got milk???

[lynetteSC]

Hi guys! DS will turn one on our trip to WDW. At his 9 months check-up yesterday, the pediatrician told me to go ahead and switch him from formula to milk before we leave for WDW. Is milk readily available at the parks? And how much does small carton cost? We will be at PO, so I think they will have fridges in room, but just worried about parks ... didn't want to worry with yet another contraption (cooler) to carry in the parks. This will be our 1st trip to WDW as parent's, so this will be a big adjustment anyway! LOL!

 

[IluvKingLouis]

Milk is readily available at the parks. I believe a small carton runs a buck, and a small bottle (I'm guessing 12 oz) right around two dollars.

I would pack a thermos with you. You could fill it with water from the tap the night before, and leave it in the fridge until you head off into the parks in the morning. Then dump the water and use the chilled thermos for the leftover milk. This will help keep the cost of milk in the parks under control!

Good luck! You'll have a great time. Our daughter was 9 months on her first trip.

 

[Stimpy]

Yes milk is everywhere. DS only drinks milk and chocolate milk and we never had a problem finding it.

If you are going to buy milk at the resort, buy it in the gift shop. It's much cheaper to buy it there than it is to buy it in the food courts. I don't know why it is, but it is

 

[NotUrsula]

Keeping milk in your room will be more convenient than having to fetch some every time the kid wants a drink. Get one of those styrofoam coolers; you can just pitch it when you leave.

 

[lemondog]

Just an FYI, children ages 1-2 need whole milk, and I know a lot of restaurants only offer reduced fat. You might buy a gallon of whole milk and keep it in a cooler or fridge in your room, then pack a couple of sippys of milk in a small cooler (like the kind you get in the free baby bags at the hospital) for him to drink from in case you can't get whole milk. Good luck and have fun!

 

[dcgrumpy]

DS turned 1 on our trip 3 years ago and DD will be turning 1 the week of our trip this year. I decided to wait to switch them until we came home. I found it much easier to give formula and not have to worry about keeping milk cold, DS wouldn't drink it cold wo then I'd have to warm it, etc...

 

[lovesdumbo]

My youngest was 11 1/2 months on our Jan 04 trip. I switch her to milk before that trip and will give you this one warning. She was so distracted at meal times that she didn't eat well the first few days and ended up getting VERY constipated-up one night screaming in pain. I thought we'd have to run the drugstore the next morning for her but she "worked it out...." and I made sure she had plenty of fruit after that.

I also switch her to sippy cups before that trip and brought insulated sippy cups with me instead of bottles for the parks. She still had her bottle at night in the room.

Have you tried those Palmolive dish cloths? They are preloaded with soap and worked great for washing out the sippys in the room. I think Dawn makes some too. I did try the disposable sippy cups but they are difficult to drink from and they are not as spill proof as the "regular" ones. I did however love the disposable feeding bowls with lids and infant spoons and later toddler spoons/folks. Also loved the TableTopper placemats. They have adhesive strips at top and bottom so they stick to the table and you don't have to worry about your baby throwing a plate on the floor.

We stayed concierge and I was able to get whole milk there. I just used a lunch size cooler to bring it to the parks and found it easier to have that then to search for milk in the parks when she wanted/needed it NOW.

Enjoy your very magical first trip!

 

[lynetteSC]

Great ideas about palmolove dishwashing stuff/table top things/etc!
Thanks for all the ideas! We may wait and switch him after we get home ... it seems like he will have so many "new" things, formula would be a good "comfortable" thing?!?!?!?

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I was going to second the idea of waiting till your return to make the switch. if you decide to switch, I would do it at least a month before you go. Sometimes it takes little tummies time to adjust to whole milk. We too bought milk in the gift shop. Much cheaper. All moderates should have frigs now so that will help a lot!!!

HAve a great time.

Jordans' mom

 

[erikalk]

DD turned one right before her 1st trip. I continuted to nurse her during the trip and give her juice and water. I didnt move her to milk until after we got back. She was a very picky eater/drinker. She didn't eat solids until 7 months old. She didn't want anything except 'Mommy milk' for a long time, so we decided not to take our chances while on vacation. We did the switch to milk over a 3 week period to lessen her rejection.

For DD's second trip, we just let her have the 2% milk that was readily served in all restaurants. She gets whole milk at home. I noticed that whole milk was available at most counter restaurants, but it was double the price, so we just stuck with the 2%. She's used to drinking it when we go out.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I was just out at lunch checking the clearance stuff at Kohls and noticed that they had the line of disposable stuff (by First Years I think?) and they now have disposable bottles and insulated sippy cups.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I too would wait until after the trip. Has your baby had milk before? What if there is a reaction? I would want my pediatrician nearby when "doing the switch". I did a gradual switch, I put a scoop of powered formula in with the warm milk. They didn't like going cold turkey at all.

 

[Kae]

My kids never drank cold milk from a bottle, they just would not do it. I found it much easier to travel with formula. I used those 8oz premixed cans. They make little packet of power also. My kids had no trouble switching to milk but my dr. did not have me switch until 1 yr.

Kae

 

[tjmw2727]

We were just in this situation with my SIL during our Christmas trip, my neice turned 1yo just before the trip. On the advice of her pediatirican my sil waited until after the trip to slowly introduce the milk. This way if the child goes on a eating jag she has something healthy, comforting and familiar to fall back on.

My sil used the tubes of ready measured powder with room temp water. She just filled up a couple bottles with water before heading out and then added the powder when dn was thirsty. This way she had room temp formula, just the way dn likes it, with no hassle and no waiting in lines. According to my sil the "tubes" of powder were more expensive but "totally worth it" for the vacation.

OTOH, we had no problem finding milk for my dd and my nephew but sometimes it took a long time to wait the line as it was only found at the counter service places. The small outside carts generally had soda and water.

HTH
TJ

 

[cymomtx]

I would not make that type of switch before a trip. I would hate for the trip to be ruined by a allergic reaction. Also, when I made the switch, I slowly added the milk, 1oz a day to the formula (regular strength), until the bottle was all milk and no formula.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I'd wait until you get home. When we started giving milk to our youngest DS, he had the worse diahrea! We ended up having to stop giving whole milk and switched to 2% fat. Doctor said some kids can't handle whole milk for some reason ( allergies).

 

[NotUrsula]

You might want to check back w/ your ped and ask if he meant that you could begin introducing cows' milk now. Our ped. had us begin to give small amounts of cows' milk at 9 months, even though I was still nursing. As it happened, DS self-weaned by the time he was a yr. old. He never would take formula, and giving him cows' milk meant that I didn't have to pump as often. (He was getting bored with the view for a while before he weaned.)

DS did not get digestive distress from the switch, but again, it was very gradual. He did develop a heck of a taste for the stuff, though; he's 7 now, and he drinks nearly 3 gallons of 1% per week. He will not drink any liquids other than water or skim/lite cow's milk; no juice, no soft drinks, no tea, nor will he touch any drink with carbonation. He liked his milk room temp at first, but started preferring it cold within a few weeks. We went from whole to 2% to 1% in about an 18 mo span. (DH draws the line at skim, so we've settled at 1%).