First trip as parents - advice please

[Agent J]

I'll just say to pace your self. The baby will be around seven months and probably sleeps a couple hours in the morning and the afternoon. You may want to bring you own stroller. The Disney ones are not good for children under one. Remember to keep the baby out of the sun. You should have a good time with the extra help from your mom. Be aware where the Baby Stations are located. They really a good place to stop for a break.
Are you taking ME or a towncar service ? You may save some money by taking a car service to pick up diapers, wipes and formula. Also, if you have formula how will you warm it up? We your out at a restaurant ask for a picther or warm water. If you have powdered formula it may be the way to go.

We had gone in May in 2003 and found the crowds to be light and the weather was very nice.

we will definitely check out the baby care stations - we are breastfeeding now with one bottle formula per day for trips out and exercise time for mom and he has started on some rice cereal - he has the formula and cereal at room temperature so hopefully that will still work - will bring powdered formula to mix with bottled water - he should be eating some veggies/fruit by trip so hope to use our villa to steam/puree baby food

we are debating taking ME and then renting a car for a few days or just rent the car for the whole trip - we are usually disney transportation fans (even waiting for buses doesn't bother us on vacation) but concerned about on/off buses with stroller and waits in the heat...

thanks!

 

[airtime247]

we are debating whether to take our graco travel system stroller since we'll use car seat for the plane and it is fairly easy to fold up although a bit bulky- do you leave diaper bags etc with the stroller when you go on rides - i want to be a trusting person and would hope all would be fine but just curious if you take any special precautions with stroller parking (we are thinking of painting a clear marker on the wheel or attach something distinctive so we can quickly find it in the sea of strollers)

We went back and forth for several months on whether we wanted to bring our Graco Quattro Tour travel system or our carseat and umbrella stroller. We eventually decided on the travel system and were very glad we did.

It was really convenient getting through the airport since we could just snap the car seat into the stroller and push her around the terminal. We then just checked the stroller immediately before boarding the plane.

At the parks, we really liked having the larger stroller since it is a much more comfortable ride for her and she was able to sleep a lot easier. She also had her snack tray which got lots of use. Her umbrella stroller didn't have this.

Having said this, we rented a car and never took a bus so the only time the bulkiness of it was a hassle was getting through stores. It was also a pain to break it down to get it on the parking lot trams since we had so much junk in the basket below so we usually ended up walking.

We looped the diaper bag over the handle and left it on the stroller when going on rides or shows. I was a little nervous about it but everything was fine. I did see a couple of identical model strollers there so it would have been a good idea to tie something to it to identify it. Our bright pink diaper bag across the handle was good enough for us to spot it in the sea of park strollers.

-steve

 

[PrincessasMommy]

Our 1st family trip was April 2005 with our dd's ages 9, 2 and 8 months and it was so much easier than we thought it would be. So very enjoyable in fact that we have already planned a Fall trip when we will take all 4, ages wil be 12, 4, 3 & 4 months.
Our 8 month old loved the POOH lunch at Crystal Palace. That was her favorite, but we did also book the Princess lunch in Epcot and Donald's Breakfast at AK. We did them really for her big sisters but she loved the characters.

I would also highly recommend a sling, mine was the New Native in denim and hubby used it too. She spent most of her days in it, watching or sleeping. Baby loved the Pooh ride and It's a small world the most but also did all the cars/trains/boats and she was so happy. She passed out in her stroller from exhaustion for naps and never cried once at WDW because she was so entertained.
I would consider using ready made baby food for a week to make your life easier and take your own stroller for sure. And, a raincover for it (many envied ours for the crazy 10 minute downpours Florida is famous for) and we also brought a thin white crib sheet to put over the stroller when we were on rides to keep it from becoming hot (and so easy to spot after in the sea of strollers) and to give baby some shade while she slept.
This is actually the easiest age to bring baby imo, as they can't walk or run yet so are content to sit and there is so much to see! Oh, and research baby swap - best thing ever!!!
Enjoy!