Give me your best tips for traveling with an infant!

poohs_hunny

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 6, 2005
Hi all! My DH and I are WDW veterans, but new parents! We are taking our DD for her first trip in October. She will be 10 months old. We'll be staying for 6 nights at BWV (new DVC members as well!), will be flying down from CT, and will not have a car. Right now she's 3 months old and a great baby - very easygoing! But who knows what she'll be like at 10 months?!

Please give me your best tips for traveling with a baby around this age! Tips about flying, organizing the room, stroller, dining, park touring, etc. are all welcome. Thanks so much!!
 
How exciting! Our kids were 15 months, 22 months and 2.5 yo for their first trips...also from CT, enjoying the rain and wind!

Plane-hopefully you got her a seat. We did for ours and it was just easier, I mean caring the car seat thru the airport was not easy, actually mine were all walking so the car seat might of sat in the stroller for some part of that walk at least at bradley since that’s small. I guess If you didn’t that is OK but I always feel bad for the moms (sometimes the dads but usually mom is the baby holder) with the squirmy kid. I always took my kids shoes off as a just in case they kicked the seat, luckily if they did it was by accident. I brought 2 small blankets/receiving blankets/thin ones for the changing tables and would wash. I also did lollipops for the plane and gummy fruit but not sure about a 10 month old. Let’s just say a bag of gerber gummy fruit lasted a good 20 min with each fruit being ripped into 5 smaller pieces. Lots of ispy on the plane with magazines. Also had the water drawing things..l.forget what the are called but the “pen” filled with water and you could draw on the “paper” and when it dried the drawing went away. Don’t plan on naps on the plane, I did and well, my oldest fell asleep on DME at 4pm. I woke her when we got to thr Poly.

Room-I didn’t bring electrical covers, again my kids were not into sticking their fingers in a socket. I did bring toys for my oldest and she never touched them. We were reaLly only in our room to sleep, eat breakfast, shower and nap. Otherwise we were in the park or pool.

Diapers/wipes: about 2-3 weeks before we left every day for a week I would. Punt how many diapers I used. Then I would add another 1-2 to that and pack that many per day plus 2 extra days. I brought back a lot. Wipes, I stored them in a big zip lock bag vs the hard cases. It made t easier to throw in my bag.

Rides-I had planned to ride space mountain that first trip with a kid but...I had so much fun watching her enjoy everything that I just skipped it and all the e ticket rides. I knew I’d be back to ride those again some day.

We are mid day break people so that is what we did and we all napped, well I did laundry but maybe you will have a Machine in your room.

Dining-mine either sat in their stroller to eat or in a wipes down high chair and table-I brought Lysol wipes and table toppers. We also had breakfast in our room with stuff we shipped. Made mornings easier and we could shower and the other(s) could eat.

I did not bring changes of clothes to parks. Mine are not messy eaters and if they got dirty so be it, we had a mid day break coming, oh and I didn’t do ice cream on a cone, always a cup, but 10 months won’t need s cone!
 
Are you planning multiple trips to WDW over the years? We did and before our first trip with DD we bought a higher end umbrella stroller (Maclaren) and I can’t tell you how awesome that investment was for us.

Back pack diaper bag is totally the way to go.

Stick to your kiddos schedule. Also focus on what you want to do rather than kiddo bc they pretty happy with everything. (E.g. which parks to spend time in)

Eat at nice restaurants because no one will resent you for bringing a baby.

Bring small containers to for snacks... like cereal or yogurt for baby to eat.

Also, if you end up having your little one in a pack n play... bring an extra mattress. My daughter slept horribly in those things unless we added a mattress. And that sucks when you are sharing a room!

Remember to have fun!
 
Many people disagree, but taking babies to WDW is fun. I too my girls right around 9-10 months, and I am taking my son next month when he will be 10 months. I'm also a DVC member....congrats on being a new member :)

Flying can be hard. On the return flight from her first trip to WDW, one of my daugther's cried the entire flight. That was hard. Typically, my kids do well with flying, but you just never know. Bring a bottle or nurse during takeoff and landing. My oldest slept during her first flight so it might happen if you are lucky. I also brought snacks and a few toys and an Ipad for the flight. I always do an order from a grocery delivery service for diapers, wipes, babyfood, formula, etc. It helps lighten the load with what you have to pack. If you use a pack n play, I bring my own crib sheets and one of the mattress pads for pack and plays, which makes it a bit more cushy. My kids are always so tired at WDW, I think it probably doesn't matter except for the first few nights.

