Disneyland with a baby

[yesman70]

Hello,

My family and I will be at DLR from June 13-18th. We are very excited!

We will be staying at the DLH and have never stayed on Disney property before.

My kids are aged 6, 8 and we will have a 5 month old baby with us as well. Am i crazy?? What sorts of special concerns or problems do i need to be aware of?

Anyone ever brought their infant baby with them to Disney before? How did that work out? Anyone know if the DLH provides cribs??

 

[kissesbykim]

I'm not positive if DLH has cribs but I'm pretty sure they do being a family hotel. We brought my DS when he was 5 months old and he did great! We even took him on a lot of rides I kept him covered in sunblock and made sure to have a front carrier and his stroller. We brought lots of bottled water and formula and he took most of his naps in his stroller. I can't say it was easy but it wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be.

Our other DS was 5 at the time and my MIL went with us so that was helpful but it wouldn't have been a problem if we wouldn't have had her there too. As long as you utilize the child swap hopefully it will be a smooth vacation!

I hope you have fun! We will be there on June 16-20!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Disney hotel rooms have pack-n-plays -- they'e stored in the closet.

I love how the changing tables in Disneyland bathrooms have a sign "Mickey Mouse was changed here." 8^)

 

[Liat]

We took my DD when she was 4 months old and didn't have any problems. Any ride without a height restriction we took her on. We had a sling she was in most of the time so that made getting on and off of rides a breeze.

We are hitting the parks the first week of June and my kids will be 3, 2 and almost 6 months. We plan to use the single rider lines and rider swap to do the rides the kids aren't tall enough for, and of course the baby will come on all the rides he's allowed to.

 

[KTR]

I went to Disney about a month ago with my threee kids, 4 years, 2 years and 4 months. It was wonderful! Do you baby wear at all? Invest in a good carrier like a Beco or Ergo, that made a world of difference for us. He spent most of the time in there. The Beco is especially perfect for Disney because you don't have to take the baby out to transfer him to a different adult (great for doing Ride Switch). He loved being carried most of the time and staring around at all the wonder. Many times he fell asleep in the Beco. We also had a double stroller with us and sometimes he just wanted to stretch out and kick around in there.

He loved Mickey's Fun Wheel. Everytime we'd make a big swing he'd break out into fits of giggles. I think he had a great time, just like the rest of us!

 

[Shimmer]

We have brought babies to Disneyland before along with older kids. My advice is to expect to go at a much slower pace than you are use to. You'll, of course, need to stop for feedings and changings.

We found the combination of a stroller and an Ergo carrier worked well. We'd switch the baby between these options and between parents. Sometimes one parent would take the older kids and the other would take the baby.

We'd often park the stroller & gear and walk around in whatever land we were in for awhile and then come back for the stroller. No problems with theft or anything.

There are quite a few rides the baby can go on and, of course, quite a few they can't.

One challenge for us is the baby slept a lot during the day in the stroller & carrier and then had trouble sleeping at night. I don't know what we could have done about that.

The nice thing about your older kids ages is they won't be expecting a fast, crazy pace. They also probably won't even know if you don't "do" everything. Just do what you can and ENJOY it while you are doing it.

Have fun!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Sounds ideal so long as he/she isn't mobile - hopefully sleeping through the night, not so new. Once little ones start moving/don't want to be held so much it's harder. Have a good carrier *Boba, Ergo, etc. and a stroller.

 

[Cagirl767]

My two kids have been going since 5.5 months old each. Of course you have to pack so much more, but it wasn't a problem really. The bellhop at the Marriott said he'd seen more junque before, lol.

We always bring hats and sunglasses, never too early to start, and long sleeves when possible, otherwise sunscreen. We had a Bjorn and stroller we brought and worked great. The restrooms have nice big baby changing stations. And remember the Baby Center on Main Street especially for cooling off. Maybe bring some lightweight receiving blankets for draping from the sun.

We didn't have sleep issues till they got a little older, then it would take like 3 hours to get my ds to sleep at night in the hotel!

 

[Cagirl767]

Oops sorry double post.

 

[yesman70]

Great info guys. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Hummingbird15]

Disneyland has a very nice baby care center. When I used it, it was quiet, cool and relaxing. It has extra supplies and comfortable accomodations for you to feed, change and rock the baby. In Disneyland, the Baby Center is in a corner next to the Plaza Inn. I think there is one also in DCA, but I'm not sure of the location.

 

[naomippb12]

My family and I are going the first week in December with an 11 yr, 9yr, and a one month old. We are really excited, we planned the trip before we got pregnant. We are going to have to get used to doing things with a baby now because we certainly are not going to stop. We just know that it will be slower pace than we are used to, but the baby will mostly be sleeping and eating. And we will do the babyswap like we have before. We love Disneyland

 

[Liat]

Ooh, also remember to keep the baby hydrated too. When we went with DD, she wouldn't want to drink so we had to keep offering her a bottle and to nurse to make sure she got enough. It's warmer in DL than it is here so it wasn't something we thought about until we got there.