disney with a disabled infant

[amesyrn]

We'll be heading to disney at the end of October with our 6 yr old(she's sooo excited) and our 10 mth old. Our 10 mth old has a lot of medical issues and will be traveling with her feeding pump and O2 monitor. We usually just attach everything to her stroller. Thinking about it I realized that we will be having to get her in and out of the stroller a ton, and was wondering if there was anyway we could just bring her stroller with us to do the parent swap, and watch shows ect. Any info/tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[goofieslonglostsis]

Go down to guest services at any park you hit first. Explain your little ones needs. No need to explain her medical situation, CM's can't do anything with that. What they can work with, is when they know what her needs are.

One obvious is the use of the stroller as a wheelchair. That would allow you to keep the stroller with you in lines, at shows etc. instead of having to take the little one out at each of them. They'll give you a tag to attach to the stroller, so CM's can see you are using the stroller as a wheelchair.

You'll need this, normally strollers are NOT allowed. There are hundreds of strollers at Disney at any given time. Could you imagine the chaos if they let parents take strollers into lines, shows etc.? That would be a show in and off itself.

This option doesn't work for the transportation outside of the parks, though. You'll need to think about how you'll deal with that. If you do use the Disney busses, you'll have to fold up the stroller and take the baby out. That could be quite a juggle, depending on the size of the aids and amount of adults you're with. Also if the bus is busier, it becomes more of a juggle. Same thing with the monorail, although sometimes they'll safe you from having to fold the stroller at slower times it's not something I would personally count on. Depending on the total situation, it might be worth looking into using a car instead of Disney transportation for that part.

 

[KPeveler]

I agree you will need a stroller as wheelchair tag, which is available at Guest Services in any park.

I also agree about buses - unless you have a special needs stroller built specifically for bus transport (which I would be shocked to find out you have at 10 months old), you will have to remove the child from the stroller and fold the stroller. If the bus is crowded, you may have to do all this and then stand all the way back to the resort. I second the suggestion that you may want to look into a car.

 

[amesyrn]

Thank you, i will definately get the tag for stroller as wheelchair. We weren't sure if that would work as she is not a "paying" guest. She is in a regular stroller as she is only 7 months now and will be 10 months when we travel. We have already rented a car as that is a must in case of emergency we will need our own transportation. I was thinking of purhasing one of those AAA VIP parking tickets so that we will be close to the parks and avoid trams altogether if possible.

We were very concerned planning this trip with such a medically fragile child, but speaking to her docs they agree she will be able to handle the trip if planned properly. It's just been such a dificult year especially for our 6 year old who doesnt understand everything. We thought that this trip could give us all something to look forward too. (much needed)

One more question we purchased trip insurance through Orbitz, but when reserving our vacation package with Disney they offered more trip insurance which we declined. Just wondering now if we should have purchased that as well?

If you all have any other tips to traveling with a sick child that could make life a little easier. I would love to hear them. Thank you.

 

[Schmeck]

Rider Swap is done outside of the queue for the rides she can't go on (height requirement), so she wouldn't be allowed in those queues at all. For the ones she can go on, but you don't want to take her, the stroller as a wheelchair tag should do the trick. Just let the CM at the attraction know what you want to do. Normally there's a bit of a fuss about doing rider swap when a ride is infant accessible, but her medical equipment should eliminate that issue.

Does your local AAA sell the VIP parking passes? I thought you had to purchase tickets or a whole trip to get one, and they were free of charge.

 

[amesyrn]

Oh I didnt realize rider swap happens outside of the lines.

We didnt order the package through AAA, but I found those VIP tickets on ebay and thought we would give that a shot.

 

[darthtatty]

Same thing with the monorail, although sometimes they'll safe you from having to fold the stroller at slower times it's not something I would personally count on.

we took our son in a stroller when he was young and never had to take him out of the stroller on the monorail. Im sure the CM's will see your equipment and not request you fold up the stroller.

 

[blondietink]

If you have or can get a handicapped sticker for your car for your child, you can just park in the handicapped spaces at the parks/resorts. Handicapped spaces are a tad bit closer to the entrance than the AAA spaces.

 

[amesyrn]

We havent gotten to that point with even thinking about a handicapped sticker yet. I guess cuz she is still so small, we just carry her everywhere or use the stroller. For quick trips I often unhook her from her feed and if she is alert and awake will sometimes take her off her monitor. That makes doing errands a little easier. I dont think we are quite ready to go that route yet, but thanks for the idea.

 

[SueM in MN]

There is more information about Guest Assistance Cards in post #6 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

The AAA parking lot passes are not transferrable, so they really are not meant to be sold. They also started putting expiration dates on them to deter people from selling them and there are also blackout days, when they can’t be used.
If you are AAA members, you might want to see if they would just give you one because of your child’s needs. Some AAA chapters only give them out if you purchase a whole package, some will give them if you buy tickets or another part of a package and some will sometimes just give them out to members on request.

For the monorail, the CMs should let you bring it on the monorail and leave it unfolded with the stroller as wheelchair tag.

You may also want to check into TourGuide Mike (a sponsor on the Theme Parks Board). Using a touring plan like that can help you to be in the quietest part of the quietest park. That will help you to get thru the most attractions in the shortest time and also help with avoiding crowds.

