I guess I am just a horrible mother...

[BrookeTx]

On the main forum on the dis. There is a thread about a posters niece taking her 6 week old.

We will be taking our newborn with us in December. We normally go the end of Jan, but with my 12 weeks off after the baby we bumped our trip to go when I am already off. My older kids will be almost 5 and almost 8.

The baby will be about 6-8 weeks old. Now if something is wrong we won't go, but I have 2 different types of slings and will be nursing.

They were saying germs and such. Well we can't put our lives on hold, the baby could get sick on a trip to target.

Well I guess I will just be a horrible mom for taking my newborn!

 

[Tiger926]

On the main forum on the dis. There is a thread about a posters niece taking her 6 week old.

We will be taking our newborn with us in December. We normally go the end of Jan, but with my 12 weeks off after the baby we bumped our trip to go when I am already off. My older kids will be almost 5 and almost 8.

The baby will be about 6-8 weeks old. Now if something is wrong we won't go, but I have 2 different types of slings and will be nursing.

They were saying germs and such. Well we can't put our lives on hold, the baby could get sick on a trip to target.

Well I guess I will just be a horrible mom for taking my newborn!

I wish you good health, and a safe trip. But many of us have been there with sick children, so taking a newborn to WDW (not many doctors I have spoken to recommend that, by the way) is a huge risk factor. You mention picking up germs at Target, and again, we didn't take our newborns out to malls or other crowded places. An ill newborn is very dangerous and serious... You also need to monitor the H1N1 situation closely, as that might make your decision for you.

Another thing you haven't factored in is how you will be feeling at 6 weeks postpartum. Sleep deprivation is a serious condition, BTDT, and the last thing I could do is sclep around WDW - heck, I couldn't even go to the potty as I was that tired.

I wish you a good and healthy trip and a safe pregnancy - planning for stuff now, before the baby is born, is all well and good, but once that baby comes, it's a different world, and you might not want to take a huge risk like that, especially during the winter months. WDW will always be there...

All that being said, if you still feel that the positives outweigh the risks, then you and your family make the decision that you feel is right for you and your baby.

Best of luck, Tiger

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

There are tons of locals that bring their newborns in with them all the time-a lot of them are hard to even see because they're either in a sling or hidden under a stroller cover.

as long as you wash your hands before picking your baby up, I don't think it's any bigger deal than going to the mall.

Having said that, we've picked up some of our most spectacular infections in Disney, so do use extra caution with washing your hands thoroughly. We're about 99% sure that the stuff we picked up was not airborne, but from touching food before we had washed our hands or touching a mucous membrane before we'd washed our hands.

 

[chrisw127]

Well, sure it's germy, but as you said so is Target. And so are their siblings when they come home from school, etc., etc. If your baby is healthy, I don't see why there's a problem.

When I had my twins, who were full-term and healthy, their ped told me to keep them in the house the first four weeks. Well, that was maddening, but I did it. After that, they went everywhere and weren't sick once until they were ten-months old. Of course, when they did get sick it was a doozy and it was right after a trip to Disney.

Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy. Have a wonderful vacation.

 

[adventure_woman]

I must be a bad mom too! My DDs first trip was when she turned 8 weeks. I flew. I thought it was SUPER easy to keep her germ free (versus an 8 month old who TOUCHES everything!) We always used hand sanitizer before we touched her, so she never got germy. I changed her in the stroller, so she never touched the public restrooms changing tables. She was in her bucket during meals, so she never sat in a highchair. I say go for it if you have a healthy baby. I agree with you - my DD has NEVER gotten sick on a trip to Disney (knock on wood). However, it was the trip to Babies R Us where she got croup (the ONE TIME I forgot the shopping cart cover)!

 

[CJ's Mommy]

I wouldn't call you a "bad mom" but just slightly more risk taking than me I guess....hahahaha.

I don't go anywhere with my kids until they are 8 weeks old, unless it's absolutely necessary. The pediatricians I have spoken with all say the same thing, and that is, "Any fever over 100.4 with an infant less than 8 weeks warrants an ER visit and may likely include a spinal tap to diagnose the problem."

Not worth the risk IMHO. But to each their own!!

 

[Zeebs]

I don't think you are a bad mum either. My kids would be at a greater risk if I had to spend 8 weeks 24/7 with them at home, from me.

My only concern would be whether my health would be up for it, but if you take it easy, stop for regular breaks I think it would be all good.

Have a fab time and congrats on the coming new baby.

Kirsten

 

[ScotsMinnie]

I have never heard anything so ridiculous as not taking a newborn baby to crowded places or malls. That is madness. There are germs everywhere and closeting a baby in a sterile house does their immune system no good at all.

Could this be why the number of children with allergies is increasing???

Go to WDW and have a great time. As you say you are not going to go ahead if things are not going well.

If taking a baby out when it is a newborn means you are a bad mother then I am joining you in that club! And so are all the other mothers I know!!!

 

[stace1214]

Hmm.....I don't think that makes you a bad mother at all... I'm working on convincing my DH that we should make a trip to WDW after our baby is born before I go back to work in December. It would make the baby about 11 weeks. I'm so excited about our baby's first trip, I can't wait to go!

