high chairs, booster seats, or bring your own?

[Claire&TheBoys]

I vote for carrying half as much as you think you need. By the end of the day, that 15-lb backpack holding the travel potty and laptop is going to feel like it weighs 45 lbs. Our oldest was 15 months for his first trip and we've taken our kids at every age from there on up. We never took more than a half-full regular-size backpack. At diaper-age, we had maybe 5-7 diapers and a travel pack of wipes, a one-piece outfit in a ziplock bag and a few snacks. Maybe a sippy cup. When they were potty-trained, one clean pair of shorts and underwear in a ziplock bag.

Highchairs are everywhere. I don't think we ever needed one and couldn't find one, in many trips where our kids used them. I'm a more "whatever" mom, though, not a germophobe, so it never occurred to me to take my own seat anywhere.

 

[corneredbycorn]

We bring DDs FP booster most places locally, but no way on earth would I consider bringing it to a theme park. Way too big and bulky, it would be taking prime real estate in the stroller basket, and it would have to be left in the stroller, leaving it susceptible to theft (they wouldn't fight with getting the booster out, they'd just take the whole stroller and get the booster out later).

We will be using the high chairs that Disney provides and will be wiping them down with antibacterial wipes wether or not I think they are clean.

 

[Angel Ariel]

wrt to the booster, if you're concerned about germs could you bring a cloth high chair cover (not one of the commercial big and bulky ones, but something made of thinner fabric that could easily be folded up into a diaper bag)? I would imagine etsy would have something like that

 

[disneypolybride2008]

we wont bring the booster. as for the chromebook i never thought of it getting cracked. we do have a soft case for it though. just thought how fun it would be to do the webcam since disney parks have wifi now, with relatives. as far as the travel potty, yes it is an actual potty seat that sits on the floor but it is a compact Bjorn potty which she is used to using. At Sesame Place she did great using it, i'd just lay down paper towels and set it on and she would go. At home she does not want to sit on the regular potty at all, so in four months time maybe.. but i'm a germaphobe anyway so i'd rather her sit on her own clean potty where she feels comfortable. We did have to sit in the regular size stall a few times but she would not go. They had a few larger size stalls which we often used. I put the travel potty in the large compartment of my normal size backpack and it fit, like it does in the diaper bag, but the new jansport big backpack has even more room so it's not going to be a tight fit. I was planning on having the backpack on the stroller while using the stroller, so we wouldnt have to carry it the whole time. I know how even a small dvd cam made my shoulders sore!! This way though, nothing would be left in the stroller. We were going to take our full size Disney Princess adorable pink stroller with us, we need it at the airport, etc. so we aren't planning to rent one. However, i dont want anyone to steal it and it is a very pretty new stroller... so we may just now rethink that and take the small umbrella stroller.. but it is a nice one that is not short, so no backache. I don't want that to be stolen. What if you rented and it got stolen? yikes. I can pop the wheel off the princess stroller, but who wants to carry around a stroller wheel everywhere, lol. i'm thinking in MK, if it weren't for the backpack weight.. i'd just go without a stroller. DD would much rather walk anyway. We'll see how it goes and maybe use it at the other parks.

 

[darnheather]

How did you clean the potty after she used it at Sesame place? Honestly that really makes me a little ill and I'm not a germapobe at all. I can't imagine watching someone wash out a dirty potty in the sink where I need to wash my hands. Consider switching to a toilet top seat now so she gets used to it by then.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

