taking 17 mo DS in 19 days!

[E(ticket)lizabeth]

Some of the advice here for the plane ride has been really helpful, so I thought I'd just go ahead and post for our situation. (I actually tried to post earlier, but the message isn't here, and my later message is. If I double post, I'm sorry, but I don't think so--we were having some connectivity issues!

So, we thought we'd be staying at a DVC or FW, but my DVC friend was too slow on deciding how many points to let us have, and everything is booked. We have 2 rooms at ASMu Dec. 3-11 (yup-- Pop Warner week! ) for me, DH, DS (17 mos on Dec. 2), and MIL. We've requested connecting rooms, which are marked as "guaranteed for families" on our ressies, so that's good. We'll miss the kitchen of FW, but we'll manage. So, the questions are:

1. anyone know where I can find a "baby" sized rain poncho? The last Dec. trip we made, it rained 6 of the 8 days we were in the parks, and I don't want my little guy to get wet!

2. we decided not to buy DS his own seat on the airplane. I now wish we had because I think he'd be happier in his car seat for the 3-hr flight. Actually, I think he'd really be happier crawling around on the floor (yeah, I know, he's nearly 17 mos old and still crawling! What am I to do about it? He's able, he just doesn't care to walk! ). So, to keep him occupied , we'll take our laptop and some movies--but he's never worn headphones. Do you think he'll keep them on so he can hear the movie, or will we have to just turn the volume up and let the whole plane listen to Finding Nemo or whatever? We're also going to get some toys just for the trip, both quiet ones for the plane and things with all the bells & whistles for the room!

3. Quiet spots in each park for stroller naps? I don't think there's any way we can manage to get him back to the room for BOTH his naps each day, and he still really needs that morning one, just 2-3 hours after he wakes up from his night's sleep. When he was littler, he slept quite well in the stroller, but now, he gets distracted so easily . . . I know we could always take him to the Baby Center, but if we're on the far side of a park, that may not be feasible. What has worked for you?

4. DS keeps getting colds , and I'm worried about him getting ear pain on the flight. Do earplanes really work? He doesn't really eat anything like gummi candy yet, so I'm not sure that would work for us. He does drink from a straw, but how do I convince him he needs to drink lots right NOW? I can always start the decongestant a day or 2 before we leave if that seems like a good idea!

5. Any other advice? We're already planning on getting his hair cut on Main St. and going to Dumbo & the carousel with him. We'll take nap breaks every afternoon (for all of us!), and most nights he won't be up late (although we are all going to MVMCP, Illuminations, and SpectroMagic/Wishes during the trip, so those 3 nights--which are spaced out pretty evenly over the trip--will be late for everyone). Anything else we should especially try? Anything that was particularly memorable for you (good or bad) I should know?

Thanks much! I can't believe how soon we leave!

 

[nicolem]

I don't have a lot of advice for you, but we are in an identical situation: we'll be there one week after you - Dec 11-16, and DS will be 17mo on Dec 9. I'm anxious to find out about all of these things too - particularly quiet places for stroller naps!

 

[liamandcaili]

Well, I don't have answers to all your questions, but maybe I can help with some.

My children have always been good about drinking from sippy cups or juice boxes when the plane takes off and lands. When we took DS when he was 13 months, he was still drinking bottles, so we made sure he was ready for one at take-off and landing. Our last trip, DS (now 6) complained of ear pain when we were in the parks the evening after our flight. I gave him three drops of Similasan (it can be found with the other eardrop products) and he was fine after that. In fact, I always use this with my children when they have ear problems, and so far, it has been successful. Before I started using this DS would develop many ear infections.

As for quiet walks, there is always a lot going on at Disney, but my children tend to drift off when we take longer walks. If you're at MK, for example, you might want to walk over to Mickey's Toontown, which is a little farther away from Fantasyland. When DS wakes up, you can take him to the playground there, which is perfect for children his size...only children under 3 allowed, I think. My DS loved it there, and really learned to walk by watching the other children. Epcot is very spread out, so there is plenty of opportunity for walking. AK has plenty of trails you can take the stroller along. MGM is smaller, but there isn't much there for a 17 mo. We skipped MGM entirely when DS was 13 mos.

Have a great time!

 

[horsegirl]

One of the quiet places we found at MK was Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn Island in Adventureland near Splash Mountain. It was an oasis! There is a little spot there with rockers an a checkerboard. You take a little boat over which our older kids loved.

 

[staci]

1. Not a poncho, but make sure to have a stroller rain cover. We had one and ds just rode it out during the rain.

2. We didnt use headphones. I found that sitting in the seat right next to him, it was hard to hear the volume over the hum of the plane. Just keep it down low and you should be fine. We were using a dvd player not our laptop but I cant imagine it would be any different. The videos were a lifesaver.

3. It was still hot when we went, so I found that I was usually able to walk around the inside of a counter service restuarant right at 10:45-11 before the crowds hit and that way ds could fall asleep out of the sun and in the air conditioning. We also had great luck with the monorail putting him to sleep. The shops at WS put him to sleep too.

4. Have you tried the gerber graduates fruit snacks? They are much softer and easier to chew than traditional ones. They are the only ones I allow ds to eat. Also, we got a couple of 'fun' suckers, ds got tired of them quickly, but they did work for a short amount of time. Also, ds NEVER gets a bottle at home, but he will ALWAYS drink out of one when offered, so we brought 2 old gerber bottles for the plane and filled them with 1/2 juice/1/2 water. He rarely gets juice either so this was a special treat He never took it out of his mouth until it was gone! I took a whole pack of juiceboxes and found them very handy in the hotel room without a fridge we didnt always have milk available, and so with the juice we always had something to offer.

 

[mcgrawfan]

Our DD turned 1 on our trip and these are some things we found useful. We did stay at a DVC resort so the kitchen and laundry in the room was very handy. We didn't take any in room nap breaks except for the day of MNSSHP. Otherwise she would fall asleep in the stroller or on a dark ride and we would put her in the stroller. Remember the time of year you will be going the parks close a lot earlier than in the summer so a nap may cut into your park time. Just figure out what works best with your child's napping. We took the Pampers Bibsters (disposable bibs) and the First Years Take and Toss sippy cups so we could just throw them away if needed. We took snacks, but she mostly ate what we were snacking on at the time. PM me if you have any questions.