 

[Zeebs]

I wanted to add that if you are breastfeeding your baby will be getting all your immunity as well and that is the best time to take them out and about

Kirsten

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Well I guess I'm a bad mother right along with you because I took each of my four children (between 6-10 weeks old) before my maternity leave was over. They survived, I survived and we all had a great time. Do what is best for your family.

 

[kpm76]

I don't think it makes you a bad mom, but I would never take a 6 week old to WDW. Like many other posters, our ped does not recommend taking infants out in crowded places before 8 weeks. With H1N1, I would be extra cautious. As other have said, you have no idea how you will feel either. Good luck with your pregnancy

 

[JoshChristineplus3]

Not a bad mother at all. People are foolish who think germs only reside when they take their kids out of the house. Do the children in the house go to school? Do you go to your mailbox? Does your husband come and go from work? You can get germs anywhere and from anything. As long as you wash your hands properly and keep baby out of icky areas ( changing tables, goobered on highchairs ( nt a problem at that age ), and possibly use the sling to keep the infant nice and close from obnoxious peoples prying hands when they see a newborn, you will be just fine.
My twins were born full term and I took them to Target the day we went home from the hospital. Heck when my DS #1 was 5 days old I have a picture of him at the local zoo!
Have fun...just make sure YOUR up to it PP...and as long as the baby is healthy, enjoy!

 

[BrookeTx]

Thanks everyone! I know this would get mixed reviews.

I have 2 other children and a wonderful husband. I made it through 2 colic children with acid reflux and I survived!

I do plan on breastfeeding (did for a long while with the others). My daughter that was exposed to everything is less sick then and now than most children I know who stay home the majority of the time.

Oh well! I am going to enjoy myself and I know my kids are too!

 

[Hannathy]

I wouldn't say horrible but it seems to me a bit smug.....

There is a good argument to avoiding massive crowds like at Disney and yes it is different then your local target. There are a lot more people for a lot longer times. There are also a lot more people from very different places bringing in a lot of different germs that you and therefore baby have no immunity to. Have you thought there may be people from different countries there that may not have been immunized to the same things you have and carrying diseases we don't have in this country? Just different parts of our country have different strains of the flu or colds or viruses all unknown to your babies immune system.
Also will you be comfortable taking a newborn to a totally strange DR and hospital if it does get sick?

Don't forget to think about what if the baby is 2 weeks late, what if you have a c section after the baby being 2 weeks late. Do you really think you'll be up to Disney 4 weeks after a C section?

I don't think newborns need to be kept isolated from the world but I don't think it is prudent to bombard them with the magnitude of germs present in a crowded place like Disney.

 

[MaumeeMom]

I'll avoid commenting on the taking the baby out in public aspect but do want to say that I hope you are up to the trip.

With DS#2, I would never have been able to do it. I had complications ranging from clotting issues, PPD, and breast feeding issues. The kid was a spitter. He would spit up constantly which meant he was constantly hungry and I was constantly feeding him. Also, the kid hardly slept more than an hour at a time. I was exhausted. I had trouble getting through the grocery store let alone WDW.

I would suggest that you keep your plans flexible and if for any reason, you feel that you can't make the trip be open to postponing it.

Good luck, enjoy your pregnancy and best wishes for a healthy and happy baby.

 

[ScotsMinnie]

I wouldn't say horrible but it seems to me a bit smug.....

There is a good argument to avoiding massive crowds like at Disney and yes it is different then your local target. There are a lot more people for a lot longer times. There are also a lot more people from very different places bringing in a lot of different germs that you and therefore baby have no immunity to. Have you thought there may be people from different countries there that may not have been immunized to the same things you have and carrying diseases we don't have in this country? Just different parts of our country have different strains of the flu or colds or viruses all unknown to your babies immune system.
Also will you be comfortable taking a newborn to a totally strange DR and hospital if it does get sick?

Don't forget to think about what if the baby is 2 weeks late, what if you have a c section after the baby being 2 weeks late. Do you really think you'll be up to Disney 4 weeks after a C section?

I don't think newborns need to be kept isolated from the world but I don't think it is prudent to bombard them with the magnitude of germs present in a crowded place like Disney.

I think to say smug is a little over the top.

The OP has already said that if things don't go to plan then obviously they will not be going. If the OP has a C section then I would imagine that they will not be traveling, going by what she wrote in her post.

We have become lately completely over the top about germs. The number of children with allergies is increasing and it widely believed that a reduction in exposure the germs and allergens in small children is a contributing factor.

Of course people take precautions taking small babies to Disney but to suggest they don't go at all I think is completely over the top.

You talk about visitors from other countries like walking bug bags carrying diseases and illnesses never seen in the US. Yes, swine flu has been brought in but that is the same for other flus and illnesses in other years and also works both ways.

You are exposed to varying degrees of bugs at home even if you stay in. As someone has already said germs ride in via other children (of which the OP has 2), mail, money, the list goes on.

