Keeping Baby Cool

[BCVOwner in MA]

Hello!

We'll be travelling to WDW with our two boys (3 and 7) and their 2 month old sister.

What ideas do you have for keeping the baby cool and comforable?

I'm packing lightweight clothes, a hat and will (of course) keep her out of the sun as much as possible. I'll duck in and out of the air conditioned shops and attractions when I can. What else can I do to make sure she's comfortable?

We adopted our boys when they were 2 and 6, so we have zero experience with an infant. We know that we'll get some great ideas to help us out here, and we thank you in advance!

 

[cinmell]

Tips I've seen on these boards have been to put long thin ice or gel packs either behind the padding in the stroller or wrapped in a towel behind your child. I've also seen fans that attach to strollers and children can't fit their fingers in them because it's so small. I've also heard of placing towels (light colored ones) over the top of the stroller so detract the heat.

We are going with our daughter for the first time in a few weeks and I bought the long gel packs. I found them online at One Step Ahead.

 

[Princess_Aurora]

Well, I've heard of the fans also...the only problem is I can't find them! Ours will be 4 months old when we go. We're gonna pack a bunch of light-weight onesies (sp?) for him. This is my second child, but I didn't take my first until she was over a year old so this is the first time I've been with one this small. My dr. said to also take a bottle of water so they don't get dehydrated.

 

[carone0318]

We went at the end of June for 9 days, very hot!!! My ds is a sleeper and I thought that if he falls asleep at the park I need to keep him cool. I couldn't just easily go back to the room because I have a older dd too. So, I brought a receiving blanket and safety pins. I safety pinned the receiving blanket to the stroller shade cover and would drape it over so no sun could hit ds and the blanket wouldn't blow away. I also bought a fan that clipped to the stroller. It worked perfectly, I got many compliments on my set-up. I got my fan from Wal-Mart, but now that the seasons are changing you may not find too many depending on where you live. I would suggest a Babies R Us, or maybe even look online and buy on that way. Another suggestion is to buy a plastic stroller cover for the rain. It covers the whole stroller and your child will stay dry as will all the stuff in the basket underneath, that will be your single best purchase. It costs about $20 and you can buy it at Babies R Us. You won't regret it....

Have a safe and fun trip

 

[LizPR]

When we took our 3 month old last year, I kept a cloth diaper handy. I used it as a sun shade and wet it at the water fountains and wiped her down or just laid it across her body or head .

Also, check with your Dr. about sunscreen. My Dr. told us to go ahead and use it since none of our other kids had ever had any kind of reaction.

 

[dcedwards]

When my son was that age we went to one of the hardware stores and bought some screen material that deflected the sun. I cut a piece for the top of the stroller as well as the sides and stitched it together using a binding material. It worked great. If you don't want to go that far - you could look to see if they had that type of screen material (it was flexible like fabric) and you could drape it over the top of the stroller then use a blanket for the front area.

We used a couple of fans that had clips on them. And, we used an umbrella that attached to the stroller to keep the sun off of him. We also brought along one of the water bottles with a fan and often would use that to "cool" him down. He love the feel of the mist. And, if you use a hat you can always dip that in water and then put it on the head. That really cools them off and they enjoy it.

I definitely agree with the plastic stroller cover. It was a real lifesaver for us -- several times in the summer months when it turns to a down pour.

Finally, take advantage of the baby centers. The one in MK is very nice. They are air conditioned, have a place where you can change and feed the baby. They also have Disney movies running for the older kids and they have rockers there for moms or dads. It is very nice and a good place to stop for a short break from the heat. There is also one at Epcot. I'm not sure about AK and MGM but look for them, they are great!!!