HELP! going to WDW with a 6 month old and 8year olds!

[iwannago!!]

Omigosh!
I am starting to stress... and I have 3 months left!

DH and I are taking our DD(8) and her friend AND our new baby to WDW in JULY. That in itself is scary. I know that it is going to be hot as heck... which might make the baby miserable and could ruin our trip??? AUGH! help!

We are staying at the dolphin - so we will be able to take the ferry to and from epcot and MGM (our fav with TOT and RNR). So the only time we will have to fold the stroller is the bus to MK - right? We will skip AK this trip - frankly, we just haven't liked it much and have gone there 2 times out of our last 3 trips - still don't like it much. Kali and Safari aren't worth the effort to get there..In our HO. The girls are at a good age for Epcot - and there are lots of places to cool off in there - so this is good.

I don't remember anything - my dd is 8 and I forgot all the baby stuff..She is BF exclusively and is jsut over 3 months now. If I recall, she will go on cereal around 4 months.. then at 6 months more solids - like peas and sweet potatoes, right? - or is there more? Am I not even prepared for how much work she might be by 6 months? She is great right now -please tell me what I am in for come 6 months and a trip to Disney World!!

We have purchased a seat for her on the plane - how will I know if her carseat will fit? I can't find anything that says FAA approved. It is an evenflow - Portabout 5 travel system. We have a snugli - should we exchange it for the bjorn? I had asked to use the stoller from the swap (THANK YOU!) and was going to just leave ours home and carry baby through airport - should I rethink that?

I take all advice - solicited and unsolicited.. thank you in advance for your help!

Iwannago!!

 

[carone0318]

Ok, here are my suggestions....

First, I would bring your own stroller. A 6 month old will live in the stroller the entire time, don't you want it to be your own. No offense, by at least you know where your stroller has been and what all of the stains that may be on it have come from. maybe it is just me, but using another stroller for my baby, someone I really don't know just kind of skeeves me, again that could just be me.

Technically, you don't have to fold you stroller for MK if you walk through Epcot and take the monorail. This is what we do and we deal with 2 strollers. Granted if you want to go to MK early, well yeah, you have to fold and take the bus, not all that bad.

My suggestions for dealing with the heat.... This is what we did with our 16 month old last yr. I went to my local Wal-Mart and bought a portable clip on fan that is battery operated. I would clip it on the stroller to help circulate the air, especial when he was napping. I also brought a receiving blanket and safety pins. I safety pinned the blanket to the shade cover thing on the stroller, so when he would nap, I would pull the blanket down over him to protect him from the sun and heat and with the fan he was cool and comfortable for napping. I use the safety pins so that it wouldn't blow away.

Make sure you use the baby centers that are located in ea park, especially for nursing. They have rocking chairs and air conditioning. They also provide tables to change baby.

I loved my baby bjorn, but that is a personal choice.

Make sure you bring swim diapers. Your baby will love the pool and to buy swim diapers in WDW it's like you have to take a 2nd mortgage out to afford them .

If I think of anything else, I'll posted again. Have fun!!!

 

[carone0318]

You need a stroller cover for when it rains, trust me this is a wonderful invest for about $20 at Toys R Us. It's a plastic cover that covers the entire stroller and baby stays dry. Now you should bring a umbrella too, because when you park the stroller and take baby out, you want her to stay dry.

 

[Ratpack]

Iwannago!!,
We will be there at the same time as you guys and we will have 5 month old. Since we haven't been yet with an infant I can't give you concrete advice, but our plans are to just take it easy and enjoy our time. Do not stress over things. We did travel with or DD when sh was a baby and I remember it being about the same as being at home with her. You just adjust to their moods. If the baby is fussy in the parks, go back to resort for quiet time. In fact you will want to do this anyway. Soe good advice baby or not, is be at park early and leave around lunch, come back when it is cooler in the evening. July usually has long hours or it did last year. Bring your lime green ribbon or Mickey heads and maybe we will run into each other.

 

[Disbug]

This is weird. We are also going the last week of July (because my brother is coming down with his kids...) and I have been kicking myself thinking "Am I crazy! It will be hot as the dickens!" I have an 8 yr old DD, 14 yr old DD, and 2 yr old DD, but she is still in a stroller due to Cerebral Palsy... good baby though. I have been wondering whether it would be too hot for her and had come to the same conclusions... go early, get out early. I have been seeing the Lime Green Ribbon mentioned in other posts.. I am assuming this means, "Disboard Users"? If so, I will try to remember to pin one on, too!

 

[iwannago!!]

Thanks everyone for all your advice! I will get a rain cover for the stroller next time I am out!

Anyone have any advice for the carseat on the airplane?

thanks again!

 

[Baloo]

iwannago you got some REALLY good advice already!

We went last July,mid month,the first trip I'd ever done in that month of the year.It wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected.Maybe we just got lucky that week.With the parks being open later taking a break mid-day is a MUST! Head to that WONDERFUL pool at the Swan and Dolphin and relax!

Erich was a little over 6 mth his first trip.It was one of the easiest and most relaxing times I've ever had at WDW! One suggestion I do have is tha you or DH might want to take baby back for a nap while the other takes the 8 yr.old to do some rides.

Have a great trip! It looks like you might run into some fellower DISers while you're there...yes lime green ribbon means I'm a DISer!

