Has anyone taken a newborn to WDW??

[msmom595]

Am I crazy??? We had a tentative trip planned for this November, but have since found out that I am expecting and due November 13th (we were going to leave November 5th!). I will most likely deliver a week before this, so I am looking at the second or third week in December. Has anyone brought a 5-6 week old on a vacation? How did it go? I will have my husband, my 9 year old daughter, and if I'm really ambitious, another 9 year old with to be with my daughter. I'm still trying to talk my parents into joining us.

Does anyone think this is even possible???

 

[Amirah95]

Check this out...
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=560935

 

[moinab]

Hmmm. This is a tough one. We moved from MA to MN on 2 days' notice, with a 6 week old baby, so I have some experience with doing something insane with an infant.

Where are you coming from and how reversible are your plans?

It sounds like you are planning on a c-section, but you never know what could happen. Hopefully, you will have an smooth pregnancy and birth, but you could deliver prematurely, or have complications, or end up with a colicky baby. I could have easily gone on a WDW vacation when DS was a newborn, but there is no way I could have handled it after DD was born. She was full-term, and I had an uncomplicated, unmedicated delivery, but she has been a very high-need baby from the moment she was born. I was a complete zombie the first three months of her life.

Also, you have to consider that you'd be going during flu season, which could be dangerous for a newborn. My pediatrician went to WDW last November, and I remember her comment that it sounded like a croup convention, everywhere she went.

Could you switch it to a February or March trip, instead?

Congratulations and good luck!

 

[liznboys]

First, congrats on your pregnancy!!!!

I have a 4.5 yr old, a 2.5 yr old and an 8 week old (he was born March 6th!) and there is no way I would want to go to WDW with a newborn. Some newborns are very easy and "portable", but I would never want to expose such a little one to all the people (and germs) in WDW.

When my 2nd ds was 7 weeks old he had a very slight fever and he had to stay in the hospital overnight. He was fine but they had to monitor him closely since he was so young. I can't imagine dealing with that away from home, ugh.

There are just way too many "what if's" when it comes to a newborn. Just too risky IMO.

Best of luck to you in your decision and more importantly, your pregnancy!!

 

[msmom595]

Thanks for the link, Tanya. I read that one, but it mostly dealt with kids around 1-2 years of age, so I thought I'd ask specifically about newborns.

Moinab,
thanks for the info. We will be coming from MN. We've been to WDW before and know what we do/don't want to do. We also will not be spending all of our time at WDW. WE actually planned to spend 3-4 days at theme parks and the rest of the 2 weeks at the beach and "touring" Florida, including Key west.

I had a C-section with my daughter, and have been told I would most likely need one again because of pelvis size, so I think we are going to schedule a repeat cesarean. So, barring any premature birth suprises, the date should be pretty concrete.

We moved (but not out of the state) when my daughter was 4 weeks old, and I had her c-section. I remember being completely focused on her, but I was still able to function well and take care of everything that needed to be taken care of.

So, is there ANYONE who has done this?

 

[msmom595]

Liz,
I guess I didn't think about the exposure to germs. But aren't babies, especially breastfed babies, getting all of the same antibodies that mom has?? Especially that young? Not that mom can protect from everything, but I thought newborns' immune systems were still pumped up from birth.

Waiting until Feb or March isn't an option for us. I will be using all of my sick and vacation time for my (way too short) maternity leave. Can you believe I work for the city I live in and they have NO maternity leave whatsoever??? So, if we don't go while I'm on my maternity leave, we'll have to wait a year. I was hoping there were others out there who would say "sure, it went really well", but I think I'm destined to wait another year.

 

[Amirah95]

I asked specifically about young babies like birth to 18 months because we're planning on getting pregnant this year and in the other thread they say it's possible. Now, in this one...we're talking about breastfeeding and germs... LOL Am I going to Disney World next year or not?????? At first, I was like "yes, I can take the baby!" and now after reading this thread I'm like "oh no, germs!"


