HELP! disney with a 8 month old...

[septimuswigley]

hello all, wanting a bit of advice...
we go to disney in october when our daughter will be 8 months old. we have been to disney many times but this is the first time with a young one! i have a few questions which i would be greatful for you to share your experiences.

1. we have booked to fly with virgin and have up graded to be in premium economy. any tips for helping this journey go smoothly (given that it is a day flight going) and helping her 'pop' her ears etc.. and keeping her entertained?
2. any tips for getting her to acustom herself with the time difference?
3. breast feeding vs. bottle feeding - what is your experiences (I'm having this debate as I am not sure when I'll stop (breast feeding) and what would be easier for the holiday in general if i'm still able to keep going)
4. what stroller would/have you used to accomodate for the sun shade needed/comfort for naps etc.. as we were thinking of buying a second one for holidays etc.. as our pushchair is a 3 wheeled beast!
5. do you keep to your normal schedule (such as in bed by 8pm?)
6. tips for visiting the parks (depending on answers to No 5) we were planning to do early morning/late afternoon park visiting as often recommended, but we have also booked a christmas party ticket and would like her to be awake for some of it! how is this affected if you have set bed times etc..

we are going to be in disney for 2 weeks and have accomodation booked in Old Key West.

any help or advice from experience would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks a million

 

[PJB71]

Hi
Youngest DD was 8months old when she 1st went (shes 10 now and has been going every year since!!). Our oldest DD was also 3 at the time.

We never found traveling a problem with either of them and hope I can answer some of your questions

1) For the flight we had a bag for each of them of new toys that they were given once onboard, along with plenty of snacks, drinks etc.

2) It took a few days for them to adjust to the time difference (1st morning we were sat with our feet in the pool at 4am in the morning)

3) DD was bottle fed as she has various intollerences but it was never a problem

4) We had a m&P buggy which was a god send. You need a buggy thats as comfortable as possible as they will be sleeping, eating, keeping out of the sund in etc, and it also needs to have space for your bags

5) We never kept to any schedule as we just wanted to enjoy our holiday as much as possible so if they were tired, they slept. hungry then ate, etc, etc, IMO I would just go with the flow

6)Again just go with the flow, you dont have to pay for a ticket for the little one anyway so I would just take things as they come.

Our DD had a fantastic time even though she was only 8 months old, she sat for hours in her buggy watching the parades, and loved the characters, swimming etc etc.

If you have ony other questions, feel free to ask

 

[aaronandterri]

1. we have booked to fly with virgin and have up graded to be in premium economy. any tips for helping this journey go smoothly (given that it is a day flight going) and helping her 'pop' her ears etc.. and keeping her entertained?

We find that karvol in a tiny bit of boiled water (i take a disposible cup with cotton wall balls in it and karvol on them and ask hostess for tiny bit of boiled water) helps with the opening of the airways and pressure, great for older kids too (or soppy mums)

We always take lots of toys snacks etc to keep baby amused, will prob sleep a lot on the flight, i always wake them up extra early and keep them awake till were on the plane, ask for an infant care chair( bit like a car seat ) if you have bought a seat.


2. any tips for getting her to acustom herself with the time difference?

Id just go with the flow., was worried about this with Isabelle last christmas but she pleasantly suprised us all, we tend too stay up as late as we can the first night to help with jetlag.

3. breast feeding vs. bottle feeding - what is your experiences (I'm having this debate as I am not sure when I'll stop (breast feeding) and what would be easier for the holiday in general if i'm still able to keep going)

Eithers not too bad, breast would probably be easier if you can get that far along~ at this age , baby should be weaned anyhow making it easier and not having many feeds a day, you will need bottles or cups for plently of water to keep well hydrated anyway, they do disposable microwave sterliser bags now, great for holidays.


4. what stroller would/have you used to accomodate for the sun shade needed/comfort for naps etc.. as we were thinking of buying a second one for holidays etc.. as our pushchair is a 3 wheeled beast!

Id buy a lighter one like an umbrella folding one, but one with a full recline, the shade a babe shade are great for those buggies too.Maybe a Mand Por similar.