we wont bring the booster. as for the chromebook i never thought of it getting cracked. we do have a soft case for it though. just thought how fun it would be to do the webcam since disney parks have wifi now, with relatives. as far as the travel potty, yes it is an actual potty seat that sits on the floor but it is a compact Bjorn potty which she is used to using. At Sesame Place she did great using it, i'd just lay down paper towels and set it on and she would go. At home she does not want to sit on the regular potty at all, so in four months time maybe.. but i'm a germaphobe anyway so i'd rather her sit on her own clean potty where she feels comfortable. We did have to sit in the regular size stall a few times but she would not go. They had a few larger size stalls which we often used. I put the travel potty in the large compartment of my normal size backpack and it fit, like it does in the diaper bag, but the new jansport big backpack has even more room so it's not going to be a tight fit. I was planning on having the backpack on the stroller while using the stroller, so we wouldnt have to carry it the whole time. I know how even a small dvd cam made my shoulders sore!! This way though, nothing would be left in the stroller. We were going to take our full size Disney Princess adorable pink stroller with us, we need it at the airport, etc. so we aren't planning to rent one. However, i dont want anyone to steal it and it is a very pretty new stroller... so we may just now rethink that and take the small umbrella stroller.. but it is a nice one that is not short, so no backache. I don't want that to be stolen. What if you rented and it got stolen? yikes. I can pop the wheel off the princess stroller, but who wants to carry around a stroller wheel everywhere, lol. i'm thinking in MK, if it weren't for the backpack weight.. i'd just go without a stroller. DD would much rather walk anyway. We'll see how it goes and maybe use it at the other parks.

I wouldn't waste precious time in the parks on a webcam. Not to mention that the wifi isn't the greatest, and the busier it gets the worse it gets, so there is a chance you won't get a good enough connection to webchat. I've seen a couple podcasters try and it was very choppy and they finally gave up.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I wouldn't waste precious time in the parks on a webcam. Not to mention that the wifi isn't the greatest, and the busier it gets the worse it gets, so there is a chance you won't get a good enough connection to webchat. I've seen a couple podcasters try and it was very choppy and they finally gave up.

Absolutely this. if you have a smartphone, you could always skype on that if you wanted to, but i honestly would not bother. Too much hassle to carry around a laptop all day for that. ETA: A soft case also won't be enough to protect it from getting jossled around on rides. at least, I wouldn't risk it.

I also would look into one of the toilet top travel potty seats as opposed to the bjorn one. Sesame Place is not WDW..just because it worked there doesn't mean it will in WDW. I'd also bring post-it notes to put over the automatic sensors in the toilet stalls, so they don't surprise your DD.

What if you rented and it got stolen?

As for this, we rented from kingdom strollers and they offered insurance. Here's their policy:

Do you offer insurance on your strollers or cribs?
Insurance is available for a one time charge of just $25. The insurance waiver covers theft, loss, destruction and accidental damage. It is optional, but recommended. You will have the opportunity to purchase insurance on the " Date and Resort" page during the reservation process.

We spent the $25 just to have the peace of mind that if anything happened to the stroller, we wouldn't have to replace the whole stroller. I'm sure the other rental companies have similar insurance policies (though what they charge may differ).

 

[Mom2six]

We have never brought a booster or highchair anywhere, and while in Disneyland I wouldn't always say that they were "clean", they weren't disgusting or anything. But I treat them like a shopping cart and wipe them down before DS gets inside, and then wipe them up after if my DS makes a mess. Don't waste your stroller space on a booster seat.

This. We take travel Clorox wipe packets and sanitize the straps / seat. They often come in handy at QS places for the table.

 

[Mom2six]

As far as the potty seat goes, unless your trip is tomorrow or something, I'd start getting your little one used to going on the regular toilet. If you are concerned that they might fall in, just take their bottoms off and have them sit backwards. That's what I did with mine and what I did with my niece (2 1/2) before she was able to sit forwards comfortably. (My sister just had a baby so my niece has been hanging with us a lot.) Just make sure to wash the little hands after, which I'm sure you do anyway.

And no, I wouldn't leave stuff in the stroller. Unless you truly don't care if it is stolen. (Twice I've accidentally left my camera in a stroller and gotten lucky. But, the risk is always there.)

This works really well when potty training and helps little ones feel safer in the potty.

We keep stuff in the stroller but never electronics or things that we would be super upset at losing. We have never had anything stolen but I am sure it happens regularly. It is a large public place with too many strollers for anyone to look twice about a person getting stuff out of a stroller.

 

[amylevan]

Good god...carrying a laptop around Disney? No. The wifi is not that good anyhow, and wouldn't you rather be enjoying the moment rather than using the webcam?

But I am a minimalist. I only carry what we'll need. That bag gets HEAVY with all the walking. Disney is many times bigger than Sesame Place.