Definitely bring a good stroller. We rented a City Mini when we took our oldest on her first trip and liked it so much we bought one when we got home. They are easy to push, have a great shade, recline, and have decent storage. I would also probably bring some type of baby sling or carrier to wear the baby if need be. I really like my Baby K'tan because it tends to be more breathable than some of the other carriers.

If you little one is on formula, bring extra. I thought I had on my daughter's first trip, but I think since it was hotter than at home, she drank more than usual. I ended up taking a taxi (pre-uber) to the drug store to buy more the last night of our trip so we could make it home since Disney only sells Carnation (we tried Carnation that ended up being a no go).

We never went back to the room for naps when they were that young. My kids always napped in the stroller. We would use that time to ride the attractions they couldn't ride (especially when we only had one kid). One afternoon, we each rode Expedition Everest about 5 time each using the single rider line. We would also tend to save Rider switch tickets and use those during nap time.

We always bring the table topper plastic disposable mats and baby food to each meal when dining at that age. We were just starting to introduce some table food.

Biggest thing is to go with the flow. My oldest ended up being really afraid of characters and fireworks at 10 months. By her next trip, she wasn't afraid of either. Once we figured that out, we skipped all the rest of the night shows that trip and avoided characters.
 
We also go our LO his own seat on the flight and it was a life saver even though I held him sometimes it was nice to have a place to put him so he could sit and play (he was 13 mos first trip). Make sure to nurse or bottle or sippy cup at take off so the ears don't pop.

Babywear! I can not recommend some sort of baby carrier enough. My lo wanted to be worn a lot (it was Dec and cooler though) so he could see and be involved. We had the stroller and he would go in for naps, snacks and breaks but to watch parades and wait in lines it was invaluable. I folded mine up into a wet bag and kept it in my diaper bag.

Diaper bag- I used a Vera Bradley backpack (large one). It was so helpful. One of us could just throw it on our backs easily and it held everything we needed. Extra water, sippy cup, snacks, change of clothes and the baby carrier.

Expect a lot of downtime. My lo was still taking two naps at that time so we usually did one in the park. I would take him to the baby care center nurse (or bottle or whatever he takes), change and rock in a cool dark room (the nursing room can be used even just to rock and take some quiet time). Then the second late afternoon nap would be taken at the hotel. As mentioned bring a good stroller. We have a City mini and that has come on every trip so far. It fully reclines is spacious and has a great sun canopy. It folds pretty flat to. You can rent one if need be from some off site stroller companies.

Depending on the resort they may actually have a crib instead of a pack and play. My lo was over a year and he wound up sleeping with us because he wouldn't sleep in a strange bed. Maybe just think about the sleeping situation and be prepared.

Housekeeping will bring you electrical covers and bed rails if need be.

I agree with eating at sit down restaurants. They are mostly kid friendly. Eat early if you can or just try and stay on his/her schedule that will make all of the difference.
 
Thanks for the replies so far! Please keep them coming! I forgot to add that my mom will be traveling with us, so we will have some help.
 
Also, if you end up having your little one in a pack n play... bring an extra mattress. My daughter slept horribly in those things unless we added a mattress. And that sucks when you are sharing a room

Do you know where to get a Pack n Play mattress or pad? I didn't know such a thing existed! We have one for naps at home, and it doesn't have much cushioning.
 


Backpack 100% instead of a diaper bag!

Use the Baby Care Centers, they are awesome, even worth a walk out of the way

Bring a stroller that is comfortable for you and baby, not a cheap one because you are worried about theft (there is a whole recent thread on strollers and preventing theft, its really not that common!)

Wear her. Get a carrier you love now, get her used to it, and wear her in line, on rides when she falls asleep, on the bus, etc. You back and arms will thank you! I love Kinderpacks but Tula's are awesome too. I prefer to have baby facing towards me when I front carry, to prevent her from being overstimulated and to give her a safe place to hide if she's scared.