5. do you keep to your normal schedule (such as in bed by 8pm?)


Again go with the flow.If we had any late plans Isabelle normally slept in her pram anyway , again another reason to buy something decent with a full recline.


6. tips for visiting the parks (depending on answers to No 5) we were planning to do early morning/late afternoon park visiting as often recommended, but we have also booked a christmas party ticket and would like her to be awake for some of it! how is this affected if you have set bed times etc..

 

[babystar]

My DD was about 8months for her 1st trip

On the flight, request a bulkhead with a basinet (sort of a flimsy moses basket that flips down infront of you) It does not take up any of your legroom - it is at about chest height when you are sitting down, so your little one can have a nap and you can still be in comfort. As for the ear popping, I would try and either schedule a feed for when you are due to take off, or maybe give her a dummy to suck on - hopefully this should keep any ear pain at bay.

I was very lucky and my DD was in the time zone before us - we never really made much of a effort so we must have just been very lucky!

I bottle fed - it was far more convenient

We also had a M&P pushchair - I would just say get one that lays right back, probably with a basket/storage underneath so you can pop spare clothes etc that you dont want to have to carry around with you.

As for a schedule I would go with what you want to do, babies are fab at that age as they will pretty much sit and enjoy anything so take full advantage before you are running round the park after her!

Only other tip I have is if you are planning on going to a waterpark you can take baby floats in with you. I got a zoggs one from the UK (like a rubber ring that thier legs go through) It will save you searching for one when you get there.

Have fun!!

 

[Princess Clayre]

My son was a little older (15mths) on his first trip but some of the following should still be useful.

1) On the plane try to time a feed for take off and one for landing. This really helped with the ears.

2) Take a good recliner pushchair so your baby can sleep properly while your out and about.

3) Are you using Disney transportation? If so you have to collapse the pushchair before boarding the buses. This can be a real pain but I totally understand why. Your ok to leave the pushchair up on the Monorail and some of the bigger boats.

4) Use the baby care centre's. They are wonderful and have big changing areas, breast feeding/bottle areas/food warming equipment. They also carry lots of baby supplies and have staff on hand help with anything you need. The MK one is near the Crystal Palace restaurant, Epcot on the walkway between Test Track & Mexico, AK is just before the bridge to Africa by the first aid and HS is near the entrance by Guest Services.

5) Bear in mind that you can't take the pushchair into any of the show/buildings. For example you can't take in into the land in epcot, you have to park it outside.

7) You may just have to go with the flow with the time difference. My son never really adjusted properly but it wasn't too bad. Breakfast was around his usual lunch time and lunch around dinner so it wasn't too bad. We just let him sleep when he wanted too. The good thing in Disney is there's plenty of places to walk them to sleep!

6) Not sure if your planning to do Sea World but we found them very accomodating. You can take the pushchairs into the shows if your baby is sleeping. There was a special entrance if I remember rightly.

Think those are things that initially come to mind. We knew that when we went this would be no usual trip and there were some things that we would have to miss this time round.
Clayre

 

[iluvtot]

My son was a little older (15mths) on his first trip but some of the following should still be useful.

1) On the plane try to time a feed for take off and one for landing. This really helped with the ears.

2) Take a good recliner pushchair so your baby can sleep properly while your out and about.

3) Are you using Disney transportation? If so you have to collapse the pushchair before boarding the buses. This can be a real pain but I totally understand why. Your ok to leave the pushchair up on the Monorail and some of the bigger boats.

4) Use the baby care centre's. They are wonderful and have big changing areas, breast feeding/bottle areas/food warming equipment. They also carry lots of baby supplies and have staff on hand help with anything you need. The MK one is near the Crystal Palace restaurant, Epcot on the walkway between Test Track & Mexico, AK is just before the bridge to Africa by the first aid and HS is near the entrance by Guest Services.

5) Bear in mind that you can't take the pushchair into any of the show/buildings. For example you can't take in into the land in epcot, you have to park it outside.

7) You may just have to go with the flow with the time difference. My son never really adjusted properly but it wasn't too bad. Breakfast was around his usual lunch time and lunch around dinner so it wasn't too bad. We just let him sleep when he wanted too. The good thing in Disney is there's plenty of places to walk them to sleep!