 

[princesstommi]

The only thing I would add is be prepared to split up. Daily rests are probably a must, but even then, the 8 year olds will be up for much more than maybe the baby can handle.

We went last July and I needed to take an air-conditioned rest everyday!

But really, I think you will be fine. It's great that you are planning for this type of thing. As long as you have a lot of flexibility to deal with whatever might come up with the kids, you won't have a problem.

Sorry - no ideas about the flight.

Have a wonderful trip! It sounds like so much fun!

 

[Liv2CdWorld]

When we first took our DS to the world, he was 5 months old (he's now 4). We used an Evenflo car seat as well. This year we're taking our new DS who will be 8 months.

As far as how do you know it'll fit? Well, it might be a little tight, but it'll fit. You can lift up the arm rests that separate your seat and baby's. This will free up some more room (but not much).

As far as food goes.....we're using a town car service that'll do a 20 minute grocery stop. During this time, we plan on purchasing the baby food we'll use for the trip. You can also buy ahead and ship to the resort.

At 6 months, your baby will probably be eating all stage 1 foods. Possibly even stage 2.

Make sure you take a LOT of breaks with baby. Even though baby may sleep a lot in the parks, it's important to let the baby have quiet time. We made this mistake on our first trip and realized that baby was WAY overstimulated.

 

[iwannago!!]

Wow - thanks everyone for all the great advice! I hadn't even thought about just raising the armrests! DUH!
Food - isn't it amazing how fast these babies grow and how much food they eat!!! alright.. so I will plan on her eating a LOT more by 6 months. I don't know if it will be easier or harder, but a mom has to have something to do while the big girls are on all the fun rides, right!!? I will also plan on many trips back to room for real naps in the air conditioning while the girls and dad battle the heat and the lines!!

Thanks everyone!

 

[iwannago!!]

Hi.. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for all the great advice.. you guys are great! Thanks to your advice..
I have decided to bring our own stroller. I have purchased a rain cover. I have returned the snugli for the bjorn (and love it!!).

now I have a serious question... WHAT does it take to get a stroller with:
a smooth ride
a big basket that you can get to with seat fully reclined
a fully reclining seat - that also has other positions
a canopy that shades enough
a cushy seat/bed for baby
lightweight
folds easy
and doesn't cost a fortune??

why is this too much to ask??????????

We have the Evenflow Portabout 5 travel system.. which is fine. BUT the stoller is heavier than I would like, doesn't fully recline. Has big wheels and basket and great ride.. but doesn't shade baby as much as I would like and bed seems a little 'short' (her feet up on tray while in a semi reclined position

We also have the old Graco Breeze (old like last years model). It is lightweight, drives smooth and has a nice cushy deep bed. BUT it only sits straight up or lies all the way down. And when down, you can't get into the basket. And canopy could shade a bit more.

Our one dilema is that we are taking our baby car seat on the plane for baby - so ideally, we are able to push it to the gate in a stoller... but if we have to carry the seat, we will live.

Thoughts?

 

[Liv2CdWorld]

Boy, I'd like to find a stroller like that too . Good luck.

I can answer your question about the car seat. What we do is buckle the carseat to the handle of the stoller. This makes the stoller top heavy so you need to be careful.

Works great though when your hands are full.

 

[Kermit]

With regards to food, you do not need to start a 4 month old baby who's exclusively breastfed solids. Most doctors prefer that you wait until 6 months to start breastfed babies on solids. 4 months only applies to babies who are fed formula. And it's quite fine to wait a bit longer than 6 months. If it were me, I'd wait until you get back to start solids at all. Breastfeeding is so much easier, since there's nothing to mix up or wash. I have a 5 month old right now, and he's not going to start solids until he's at least 7 months old. (He was born 5 weeks early, so we're delaying him a bit.) In fact, I'll probably wait until he can sit unsupported (that's what La Leche and a lot of pediatricians recommend), which may be a bit past 7 months.

For the stroller, you may want to check out the Graco Citilite (sp?). That's what I have and love it. We're going to WDW in September, when the baby is 8 months old, and I'm not planning on getting a different one. The basket is a good size, it's very light, and although it doesn't recline completely, it goes way down and says it can be used from birth. The shade is nice, and there are holders in the handle for the person pushing. There isn't a snack tray for the child, but you won't need that yet anyway. It folds reasonably well, and when you fold it, it has a latch that makes it stay folded. That's my favorite part. I had a Combi that popped back open every time you picked it up to put it in the trunk. I'd never take that thing on a WDW bus.

 

[iwannago!!]

My 5mo baby just started a little cereal in her diet. She was exclusively BF up until 2 weeks ago, I have started supplementing her with formula (one bottle a day). She was starting to want to eat every 2 hours and napping was only an hour at a time.. the poor thing wasn't getting enough from 'Da Momma'! She was still gaining, but not much. She went from 13.1 to 13.4 in 3 weeks!! She is a tiny thing.

At any rate.. she holds her head up great and is loving the cereal (just a tad, once a day). I asked her doc about what she would be on at 6 months, she suggested 'everything' by then! So, I have a supply of the greens and oranges to start her on, but will wait until we return if I can. I would rather her get the benefits of breastmilk (with a little cereal/formula mixed in there) for while longer.

Stroller - I bit the bullet and bought a Peg Pliko on ebay last night!! $80 plus shipping ($20).. I figured that if I don't like it, I can sell it on ebay when we get back!!

Thanks everyone!