Tell me how to do it! Traveling with a young baby so your toddler can still go

[disneypolybride2008]

We took an annual trip, sometimes two, to Disney ever since i got the idea to do so when i was in college. Since then we had our first daughter and i was so excited to take her to Disney but we didn't want to go anywhere while pregnant.. i was worried about eating out while pregnant, and just travel in general, then i wanted to wait til she was sleeping through the night to travel, which took a long time, so we felt ready to travel at 21 months, we did a cruise so the room would always be right there. Then we just got back from the most wonderful magical Disney trip with our DD2. It could not have been better.. well if the Polynesian didn't destroy the wedding spot which we wanted to take pictures at. Now we are hopefully pregnant with our next baby but that has me thinking how can i still take DD2 to Disney without the 3 year travel hiatus that we took her? Otherwise, she would be 5 and the new baby would be 2. DH says that is fine with him. But for me, i REALLY look forward to taking her to Disney yearly. I plan to nurse the new baby as long as possible, so that gives me the problem of taking motion sickness medicine, which i would definitely need for the plane ride.

Please share your experience. I saw plenty of people in Disney with a toddler and a baby, but i would like to know the logistics of how it all works so I can convince my DH it can be possible.

 

[melifeld]

Hi!

I cannot speak specifically to traveling with a toddler and a baby, because I only have one child. But here is what I will say...

From the time our DS was born, we decided that where we went he would go too. This includes traveling, amusement parks, cruises, restaurants, etc. We have, of course, had to somewhat modify our schedules to accommodate him, but we have always brought him along. We even took him with us to amusement parks at 6 months old. We hired a sitter to come along with us for part of the day. She sat with him in the shade and catered to him while we went on rides all morning long. Then in the afternoon we dismissed the sitter and spent time together at the park as a family.

As a result, our son is well traveled, well behaved on planes, and well behaved in restaurants, simply because he has been doing these things for his entire life.

I say that if you think you and your DH can handle it, then go for it. I know that I would not want to wait 3 years to go somewhere I love if I can avoid it. And as my DS has gotten older, I do recall that traveling with him when he was a baby was a lot easier than traveling with him as a toddler.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[angelmom27]

Well I nurse and do babywearing. I just had baby #8 in nov and we will be going in may for our family trip. Before then me and my 8 yr old dd will be going for a weekend and baby will of course come too. We have gone with the kids at all stages and it isn't hard. Especially with a baby. They just go where you go and aren't picky about what you do. I would suggest looking into a wrap or ring sling so you can wear baby and have hands free. I still wear my 3 yr old dd when we go to theme parks and DH wears her too.

 

[crayon3448]

I went with just DD at 4 months, and honestly was a very easy trip. She was content in the stroller and when we would get to one area of the park, we'd leave the stroller and use the carrier. It worked out great.

If you are planning on going with an infant and toddler, I would would rather go while the infant is still to young to want get down and crawl/walk. This year DD will be 15 months and wants to go go go!

 

[maplevale]

Our first trip to Disney was when YDD was 9 months (still nursing and napping 2 times a day) and ODD was 4.

It was easy as anything! YDD was content in a stroller or a carrier and we just did a trip that was 100% centric around our ODD. The flight was decently easy (nursed, slept, ripped apart a magazine). She had slept in a playpen several times before (grandma's, friends, hotels) and would just drift off in the stroller. Only tricky part for us was food since she hated jarred baby food, I just had to make sure I ordered something that she could eat (and she did eat some jarred stuff and nursed like crazy all week).

Honestly - the trip was so easy I am scared that I am deluded for our upcoming trip (with a 6 year old, 2.5 year old and 19 weeks PG with #3!)

 

[disneypolybride2008]

wow, even more than 2 kids i can't imagine how that works, but i'm sure it does. i'm excited to read more from you all. thanks!

 

[MSSANDRA]

Second time around you will be more laid back with the baby. You will worry less and trust your instincts more. The baby will learn to sleep through more noise because you have a toddler!!! Nursing and baby wearing will be your friend! You have to go at a toddler pace anyway so a baby will not slow you down too much more.

Talk to you doctor about the medication. Find out how long it stays in your body. You might can pump ahead enough to have milk for her while you are medicated. You might have to pump and dump while on the medication. Just think ahead and introduce her to a bottle early enough that she will accept one for expressed milk. Also consider the wrist pressure point bands and your seat selection on the plane, both can help without medication.

 

[angelmom27]

Check out kellymom.com about meds that you can take while nursing.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

the scolpamine (sea sick patch) is what works best for me and i used it on all 3 trips for the cruise all 8 days, then just for the flights for the rest of the trips and DD did fine with it. It was given to me by my OBGYN but DD was not nursing very much and it says it is a C risk category which makes me nervous to want to use it if i'm using it while nursing a younger baby who would be consuming a lot more milk. It is only a two hour flight so i put it on an hour before and tear it off when we land.