K, what's the answer?? Is it or is it not a good idea??

 

[Kermit]

Breastfeeding does provide amazing immunities to the baby. However, the baby can still get sick. You can get sick, so it stands to reason that your baby can, too. The baby is less likely to get sick than you are, but it is still possible.

What's really scary is that illness is always treated seriously in a baby under 3 months because it's so hard to tell what they have. In fact, some doctors will do a spinal tap on ALL babies under 3 months who run a fever. IMHO, that makes keeping a baby close to home well worth it. The baby is less likely to get sick if s/he isn't exposed to all those people, and if a sickness occurs anyway, you'd want to be with the doctor you picked yourself rather than at a strange ER.

 

[liznboys]

I exclusively bfd and even though I do believe my baby has a strong immune system, I personally still wouldn't want to expose him to a large group of people (can a group get any larger than at WDW!? LOL!). Think about it, when they are THAT little, if they get sick, it can be extremely dangerous. Not like if a 6 month old or 1 yr old got sick, and it can be dealt with. It's just that there is a fine line when it comes to newborns.

The thing is, you could take a newborn and do perfectly fine! I'd even go so far as to say that chances are things WOULD be fine. But *I* wouldn't want to risk it, kwim??? This is just me though, if you feel comfortable, then go for it!

 

[Billmel]

On our first family disney trip my DDIL brought there new addition, DGS was 2 weeks old, he was born May 23, and our trip was June 7-15. He was absolutely perfect, she even made the comment that he was so much easier than our 2 year old DGS. She basically sat on the sidelines during most of the riding, and tried to keep him close to her at all times. He was not passed back and forth with even the rest of the family members. I remember thinking that I don't know how they could do it but everyone was just fine. She seemed to enjoy herself very much, and enjoyed watching our older DGS do his thing. She did get lots of help carrying things and running for things. I think it is a personal decision that you have to make based on how you both feel. Can you buy trip insurance, and if you don't think you our the baby are physically able, cancel and reschedule your trip???

 

[Amirah95]

Liz,

Your family is lovely. I wanted an army of boys but just my luck I'll get another girl!

Good advice...we didn't go on vacation until my daughter was 7 so I have no experience with toddlers, let alone infants, when it come to going on extended vacations away from home.


My students say, all between the ages of 18 and 65, "use your common sense Dr. A " LOL! Go figure.

 

[msmom595]

Mel,
Thank you for the encouragement. I know I won't be going anywhere until at least 4 weeks so I can heal from the c-section. But our family is very active and have spent much time in vehicles and is very "portable".

If I can talk my parents into going, I will have the option to do a few parks without the baby. My mom and dad won't go on the rides anyway, so my mom could spend the day at the hotel or local shopping with the baby. And I'd be close enough to come back if I was needed.

The trip insurance is a good idea. Do you know how much it generally costs? Also, we will be driving, so can I purchase the insurance by itself or only as part of a vacation package? And does it cover cancelling the trip for any reason right up to the time of departure?

Thanks! (and give your DIL a pat on the back from me!!)

 

[moinab]

If you can get trip insurance that will cover cancellation for any reason, then I would probably say go ahead and keep planning. My biggest concern is the unknown factors, like complications, pre-term birth, high need baby, etc.

My first was soooo easy! Easy pregnancy, easy birth (I didn't even know I was in labor - at my regular appointment, my midwife told me it was time to go to the hospital because I was dilated 6 cm and my water was about to break! He was born a few hours later.) He was a very easy baby. My second, I had a lot more of the typical pregnancy discomforts and was induced (although just by breaking the water - I have to admit, I lucked out on another easy delivery.) But DD screamed for the first 3 months of her life (especially in the car!) I love her more than anything, but she is anything but easy.

