Live @ WDW with a 14 week old infant

[Iggipolka]

Hello from BWV!
I still haven't decided if I've made the right decision about going to Disney with an infant , but a decision had to be made. My brother & sister-in-law strongly encouraged me to go with them and promised that they would help me out. I'm being very realistic in knowing that this trip is going to be extremely different than my past Disney trips and that I'll be spending a lot more time at the resort than in the parks. This trip is not about me, it's about keeping Lillian comfortable and reasonably happy. Like with anything else baby related, the mood changes moment by moment. I've decided that infants are the definition of Labile.

Lillian did absolutely beautifully on the plane. Heidi, my sister-in-law, got all 5.5 of us ( brother - Walter, SIL - Heidi, 7 year old Kira, 11 year old Kylie & Lil & I )upgraded to 1st class. The guy I sat next to was pissed , but Lillian was on her absolute best behavior. She played and talked and was totally adorable. As soon as she made any noise, the guy rolled his eyes and huffed in breath. What-f-nen-ever. I felt like poking her a bit, just so he'd hear her real scream.

I had ordered a swing and a stroller from Babies Best Friend and both were waiting in the room when we got here. Perfect! I had also ordered some diapers & formula from Babies Travel Light as well as a case of water from Costco. They were delivered soon after I called. Great!

Last night..well..last night sucked and I was up at 2am trying to get a flight back to California today. Lil was really gassy and uncomfortable, so she would scream/fart/scream/fart/scream/fart for 5 hours. Ugh. She hates her stroller, hates the pack-n-play and hates being held by anyone but me. Finally, my brother took her from me and just walked around the Epcot World Showcase. He got her calm by sitting by the fountains in France and she fell asleep to the Illuminations.

I lost it in Epcot and just sobbed for a good 15 minutes. Hate cryng at Disney! This morning Heidi told me that I have to let them help me. I just don't want to ruin their vacation, but she assured me that they will only help when they want to and that she knows how much I need a break. She said that Lil's crying doesn't bother them, because she's not their kid. Kira had/has a milk allergy that they didn't know about, so for the first three months of that child's life, she screamed nearly constantly. My brother & sister-in-law are very amazed at how infrequently Lillian cries.

After her scream fest, she slept (in my bed of course) from 10:30pm - 4:30am and after feeding, from 5:00 - 8:00! Woohoo! Longest sleep ever! 'Course, I was up from 2-4am trying to get a flight under $500 for today.

I'm glad that I failed in doing that, because today has been a whole different story. My brother & his family went to the Magic Kingdom (15 minute wait for Splash!Z)and Lil and I walked over to Epcot in the morning. I was actually able to eat both breakfast - Poppyseed muffin & Juice at that place in The Land - and lunch - a Ca roll from Japan (yesterday I had a bag of peanuts and a California roll the entire day, which didn't help with my exhaustion), took Lil on the Nemo ride (scream fest!) and Turtle Talk. Then after she had a snack, we visited the fishies whicjh she loved, the baby care center and walked around the empty World Showcase until the sun got way too hot and then we headed back to the room where she had a bath to cool down. I was just happy to get out for a little bit. Epcot is totally empty with both Soarin & TT having 20 minute waits. I had the WS practically to myself!

Oh..I saw lots of families doing the Kim Possible thing, so apparetly it is quite popular. I'd love to do it with my nieces.

Lil still refused to ride in the stroller, so I had to wear her in the Bjorn and keep her covered from the sun with a nursing cover. She, and I, would be so much cooler if she would ride in the stroller!

For the first time ever in her little life, she is napping by herself at the moment. Usually she will only nap if she is in my arms, so this is awesome. I've had a whole 20 minutes so far w/o being drooled on.

I also called my doc who recommended switching her formula to a different brand that is supposed to be more tummy friendly. Thankfully Disney carries Good Start, so I bought a can today. Hopefully she'll like it and have less problems with it. Too bad it's not organic though.

Once she wakes up, I"m hoping to try the stroller again and go over to BC for some gelato at their food court. I love staying at the Boardwalk/Beach Club area. It's just so nice to be able to walk places and not have to get on a bus or DIsney transportation.

btw: It is surface of the sun hot, which I love, but is just horrible for poor Lil. She's too young for sunscreen or to go in the pool, so I have to keep her constantly covered when we are outside and spend as much time inside as possible. I miss the heat, but not much I can do about it.

Now, tonight, she may blow up again and have another freak out at Epcot. I'm not under the delusion that just because we had a good day so far, that this is going to 100% continue. It's just nice to have a calmer, less stressful experience today. Single parents have my complete admiration. I don't know how they do it. Parenthood has to be the absolute hardest thing I've ever done and I'm just at the very beginning of it!