 

[Runnergal]

We just did it with our 4 dc. Baby was no problem at all. I wholeheartedly agree that some sort of carrier is essential. I am not really a fan of them but in WDW they are a must. Also a good easy to wheel double stroller. We have a city mini gt but you can rent one there. Some people like to go back to the resort for naps, but with my luck we get back to the room and no one sleeps so I just let them sleep in the stroller.(the city mini has a full reclinemand a great sunshade.) And I recommend getting an early start each day before the crowds and when energy is high. Another thing is, your toddler doesnt really know what rides they are missing if you dont get to everything. My 2yo was happy as can be riding the tomorrowland people mover with me and the baby while his older brothers did space mountain again and again. We have done disney with an infant several times and really, they are so accommodating as far as bringing strollers into restaurants, high chairs. I don't think you need to worry.

 

[jvz82]

We went when my son was 2 and my daughter was 8 weeks old. It just worked well for us because I was still on maternity leave at that time so no PTO needed at work! Actually she was SUPER easy on the trip! I wore her in a wrap and she was able to go on practically everything with us. I nursed her, and I frequently would nurse her on rides or during shows. It's a Small World was my favorite place to nurse her because it was air conditioned! We started the day early and then went back to the hotel for naps, which was perfect.

We will be hitting Disney again a week from tomorrow! Woohoo! Now my kids are 4.5, 2 (turns 3 next month), and 12 months old. I am slightly more nervous taking my 12 month old because he can't walk, but wants to be on the go crawling around everywhere. I'm not sure how he'll do being confined to the stroller or baby carrier all day! We plan to take a double stroller and a structured baby carrier. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[JEWLSVERN]

We went when my DS was 7 months and my DD turned 3 while we were there. I made sure I had a double stroller and a carrier. I used an Ergo. I really only used the carrier while in lines. I nursed also. I just would find a spot wherever we were to nurse him. I actually never even found the baby station at any park. I also nursed in shows and some Rides like pirates. A nursing cover was my friend. It was a great time for my oldest. She would just nap in the stroller and my DS slept great during the day.

It did take up a lot of time to stop to nurse him and change diapers but it wasn't to bad. The hardest part for me was that he wasn't a good sleeper. We just got a later start each day than we intended.

We are going back this February and now the kids are 6, 4, and almost 2. Thankfully sleeping much better which was my only qualifier to another trip, sleeping all night.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

it is great reading everyone's experiences. glad to hear it is not as hard as it may seem. a must for our DD2 was a harness so she could walk around. She loved the freedom of it and it saved some serious falls!

 

[mousehunter3]

We went when my kids had just turned 1, 4, and 6. It was definitely more work than this time (they are now 5, 8, and 10), but we had a blast! I think the key is to just be prepared with all of the odds and ends you need with babies/toddlers, be flexible with your plans, and move through the day at their pace. I am not one to feel self-conscious about nursing in public, so that was not an issue for me. The hardest part for us was when we would ride back to the resort at the end of the night and all three would fall asleep on the bus. It was definitely comical watching us try to get three sleeping kids, our stoller, and all of our stuff off the bus!

 

[NotUrsula]

Well, my kids are further apart (10 yr. span), but DD made her first trips at 9 weeks, 6 months, 11 mos, and then again at 20 months. She was nursing all those times, though also eating solids for the last two of those trips. All were flights, we parked her in her carseat on board so that the little squirmy worm would stay where we put her.

Honestly, before they are crawling is the very best time, IMO, because they are so little effort if you put them in a sling. Nursing makes it especially easy; no bottles to clean or warm. She easily slept in the stroller, and her big brother was thrilled to death to get "double-fastpasses" for every ride that she was too small to go on. (Remember that you can take a baby on almost all rides that a 3 yo can go on, but a sling makes climbing in and out of a ride with a baby a whole lot easier, because your hands are free.

 

[tourguide81]

Honestly, I don't think it's a big deal at all, but we have continued traveling w/ kids. We went to Disney when DD1 was 3 and DD2 was 4 months. Super, super easy. Must haves were a good double stroller (city mini), baby wearing and being prepared to nurse all over. We went back to the hotel every afternoon for rest time and pool time, so one nap was always in the room.

We often had them sleep in the stroller by 8pm so we could keep walking and enjoying things. We watched fireworks, had ice cream, shopped, etc. all with 2 sleeping kids.

Sure, we had to take turns on a few rides, but it was really no big deal

 

[disneypolybride2008]

i would hope that it is so easy, thank you!