Germ-wise, I'd be a lot more concerned about flying than actually being in the parks. My kids seem to get sick every time we fly. It sounds like that won't be an issue for you. Still, as I mentioned before, it will be flu season, so there could be a lot of coughing and sneezing going around. Remember the severity of this past flu season? As others have mentioned, it isn't so much that a newborn is more susceptible to germs, but that it can be so much more serious if they catch something.

I guess it all comes down to your personal level of risk tolerance. I have to say that if I had an easy baby and was recovering well from delivering, and there wasn't a dangerous flu epidemic, I would probably go.

 

[liznboys]

Originally posted by Amirah95
Liz,

Your family is lovely. I wanted an army of boys but just my luck I'll get another girl!

Good advice...we didn't go on vacation until my daughter was 7 so I have no experience with toddlers, let alone infants, when it come to going on extended vacations away from home.


My students say, all between the ages of 18 and 65, "use your common sense Dr. A " LOL! Go figure.

Aw, thank you for your kind words. Maybe you'll have a boy next time! Best of luck with getting preggo!!

 

[liznboys]

Sarah and Tanya, this is off the topic here...

Have you heard of BabyCenter.com? It's a great website where you can meet other moms due near you, here's the link to the bulletin boards:
http://bbs.babycenter.com/boards/bbs-birthclubs/

They can probably help you decide about travelling with a newborn too.

 

[Billmel]

Originally posted by msmom595


Do you know how much it generally costs? Also, we will be driving, so can I purchase the insurance by itself or only as part of a vacation package? And does it cover cancelling the trip for any reason right up to the time of departure?

I can't remember what our trip insurance was, I think it was about 60.00 per person, I bought the insurance from Disney because I made the reservations 1 year ago, and who knows what tomorrow brings! I was told I could cancel and that they would not even ask the reason. I had to add my DD and DGD to our Silver Package last week and did not purchase insurance for her. They told me I would still get it all back minus a $200.00 fee. I don't think I would ever make a vacation package at Disney without getting the insurance because of all the unknowns, not just in pregnancy (like your situation) but in life also. We paid entirely to much money to not be sure that we could cancel. I will give my DIL that pat on the back because she is an exceptional person. She has 2 DS and 1 more on the way who was due 4/30...(another DS) They are meeting there friends for a 30th birthday celebration June 22 at WDW, again with a very young baby....hopefully she will have the same luck with DS#3 as she had with DS #1 & #2... Good Luck with the pregnancy and God bless with whatever decision you make.

 

[msmom595]

Liz, thanks for the link! I put it into my favorites.

Tanya, there are also great message boards at Parenthood.com for both trying to conceive and pregnancy - and also parenthood too! check them out.

Moinab, I am going to look into trip insurance. Any suggestions on where to purchase it from? Do I need to go through an agent?

Thanks, everyone!!

 

[msmom595]

Thanks, Mel. ARe your DIL's boys generally very healthy? My DH and I go to the DR. once every 5 years just to make sure everything is okay because we don't ever go in between!! And our daughter has so far inherited our good immune systems - we take her in for her well child visits and that's it. I'm really hoping this baby is as healthy. That's probably why I'm not overly concerned with germs. (but if we are there, it will stick in my head, and I'll be sure to make certain the baby is as isolated as possible from germs!!)

Your DIL sounds like a wonderful person!! And a trooper! 3 young boys - yikes!

I still need to convince my DH that this is doable!

 

[Billmel]

They are always healthy...I could count on 1 hand how often they have all been sick, and they are military brats, so they travel around alot with mom and dad. They have been from Korea to Germany, Paris, Alaska, etc. Now they are in Vegas. They are generally very healthy kids. Good Luck with DH!!

 

[msmom595]

Mel, I think I'm going to have to quote you to my husband when I'm making my arguments for going!!

Our daughter was always very happy where ever we were as long as we were with. She enjoyed her carseat and her stroller. If the next one is anything like she was as a baby, it would be a great trip!! (crossing my fingers)