"The Kingdom" and babies

[AreWeThereYet]

OK, so DW and I decide to start over again and adopt an infant. So we have a trip planned to The World for May, but we feel a bit unprepared for the trip this time because DD's have been there so many times (they will be 12 and 14) and we will have a little one with us this time.

What are some of the things we should plan on needing to bring with us on our trip? We are staying at BCV and I believe I remember seeing a "pack-n-play" in our room last year. Things I am thinking we need are a stroller, crib (if one not available), and my list stops there. You can say we're a little out of practice with infants, so any advice on things to make sure we bring with us is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[pmcpmc]

great idea! Adopt a Baby so you can start Disney all over again.

 

[SalandJeff]

I love your post....we are hoping to complete our adoption of our first child before the next trip in October, so I will be following this thread and reading any info you receive with great interest.

Congratulations on the newest member of your family!

 

[PamOKW]

Sorry I can't offer advice beyond confirming that Pack 'n Plays are always available.

But I can say, WOW and CONGRATULATIONS to the whole family.

 

[stacy6552]

It depends on the age of the baby. Here's my essential list:

Backpack diaperbag from sportbaby. The website is gone, which is probably not good news. But if you can get your hands on one, its awesome. The thing that sets it apart from other good backpacks is the changing pad that unfolds and is attached to the bag so you cant loose it.

If the baby cant sit up in a highchair, then bring a lightweight stroller with removable snack trays, reclinging seat, canopy, and big basket. Wrap some neon tape around the handle so you can see it in a crowd.

If the baby cant sit in the high chair bring the baby carseat carrier and buy a stroller frame for it from baby trend. Its very lightweight so you can haul it onto bosses and such. Evenflos carseat will fit into the tops of WDWs wooden highchairs. If you have a different one, simply turn the highchair upsidedown and fit the seat into the base.

Buy a baby bjorn carrier and bring it with you for lines and shows and other places you cant bring the stroller into.

If the baby is eating fingerfoods, get some table toppers from the right start. They are presterilized matts that stick to the table, so baby can eat anywhere.

Sunscren with parsol1789. Hats with soft brims that wont be uncomfortable is baby crashes out on your sholder.

You wont need to bring a crib, but I would bring your own sheet for the pack-n-play.

ziplock sandwhich bags are great to keep with you incase things get too wet or yuckie.

A rain cover for the stroller. cover it anytime you leave it unattended. we learned this the hard way. should you not heed this warning and come out of Buzz Lightyear Spin to find your stroller rain-soaked, remove the stroller seat pad, and used diapers to dry the stroller to put baby in.

Have fun!

 

[Patricia721]

Congratulations! You're obviously very special people!

We stayed at BWV in a one bedroom in December. There was a pak n play and a high chair in our one bedroom. Our 6 month old grandson could not sleep in the pak n play - we called housekeeping and they delivered a full size crib to our room that day. I believe there are a limited number of them available. There was no charge - but it only came with one crib sheet. You might want to pack some crib size blankets & extra crib sheets. Of course with the washer & dryer, it was very easy to wash his clothes (we brought a small container of baby detergent with us). The dishwasher was very handy for washing bottles/nipples, etc. We also boiled tap water for his formula -- sometimes a change in water can make them sick. We also noticed that the small gift shop in the BWV had a small amount of baby supplies - wipes, jars of baby food & cereal (expensive but if you need it, you need it!). There is a Winn Dixie close by where you could could disposable diapers, etc.

Have a great time!

 

[stacy6552]

woops I forgot a few....

enfamil makes great single serving packets of powdered formula which are way lighter to lug around than cans.

Also, please please please buy that preciious baby a plane ticket if you fly and put him in a FAA approved for flight carseat on the flight. the right start sells a great carseat duffle bag for hauling the seat around the airport in, too.

 

[crazywig]

Originally posted by stacy6552
It depends on the age of the baby. Here's my essential list:

Backpack diaperbag from sportbaby. The website is gone, which is probably not good news. But if you can get your hands on one, its awesome. The thing that sets it apart from other good backpacks is the changing pad that unfolds and is attached to the bag so you cant loose it.

stacy has some great advice.

babytrend makes a backpack called 'activpak' that has the attached pad. i used mine in wdw last year. loved it. they can be found at babies r us.

i wouldn't recommend using the infant carrier all day. it is not recommended to have infants stay in their carseats for more than 2hrs at a time. a good stroller with full flat recline is essential stacy is dead on, make sure it's lightweight. (check the family board for recommendations!)

i bought my can of formula after we got there, and then had one of those dividers that hold pre-measured powder and took that to the parks. you can get them at walmart. (much cheaper than the enfamil packets). i also brought enough diapers for one day and bought the rest when we got there. shlepping baby stuff around airports, etc. is no fun. plus it's a space saver.

my ds was 9 months when we went in jan03 and i was amazed that it was easier than i thought it would be! he'll be 2 yrs when we go in june and i know that's going to be tough!


congratulations and have fun!

 

[Jacksmom99]

Congrats on your new addition!!!

I would add a clip on fan for the stroller. My DD always got hot sitting in her car seat/stroller. Don't let this list overwhlem you....you'll be back in the swing of things soon enough!!!

 

[FriendsOfEeyore]

All Great Ideas!!!!

We always measured our dry formula in a clean bottle and packed those for the day. Then we would bottled water to mix. A perfect quick cold formula for baby. Also, there is bound to be extra cold water for mommy and daddy.

