Need advice for visiting with infants

[Iluvpluto2]

Hello All Its been a long time since I have posted, a few years in fact. My husband and I have been really busy lately, in the process of trying to adopt our first child. We finally have been blessed with a match, a little baby due on June 19th in Florida. We are so excited and can't wait to begin our family . We have to stay in Florida for about 2-3 weeks while paperwork and stuff gets approved. The great thing is that we are DVC members and are hoping that we can save money on hotels by using our points. We definitely are not going to be bringing a newborn to any of the parks but we also don't want to spend the whole time in our room. Does anyone have any advice on things we can do to pass the time away. We are planning on walking around Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk for sure but any other ideas would be most welcome. Thanks!

 

[Missytara]

I traveled once with a 14 month old and a five year old; the 14 month old was more fun.

Never underestimate the interaction with the characters.

Realize about halfway through a show, they get restless. Have an es@ape plan.

Take them to the pool every night to end the evening. They will sleep at least until 6 am the next day.

Encourage their love of fruit; especially pineapple, melon and canteloupe. They love to gum it and it passes the time while you are entertaining them while mom and dad are on the attractions with the 5 year old.

Ask for fruit the minute you sit down at dinner; once they get used to the piece of fruit from Mom's pina coloda. Ask the server for several pieces and the high shrill sound he emits that sounds like a dolphin will stop.

Remember to check diaper more often, especially before a parade or long show. After so much fruit, a likely explosion will occur. CMs are very sympathetic and will help you pick out an entire new outfit and will give you an extra bag for the soiled clothes.

Have fun; I am not a child person and I had a blast.

 

[Sleepy425]

Go see a movie. The first month or two most babies sleep alot, and if they aren't sleeping the can be kept quiet with a bottle. Go to an afternoon show where there won't be too many people. (My first son was quiet and I could take him to the movies for the first 4 months of his life. My second son has been chatty since he was very young, so by about 6 weeks there was no way I could take him without bothering others. If your baby has colic though, all bets are off!)

Congrats! My husband and I are still impatiently waiting to be matched with siblings through DCF. Love hearing about people being matched!

Oh and also - it is expensive for just a photo op, but I would seriously consider going to a park just for a picture with Mickey. What's the $200 admission fee when you get to look at that precious picture on your wall every day???

 

[tjmj9801]

I traveled once with a 14 month old and a five year old; the 14 month old was more fun.

Never underestimate the interaction with the characters.

Realize about halfway through a show, they get restless. Have an es@ape plan.

Take them to the pool every night to end the evening. They will sleep at least until 6 am the next day.

Encourage their love of fruit; especially pineapple, melon and canteloupe. They love to gum it and it passes the time while you are entertaining them while mom and dad are on the attractions with the 5 year old.

Ask for fruit the minute you sit down at dinner; once they get used to the piece of fruit from Mom's pina coloda. Ask the server for several pieces and the high shrill sound he emits that sounds like a dolphin will stop.

Remember to check diaper more often, especially before a parade or long show. After so much fruit, a likely explosion will occur. CMs are very sympathetic and will help you pick out an entire new outfit and will give you an extra bag for the soiled clothes.

Have fun; I am not a child person and I had a blast.

Fruits aren't recommended until at least 6 months of age and some fruits not until one or older. And certainly not ones that have been in a piña colada.

 

[tjmj9801]

Congrats, OP! I'm so happy for your match! I agree that a newborn can be easily taken along to most activities like movies, restaurants, etc. have a great trip and enjoy your new little one!

 

[fofinia]

Congratulations!!! Just put your baby in a front infant carrier or sling. I believe its recommended for most adoptive parents to carry/hold the baby a lot for forming a close bond. And then if you feel up to going to a park for a couple of hours do it! You can ride most rides that have no height restriction without taking the baby out of the carrier. I had two of my kids at disney in my sling and those trips were easier than some of my trips now! I would suggest only a couple of hours especially if this is your first baby, you'll be getting used to diaper changes and feeding. The thing I loved about my sling is noone could touch my baby. so germs werent an issue.

Enjoy!

Congrats again!!

 

[Maus]

Congratulations, this will probably be the most exciting time of your life. To be honest, I would probably not take a newborn to any activities like movies, shows, etc. It can be so loud and having a newborn can be quite overwhelming too. I would enjoy my new baby in my room and go for nice walks etc. I although found that it is not easy to keep baby cool but not freezing at that stage with insanely cold air conditioning in restaurants and extreme heat outside. If the baby would be two or three month old I would do more but not with a baby that has just be born.

 

[megan10310]

We took an 8 week old to dlr once. Babies are so easy- they just eat sleep poop repeat. Congratulations!!!

If I were you and I didn't have park tickets, I would still celebrate at a chef mickeys or another character type breakfast for the photo ops. You will want to take a bazillion pics anyway, characters just add to the photo fun. I would take a stroller to dtd after the sun went down. Very important to keep a little one that young out of the extreme heat and it could be very very hot during your visit. This also makes baby wearing less of an option, nothing like sweating through your shirt in fl!

 

[Sleepy425]

We took an 8 week old to dlr once. Babies are so easy- they just eat sleep poop repeat. Congratulations!!!

If I were you and I didn't have park tickets, I would still celebrate at a chef mickeys or another character type breakfast for the photo ops. You will want to take a bazillion pics anyway, characters just add to the photo fun. I would take a stroller to dtd after the sun went down. Very important to keep a little one that young out of the extreme heat and it could be very very hot during your visit. This also makes baby wearing less of an option, nothing like sweating through your shirt in fl!