I think it is prudent to be careful when you are out but it would not stop me going out. I don't believe that keeping a baby inside for the first few months does any good at all. I have never heard of anyone doing that. It is my opinion that is a massive over reaction due to a complete obsession with germs which does children and their immune system no good at all.

Everyone on here has stated their opinion but you seem to be the only one to stoop to personal attacks on the OP. Calling the OP smug is really quite rude.

 

[Tiger926]

I think to say smug is a little over the top.

The OP has already said that if things don't go to plan then obviously they will not be going. If the OP has a C section then I would imagine that they will not be traveling, going by what she wrote in her post.

We have become lately completely over the top about germs. The number of children with allergies is increasing and it widely believed that a reduction in exposure the germs and allergens in small children is a contributing factor.

Of course people take precautions taking small babies to Disney but to suggest they don't go at all I think is completely over the top.

You talk about visitors from other countries like walking bug bags carrying diseases and illnesses never seen in the US. Yes, swine flu has been brought in but that is the same for other flus and illnesses in other years and also works both ways.

You are exposed to varying degrees of bugs at home even if you stay in. As someone has already said germs ride in via other children (of which the OP has 2), mail, money, the list goes on.

I think it is prudent to be careful when you are out but it would not stop me going out. I don't believe that keeping a baby inside for the first few months does any good at all. I have never heard of anyone doing that. It is my opinion that is a massive over reaction due to a complete obsession with germs which does children and their immune system no good at all.

Everyone on here has stated their opinion but you seem to be the only one to stoop to personal attacks on the OP. Calling the OP smug is really quite rude.

I wouldn't say smug either, but perhaps not entirely realistic to how she will feeling pospartum, as well as what if baby is late or there are complications, and not entirely understanding the huge risk of taking a newborn to WDW. Our baby was seriously, and I mean seriously ill at WDW at 22 months (we are beyond vigilant), and we got quite an education from the pediatric team who take care of us at Arnold Palmer's Children's Hospital about how germy WDW is - they actually do testing and research there they all told me. They do not advise any newborns to be there at all, especially during peak months for flu, strep throat and rotavirus, of which January - April is peak season in Orlando for strep and rotavirus.

It's very silly to me that people have this crazy idea that keeping a newborn in the house for a short bit of time will do them more harm than catching a serious infectious disease. My docs and I have all had this conversation and they agree with me, that a small cold can build up the immune system, but things like influenza, strep throat or chicken pox in newborns can kill them, period. This is a risk I am not willing to take. Keeping baby in a sling is great, but airborne pathogens are the big problem in this regard. I'm a teacher, hubby is a banker, and both of our children go to school, and we do a fab job of keeping everyone healthy around here. Why? Because we control what comes into our home, and how it is cleaned - you can't do that in WDW with millions of strangers who don't practice the same vigilant sanitation practices that you might. OP can't possibly keep all germs away from her baby, unless the baby is in a bubble. This is the problem with WDW - too many people go there knowingly sick and pass their germs around so as not to lose money. This is the nature of a place such as WDW, so good germs and unfortunately, bad germs are plentiful.

I wish the OP a healthy pregnancy, but I think planning to take a newborn a few weeks postpartum is unrealistic, as she has no idea how this pregnancy will turn out, nor, how her body and mind are going to feel at that time.

Good discussion, but a sense of realism on both sides is prudent for these kinds of topics.

Tiger

 

[ScotsMinnie]

It's very silly to me that people have this crazy idea that keeping a newborn in the house for a short bit of time will do them more harm than catching a serious infectious disease.


Tiger

To be fair I don't think anyone is saying it is more dangerous to keep them in than catching a serious infectious disease.

What I am saying is that it is not necessarily harmful to take them out. Taking them out does not result in a serious infectious disease. Its a bit over the top.

Its not a "one or the other" situation. Not keep them in or catch a disease.

With kids at school in the family you are still going to expose a baby to all sorts of germs even with keeping them in.

 

[Dismom55]

Nope do not think you are a bad mom! At this point in my life I can not imagine taking a newborn anywhere, then I got to thinking about when I took my kids places and how old they were, well I took my first one shopping the day I got out of the hospital, that would make her 2-3 days old. Then I thought about the second child, ummm I took her to Germany when she was 7 days old. (granted we lived in Holland at the time, but still). Then I thought about the third and last, we lived in Omaha and I believe he was about 2 weeks old and we took him to Indy(to meet his grandparents). So, nope can not say do not do that, as far as germs, I think you should be aware of all that by now. By the way, my kids never seemed to get those colds and flu that has always seemed to get the rest of the class, hmmm wonder if it is because I let their immune systems get a good start on life. Oh yea, my kids are the following ages 36yrs, 21yrs and 16 yrs old, no babies here but plenty of years of babies behind me.

Just I personally at this time in my life would want to enjoy myself while in Disney and I just think you are asking for a lot more work and a lot less enjoyment, but that is your decision and I don't think others should be telling you that you are a bad mom.

All the best of wishes to you for a healthy baby, and a very happy baby's first trip to Disney. Take lots of pics and start planning the next trip when baby can remember the trip.