And I realize that I am not a germaphobe, but I would never haul a potty seat or booster seat around Disney. They are touching handrails and play areas, what's the difference if they touch a high chair? And there just isn't room in WDW bathrooms for a potty seat on the ground. If you need, carry one of the seats that fold up to put on the toilet seat itself.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

something to remember if flying, even if gate checking the stroller goes in cargo hold. that can damage stroller so it is not useable. I would look at rental from outside company. yes pay for the insurance, worth the peace of mind. how do plan to clean potty at the parks? I would not plan on using sinks.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

she only dirties at home in the morning thankfully, but that is easy to clean up from too, flush it in the potty and wipe out the potty with a wipe and a clorox wipe. As far as piddle, i dump it into the big toilet and wipe out the potty as well.

So if you are changing a baby's diaper, you would feel it is gross to clean your hands in the sink where OTHERS are washing THEIR hands? That would be a lot of a chance of being messier than my way.

I am so done asking questions here!

 

[Gracie09]

Op are you taking disney transportation? Remember you have to take everything out of the stroller and fold it to get on the bus, some ferries and occasionally the monorail. So you may want to figure out how you will do that with a sleeping child (because it will happen at leasr once) and not hold up the line.
And you really don't see the difference in washing your hands in a sink and washing a potty that may contain fecal matter or urine or both? Besides taking longer and inconveniencing others in the bathroom, you are washing chunks of poop into a sink where people clean their hands. I assume you wouldn't then clean the sink out with a bleach or other cleaning product?
Sorry you didn't get the answers you wanted to hear.

 

[dsneygirl]

This. We take travel Clorox wipe packets and sanitize the straps / seat. They often come in handy at QS places for the table.

Yep these are a must take for us as well. Great for quick wipes.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

no i am hearing people ask me about how i'm going to clean out a travel potty, like i'm going to somehow get poop on them or near them or anywhere else... i'm very capable of cleaning it without it being a problem and i'm not putting poop in the sink.. again people changing a poopy diaper or kids wiping themselves, or even adults, there are many other ways that poop can contaminate surfaces, my DD using her travel potty is NOT the issue here. It is rude to ask me how i am going to clean out her travel potty. I can handle that. As far as putting your 2 year old onto the adult potty NOW that is disgusting. Many times I have had to leave the disney world bathrooms because all of the stalls were too nasty for me to squat over, i would NEVER put my DD on those. Every stall was so super nasty. It was over NYE when it was very crowded, but at the time i was one of the only people in the restroom, near Stitch's ride, the one by the QS restaurant i cant remember the name of... anyway there were used PADS left on the floor in one stall and blood in the toilet, every other one had poop left in the toilet.. It was the nastiest i've EVER seen, so i'm going with the most sanitary option for my DD, her own clean potty laid upon paper towel or disposable changing pad cover... or if it is too nasty she can go in her pull up.

The answer I wanted to hear was advice about what high chair option to use, not to be asked how i plan to clean her potty. That was offensive and rude.

 

[megan10310]

I don't think anyone meant to offend you. They asked about cleaning it because it just seems completely impractical to bring a potty chair, a booster seat, and a lap top with you into the parks.

The most practical advice I have seen with regard to your concerns:

Bring Clorox wipes for high chairs and toilets.
Acclimate your toddler to using adult toilets now instead of later.
Plan to carry only the absolute essentials.

 

[Minnesota!]

leave the booster and potty chair at home. leave the laptop in the safe in your room.

bring diapers (pull ups)/wipes
a few changes of clothes
sunscreen
camera
clorox wipes if you must

never have experienced anything less than sparkling restrooms at Disney. You being there on NYE is the problem...more people then custodians, more than likely.

Get your daughter used to a real toilet, save yourself the energy, time, space, and aggravation of a travel potty.

We have been to WDW at all stages for my kids. Never once had I considered bringing anything more extensive then a stroller...and even then we rented.

Your daughter is going to touch SO SO SO much stuff - handrails, sidewalks, door knobs, etc. The booster or high chair should be the least of your concerns.

