strollers in line for rides?

[vamom24peanuts]

Will we be able to leave the baby in the stroller, taking her in lines for rides? If not, how do you do rides/lines with a little ones (10 mo)?

I'm thinking about taking the backpack carrier to put her in, but how practical will that be for ride lines as well?
How do you do babies at DW?

Thanks
Donna

 

[scjo68]

You cannot take strollers in lines, nor can you take them in many buildings, like the Land at Epcot. My ds was 18 months on his first trip, so old enough to walk. But it was still kind of a pain because I was limited where I could go once he fell asleep in his stroller. I see lots of front pack carriers for tiny babies, but yours may be too big.


I'm sure others here will have advice.

 

[mommy-on-the-move]

as PP said, no strollers in lines because you don't come out of the same entrance you went in on most rides. Also as PP mentioned some large areas are stroller free too.

We carried our (then) 19m.o for those parts and also took our babyhawk carrier for him if we needed it.

Also you need to fold strollers for buses, the MK train and often the monorail will be crowded enough to need stroller folding to fit on- we found having the carrier made it much easier if we had to stand with the baby on buses.

 

[crl]

We have used a Mei Tai baby carrier which is a soft carrier that can be used on newborns until 3 or 4 yrs old. We loved having ours when our kids were little. You could also try a pouch type sling to help you do an easy hip carry. If you are interested in more info about types of carriers, I suggest the website www.thebabywearer.com which has info about many types of carriers and a place to ask questions or get some used carriers.

 

[design_mom]

I think they'll let you take the backpack into the lines. We took our Ergo baby carrier (a "soft structured" backpack carrier without a frame. You can see it in my avatar picture <----- ) and had no problem carrying DD into lines. I didn't even need to remove it for most rides. I could just take DD out and leave it on my back.

I think a framed backpack would be cumbersome, but I have seen them at ride loading areas along with the wheelchairs. I am assuming they'd been worn through the line, and were waiting for their owners to finish riding and come back for them.

IMHO, a good baby carrier is worth it for a baby or toddler. On several days when DD was 18 months, we left the stroller at the hotel all day. The carrier was just so much more convenient. (But, of course, you'll need to be extra careful about sun protection — which would be important in a stroller *or* a carrier — but it somehow seems easier to forget if they're behind you in a backpack!)

 

[Disneyforus]

To the OP. If your little one is walking by the time you go (our DD started at 10 mos) you also might want to consider a baby "leash". We got ours from Target and it's a cute, soft animal backpack. We used our waiting in line time for our little one to stretch his legs but still be "attached" to us. I can't tell you the number of Mom's who asked me "where did you get that?...that's such a great idea" (as they were trying to wrestle their baby/toddler into staying by them in line.)

Have fun! I'm a bit more worried going this time with a 3yr old...he doesn't want anything to do with staying near us...and isn't a huge fan of a stroller either.

 

[goofygal531]

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=533897&cmSource=Search

I have this and loved it when my boys were younger.

And like other posters said, the stroller parking lots are not always convenient to where the rides are (Fantasyland! ) or you exit out the completely other side of the building.

Don't forget about "baby swap". We do this at many rides. My son naps a lot more in FL due to the heat and our on-the-schedule. One of us sits near a ride in a shady spot with him in the stroller while the other takes our DS4 on, then we switch.

 

[KristinU]

Our little dude was 10 months on his first trip. We took along a sling (a Hotsling) for in lines etc. but I remember not really using it too much and just carrying him. And he just sat on our laps/we held him while on the rides. We loved our Mei Tais for general babywearing, but they are a little cumbersome for on and off frequently.


Have a great trip!

 

[star sweeper]

Slings can be great for infants. I used Peanut Shell slings (google the name for link) and they worked great with my two. I walked a lot in Guatemala with my two and never had back ache, which I tend to suffer easily.

 

[houseful of boys]

I have a Peanut Shell baby carrier that I use for lines and walking around FantasyLand with my 12 mo old. I like it because it's like a sling except you don't have to wrap it. It is very easy. My sister has an Ergo that we like too but I don't want to spend the money to get my own. The peanut shell is about half the price of the Ergo.

 

[GentleOceanWind]

Just wanted to second the carrier recommendation as well as TBW site, too!

I prefer an Ergo for the double shouldered, padded support. I can wear my toddler for HOURS without any discomfort at all.

I also like to bring a double-layer silk ring sling for easy popability (getting child in/out quickly and easily). The double layer silk is very supportive and folds up quite compactly in a diaper bag pocket. If you get one with a long tail (fabric length), you can use the extra fabric end to shade a sleeping child from sun/wind/rain/etc., and to nurse discreetly. It also makes a great diaper changing "pad" on the go.

 

[abc123mom]

We went in May when my son was 9 1/2 months old. I made my own pouch sling, similar to a hotsling. I spent maybe $5 on it. I was worried about spending a lot of money on something I wasn't sure would be worthwhile or used after Disney. I liked it so much I did end up using it after Disney for other outings at the zoo and park.

It was the best thing to have in the parks. I mostly used it for carrying him on my hip. I found it very comfy and convenient standing in line, on rides, during meals (he slept through breakfast at Chef Mickeys and I was able to eat in peace), and getting on and off the bus.

I found the tutorial for making the sling on you tube and it was VERY easy. Just search "pouch sling instructions" it's the first one listed.

