People who've brought babies to Disney, what did your daily routine look like?

[EmilyS90]

We'll have a 6 month old with us when we go in October of 2016, and DD will be 6 years old as well. I imagine we'll build in a mid day break on most days, but can anyone give me some tips on what helped your trip run more smoothly? I've read some things online but most were people taking only a baby and no older children, and I'm worried about managing a 6 year old and making sure she still gets to do most of the things she wants to (we do plan on using rider swap).

 

[Mainemama]

I travelled with a 7 yo, 5 yo, and 7 month old. We chose a monorail resort, which was very helpful. Rolling on and off with the stroller is far superior to folding to get into a bus. We did take midday breaks, though it turned out the baby didn't need them, the mommy did! The baby can sleep anywhere with a comfy stroller. We used both her car seat + universal carrier stroller (this was best for sleeping) and a Citimini double we rented. I had an Ergo carrier, but she was a very heavy baby, and I only found this useful a couple of times. We would typically be up for rope-drop, hit the parks, have an ADR lunch, and then return to the resort for a rest... Enforced quiet time. The big kids had to close eyes for 10 minutes, parents rested, baby played quietly (always napped early in park due to stimulation, often during lunch which made for relaxing meals!), then we would do a swim and have an early dinner and return to park. For AK, we just left around 2:00, and had a resort night. Honestly, the baby was the easiest age to travel with. RS is a wonderful gift for your big kids. We presented it as that... Because of our baby, you get to ride twice! How lucky!

 

[Stubbzilla]

Babies are fairly easy to tote along, as long as you have a good carrier (and probably a backup, too). They can ride on many rides (slow ones, obviously). I've taken a baby <1yo the past four times I've done to Disney. I've bottle fed, breast fed, combo fed, etc., and each time the baby has been easier to deal with than a toddler/preschooler. The worst is a potty training toddler.

 

[kohlby]

No mid-day break worked best for us. We've had babies in disney at 2 months old, 8 months old, and 11 months old. Those babies were one baby who went twice and a different baby who went once. The babies adapted. Using a sling worked the best for us. The 2 month old (Baby L) and the 11 months old (Baby B) both were in the sling almost the entire time. (Baby B wasn't very mobile yet). For the 8 month old (Also Baby L), she wanted to be in the sling all the time during the day but wanted to nap in the stroller only. Baby B, however, refused to nap and would fall asleep at 6pm when he couldn't handle it anymore. The trickier part of those trips was the older child - twice a 3 year old and once 3 and 6 year olds. It's for those children that it worked best to start at rope drop and get back in time for a reasonable bedtime. I could not get my kids to nap at the hotel - not at 11 months nor 3 years old and certainly not 6 year olds. I couldn't get them extra rest during the day no matter what I did - but I could get them an excellent night's sleep.

As for tips - a carrier of some sort, I loved my ring slings. (I even had a 2.5 year old on one trip who was in the sling all day long due to refusing to walk and refusing the stroller!) Take a stroller that reclines enough to make napping easier. I put my sling over the top to shut out the sights and some of the light too. Your 6 year old will absolutely love rider swap! On our last trip, we joked that we should rent a baby so we could do rider swap.

 

[Thing 1]

I would base your day more around your 6 year old than your baby. At six months, most babies will still eat-sleep-and poop where ever they are. A carrier is great and they can just snooze through most any ride they can go on. If they will sleep in the stroller, even better. Baby care stations are nice, but a park bench works fine too. We actually took breaks most days when DS was 6ish. It just worked for us. Staying on site is important for that and staying at a monorail resort make it extra easy.

 

[SweetMissy]

Our experience with taking a baby was easy! Our #3 was 4 months old for his 1st trip. I was a little worried about bringing such a young one but it worked out well. Our older kids were 7 and 4 and the baby was easier, lol. I babywear and breastfeed, so that made the trip much easier IMO. I learned pretty quick how to nurse while wearing him, so didn't have to stop and sit every time he was hungry. The only "issue" was at that age he wasn't sleeping through the night (unlike my other 2 who slept through the night at 2 months old) and being in 1 room, I was worried he'd wake everyone up while I fumbled in the dark to get him...had to be super quick....if you cosleep, this wouldn't really be an issue. Anyway...all in all good trip! Have fun planning!

 

[Mousemommy1]

We took DS in April and he was 3 months at the time. It was honestly sooooo much easier than we expected. Our 10 and 8 year old DD's gave us more "issues", lol.

Now, I'm not feeling as confident about our upcoming trip in April. DS will be 15 months old and I'm sure he will be fully walking (he's already trying to now...) it's going to be interesting....

 

[tinkerbesh]

When DS was 11 months, we left the room about an hour after he woke up (& we ate, dressed, etc). Stayed out for a full day (about 9am til dusk). He fell asleep in stroller some time in the afternoon, and during that time we (DH & I) took turns riding a few things, or sat and had a leisurely lunch or people watched. The daytimes were great and not too tricky. He loved everything we did except Peter Pan (too dark for him to see us).

We were pretty strict about heading back to the room as the sun was setting. DS needed a lot of help going to sleep at night. So that was the trickiest part of our day- sometimes it took a 2-hour stroller walk around & around the lake (@pop) to get him to fall asleep.

Hope you have a magical trip!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

last year when we went to Disney my little one was 8 months old and my older son was 7. We stayed at the Contemporary so it was easy to go back and forth to the resort. For most of the trip my husband and I spent it split up. We would meet up for the trips but we had to be careful bc my son was very fair skin and we didn't want him getting burned by the Florida sun. We had a giant visor for our stroller and had a hat (but he wouldn't wear it ). Anyways we would meet up for all the meals (we were on the deluxe dining, so we had 3 TS meals a day) and he would hang out with us for maybe an hour but then would head back to the resort for a break. I stayed in the park with my older son. We also stayed out a little bit later when the sun went it. My 8 month old slept a lot of the time though. It wasn't the ideal situation but it worked for us. I say just play it by ear and see how it goes. Have a great time!

 

[keepswimming76]

My daughter was six months old on a trip with our then three year old son. It was great. She went along on many rides. Both days at the park we did not take a break, and left around dinner time. She napped on and off in the stroller. Just be cautious about keeping the baby cool. Even in October it can be rather humid. Stroller fans can help keep air flowing. I hope you have a blast!