Must have in-park items for baby/new mom

[MeridaAndAngus]

I'm working on putting together a care package as a Christmas present for a new mom who will be traveling to WDW this spring with her baby. The baby will be 6 months old when they make the trip, and they will be traveling with extended family.

I am looking for advice on things that parents feel were "must haves" when they traveled to the parks with wee little ones. She already has a good stroller and the baby has a ton of clothes, so I'm looking for other miscellaneous items that would be useful. Items for baby or mom would be great.

 

[Mikie]

A small fan to clip on the stroller,
a waterproof blanket or poncho to cover the stroller in case of rain or keep it shaded if sunny (stroller seats get hot!)
High spf sunscreen
Sun hat
Clip/links and toy to attach to stroller or backpack for easy access
Travel packs of wipes
Ziploc bags for storing wet/soiled clothes, food, any number of things!
Infant Tylenol or ibuprofen just in case - you can find some in gift shops, but sometimes in "childrens" not "infant" and it's pricey there!
Not a necessity, but a disney-themed backpack for carrying supplies would be cool

 

[JPKnapp]

A side stroller mesh bag that velcros ($10 Amazon) was very useful. Easy access, stores bottles, diaper or two, etc.

 

[Bluegrrl]

A travel boppy! It's a boppy, but you can zip in half and it was a strap so you can sling it across you to carry. Best thing I had b/c I used it on the plane to nurse (I was able to have him sleep on it), it's portable, I could prop him up with it, it was everything a boppy is in a travel mode. LOVED IT!!

Linen receiving/swaddling blankets. Used them for blanky and well as a sun shade. They are lovely to have.

Sunscreen. I use California Baby, but Avenno works nicely. Make sure it is BABY, not toddler. Baby lotion and baby wash are also good (travel size). Again, I like California baby. If she doesn't have swaddlers, I really like Halo swaddlers - they make one that has velco to help you swaddle correctly.

Travel sound sheep thing. Sometimes hotels are scary, and the mini sleepy sheep was great.

Hand breast pump. Although I had a great nurser, (seriously, this kid is two and still wants to nurse like a champ. Yeah, weaning is a work in progress.) a hand pump is quite "handy"! I could pump quickly in the morning and then save the milk (not like I had a shortage) in the fridge to take along. The handpump was easy to clean and simple for me. They are cheap too! I loved the Tommie Tippee bottles. Only needed one or two, and easy to clean. That way I wasn't always having to "whip it out" at resturants and rides.

OK, that's it for now. I'm sure others have favorites, and you will want to check the families board for other suggestions.

 

[Boo Bear]

If she nurses you might be able to find someone on etsy.com to make a Disney themed nursing cover.
Baby sunscreen. I used Banana Boat Naturals for Baby
Clip fan for stroller
alcohol free baby wipes (many babies are sensitive to certain brands)
stroller clip on toys
Hylands teething tablets or camomile tablets
Frog towel or another brand of towel thats self cooling. You can find them at places like Dick's Sporting Goods
Sun Hat
Don't forget a few fun things for Mom!

 

[Dismama2boys]

My one can't-live-without item is a baby carrier, such as an Ergo or Mei Tei. My baby got tired of the stroller, so it was nice to get him out and wear him for a while. Plus I wore him on rides and in shows, which saved my arms. Just please don't get a Bjorn or the like - their knees should sit level with their bum rather than their legs dangling.

 

[Crl1817]

We took dd when he was seven month old. Next to a really good stroller (easy to steer, easy to fold, big canopy for sun protection), the most important things I took were too very good baby carriers. Two so I could switch off if I got any rubbed places.

I had an ergo and a freehand mei tei with me in the parks. There are other good baby carriers out there. the baby wearers forums are an excellent source of information. (I would personally say to avoid the omnipresent baby bjorns--they are generally considered by baby wearers to be uncomfortable for both baby and wearer and some think they are bad for baby's hips.)

 

[famy27]

I'm kind of a "less is more" gal. We fly, and with baggage restrictions, we like to keep our packing minimal.

I think all we brought with us was baby sunscreen, some wipes, and a few diapers. We bought the rest of the diapers at WDW. It was so nice to not have to pack a ton of stuff.

Now, if they are driving, my advice would be totally different. Then you can pack everything and the kitchen sink. I swear that we took more stuff with us for a one-night stay at a cabin than we did for a week in WDW.

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

I was surprised by how many attractions/buildings did not allow strollers. I found a sling or snugli carrier to be essential. Other ideas from PPs good too but I hadn't seen sling/snugli mentioned yet.
Not a park item, but we went to WDW with DD 4mo having thrush; so we also had a hot-pot in the room for boiling pump parts, bottle nipples, etc.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

We just went with a baby who was 7 months. It's hard to think of things I wanted that would have gone into a care package.

I had a couple of monogrammed onesies made up. I would have been elated if someone had gifted me one. Most shops they run about $20, but the pictures are super cute.

Also, if there baby is a night owl and they want to do fireworks and parades then baby ear muffs come in handy. We ordered off Amazon ems4kids was the brand.