Suggestions for Disney with a 4 month old

[Tiffanie]

We are heading to Disney for Mardi Gras on February 1st. This will be our first trip with an infant, our two other boys are 10 and 6, and we never went with them to Disney when they were any younger than 18 months old. Can you experienced Disney visitors with infants give me some tips on travelling with a young baby? We already have our lightweight reclining stroller for him to nap in while we are in the parks, but any other suggestions are welcome. We can't pass up this trip, Mardi Gras is early this year and won't be again for several years, so the crowds will be ideal for us, as we love to do Disney for Mardi Gras whenever we can. Thanks for all of your suggestions in advance!

 

[emmababy]

We went when our dd was 8 months, and it was so easy. I would also bring a baby carrier/sling. Since he won't be eating yet, just pack a small diaper bag for the parks and go! Enjoy it!

 

[daisylove]

Just subscribing. Also thinking about going with a 4 month old but in July.

 

[FatElvis]

I've been twice with small babies - it's SO easy! There are loads of rides you can do - anything with no height restriction. Plus at that age you don't have to worry about going back to the hotel for naptime.

I'd also recommend a carrier of some sort - a sling, a bjorn, whatever works for you. You can leave them in that for many rides.

Bring extra clothes - I'm sure you know that. When we were there this past March, my then 3 month old turned into a power pooper. Not sure what her deal was, she wasn't sick, but every diaper change turned into a whole outfit change. It was nuts. One night she had to wear her older sister's size 2T shirt and sweatpants for a couple of hours because she had gone through 2 outfits already and I wasn't buying a $30 sleeper in the park!

We were at MK on Mardi Gras a few years ago. My second daughter was 5 months at the time. I was sitting down nursing her and my husband suggested I not be quite so discreet and possibly we'd earn some beads! Yes, he's a dork.

Have fun!

 

[Tiffanie]

Thanks for all the suggestions! We are looking forward to our baby's first trip to Disney, with his two big brothers. I appreciate all your tips!

 

[teresajoy]

Lydia turned 5 months on her first trip to Disney. It was SOOOOO easy!!! We nursed exclusively, so I didn't have to worry about bringing anything for her to eat or drink. Just diapers and a change of clothes or two. It's also a good idea to bring yourself an extra shirt at least. I personally liked the baby stations for nursing, because it was air conditioned and quite. It was pretty hot that year. My husband would take the two older kids around while I nursed. We brought walkie talkies with us, so I just called him when I was done. Lydia has a ton of fun, and so did we. We ate at the Garden Grill and she LOVED all the characters, and they loved her! It was simply magical! I have some pictures, I'll find them and post.

This is Lydia when she met Timon for the first time. Look at that smile!!!

Timon and Lydia with Armnda watching:

At the Garden Grill with Pluto

Garden Grill with Chip

Garden Grill with Mickey

Meeting Mike and Sully

With her Daddy outside of Muppets

Muppet Fountain (Arminda is in the stroller having a mini meltdown)

The only thing I regret about this trip is that I hadn't started Weight Watcher sooner!

 

[Tiffanie]

I have heard that some restaurants have infant high chairs. What are your experiences with that? The baby isn't sitting up yet, I was thinking of bringing him a blanket to prop him up in the high chair, along with one of those basket liners that you put in the baskets at the grocery to keep the germs away from them, and I could strip him up that way, but if there are infant high chairs, it won't be a problem. I know they probably won't let us bring our stroller into the restaurants for him to sit in.

 

[teresajoy]

I'm not sure about that, Lydia was sitting up really well when we went, so she just sat in a regular high chair, as I recall.

 

[Tiffanie]

Thanks for the photos - looks like she had a great time. I can't wait to bring the baby!

 

[jpaxton1118]

I am also interested in this. We are going the begining of next December and we will have a four month old with us. I think my husband is very nervous and everyone else thinks we are nuts. I figure we will be in Disney and that is better then being anywhere else in the world.

 

[baybemama]

A sling is really useful. Perfect for standing in lines and holding baby close while on the rides.

