Disney with a newborn???

[JYeagersgrl]

My family is planning on taking our yearly vacation to Disney World in August. My son will be approximately a month old. Are there any rides or anything that they will let me bring him on or am I pretty much wasting my money on buying a ticket? We've taken my siblings before but never such a young baby so I wasn't sure if rides like it's a small world and the winnie the pooh ride or peter pan would allow such a young child on them.

~Lisa

 

[glass slipper girl]

baby can ride anything without a height restriction on it...so all that you mentioned would be fine.

 

[Perditamarie]

The gentle rides shouldn't be a problem -- the heat may be something to consider. Keep baby hydrated and cool. If it is not too hot, wearing a baby sling would be great for lines, sitting in theaters and even some rides. Congratulations!

 

[Ariel8676]

I agree that the only problem you may have is the heat.August is VERY hot! Make sure to visit the baby changing stations, hang in the air conditioning for a bit. A clip on fan for te stroller may be another option for you.
As far as the rides go, anything in Fantasyland is good..

 

[akrake]

My 3rd was 7 weeks when we went. it was december, but it was still hot some days...the kids even swam!! it was easy to ride most rides & baby swap was fine too. if you nurse it'll be alot easier bc during rides you can just nurse if babe starts to cry. have fun.

 

[alloyd1170]

It will be hot and remember newborns still have body temp regulating issues (maybe by 1 month theyve adapted ??). You need to keep the baby out of the sun (so have a good sunshade on that stroller, and try not to use sunscreen on a newborn, though they changed that rule), cool (One Step Ahead has a great clip on fan-bring extra batteries for it), and hydrated. For standing in lines and on rides, I would suggest getting a sling/pouch to snuggle the baby (dont get a Bjorn-my kids never liked them and they hurt my back). They have a fabric called solarveil which acts like sunscreen and is much cooler than most fabrics since its almost mesh-like. You can even use it while swimming. I got mine from Hotslings, but I think Kangaroo Corner has them too. My little girl loved being snuggled up inside and would sleep for hours if I let her. I used it on a cruise and for the port tours when she was 6 months old. The tour guides always had a puzzled look on their faces because they couldnt figure out why they kept coming up one person short. I would pull back the fabric and say, heres your last one! They were shocked, as were just about everyone I ever ran into. I had a lady working in Walmart follow me around because she thought I was putting merchandise in the sling. When my daughter threw her leg over the side, the lady laughed and disappeared. Its also great for keeping wandering hands away from you baby! I miss those days.....

alison

 

[KristiKelly]

We took DD last Sept when she was 3 months old. It was a pretty easy trip I thought. I used the Baby Care Centers often. It was hot but with all 3 of my kids as babies, I found that they did better when it was hot than cold. Just be sure to keep baby hydrated, if you are breastfeeding, maybe allow for an extra feeding and be sure not to skip a feeding. Someone mentioned not using a Baby Bjorn, I loved my Baby Bjorn. I bought the Baby Bjorn Air, it is a much lighter and breathable fabric. She did fine in it. DH liked it also, there is no way he would have worn a sling but felt "manly" enough with the Baby Bjorn. Try both, sling & Bjorn and decide which will be best for your situation but one or the other is a must. Also, a good stroller with sunshade. The restaurants in WDW will allow you to bring your stroller in if the baby is sleeping. Have a great trip.

 

[puffkin]

With an infant you can do TONS of rides. There are more attractions in WDW without height restrictions than with. The baby care centers are great. Buy a clip on fan for the stroller. It is a lifesaver. Definitely take some type of carrier. We forgot to bring ours and regretted it. You will have to move at a slower pace, but it is still a lot of fun.

 

[KristiKelly]

Sorry, I forgot to mention in my previous post. DD & I rode everything without a height restriction, Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, Pirates of the Carrib., Haunted Mansion, etc. She even slept through some. Be sure to take a blanket with you on the rides. It was always really cold on the rides.

 

[Hoosier Mom]

You are braver than me.

Is this your first child? There's no way I could have gone on vacation after having our son. I ended up back in the hospital with a blood clot, not to mention the post partum blues, not being able to nurse, and it seemed like every night at 7 pm, our sweet little 5 pounder would have a screaming fit. He did 3 hour feedings til 3 1/2 months old. Ugh.

Good luck and I hope all goes terrific! Perhaps you'd better pack a grandma or two to go along with you. Have fun.

 

[laceemouse]

You are braver than me.