 

[AnneR]

Iggi -

I followed your other thread while you tried to make the decision to go or not. I am glad that you made the decision to go. I remember the days with a fussy/screaming infant and it is all too familiar to me having my own melt down after a while. It sounds like the Broadwalk/Beach Club area is perfect.

I had a little one that hated the stroller because she could not see the world from a reclining position. We rolled up blankets to keep her in place and were able to incline the seat in a semi-sitting position and she was much happier in the stroller.

Look forward to hearing more of your trip.

 

[Joan S.]

Hi, So GLAD to hear that you decided and DID go to WDW!! (I read your post asking for advice ) It REALLY does sound like YOU need a break,SO take ALL the HELP you can get and try to enjoy the QUIET times. Other than that RELAX!! ALL babies cry BUT the first is the hardest, I promise the next one will be easier. And Take LOTS of PICS,after all it is HER first TRIP to WDW. Also get her a FIRST time at WDW pin and put it on the stroller or baby carrier. ENJOY yourself and take a walk over to the Swan/Dolphin,they are NICE hotels to walk thru also. And the BC has a VERY nice sunroom (with a large screen TV) that you and baby may enjoy sitting in. It is right near their MARKETPLACE so convenient to grab a drink or snack. If you have any ??'s about the EPCOT resort area, just ask!! We stay at the BCV frequently!! Joan

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

I too, am so glad you decided to go. Just remember to let other people help you. My boys had colic so I understand how the screaming is. I hope you can get her to be okay in the stroller. Have fun!

 

[mainegal]

I was one of the few that suggested not going to WDW with a very young child.

Now that you are there, I hope you can somehow relax and have a wonderful time. Accept any help that is offered. Stay cool.

 

[Iggipolka]

I was one of the few that suggested not going to WDW with a very young child.

Now that you are there, I hope you can somehow relax and have a wonderful time. Accept any help that is offered. Stay cool.

Funny you should say that. I actually do feel relaxed, it's pretty amazing. Last night was horrible, but today has been really good.

After Lillian's nap this afternoon, I took a deep breath and put her in the hated stroller. I decided that she could complain for 10 minutes and after 10 minutes, if she was still unhappy, I'd take her out and hold her or wear her in the Bjorn. Well, there was some grumpiness, but nothing horrible and I soon found that the faster I walked, the happier she was. So, if you saw a crazy woman with a stroller running down the Boardwalk in the 90 degree heat this afternoon, that was me. My girl loves speed! Thankfully, the Boardwalk, like the rest of WDW, was pretty empty today, so I could run full tilt.

My plan was to head over to BC for a snack, but Lil didn't want me to stop. We went into Epcot instead and by the time I reached France, she was totally asleep and I could slow down. The WS was a tiny bit busier this afternoon, but still really quiet. There were plenty of CM's standing around their carts looking totally bored and the Counter Services places had maybe 5 people in line.

I headed over to Germany for a beer and a pretzel and Lil stayed quiet even after the stroller stopped. After my snack, I completed the loop around the WS and made it back to I-Gateway before she woke up. The nice CM at the stroller rental place let me bring her inside there to stand in front of the fan and cool off. She was much happier after that. We booked back to Boardwalk and my brother took her and shoved me out of the room to go to the pool.

I felt like the worst mom ever, leaving my screaming baby with him, but she calmed down quickly and I got time to swim, play with my nieces and even shower! Woo!

Tonight is extra magic hours at MK, so we may brave MK with her. It all depends on how she does. If she doesn't like it, I'll come back early with her and my brother and family will stay there. They reported that nearly every ride at MK was a walk-on this morning. Hopefully we'll be as lucky tonight.

Great day so far!

 

[AnneR]

Great news. Its wonderful that you got to play with your nieces and a shower Aren't the small things wonderful. You'll have good times and not so good times but just enjoy. It goes by so fast you'll look back and miss the times holding her even when she's screaming. All of my babies are taller than me now.

 

[spaddy]

I am so happy you made it there. It also sounds like you are getting some breaks which is awesome. Take all the help you can get. I could hold someone else's screaming baby all day and it wouldn't bother me. My own baby was a different story. So believe them when they tell you it doesn't bother them.

Sounds like you are doing well with the stroller. I did the same thing when my son was little, I would set a time limit and let him cry for a little.

I hope tonight goes well!

 

[mejkjj97]

I am glad you are enjoying yourself. I remember the days (and will be there soon again) of a crying infant. My DD also hated the stroller, would only take naps being held and so on. it was and is very trying. Now at 4 she wants to be in the stroller, especially when we are in Disney.
It sounds like your family is extremely supportive and take all the help you can get. It is hard but in the end it's worth it for both of you!
Enjoy the rest of your trip!!

 

[stitchlover]

I read your other thread and I'm so glad that you decided to go.

