Equipment for a 2 year old

[poohspals]

We are taking our daughter to Disney for the first time in November. I am not sure what to take in the way of carseat, buggy and travel cot.

We are travelling from the uk and i think taking our carseat will really eat into our luggage allowance. We are hiring a mini-van when we get there as there will be 4 adults and baby in the party. We have been told that we can hire a car seat but for 3 weeks i aren't sure if it would be cheaper to buy one when we get there and just donate it at the end. If i was to do this where is the nearest place to buy one and how much would it be? Could we hire one for the day whilst we find one to buy?

How much does the average hotel/motel charge for hiring a cot. We are travelling Florida once we have left WDW so will be changing every couple of nights. Would it be cheaper to buy one?

We, as a couple, have been to WDW before but never with a baby. Any other tips that you could give me??????

 

[Zoesmama03]

I worked at the Disney All Stars and from what I was told cribs/cots for babies are no charge.

As far as your carseat you might do best to bring your own because rental would get costly. I guess you could buy one and donate it but you'd still spend quite a bit for the day to go buy one.

Check with car rental where you are getting the van first they may not be too bad on seat rental though.

 

[ahutton]

There is a Super WalMart not too far from WDW, you could probably but a seat there for $40-50 US Dollars. As for the bed, if your baby is around 2, will you have enough room space she could use a regular bed, or will you need something specifically for her? We are traveling wit your 2 & 4 year olds next month, and I'm going to bring side rails for a regular bed for them to share. In our years of traveling around we have never been charged for a crib at a hotel, but they usually charge $10 for a rollaway bed. I have been at one hotel though where they were out of them and we had to make due for the night, we set up a ring of chairs in case she rolled off the bed. Also depending on how big she is a crib might be a bit small... You can always check the crib though, and use side rails on a regular bed as a fall back...

 

[disneyag]

Disney hotels will provide you with bed rails for free.

When our daughter was two, we brought a favorite stuffed animal to sleep with. We also brought her confortable big stroller, so she could nap in it. I also carried a few sippy cups with us. We brought a few snacks to carry in the stroller -- you could pick them up at Walmart if you decide to stop.

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

We've always got the crib for free. You just call down after you get in your room. We request the crib every year but they never have it in the room "waiting" for you. You have to call housekeeping.

Our son slept in a bed for the first time while on vacation in WDW. We gave him the pull-out bed (couch) and stacked the cushions all around it in case he fell out. He never did and we purchased his first bed when we returned home.

I am going down for 7 days in November and I called our car rental place and they said we could pick up a car seat from them when we arrived. They charge $5/day so it will cost me $35. We never take a car seat on the plane with us. Since you will be there for 3 weeks, I would purchase one or bring one with you.

We never take the car seat with us but we do take a stoller. You can leave the stroller outside the door to the airplane with a tag you get during check in. They will stow it under the plane prior to take off and it will be waiting for you as you depart the plane (you may have to wait a little while depending on how close you are to the door). This is very handy and I recommend it.

We always bring books and toys that the kids have never played with or seen before. This is a good way to keep them entertained and in "control".

Have fun and relax. Your daughter will love it

 

[my3princes]

I just purchased a ready bed for my 3 boys. They love to "camp out" so I'm sure that they will get lots of use out of them. They are $29.99 at Target and Toys R Us. They are sold in the UK and would easily fit into a suitcase. You can check them out at www.readybed.com They seem very durable and pack up compactly in there own case. You could let your 2 yr old try it at home first and become accostumed to it before your trip. They even have the Disney Princesses and Pooh.

 

[Jaime]

We took our two year old in Jan. We rented a Minivan of Dollar and found out before we went that all there minivans include built-in carseats suitable for toddlers. We also stayed at two different hotels during our trip and the portable cribs were always free, just request them in advance. We also found it great to take an umberalla stroller with us and put a small back pack on the back with change of clothes and snacks. It was cheaper than renting one and it is alot easier transporting than our big stroller. We brought toys with us but found she spent all of her time exploring. I would just bring a few books and a favorite toy. We also found it great to go to the parks early, return to the hotel around lunch for a break and go back to the parks in the evenings. This way we avoids the big crowds. We actually enjoyed our trip better with our DD then our trip before we had her! I hope you have a good trip!

 

[tjmw2727]

Originally posted by Jaime
We took our two year old in Jan. We rented a Minivan of Dollar and found out before we went that all there minivans include built-in carseats suitable for toddlers.!

Just fyi, not all mini vans will have the built in CSR, in fact they are becoming much less common. Since they are no longer standard most of the newer vans do not have them. In addition, the rental companies will not guarantee you a built in CSR.

I don't know about flights from the UK but here in the US a carseat does not count toward your luggage total. Perhaps this is worth checking as your carseat will be safe and familiar to your dd. (Not to mention the $$ savings) Can us use the carseat on the aircraft? if so I highly recommend it.

A rental car seat from the car rental company will cost $5-8 per day. You could get to a department store quite easily and purchase one in Florida but you will need some type of carseat to get dd to the store. At the local Wallmart you can get a very nice seat for $40-$60. If the search function is working look for a recent thread on donating lightly used baby equipement after the trip.

All the WDW resorts and most other florida hotels will provide you with a crib (baby cot!) and or bedrails. WDW does not charge for this but some of the other resorts you are visiting may have a fee.

Same thing for your buggy (stroller!), again US flights don't count the stroller against your luggage allowance. If you do get to the store to get the carseat a stroller will cost you anywhere from $30 up depending on the features you choose.

There are some baby equipment rental companies that will rent you anything you need for a reasonable fee. They usually drop off and pick up at the resort so I don't know how it will work if your traveling from resort to resort. Try www.abbf.com and see if they will accomodate you.

Have a great vacation.
TJ

 

[wils]

I second my3princes' idea about Ready Beds - My 18mthold slept on one at Grandma's the other weekend. The roll up really small and have an attachable pump to inflate them.

I don't know if you have Dunelm Mill shops in your neck of the woods but they quite often have good deals on readybeds.