Is this your first child? There's no way I could have gone on vacation after having our son. I ended up back in the hospital with a blood clot, not to mention the post partum blues, not being able to nurse, and it seemed like every night at 7 pm, our sweet little 5 pounder would have a screaming fit. He did 3 hour feedings til 3 1/2 months old. Ugh.

Good luck and I hope all goes terrific! Perhaps you'd better pack a grandma or two to go along with you. Have fun.

Agreed, you will not be very healed up, you will be exhausted and the heat will be unmerciful! A baby under 6 months can not regulate body temperature and will run a FEVER if they get over-heated. This happened to us more than once with older babies/toddlers when we lived in Florida even though we were in the shade! December and August are NOT the same! When people say they were "hot" in the winter I go to weather.com and check RECORD highs, not what most folks would call hot. And those snugglie things....HOT, HOT, HOT! The first baby is a BIG adjustment even at home in the a/c with Grandma helping. The youngest I ever took one of mine was at 5 months, in cool weather, and a short drive (we lived in Jacksonville at the time.) Good luck!

 

[abcboys]

I have to agree. I haven't been to DW since having kids but NO WAY would I take them at 1 month old in August. My last baby was such a "cry baby" he cried constantly and ate just about every hour. He's almost 1 now and lots better but no way would he had survived the heat of Disney. We both would have been miserable!! Also like someone said those snugli things would be SOOO HOT and uncomfortable. It would be much better going in the cooler months with a baby so young.

 

[laceemouse]

I would also be worried about all of the germs at WDW and on the plane. I would just be a nervous wreck! Also, some babies cry so much, at all hours of the day and night. I would be worried about disturbing other guests, even in their rooms if the walls are thin.

 

[lclark0621]

Babies can ride anything without a hieght restrictions. So on that part you will have TONS to ride.

But I agree with a lot of the PPs.

Germs, HEAT, SUN, 1 month after giving birth, sleep deprivation, HEAT...These are all reasons I would NOT go with a 1 month old, let alone a 1 month old in Aug!

When my DS was 1 month old, I couldn't have even told you what day of the week it was, and he was a "good baby" (slept well, no colic, healthy, ate easily, etc, etc, etc). But I was still exhausted. overwhelemed & still not feeling all together physically fit after giving birth.

No way I would go at that point!

However we took DS at 9 months for his first trip & it was GREAT!

 

[barkley]

i'm just flashing back to when my kids were a month old-my episiotomy stitches were still in!!!! no-way i could have done alot of walking or sitting (i was forever trying to find a comfortable way to stand or sit). i was also massivly sleep deprived at the time and finding that i could'nt find much to wear (maternity stuff was too big-prematernity was still too small ).

the big issue for me with this type of trip would be the heat, my dd was born in august and while it gets to the low hundreds here-it is nothing like that florida heat and humidity! i recall the pediatrician realy driving home that we needed to keep dd out of the heat of the day as much as possible, and not subject her to big temp changes (like going from heat to a/c, a/c to heat).

i also remember at that age how prone they are to getting sick FAST-no warning, no reason-just hold them one minute and they're fine-the next they're "going at both ends" and spiking a high temp. i don't want to think about having to take a little one to an unfamiliar urgent care center that does'nt specialize in pediatrics.

i think if there's any way to pass on this trip it might be advisable.

 

[tinkerbeth]

I'm glad to see this thread b/c we're doing the same thing! I'm due any day and we're going in about 6 weeks. I'm just planning to take it easy, stay by the pool sometimes while dh takes ds4 out to parks, and use the baby bjorn... I'll nurse her anywhere so that doesn't bother me a bit. As long as I can sit down and sometimes if I can't. I nursed ds at Disney and all over the place.

For those of you who have done wdw with a baby, did you take them in the water? I'm thinking of getting one of those gauze-wraps (www.purplepenguin.ca) is the one I'm thinking of for myself...and just wrap her in the water. I'm just not sure where I can get a swimmy diaper or little swimmers that are small enough as I tend to have teeny babies. DS was only 6.5 pounds and I'm only measuring 36 cm so this one is likely small too.

I'm looking forward to it...we'll just pace ourselves. We're also going to do switching off at as many rides as we can so that one of us can hold the baby and our ds4 can ride twice.

eta: If you're nursing, I wouldn'd be too worried about the baby getting sick or the germs thing...nursing babies are pretty well protected against anything you come in contact with.