 

[Gracie09]

no i am hearing people ask me about how i'm going to clean out a travel potty, like i'm going to somehow get poop on them or near them or anywhere else... i'm very capable of cleaning it without it being a problem and i'm not putting poop in the sink.. again people changing a poopy diaper or kids wiping themselves, or even adults, there are many other ways that poop can contaminate surfaces, my DD using her travel potty is NOT the issue here. It is rude to ask me how i am going to clean out her travel potty. I can handle that. As far as putting your 2 year old onto the adult potty NOW that is disgusting. Many times I have had to leave the disney world bathrooms because all of the stalls were too nasty for me to squat over, i would NEVER put my DD on those. Every stall was so super nasty. It was over NYE when it was very crowded, but at the time i was one of the only people in the restroom, near Stitch's ride, the one by the QS restaurant i cant remember the name of... anyway there were used PADS left on the floor in one stall and blood in the toilet, every other one had poop left in the toilet.. It was the nastiest i've EVER seen, so i'm going with the most sanitary option for my DD, her own clean potty laid upon paper towel or disposable changing pad cover... or if it is too nasty she can go in her pull up.

The answer I wanted to hear was advice about what high chair option to use, not to be asked how i plan to clean her potty. That was offensive and rude.

With as many posts as you have you should realize that threads take on a life of their own. Anyway, we do something called washing our hands. Before we eat and after we use the toilet. Since both my girls use public restrooms without their own potty and neither has had a sick day all year at school and I can't remember when they had more than a cold, we must be doing something right. Unless your child it rolling around on the floor or licking the toilet washing your hand takes care of any germs you may come in contact with in a public toilet. We did bring a fold up seat last time but that was because one dd was so small she would worry about falling in. That fit in a gallon size bag we kept under the stroller.

 

[Angel Ariel]

no i am hearing people ask me about how i'm going to clean out a travel potty, like i'm going to somehow get poop on them or near them or anywhere else... i'm very capable of cleaning it without it being a problem and i'm not putting poop in the sink.. again people changing a poopy diaper or kids wiping themselves, or even adults, there are many other ways that poop can contaminate surfaces, my DD using her travel potty is NOT the issue here.

i don't think anyone is trying to be rude, but I do think people are trying to see things from another point of view that perhaps you might not have considered. if you have and you've made a decision, that's fine - i don't see anything wrong with bringing up other things to think about, though.

There's more issues than how you plan to clean it. where are you going to put it so that she can go? The regular stalls are not generally big enough for an adult and a child on a potty like that, and the handicapped stalls (as someone else mentioned) can be a long wait - possibly longer than what a potty-training child can handle.

Many times I have had to leave the disney world bathrooms because all of the stalls were too nasty for me to squat over, i would NEVER put my DD on those.

i think that's why a few posters suggested a fold up travel potty seat that goes over an adult toilet, similar to this one. It's the best of both worlds for you. You don't have to worry about putting your dd on a public toilet, but it's also a LOT more compact to carry around all day.

I think a lot of us are just thinking about the amount of stuff you're talking about bringing around with you all day and thinking that you might be unhappy at some point during your trip because of it.

Trust me, i understand carrying a lot of stuff around wdw. I was EPing for my daughter on our last trip, so on top of the diaper changing/extra clothes/camera, I had to have 6-7 bottles (and nipples/collars) to get through the day, plus my Ameda purely Yours pump with the pump parts and enough pump & store bags to get through 8 pumping sessions/day, a nursing cover to cover myself with, plus a small cooler bag to store the chilled milk in throughout the day. It was a PITA, to be totally frank. and i can't tell you how much i freaked out when DH accidentally left the entire diaper bag, with the pump and everything, in hollywood studios! We didn't realize it for over 30 mins, and were back at our hotel! Thankfully we'd been right next to guest services when he left it, so it was there when we called..but oh my goodness, was I really not happy. I am VERY much looking forward to going in October and not having to worry about pumping at all! (We're transitioning to soy milk now that she's 1).

stuff happens..it's a wdw vacation, and it's unpredictable. I wouldn't bring anything into the park that I would be upset if I lost unless it were absolutely necessary (like the pump in my case, or a fold up travel potty in yours).

 

[Mom2six]

The answer I wanted to hear was advice about what high chair option to use, not to be asked how i plan to clean her potty. That was offensive and rude.

I hadn't realized you have been to WDW - and one the very busiest night of the year! I think lugging so much stuff around will detract from your enjoyment, but if you don't mind, it is your choice. Have a great vacation!