Your daughter sounds like mine. You love her completely but my goodness they make it hard! It sounds like your brother and his wife are wonderful and are willing to give you a chance to rest. Make sure you take them up on it. As you saw today with a little patience the crying will stop so trust that when she is with your brother or sister-in-law the crying will stop too. I hope you guys get into a routine while you are there and you enjoy your stay. I promise it gets easier. Mine is now 13 years old and a delight (well some of the time, let's be serious she's a teenager!).

On another note...I'm glad your doctor recommended a formula change. Our daughter ended up a formula for lactose intolerant infants and life was much better after that.

Good luck and I'll be thinking of you!

 

[beachwarmer]

I am really happy you ended up going and are finding minutes of enjoyment. I can totally understand as I have a sx week old baby. I would totally have gone if I was in your situation just to have other adults around to keep me sane during the crying.

I hope the days just keep getting better and the night too. Enjoy the pool time.

 

[ukwildcat]

I think you are doing great. We went to WDW with our first (now have 3 under age 4) when he was 9 weeks old. You are more brave than we were, as we went at Thanksgiving, and with the cooler temps were able to be outside longer. Not sure if we could've done it at the end of August, but you seem to be doing it the right way.

My wife and I always say, our children will be screaming at home or screaming at WDW. One step at a time. You're doing great. Have a fun rest of the trip.

 

[pal-mickey]

Glad to hear everything is going ok. As others have suggested, take whatever help is offered. When my kids seemed gassy I gave them Mylicon drops. It seemed to help them. Good luck with the rest of your trip

 

[AnninIowa]

I've seen 41-year-olds have total screaming meltdowns at WDW, so I wouldn't worry about your 14-week-old crying a bit!

 

[katscradle]

I am glad you are getting a bit of a break.
Enjoy your trip.
Trust me patience is the key when dealing with Lillian's crying, but it will pay off.
I am keeping my toes and fingers crossed for you that the rest of your trip gets even better.
Take lots of pic.'s and post a few when you get a chance.
I am glad you did not get that flight home.
This will be good for you and Lillian.
I was a single parent with my first and as I was reading your post I was thinking back to how hard everything was.
She my DD cried for 9 months straight. I thought I was going insane or not doing something right. Turns out bad colic, lactose intorent, and cutting teeth 2 at a time starting at 6 months. Then one day the crying stopped, and it was like wow.

 

[Iggipolka]

I should be sleeping, but I had to post while Lillian is crashed out.

Thanks for all of the responses and advice! I was thinking tonight that I have a super cute daughter. Much better than the thoughts I was having last night!

Having her at WDW in August is difficult, it would be easier if it was a cooler time of year. However, we had a great time at MK tonight. We walked through Epcot and took the monorail over to MK for extra magic hours. I love entering MK while everyone else is leaving. Score!

Lil was wide awake at 10:30 at night and she really enjoyed checking out Main Street. We stopped and got Dole whips and then she got to go on the Jungle Cruise and was very good even when our 10 minute cruise turned into nearly 30 because the boat in front of us died and they had to get a rescue boat. I've never been stuck on the Jungle Cruise before!

We also road Pirates and she was great, smiling and laughing the whole way. She started to do the head banging into my chest thing at the end of the ride, so I knew that sleepy time wasn't far away.

She fell asleep as we walked to Splash Mountain and my brother took her so that I could ride with my nieces. Splash was posted at 20 minute wait, but it was more like 10 minutes.

After we found our Laughing Place (and I got soaked), we checked on Lil who was sound asleep in my brother's arms. We carefully placed her in the stroller and she stayed asleep! Woo! We scurried off to Thunder Mt which also posted a 20 minute wait. This was more accurate than Splash's time. Something has to be done for that line. It's absolutely boring and hot.

It was close to midnight by then, so we headed back, stopping for another Dole Whip on the way out. Lil stayed sound asleep, even though taking her out of the stroller for the bus ride back to Boardwalk.

She's now sound asleep in the bed and I'm going to be joining her shortly. What a wonderful and highly successful day.

Tomorrow, we're hoping for an easy day hanging out at the Boardwalk.

I've taken some pictures and am going to see if I can figure out how to upload them tomorrow.

 

[NC Belle]

I'm glad that you went and some fun.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

I am so glad things are working out for you. I too remember those first few months of craziness. At just about Lil's age I had my meltdown and let him cry a bit while I showered or ate. I think when you hit that turning point thinge improve from there on out. ((HUGS)) and good luck with the rest of the trip.

 

[tinkbutt]

YAY!!! See the magic of Disney hard at work

I am so glad things are going well!!! It's good to hear about the crowd levels hopefully they'll stay that way in three weeks!!! Yeah!!!
Hope the rest of your trip is just as successful!!

 

[HillPete]

I'm so glad you decided to go and that you're having a relatively good time. Each day will get easier as she adjusts to the time/heat/new people holding her. You're doing the right thing. Have a great time!

--H