6) Not sure if your planning to do Sea World but we found them very accomodating. You can take the pushchairs into the shows if your baby is sleeping. There was a special entrance if I remember rightly.

Think those are things that initially come to mind. We knew that when we went this would be no usual trip and there were some things that we would have to miss this time round.
Clayre

Hey Clayre,
How are things Honey?

Jules x

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

Hello, our daughter was 8 months when we took her for the first time last year - we had a great time. We went in August when it was VERY hot, but no probs. One tip I can think of, for some reason our DD took a dislike to the travel cot (she usually sleeps fine in it). Disney will provide a full size cot (crib) on request.

1. we have booked to fly with virgin and have up graded to be in premium economy. any tips for helping this journey go smoothly (given that it is a day flight going) and helping her 'pop' her ears etc.. and keeping her entertained?

We took loads of toys and this was a waste of space we found as she was not bothered with most of them. At this age, just take 2 or 3 faves. Have you booked a sky cot? This was invaluable as she was able to sit in it whilst we ate etc. We fed her a bottle on take off and landing and had no ear probs.

2. any tips for getting her to acustom herself with the time difference?
She woke at 3 in morning, we gave her a bottle and she went straight back to sleep til 7, the blackout curtains in Disney rooms are great.

3. breast feeding vs. bottle feeding - what is your experiences (I'm having this debate as I am not sure when I'll stop (breast feeding) and what would be easier for the holiday in general if i'm still able to keep going)

Can't really advise on this as I hated breast feeding and was glad to stop. The advantage of course is not having to take bottles and formula.

4. what stroller would/have you used to accomodate for the sun shade needed/comfort for naps etc.. as we were thinking of buying a second one for holidays etc.. as our pushchair is a 3 wheeled beast!

We had a Maclaren Techno XLR (tho this year we bought a triumph as smaller and lighter for Disney busses) it was great, reclines flat and we bought a shade a babe on Ebay (much cheaper) which enabled her to sleep by the pool in her buggy rather than spending forever in the room.
5. do you keep to your normal schedule (such as in bed by 8pm?)

No! Go with the flow! My DD adapts to most new situations easily, although we were usually back in the room by ten at the latest.

6. tips for visiting the parks (depending on answers to No 5) we were planning to do early morning/late afternoon park visiting as often recommended, but we have also booked a christmas party ticket and would like her to be awake for some of it! how is this affected if you have set bed times etc..

As I said, we go with the flow. Although we have a routine at home, I am not one of those mothers that MUST bath the baby and have it in bed by seven no matter what. If your pushchair reclines flat she should be able to sleep when she wants.

A great tip - the haunted mansion is a fab ride for getting a tired baby to sleep on a hot day!

You will have an awesome time. Many people will be pleased to tell you that you are mad - take no notice it will be great. ANy more questions, please PM me.

 

[Gwendolyn]

When you are there just go with the flow.

Make sure you take a stroller with you, one you can put the back support flat so the baby can sleep. Bring an extra blanket to put over the stroller so the baby can block out "the world" so its easier to sleep.

Your baby will sleep a lot more often due to everything it will experience and see. Just go with it.
Make sure at night that you keep the lights of yoru hotel room out. So the baby knows when its night or day. It'll get accustomed to the time difference within a couple of days.

About breastfeeding and bottlefeeding. If you both are still happy with breastfeeding there is no need to stop that. And you can breastfeed where ever, when ever you want. Even when walking around or being in queues. Just make sure you dont flash your bewbs Bring a little blanket to put over your shoulder if you are not sure

Besides breadstfeeding its better NOT to give the baby anything else to drink. Breastfeeding is the ultimate protection against dehydration. Giving the baby water besides breastfeeding will actually put the baby in danger of dehydration due to the lack of proper salts and sugar .
Just nurse the baby when ever it needs to and your body will make sure that there will be more water in the breastmilk automaticly.
Don't you just love your body?

Bottles are a lot more hasle. You need to bring bottles, formula, extra formula, have to find good water, places to heat the stuff.
If you are plan to bottlefeed, make sure you put extra water with the formula to avoid dehydration.