Use grocery delivery. Budget now so you can throw budgeting out the window later and have diapers and wipes and anything else she needs delivered to your room (cheerios!) They will be expensive. You can't bargain hunt and use coupons. It is SO worth it not to have to pack all that! I like to use the travel size pouches of Honest wipes, too. They have only 10 in a pack but it wont weigh your bag down.

Get her a ticket and put her in a car seat on the plane rather than lap sit. But don't bring a huge heavy beast of a seat, go to Walmart and grab a Cosco Scenera Next for $39. The thing weighs nothing and is marrow enough to fit in almost any airplane seat.

Enjoy!! Watch her face light up when she sees things she has never seen before and gets so excited! <3
 
Maybe a cheap umbrella stroller for getting through the airport - but then follow the advice here to rent the City Mini.

Backpack, not a traditional style diaper bag.

At 10 months - the suggestion about wearing her is a good idea. Waiting in line with a 10 month can be a chore - sure you are used to carrying the kid around - but it's still going be more than you are used to unless you prepare in advance.

Diapers take up space in the suitcase - but it's great to have that space for things you buy on the way home! Hence - I suggesting packing what you need in terms of diapers, wipes, food, etc.

Nobody here can tell you "exactly" what is best for her schedule when at Disney. Some little ones sleep great in the stroller, some need to go back to the room to nap, some fall asleep on the bus going back to the room for the afternoon nap and then refuse to nap in the room, some sleep like a log on in a Disney pack n play while others don't. You aren't going to know what works until you try it. So - be flexible with your plan. You'll know your kid - and adjust as needed to keep everyone happy.

You'll get lots of suggestions on this board to buy the kid a plane seat and to take a car seat for it. I'll just say we didn't on the couple of trips when she was little enough (one to Disney, one elsewhere) - and we loved saving the money and don't regret the lap sitting.
 
My son was 15 mos on his first trip and I was so happily surprised by how much he liked it! He really enjoyed seeing all the characters and going on the rides. I was on the fence about taking a baby to Disney but it was awesome- I hope you will have a great experience too!

I second what's already been said- buy your little one a seat on the plane and bring the car seat. My son is used to falling asleep in his car seat so he napped both ways on the plane. One passenger turned to me and said "I didn't even know there was a baby back there!" which I felt was the ultimate compliment. If you can get your baby used to sleeping in the car seat I think it's helpful.

Also backpack diaper bag! Jansport actually makes perfectly sized mini-bags that have Disney prints!
 
You'll get lots of suggestions on this board to buy the kid a plane seat and to take a car seat for it. I'll just say we didn't on the couple of trips when she was little enough (one to Disney, one elsewhere) - and we loved saving the money and don't regret the lap sitting.


We lived in the city when my dd was young so we rarely used a car seat. She hated being in a car seat so we never brought one on the plane with us. I was not very comfortable using a car seat so the idea of trying to install one on an airplane seemed really stressful. Flying was fine as a lap baby and then just sitting in the seat as toddler. I am always surprised how often people recommend buying the seat / bringing a car seat. It really seems unnecessary. That being said, if it makes you more comfortable go for it.
 
Bringing a carseat is usually recommended because it is recommend by the FAA for any child for safety reasons.It is not required by the airlines but certainly recommended by every safety commission. It is a personal choice though. I just tell the OP to do research in terms of safety. Although it is a hassle, for us we did not want to take the chance of an emergency landing or an abrupt landing and something happening to our child. In those situations there is no safe way you can hold on to your child. It isn't easy to spend the money if you don't have to , I know. I have been there. Just do the research, then decide.
 
Bring a good stroller with surveyors tape wrapped around the handles. We brought our own.

If you bring a stroller you will have to check in at the gate (SW).

Use the children's pool.

Direct flight is the way to go.

We used SW airline, so we didn't buy the baby a seat. If the flight isn't totally sold out, no one will sit next to you!

10 months old is a nice age, they usually aren't walking much, so you should have a great time.

Character meals may frighten the child.

The best rides were: It's a small world, the people mover, and the train.
 
Hi all! My DH and I are WDW veterans, but new parents! We are taking our DD for her first trip in October. She will be 10 months old. We'll be staying for 6 nights at BWV (new DVC members as well!), will be flying down from CT, and will not have a car. Right now she's 3 months old and a great baby - very easygoing! But who knows what she'll be like at 10 months?!