There is a First Aid Station in each park, where you can go for a rest, if you need to give your child any medical care or store medical equipment. They also have a Baby Care Center in each park (located next to First Aid) where you can change the baby, warm food, etc.

 

[LilyWDW]

Oh I didnt realize rider swap happens outside of the lines.

We didnt order the package through AAA, but I found those VIP tickets on ebay and thought we would give that a shot.

They are nontransferable. Most of the current ones have a name and date printed on them. There is a chance you would not be able to use it and this will be out of the money AND the perk.

 

[amesyrn]

Thank you for all the info. I will definately check out tour guide Mike, and the faq on GAC cards. I didnt realize that the parking passes are not for resale. Maybe I'll just contact our local AAA and see if we can get one from them. I will have to utilize the first aid center as Alexa has meds that need to stay cold. We were just planning on bringing a cooler and doing things in the bathroom. But if we go to the first aid center we can access her G-J tube easier, and not gross anyone out. Not to mention it will be cleaner... Everyone has been so helpful, I so much appreciate it.

 

[LilyWDW]

Thank you for all the info. I will definately check out tour guide Mike, and the faq on GAC cards. I didnt realize that the parking passes are not for resale. Maybe I'll just contact our local AAA and see if we can get one from them. I will have to utilize the first aid center as Alexa has meds that need to stay cold. We were just planning on bringing a cooler and doing things in the bathroom. But if we go to the first aid center we can access her G-J tube easier, and not gross anyone out. Not to mention it will be cleaner... Everyone has been so helpful, I so much appreciate it.

If going to the first aid station is an option (aka it's something you can schedule and not an emergency type of thing), I would suggest it. It's cool and they have private areas for those sorts of things. You also then won't have to worry about keeping the meds cold with the high temps you can find in Orlando.

 

[amesyrn]

Is that something I would have to schedule before going to the parks? Or could we just talk to the people at guest services when we get there?

 

[LilyWDW]

Is that something I would have to schedule before going to the parks? Or could we just talk to the people at guest services when we get there?

I meant the taking of the meds... if YOU can schedule it, like if it is always given at a specific time so you can plan to be near the first aid at that point. You don't actually have to schedule it with them...

grrrr, my words seem to be failing me!

 

[retired and happy]

We have been taking anywhere from two to five special needs kids to WDW for about 10 years, sometimes twice a year. CM's have always been very accomodating. We have used feeding pumps, pulse-ox meters, O2 tanks, etc using KidsKarts, strollers, and wheelchairs. (You should have seen us when we had four wheelchairs and an extra infant hanging in a hiking carrier on the back of one chair....and just two of us to push them.) We also have hang tags for our vehicles in addition to handicapped license plates on two. The hang tags are great for borrowed or rented cars and are more visible to attendants when entering special parking lots. Don't hesitate to get one. Ours are available at the same locations where we get our license plates...with a doctor's letter of need.

 

[SueM in MN]

I meant the taking of the meds... if YOU can schedule it, like if it is always given at a specific time so you can plan to be near the first aid at that point. You don't actually have to schedule it with them...

grrrr, my words seem to be failing me!

I'll have a try at it too - sometimes it seems so clear when we write it, because we know what it means, but when someone else reads it, not so clear.

Anyway...
If you have medication or supplies that you might need quickly and unexpectedly, you would want to bring those with you. The parks are pretty large and if you are on the other end of the park when you need it, it could take a while to get there.

If you have specific treatments, medications or other things that happen at a specific time of day, you can plan your day so that you are close to First Aid at the time you need to do the treatment or medication. In that case, you can leave the medication or supplies at First Aid.

To use First Aid, you just walk in. They have a waiting room and a Nurse's Desk area with a sign in book. They ask all guests to sign in, just so they can keep track of how many people are using First Aid and for what reasons. The nurse will ask you a few questions to figure out how best to help you (for example, which room to send you to). For medications, they will have you fill out an information sheet and then store the medication with your information until you need it.
Each First Aid is open all the hours that the park is open.

 

[amesyrn]

ooo ok i get it. yeah she takes her meds at specific times. Good idea.

 

[PrincessAndrea'sMom]

Hello! My daughter was seven months for her first visit. My daughter is trached. She uses a pulse ox, an apnea monitor, and a suction machine. I am so glad you are not letting your daugher's extra needs stop you from enjoying a great vacation. Our vacation was planned before she was born. We thought we would have to cancel it when we found out she needed to be trached, but we still went and we were so glad we did. My husband, son (6), and I all really needed the time away. We had no problems and are planning on going back in December. My little Princess is supposed to be decannulated in January/February, so we are going on a Disney cruise in May to celebrate!

She was able to be unhooked from the equipment for rides and shows. The only thing I worried about was leaving her equipment in the stroller and it "disappearing". All went fine and we are so glad we went! You will have a great time celebrating your new little one with your family!

 

[amesyrn]

Thank you for the support. Knowing others have done it successfully is a big help. When we tell others about our plans they just look at us like we're crazy. I just know that our family needs some time away from hospitals, doctors offices, and the stress of everything. We had been planning a trip for this past June, but because of hospitilization had to post pone.

With the apnea monitor were you ever afraid with some of the water rides of getting the leads wet?

Enjoy your Disney cruise. I heard those are supposed to be amazing. And congrats on getting the trach removed.