . . .

 

[TinkerbellMama]

Due to family illness, I travelled with my son via airplane twice a month for almost a year beginning when he was 2 months old. I know that I will need a flame-proof suit as I say this, but we did not purchase a seat for him on any of these flights. Not only was finances an issue, but he HATED to be confined in a car seat. Being able to hold him made it much easier to rock him to sleep as the plane took off. A

No flames here. We didn't purchase a seat for my son on our recent visit to Orlando, either. I just couldn't see it. I knew he would be nursing during takeoff and landing, hates to be confined to his car seat for long periods of time, and after all the flights are only 1-2 hrs. each (we always do the layover, for the cheaper tickets and the break to use a REAL bathroom, etc.)...it worked beautifully. We also purchased something called Baby B'Air...it's a flight vest that goes over your baby, two sizes (infant and toddler), and connects them to your seatbelt. That way if there is turbulence the baby does not go flying. We absolutely loved this thing, did not have to take it off to nurse him, and we felt very reassured that he was not totally unsecured in the plane. Buying the extra ticket, for us, would have been a waste of money on those very short flights. He was good the whole way with the help of my magic ****ie milk, LOL!

 

[TinkerbellMama]

He was good the whole way with the help of my magic ****ie milk, LOL!

OMGoodness, didn't realize b-o-o-b-i-e was a bad word on here, I shoulda just said BREAST!!! (will that be blanked out, too?!) LOL

 

[TinkerbellMama]

I guess I could add a few things...
We use cloth diapers so I have a custom-made Tinkerbell wet bag. It zips up and has a waterproof lining to hold any wetness inside, and has a loop with snaps that can connect it to a stroller handle if need be. I suggest one of these for anybody with a baby because as we all know, something WILL get wet or soiled on any outing, LOL! I know people who make them in any fabric you want if you need help with that part. I just had to have TINK!! At DD last week a CM picked it up and said HOW CUTE before asking what it was, she didn't even seem to care when I told her it was for dirty diapers (there were none in it at the time, LOL). My next tip is to definitely, definitely take a sling. The trip we just took, we did not bother with a stroller. In fact, he has never been in a stroller in his life! (He will be by the time we get to Disney in Nov. though.) We have a ring sling and it works wonderfully, also custom-made! You could get one of those in a Disney fabric if ya wanted, as well! Hee hee, I am going Disney nuts! I guess this is not a tip but I have to brag that we are collecting Disney diapers for his first trip in November...so far we only have a Buzz Lightyear but OMG is it cute! If anybody wants to overdose on Disney baby products the way I have, let me know and I'll steer ya in the right direction! HA HA

 

[nucpharm29]

Hi all! Just got back from a quick weekend trip to WDW. It was our first trip there with DD (14 months). The one thing we learned--don't try to impose a schedule on the little ones. We were sure we knew when she wanted to nap, eat, etc. And we were always wrong. She would eat very little and want to watch everything. She loved the rides, especially Pooh and Mickey's Phillarmagic (some of the little ones cried during this). Also, learned that DD does not like fireworks! I'm excited that when we go back in April for a week that we're sort of prepared. Oh, one other thing, make sure to remember a change of clothes for you and baby on plane. I forgot them today, and guess what?? I got peed all over! Lots of luck to everyone taking your little ones. Just seeing DD's eyes light up seeing Magic Kingdom was awesome!