Please give me your best tips for traveling with a baby around this age! Tips about flying, organizing the room, stroller, dining, park touring, etc. are all welcome. Thanks so much!!


I have not been with an infant yet but going soon. Here is what I learned from these boards and will be doing:

Shipping diapers, wipes, toddler foods, non refrigerated drinks to our hotel, to save room in the luggage.
We are going to try to not overpack clothes, and since we have a long trip, we plan to do laundry maybe one time while there if we have to vs overpacking.
Renting a large stroller and a full size portable crib, but bringing our umbrella stroller for the airport , or other quick trips.
Bought a backpack diaper bag DH can carry.
Bringing a car seat (We purchased a seat for our baby), Costco Scenera next, due to it's lightweight, low cost and FAA rating and using it on the plane so baby will sleep like in the car.
Bringing a stroller fan, rain cover, sippy cups/bottles, highchair covers, etc.
Those are the main things I learned and think will help.
 
Baby care centers are amazing. great place to feed kid, warm up milk (use the microwave, it's a lot faster than the bottle warmer). If your child only drinks warmed milk, then you can always go to the quick serve in the resort and use the microwave there or the hot water dispenser (like always make sure the food isn't to hot). If you are in the park and you need to warm liquid (but far from the baby center), you can go to the quick serve counter and ask for an empty water cup. You can then fill it with hot water and then warm up the bottle/milk by placing the bottle into the cup of hot water.
 
I traveled with my kids since each was 3 months old.

Definitely bring a GOOD stroller, NOT a cheap one. My kids took naps in it at Disney every afternoon. We never went back to the room to nap; it was a disaster the first time we tried, so never did it again.

We never had help of family (heck, my parents were NO help when they did "invite" themselves along for a couple days a couple trips; I couldn't wait for them to leave). Disney is SO easy! I've taken my kids solo most trips since they were 4 and 6.

We kept to our kids' normal sleep schedules (first trip at WDW they were 2 and 4). They got up when they were ready; they napped in the stroller, and they were bathed and ready for bed at 7. A well rested child will do better than an overstimulated one (who isn't at Disney) who is not well rested.

I had a bag with snacks, juice boxes (not sure but 10 months maybe does them, geez I forget but sippy cups instead!), and also a change of clothes for them down to socks! I was prepared daily! And yes, it was okay if they had at the age of your child going, Ritz crackers and a bit of juice for a meal. It's vacation! My oldest had that for dinner most nights in Maui, along with his soy formula (had had severe allergies and had had anaphylaxis twice). Crackers are your friend. Cheerios at that age are also!

Even at that young age, on vacation my kids did not nap in a hotel room. They would nap in a stroller!
 
I’ve flown 4 times with both my kids (once alone! Eek) and my oldest is only 3 so I’ve learned a few tips.

Toys r us sells pack and play cushioned sheets. I always brought my own sheet.

I ship to the resort diapers, wipes, hand/face wipes, Lysol wipes, baby Tylenol, and snacks (granola bars for me, puffs or whatever little baby crackers/cherrios).

That leads me to traveling. I always had snacks available to streamline to my kids while they were bored if we were waiting for something. I also baby wore as much as I could and used a backpack diaper bag. (Have you ever heard of ju ju Be? Check out their be right back or BFF Style). We always gate checked our stroller and bought a gate check stroller bag to put over it. Babies always sat on our laps.

Go with baby’s schedule. This meant 5:30 wake ups and rope drop and absolutely no fireworks. But we were happy! And remember there will be difficult moments and temper tantrums but it is still so much fun!!
 
I agree a good stroller is key!! We forsr brought our boys when they were 3 and 21 months old. They always napped in the stroller. That was one of our best family vacas.... They may not remember everything but we do and it was awesome to see them then and compare now at 8 and 10. All great memories!!
 
We took my son at 10 months old. Definitely use the kid care centers in each park. They are so great!

The one thing that caught me totally off guard was my son’s need to move. He wasn’t walking yet (he started walking a week after we got back - thank goodness not while we were there!) but at home, he was free to crawl around. He wasn’t used to being worn or in the stroller for hours at a time. We loved Epcot because of the green space where we could let him out to crawl around. So make sure you build in some baby exercise time to your day as well.
 

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