Don't forget to check each park's maps for the Family Care Centers. These are some of the best onsite areas to care for you baby while in the parks. Air Conditioned. Always Staffed. Always steralizing as soon as you someone else finishes. Rocking chairs. Limited Supplies for purchase. Videos for other kids to watch while you care for baby.

We took our then 14mo last May. It was by far out best trip ever!

Edward

OH WAIT: We have a backpack Diaper Bag by Eddie Bauer. It also has the changing pad, and clip if you choose to use it. We do not, but if can helpful for some. You have a lot things to keep track of with baby.

 

[mwstar]

Congratulations on your new addition! We too just adopted a toddler from China. She turns 2 on Friday. We just returned from
China in August. We have an 11 1/2 year old. How old is your daughter? We were just at VWL before Christmas. There is a pack and play in the closets there. We bought an inflatable mini
bed for our daughter from the Right Start Catalog for our travels.
It has 4 inch sides but is nice and soft. It is not as confining and there for not as scarey. Our daughter is a great sleeper, but
we have tried twice to use a crib and or pack and play in a hotel and both time she did not sleep well. We took a small down blanket and put it over the inflatable bed so it was nice and cozy.
She slept like a rock. We also bring our own stroller vs renting one. Easier to move around, plus we have it for downtown disney and at the resort. Personal decision though. Got to run
but if I think of anything else, I'll let you know.
Happy New Year 2004 Year of the Monkey!

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by AreWeThereYet
You can say we're a little out of practice with infants, so any advice on things to make sure we bring with us is greatly appreciated.

 

[Laurabearz]

Have you heard of A Baby's Best Friend They are wonderful! We rent a lot of extra baby equipment from them. We Could not have surivied our last trip with an excersauser!

They also rent strollers, cribs, TOYS, and lots of other things. Everything is waiting for you when you check in, everything is super clean and in great condtion.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

Originally posted by mwstar
Congratulations on your new addition! We too just adopted a toddler from China. She turns 2 on Friday. We just returned from
China in August. We have an 11 1/2 year old. How old is your daughter?

Two DDs 14 and 12 next month. Our little guy is coming home from Russia (with love) and we hope to get him home by the time he's 7 months old. As you can imagine (or experienced) it will definitely be a different trip this time. Good thing is we have two girls that will love taking care of the baby, and DW likes to relax on vacation so it may be me and the girls at the parks, mom and baby at the pool or relaxing in the room.

We have absolutely no plans as to what we're doing each day or how long we'll stay at the parks, but last time (last May/June) we weren't at any park for more than five hours at a time so it will probably work out well.

Stroller question: bring our own or rent? I think I'd prefer to bring our own but what's the general concensus?

All the recommendations have been great so far - keep them coming.

Also, thanks for all the kind words regarding the adoption. It's been a nine year journey for us. We're excited to complete the process in the next few weeks.


Dave

 

[FriendsOfEeyore]

Stroller: Rent vs. BYO

I say bring your own. #1, it is yours and you are probably use to it. #2, it can be helpful at the airport if you are flying. #3, while it may look like another stroller @ WDW, it won't look like the majority! And WDW staff are constantly moving the strollers that are left outside of attractions. It can be very difficult to always have to run around and check every single name tag on the stroller.


Another Weird Suggestion: Bring a Blanket. If your stroller has a canopy, you can pin or drape the blanket to / from the canopy to provide NECESSARY shade for baby.

Edward

 

[floridafam]

Congratulations!

 

[bjakmom]

Congratulations! This trip I'm taking my 4.5 mos old granddaughter, so I've been getting ready, too! I found a smaller stroller than the one my daughter has that the car seat will still sit in - ditto on getting a plane seat for the baby - we were involved in an 'emergency landing' situation when my DS was 5 mos old and travelling in my lap - never again !!! The seat is well worth the price as it is the ONLY way a baby is safe in any emergency situation!! I found a great canvas bag for the stroller so that I can take it right to the plane entrance and then check it there - they bring it right back to you when you de-plane - I do not want to have to carry the car seat through the airport! I also have a plastic rainguard for the carriage - since you are going in the warmer weather, be sure and bring netting for the carriage also to protect your little one from the mosquitoes/bugs (there's a lot of them in Fla). I also just found a fleece blanket made with a neck strap (for your neck not theirs) and elastic edges that fits around the baby either in the stroller or in the baby bjorn- easier than tucking in or holding a blanket! All these other tips are great - have a wonderful time!
PS: My daughters were 12 and 10 when DS was born - what a joy! to us all - they loved taking care of and travelling with him!!

 

[Granny]

Congratulations on your forthcoming addition to the family!

I have no clue as to what you might need, but here's a link from Deb Will's site that might be helpful...

http://allearsnet.com/pl/infant.htm

 

[stacy6552]

bring the stroller. bring bring bring........scanning the babiesrus.com site, only quickly, the one I saw that looks perfect is the "Saratoga" by Graco. Its got all the features that I love in our's. In fact I suspect this is the newer model of ours.

The rentals wont be comfotable for one so small and they will be expensive to rent every day of your trip.

Travel tip: remove the cupholders and pack them (we usually carry them in the carseat duffle. That way they cant be broken while gatechecked.

 

[AreWeThereYet]

We are driving down to Disney as well, so we will have the ability to bring whatever we want from home. My wife says I am going to make you all think we are crazy for asking such a question - we really aren't crazy. I'm sure she would think of everything but it's always good to ask a few friends for their experiences and what worked for them.

Keep it coming!