Beth

 

[laceemouse]

I nursed all 4 of mine exclusively for the first 6 to 8 months. No bottles or baby food. My kids were never around smokers and were not in day care. My son still got an ear infection at 5 months of age, right before our WDW trip. Thankfully we lived close and did not have to fly. We also went in a cool month with low crowds. I nursed him all over the place, he was a good little guy. STILL, he was not newborn and it was not August. I'm not sure I would take a baby that young in a public pool. Not just germs and stuff, but also the abrupt change in temperature (like someone else mentioned.) I have had some pretty severe ear pain flying at times, I would be worried about that too. Also, none of mine came on the due date and I had a doctor who would not induce unless there was a medical reason (I was GLAD about that, but that is another thread.) At least you have delivered before, you must just pop 'em out and feel fine. The OP has no idea how easy or tough her delivery might be. What if she ended up with a c-section? I guess I just don't see the point of dragging a newborn around WDW, the place is still gonna be there if you skip a year !

 

[lclark0621]

eta: If you're nursing, I wouldn'd be too worried about the baby getting sick or the germs thing...nursing babies are pretty well protected against anything you come in contact with.

Yes breastfed babies have good antibodies. However the above statement is really a false sense of security. Severl of my friends who exclusively breastfed their children have gotten very sick. Even though you are nursing you still need to protect your child. Dont just take them into a germ filled situation because you are nursing. Any kid, breastfed or formula fed can get sick, espcially that young.

 

[barkley]

one issue folks with little ones of any age should consider involves their personal health insurance coverage. the majority of hmo's and some ppo's only cover medical treatment outside one's home state if it is deemed (by THEM, not by you) to be "of life threatening nature". therefore a little one who needs medical treatment may receive it but you will be billed fully for the charges. additonaly, while some may think they could call their home pediatrician to make a phone evaluation of symptoms and call in a perscription to the visiting state (which can be difficult if possible at all, most pediatricians are only lic. to issue perscriptions in their state of lic.-so unless the ped is willing to call a nationwide pharmacy which is willing to let you do an out of state transfer/pickup you're out of luck) a competant pediatrician is unlikely to consult on a new or near newborn by phone and will refer you to seek face to face medical advice.

this can be further complicated based on your health coverage and the age of the infant. the bulk of health policies carry the infant under the mother for the first 30 days at which time the become covered individuals in their own right-so depending on the age of a child and the applicable coverage, if covered a child may have to be seen by the type of physician mandated by mom's coverage (a gp or md) vs. a pediatrician. an if you end up with a sick little one who has a few days of treatment under mom's coverage and a couple under their own it can be a nightmare to co-ordinate any insurance benefits.

you can check into travel insurance, but it is not readily available for cancellation of trips due to pregnancy or birth complications (excluded under pre-existing clauses), and i don't know of any that will let you buy for for a child not yet born.

of course, my thing would be GET IMMEDIATE MEDICAL TREATMENT, HANG THE COST, but i recognize, having had a 12 hour visit to the e/r for an infant run $10,000.00 it can be quite a shock (and depending on your personal finances life altering)-so i think anyone considering traveling should evaluate their own health coverage, and become IMMENSELY educated on that of your children.

 

[tinkerbeth]

I nursed all 4 of mine exclusively for the first 6 to 8 months. No bottles or baby food. My kids were never around smokers and were not in day care. My son still got an ear infection at 5 months of age, right before our WDW trip. Thankfully we lived close and did not have to fly. We also went in a cool month with low crowds. I nursed him all over the place, he was a good little guy. STILL, he was not newborn and it was not August. I'm not sure I would take a baby that young in a public pool. Not just germs and stuff, but also the abrupt change in temperature (like someone else mentioned.) I have had some pretty severe ear pain flying at times, I would be worried about that too. Also, none of mine came on the due date and I had a doctor who would not induce unless there was a medical reason (I was GLAD about that, but that is another thread.) At least you have delivered before, you must just pop 'em out and feel fine. The OP has no idea how easy or tough her delivery might be. What if she ended up with a c-section? I guess I just don't see the point of dragging a newborn around WDW, the place is still gonna be there if you skip a year !

You make some good points. I didn't mean to over-simplify the nursing thing and I didn't think about the section issue. I guess if you have a c-section it would be hard...and a first baby is harder than a next one. We got the cancellation insurance which I don't usually do. If the baby isn't okay to travel, I will have the midwife write a note and we won't go...I guess it depends on the person. A good friend of mine just had her 3rd 8 days ago and was at soccer tonight and feels great! But I had another friend who had 3rd degree tearing (you should see the size of this kid's head) and was laid up forever.

Thanks for pointing those things out! There are a lot of things to think about. I think to the OP - get the cancellation insurance and just go with your gut.

At any rate, good luck with your labour and delivery!!! And I hope you still get a great trip.

Beth