When our oldest DS was 2 (almost 3) we were in the parks the whole day through. But we didnt go into rides when he was asleep. Or we would babyswitch. We never woke him up because we wanted to do something.

 

[Elise79]

Hope my answer help as DD was nine months the first time we took her

1. we have booked to fly with virgin and have up graded to be in premium economy. any tips for helping this journey go smoothly (given that it is a day flight going) and helping her 'pop' her ears etc.. and keeping her entertained?

We fly Virgin PE - we booked a skycot and at checkin asked for the upstairs bulkheads which we got - they were great as the was room for DD to stand by our feet (she was cruiseing at the time) also we used the skycot for her to sit and play in on the outbound journey and it didn't feel like we were pinned to our seats.

The crew were great about meals as well as DD had a baby meal booked. It was 4 jars of stage one type food. They warmed it up for us in the jars (I had a bowl and spoon) and they offered to warm the others when we needed them.

2. any tips for getting her to acustom herself with the time difference?

DD was/is nosey so she was awake when we arrived. We didn't put her into bed till her normal time of 8pm the when she woke at 5am (which we were expecting) I just sat and fed her then popped her back till bed and she slept till 8am From then on we had no issues.

3. breast feeding vs. bottle feeding - what is your experiences (I'm having this debate as I am not sure when I'll stop (breast feeding) and what would be easier for the holiday in general if i'm still able to keep going)

Breast feeding If you can keep going it is so much easier as it is one less thing you need to carry/worry about. I fed DD on take off and landing to help her ears. I am so pleased I kept feeding - the parks are all breast feeding friendly and the baby care centres are nice. DD also drank water out of a beaker which helped in the heat and she was on 3 meals a day too so my breast feeding was less than it had been but I didn't need to worry about taking formula with us.

OT - BTW I didn't stop feeding until DD was 13 mths old as once you get down to just the morning and night feeds it was so easy. I have never liked doing any more work than I have to so mixing and warming bottles never appealed to me. I also think of the money I saved not ever buying formula - DD went straight to cows milk. If you want any advice for feeding longer PM me

4. what stroller would/have you used to accomodate for the sun shade needed/comfort for naps etc.. as we were thinking of buying a second one for holidays etc.. as our pushchair is a 3 wheeled beast!

We had a silver cross pop with a buggy sail for the first trip which created a little 'den' for DD she was nicely in the shade. We also had a parasol.

5. do you keep to your normal schedule (such as in bed by 8pm?)

Not really - we took advantage of the fact she was out of routine and were glad we did - she loved Spectromagic and the fireworks! TBH though at home we have a general routine but nothing is ever set in stone and if we want to do something that messes it up - its fine DD is used to it.

6. tips for visiting the parks (depending on answers to No 5) we were planning to do early morning/late afternoon park visiting as often recommended, but we have also booked a christmas party ticket and would like her to be awake for some of it! how is this affected if you have set bed times etc..

Our routine is always - up and at the parks for rope drop till lunch (when DD was 9mths she had her morning nap in the stroller and we used the time to do adult rides!) then head back for a swim then and proper nap in bed in the afternoon. After nap it dinner and back to the parks.

At 8/9mths they are so adapable - make the most of it. We are also constantly amazed by what a trip to Disney does for DD development! All 3 trips she has come home a different child - it just seems to bring out new things in her that our normal day to day things don't - its fantastic

Have a great trip

 

[ClaireW]

You've already had lots of great advice but wanted to second the recommendation of a Silver Cross Pop + Buggy Sail - we have the Silver Cross Fizz with a Buggy Sail which is ultra light weight but for us DD was already 1 so we didn't need a full recline (which the Pop has I think?, but the Fizz doesn't)

And as for breast vs bottle, everyone is different and although I did feed on demand by 8 months I was feeding infrequently during the day so most if not all of her feeds would have taken place in our room, in the morning or before bed. There are though lovely babycare centres in every park, with cool calm environments for nappy changing, feeding (breast/bottle/solids) and picking up any forgotten essentials (for a price!).