 

[snoopy5386]

we went when my DD was 12 months but she wasn't walking yet, she didn't walk till almost 15 months. We just carried her, or I should say I carried her. We were there with a group of 5 adults, but for the most part DD would only let me carry her. We were there at Easter so super busy time, DD weighed about 20 lbs at the time, and it wasn't so bad. Granted, the longest line we waited on was only 40 mins long, it felt pretty long at the time though. I was also a huge babywearer, I had a sling, a mei tai, and an ergo. We did bring them, but I found it to be too much of a PITA to be constantly taking it on and off every few minutes. It was much easier to carry her in the lines and put her in the stroller in between.

 

[Ariel8676]

Another babywearer here..i would also recommend getting a ring sling, a Mei Tei (i prefer a Babyhawk), or something like an Ergo, Kanga X, or Beco (all soft structured carriers). Having a good carrier is a life saver..especially in a place like WDW

 

[JEANMR1]

I've been reading this thread with interest - thanks OP.
My daughter will be 19 months when we go. It occured to me that the worst part of the trip might be the waiting in line with her. She is about 24 pounds so she gets heavy quickly. Also, if I put her down, she doesn't want to be picked back up again and wants to walk where 'she' wants to walk so I can't put her down. I've been looking at some of the suggestions by the other posters and the Ergo looks great. However, we are pretty pooh sized so now it doesn't look so great. Any other specific suggestions? The website link was pretty generic when it came to that.
Thanks.

 

[design_mom]

I've been looking at some of the suggestions by the other posters and the Ergo looks great. However, we are pretty pooh sized so now it doesn't look so great. Any other specific suggestions?

I know that Ergo sells a waist extension belt. It says on the web site that it extends the waist from 43" (without the extension) up to 51" (with the extension.) Here's the accessory page from Ergo's web site. I think you'd have to scroll down to see the extension belt: http://www.ergobabycarriers.com/babycarriers/category/accessories/

I love my Ergo, but I know there are also several other "soft structured carriers" that are similar in design like the Beco and the Papatum. You might want to check out their websites for sizing info, too... because another one might fit you better. Or check out thebabywearer.com to see what they recommend.

ETA, it looks like the Kanga X soft structured carrier supports up to a 50" waist without an extender. However, I can't tell from the pictures how padded the waistband is. I think the thick, padded waistband is what makes the Ergo so comfortable... it really does a good job of transferring the weight to your hips.

Crisi (below) also had a great suggestion about planning your touring strategy to avoid lines. My kids love the carriers when we were moving but, it's easy to get bored if you're standing still. And she's right that 24 lbs is 24 lbs...but 24 lbs squirming in your arms, versus 24 pounds riding contentedly in a good carrier is very different. I think a good carrier is great for WDW. (FWIW, I had a ring-sling before the Ergo and did not think it helped much with a toddler...but the Ergo did.)

Good luck!

 

[crisi]

I've been reading this thread with interest - thanks OP.
My daughter will be 19 months when we go. It occured to me that the worst part of the trip might be the waiting in line with her. She is about 24 pounds so she gets heavy quickly. Also, if I put her down, she doesn't want to be picked back up again and wants to walk where 'she' wants to walk so I can't put her down. I've been looking at some of the suggestions by the other posters and the Ergo looks great. However, we are pretty pooh sized so now it doesn't look so great. Any other specific suggestions? The website link was pretty generic when it came to that.
Thanks.

The best advice I can offer is to avoid lines - with some research, early mornings, use of Fast Passes, character meals over greets, etc. you can avoid many (not all) lines - and create a situation where the lines you do stand in move fast.

Slings don't make your kid less heavy.

 

[LilGMom]

We took our oldest when he was 10 months old and put him in a backpack carrier very similiar to this - THIS

It was great. During the Playhouse Disney show we took him off and used the 'kick stand' to prop him up. DH & I got very good with getting him out of the backpack while in line and cringed the day that he got too big for it.

 

[*Seanaci*]

We're taking our son next month (he'll be 11 days shy of 15 months). We plan on taking our light-weight, folds small stroller for all the walking we'll be doing. In lines though, we'll be putting on his Monkey Backpack Baby Leash (Target). We will probably be taking his other baby harness (this) just in case as the monkey one right now seems a little loose on him.

We've been to WDW enough times that we know what stroller parking looks like and where it's at for the rides...so we're prepared to make sure our LO stays close while we're in line for the rides.

Also, a word of advice. If your child has just started walking before your trip, try and buy a harness or animal backpack before you go and put them in it around the house. We learned the hard way with my nephew a few years ago to practice with it first (he started to run and by the time we started after him, damage was done and he'd gone to the end of the lease so to speak and hit his head on the ground). I'm already putting the monkey on my son now without the leash part for now. I'll put the leash part of it on in the next week or so and walk around the house with him so he gets the feel for how it works and how far he can go on it. The last thing I want is a hurt baby on my trip.

 

[all4fun]

Here's my ds with his regular safety harness ($5 at Target). That thing was a lifesaver when he was a toddler (did not like to hold hands and thought running away from us was a game). You can see I looped and knotted it to shorten so when I dropped it, it barely touched the ground. This made it so he couldn't get very far from us when we were holding the end, and it didn't become a tripping hazzard for him when we dropped it.

I also second using it around the house first so your dc can get used to wearing it.