Split stay with an infant? Would you do it?

[tripletsmama]

We have done 4 split stays with our girls. We haven't had a single problem or issue. We're not big on unpacking and with Disney moving the luggage it really is quite easy. However, on our next trip we will have a 5 month old! I'm thinking this will change the picture. Would you try a split stay with an infant or avoid it? I'm thinking of things like not having a room aka place to nap between check out and check in, as well as all the extra "stuff" a baby requires. Thoughts and experiences are appreciated!

 

[mmmears]

I didn't try it with an infant, just a toddler. It wasn't so bad to pack all the stuff we needed for the day. The thing that made it hard was that we didn't have a room for her to nap in and waiting for it to be ready was torture. Lots of people's kids seem to sleep well in their strollers, but not mine. So I guess it just depends...

 

[mickeynut1]

I agree with the pp that it depends on you and whether or not you would be bothered by moving and possibly being without a room for awhile. Alot of people do it with babies all the time. I wouldn't do it with a little one, but that's just me .

 

[tripletsmama]

Our past 3 trips have been 14 nights. We did 7 nights at our DVC (Boardwalk) and then 7 nights at a monorail resort. It made going to the parks so convenient and it was like 2 different vacations! I just can't decide if it's going to be more trouble than it's worth with an infant though. I'm hoping that at only 5 months he/she will be a pretty good sleeper in a stroller or sling. That would definitely help matters. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[olive]

We did it with a toddler twice, no problem either time (I think we did Animal Kingdom on the switch days, although I am not 100% sure; on AK days he would nap in his stroller instead of going back and forth to the room). We are planning another split stay in a few months with a 5 month old. I'm not worried, but if you know your little one will not nap in a stroller, that could definitely be an issue.

We also really like split stays. The first toddler split stay was just split among monorail resorts, the second a monorail resort and an Epcot area resort. We're repeating the monorail resort/Epcot resort split again this time around. For us it's fun to divide up our time, although most of our trips have been 10 days. (We did do a split stay on a 6 day trip once, but no children that time. I was pretty pregnant though!)

 

[tripletsmama]

We did it with a toddler twice, no problem either time (I think we did Animal Kingdom on the switch days, although I am not 100% sure; on AK days he would nap in his stroller instead of going back and forth to the room). We are planning another split stay in a few months with a 5 month old. I'm not worried, but if you know your little one will not nap in a stroller, that could definitely be an issue.

We also really like split stays. The first toddler split stay was just split among monorail resorts, the second a monorail resort and an Epcot area resort. We're repeating the monorail resort/Epcot resort split again this time around. For us it's fun to divide up our time, although most of our trips have been 10 days. (We did do a split stay on a 6 day trip once, but no children that time. I was pretty pregnant though!)

Too bad there's no way to know how the little one will react to sleeping in a stroller until they arrive! Please report back on how the split stay and the trip overall went with the 5 month old!

 

[olive]

I think you're ahead of us! I'm not due until August, so our trip is not until January. We decided to take a chance that this one would also be a stroller sleeper and booked another split stay. Since half of the stay is at a monorail resort again, and half is at an Epcot resort, we can adjust how we visit the parks to make it easier to get back to the resort at nap time if the stroller sleeping doesn't work out.

 

[smiths02]

I would be worried about carrying all the stuff a baby needs for possibly the entire day and/or I would need. Will you have a car to store some stuff? Will you be breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding and using a sling it might be possible...but for me, I know whenever I tried something new...I wasn't prepared. We went to the doctor's office and poop explosion-which was fine because I had clothes and diapers for the BABY. I did not have clothes for ME...but that could be an excuse to buy some Disney clothes?

 

[tripletsmama]

I think you're ahead of us! I'm not due until August, so our trip is not until January. We decided to take a chance that this one would also be a stroller sleeper and booked another split stay. Since half of the stay is at a monorail resort again, and half is at an Epcot resort, we can adjust how we visit the parks to make it easier to get back to the resort at nap time if the stroller sleeping doesn't work out.

Oh, we are a little ahead of you! Due date is July 29 and trip is December 30-January 13. I'll report back.

I would be worried about carrying all the stuff a baby needs for possibly the entire day and/or I would need. Will you have a car to store some stuff? Will you be breastfeeding?

Breastfeeding and using a sling it might be possible...but for me, I know whenever I tried something new...I wasn't prepared. We went to the doctor's office and poop explosion-which was fine because I had clothes and diapers for the BABY. I did not have clothes for ME...but that could be an excuse to buy some Disney clothes?

Yes to the car and yes to breastfeeding. My plan on the switch day was just to do the pool. We won't leave the room until 11 (check out time) and will head to the new resort around 2. Even if a room isn't ready until check in time at 3, the most we would be waiting in the lobby is about 30 minutes.

Way to put a positive spin on the poop situation! I bet the doctor's office is soooo used to seeing that kind of thing.

 

[MissionMouse]

Personally, there is a lot of routine you have to do with feeding and naps. I would recommend not doing a spilt stay. Select a resort of its location and convenience. You are going to be traveling with lots of extras, since you can't count on local stores carrying some items you need for your baby i.e. x formula brand or other, specific diaper brand).

Switching resorts places you in a position to not have a room for a period of time. Depending on the resort and room status you could be lucky and get it when you check-in. It could even be later than 3pm too.

Napping in a stroller is not ideal; especially in Summer, nor does it compare to taking a nap in a cool and dark resort bedroom. It also allows the other members to take advantage of the resort pool or other items of interest. This allows everyone to relax to some degree; as Mom and Dad can switch duties through the days. I ways say it is important for Mom & Dad to ensure there is a element (down time, relaxation, etc) of vacation in it for you. Resort location and transportation can help in our experience.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well...I never felt that my baby required all that much. Me, a sling, some clothes... Compared to what the boy wants to haul around nowadays, having one of our split stays then might actually have been easier!

So I'd do it. But I'm a minimalist when it comes to babies.

And it looks like you started with 3? Bet this baby will feel like nothin' compared to the work you got to do before.

 

[akl-fan]

I did four changes over 14 days with a baby an it went fine. I just had to be organised. As long as you have a bag with whatever the baby needs and a swimsuits for the pool etc then you will be fine.