Take advantage of all the baby care stations. If you are nursing, it helps them be less distracted. The one at MGM was the best in my opinion as they had private rooms where you could dim the light.

Take it slow and plan ahead!

 

[teresajoy]

Thanks for the photos - looks like she had a great time. I can't wait to bring the baby!

Thanks! She really did have a great time, and so did we !

A sling is really useful. Perfect for standing in lines and holding baby close while on the rides.

Take advantage of all the baby care stations. If you are nursing, it helps them be less distracted. The one at MGM was the best in my opinion as they had private rooms where you could dim the light.

Take it slow and plan ahead!

I was trying to remember where that baby care station was, thanks for reminding me. That really was a great one! But, as I recall, there was no bathroom for adults to use there when Lydia was little. They just had one little kid's toilet! Have they changed that yet?

 

[brightvalleyjrts]

I also suggest bringing a sling of some sort. We went to disneyland when my son was 10 mths old and he stayed in the sling most of the time. I have an ellaroo hip sling and the baby bjorn. They were both very comfy.

I will still be using a sling with him in March and he is now 2!! He loves the sling!

 

[Spart02]

We just returned from a trip with a four month old a couple of weeks ago. She did TERRIFIC! I didn't find the tummy carrier/sling overly helpful. It was too hot to wear it some of the days. She's a little baby for her age, so it wasn't a problem just carrying her in the lines, etc.
A few things that worked great for us:

The baby care centers were terrific. I nurse and bottlefeed, so I used them for nursing her on a rare occasion, but mainly for heating up her bottles. She was quite picky about her bottle temperature and once we found the baby care centers, she ate much better for us. My only complaint about them was that they weren't always located in a great spot. I never did use the one at Studios since it was located at the very front of the park.

Someone on the boards had suggested making up diaper kits each day. We took four of them to the parks each time we left. We simply put a diaper, a disposable changing pad, and about 5 wipes in a ziplock baggie. That way, we could just quick grab baggie and go into the bathroom to change her rather than having to take the entire diaper bag in.

We took naps almost every afternoon on our 9 night trip. This gave me a chance to nurse her mid-day and for all of us to relax. We would then stay up until midnight or 1 a.m. at the parks and everyone would still be in a good mood. I also have a 4 and 7 year old, so they needed the naps as well.

At the counter service restaurants, we were able to bring her stroller into each one while we were eating. So we didn't have to worry about a highchair there. At the table service meals, we would bring her carseat that attaches to her stroller and just set that on a chair. Since we usually came back for a nap, we would only take the carseat for that part of the day. It was rare that we saw a restaurant with the infant seat high chairs, so we were very glad to have our carseat.

Our four month old is a very calm, happy baby. She enjoyed the characters and absolutely loved the rides and shows. In fact, she would cry each time the show or ride stopped! It was quite cute! As soon as a show or ride would start...even if she was really fussy...she would immediately stop fussing! It was great! We had extended family with us, so we would all trade off staying with her while we rode rides that she was unable to do. There were so many that she could do though, so that was fun. We took advantage of the baby swap passes, which were a nice option for us also.

Good luck with your trip. I would not hesitate to take a small baby again. It was a blast and much easier than I had anticipated!

 

[Tiffanie]

Wow, thanks so much for all the detail, sounds like you had a great trip with your four month old. I really appreciate all your tips and am looking forward to taking the baby with us. I think he will enjoy it, he is very easy going and with two older brothers, has learned to go with the flow already. It should be a great trip.

 

[Belle72]

We took our then 5 month old ds last April. Our daughter was 4. Brought a sling ( I loved the hotsling at that age!) which was handy- he slept while I climbed in and out of the rides (It's A Small World, Dumbo, etc..) and the shows. Epcot's pavilions required that strollers be left outside too. That way no need to wake him. Plus he felt secure snuggled up to me. We also had the stroller for when he was awake or if we weren't planning on rides. In the restaurants we used the car seat and placed it in the high chair or next to my chair- sometimes he slept. Baby care centers were great. We had baby supplies delivered from a grocery store. Diapers, wipes, disposable bibs so we wouldn't have to pack them.