Duh - I forgot about character meals! Much better option!

As for not taking a newborn to the movies, restaurant, etc - it depends on the parent. I am not the type that can just sit around soaking in the joy of being a new mom. Even with a preemie who had been in the NICU, I needed to get OUT. I just used a Moby wrap (early morning/late afternoon when it wasn't so hot) and did just about anything. Especially if it was between that and sitting in a hotel room - no way I could be cooped up for 2-3 weeks watching a newborn sleep!

 

[Maus]

Duh - I forgot about character meals! Much better option!

As for not taking a newborn to the movies, restaurant, etc - it depends on the parent. I am not the type that can just sit around soaking in the joy of being a new mom. Even with a preemie who had been in the NICU, I needed to get OUT. I just used a Moby wrap (early morning/late afternoon when it wasn't so hot) and did just about anything. Especially if it was between that and sitting in a hotel room - no way I could be cooped up for 2-3 weeks watching a newborn sleep!

I did not say that they should just sit in the room but there is a difference between a 8 week old baby and a baby that is just born. I think there is also a difference in having your first and having children following. When I had my first I was completely in awe the first weeks and had no problem watching him sleeping . My daughter was born end of june and I found it harder to keep her temperature under control than with my son who was born in the winter.

 

[Disney Princess]

I just want to congratulate you on the addition to your family! This is such an exciting time.

We took a 5-month old in January, and we had an absolute blast. If you feel like going to the parks, it won't be hard at that age. You can take the baby on anything without a height restriction. Even if you want to pop in for a few hours in the evenings, etc. you can enjoy the sights. The caveat is the heat. You'll want to keep him/her out of the extreme weather conditions.

If you would rather not go out (totally understand that too!), you could take walks around the resort, visit various resorts to try out their food/shops, enjoy DtD, see a movie, check out the outlets (beware the heat), or watch your baby sleep. I certainly spent several hours doing that. You could always rent the free movies from the Community Hall at your DVC. I also recommend sleeping yourself - those first nights are going to be physically draining. All the emotions and lack of sleep will take their toll on you. Take that time to sit on your balcony, rest, nap, etc.

Congratulations again! Enjoy your last month of anticipation!

 

[Iluvpluto2]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. We certainly hadn't even considered the heat so that's certainly something we'll remember. We are also thinking of a character meal, just to get at least one pic with the Mouse Renting movies is a great idea too, we might bring some from home. Sleepy425, we sure know what you are going through waiting for a match. We waited about a year and a half. These next 5 weeks just won't go by fast enough. We appreciate the input and the well wishes

 

[Luvchefmic]

Congratulations and many many blessings to you all I would agree with a character meal for wonderful pictures but as much as I love Chef Mickeys I wouldn't go there too noisy too busy maybe something lower key Cape May for breakfast ?

 

[Disney Princess]

You might also look into the Photopass sessions at one of the resorts. I don't know what they cost, but you might get some good newborn and first family shots. What better setting than WDW?

P.S. Happy Mother's Day!! What a great day to be planning this adventure.

 

[Raenstoirm]

I traveled once with a 14 month old and a five year old; the 14 month old was more fun.

Never underestimate the interaction with the characters.

Realize about halfway through a show, they get restless. Have an es@ape plan.

Take them to the pool every night to end the evening. They will sleep at least until 6 am the next day.

Encourage their love of fruit; especially pineapple, melon and canteloupe. They love to gum it and it passes the time while you are entertaining them while mom and dad are on the attractions with the 5 year old.

Ask for fruit the minute you sit down at dinner; once they get used to the piece of fruit from Mom's pina coloda. Ask the server for several pieces and the high shrill sound he emits that sounds like a dolphin will stop.

Remember to check diaper more often, especially before a parade or long show. After so much fruit, a likely explosion will occur. CMs are very sympathetic and will help you pick out an entire new outfit and will give you an extra bag for the soiled clothes.

Have fun; I am not a child person and I had a blast.

I kinda feel like you didnt read the thread. This will be brandy-new baby. No fruit for months!

Congrats OP . I dont think the next few weeks will go by fast enough for you.

As for a character meal, the Swan and Dolphin have a quiet dinner buffet. No mouse, but the munks, Goofy and Pluto are there.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Come check out the Disney for Families board - there's lots of great advice there for taking infants to WDW! They were incredibly helpful when I was planning our DD's first trip in March

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Ds went as an infant to WDW but I would be more wary with a newborn. I'd stick to the resorts.

You can't use sunscreen till 6 months and their skin burns very easily so be careful.

 

[afinnteach]

My mom took my sister to magic kingdom (only park back then at 9 weeks and she said it was the easiest trip she ever took with her, lol!
Both my ds and dd went to wdw as babies and I would say as long as you are willing to go with the flow, you will have a blast.
I enjoyed sitting on a bench people and baby watching. They all loved characters and IASW. You will have to be extra careful of temperature since it is summer.
Both my kids went to ice cream parlor on their way home from hospital and were around people from the get go, I would say use your best judgement and enjoy your bundle of joy! Congrats!

 

[Iluvpluto2]

Thanks again everyone. We really love the idea of the PhotoPass. Its just 37 days until her due date and we can't wait!!!

 

[suffieldhockeymom]

My middle son was 10 days old when he first went to WDW. It was very easy with him in a sling. My youngest was 2 months when he first visited. EPCOT was nice with the newborns.