Tips on traveling with infant please!

[QJ411]

In May we'll be visiting WDW w/ our 6 month old DD and we're SOOO excited BUT, we're also very nervous. Because its going to be so different than when DH and I used to go by ourselves...now we have a little one to consider and we're a bit nervous.

Please, if you have any tips on traveling with little ones, may we learn some of your tricks!

We'll be staying at AKL and another DIS'er said they'll provide us w/ a Graco pack n' play but for us to bring sheets for it (totally blew my mind), so we'll definitely remember that one. But its little things like that, I don't want to get down there and then realize...Ooops..I forgot to bring such and such!

So please help! THANKS!

 

[mdhkitten]

Last year I stayed with my dd who was not quite a year at the time, and we were at the Contemporary Resort. We used their pack-n-play, and they provided the sheet, I just brought a small lightweight blanket from home to cover her bottom half (I was a little nervous of covering her up much at that age). I hope that this helps you! Also, she was going through a weird time with naps and such and being cranky at odd times, so we didn't get to do too much with her as far as theme parks went, but still had a good time regardless! The flying with her the first time (when she was 4 months old) was a story in itself! PM me if you'd like to hear my story. Good luck with everything!

 

[DISNEYFOS]

You'll have a blast!

My DD was 4mos on our first trip as a family. I think the majority of the resorts have cribs or pack n plays if you request one... We just brought crib sheets from home.

Not sure if you are nursing or not but We had switched to Formula at that point and we bought little disposable 4 oz bottles with disposable nipples. It was so great to throw a few of them in the diaper bag and go.

Another thing I remember is bring a blanket to drap over the stroller while she naps

We didn't get to do much either but it was great to walk around

 

[mdhkitten]

A couple of other things that I forgot to mention:

For our trip last year we didn't want to drag along our big stroller, so I purchased a Maclaren Quest, and it was a God send! It's similar to an umbrella stroller, but much nicer. Has a shade, small basket, rain cover, and reclines. Plus, it folds like a dream! It was so nice to have this stroller when you needed something easy to fold at the airport or on the buses at WDW.


Another thing is if you aren't wanting to pack a bunch of baby supplies, go to www.jetsetbabies.com . They have every baby thing that you can imagine for purchase and deliver to your hotel. We won't be using them because we're renting a towncar to get to the hotel from the airport and they include a grocery store stop for free, but it's a neat site!

 

[Ariel8676]

Going to WDW with an infant is easier than when they get older..lol. I have 3 dd's 4,3, and 5 months and they were all there for the first time around 2-3 months old.
Take it easy, make sure the baby doesn't get too hot..if you have a hot day put a small towel under the baby in the stroller. You can take the the baby on most rides there, and the bigger rides have the baby swap.
I always make sure i bring some tylenol, gas drops..stuff like that , just in case. Of course, hats, sunscreen.
Make sure you get some down time with the baby..What we usually do is..get up early and get to the parks before the crowds and before it gets hot, then eat some lunch and then go back to the resort..swim, nap whatever..then get back to the parks around dinner eat walk around, ride some more and depending on the baby and park hours possibly watch the fireworks.
Good luck and have fun! also flying doesn't have to be bad, i have never had a bad flyinh experience with any of my girls.Just relax, make sure you feed her taking off and landing..and if she cries than oh well..lol.

 

[Nanu57v]

We took DD when she was 9 months old. One suggestion I make is to take the stroller baby is used to. DD would just lean back and take a nap when she was tired. We have a Graco Quattro Tour. We were nursing and it was so convenient to use the baby stations. Also, not sure if you'll have started baby food yet, but we just asked for a mug of hot water and dropped the jar in that to warm it up. Also, you'll want a rain cover for the stroller. We got ours off of ebay.

We did a grocery stop with our towncar service to buy diapers, baby food, wipes, and water so we didn't have to lug it down.

 

[QJ411]

Thanks everyone for the tips...I will be bringing our own stroller. I am a bit paranoid of someone stealing it...but it's DISNEY WORLD...right? Who the heck would do that?

We have the Maclaren global and we love it; so hopefully it'll be ok. And thanks for the site MDHKitten!!! I'll definitely check it out!

We started feeding her baby food, so that's another we have to lug...but she also drinks her formula also...I have to find a small cooler to hold her bottle cool.

I think we will be making a few trips back and forth though, I think most of the time we'll be at the resort pool....I just wish that there was another kind of transportation from AKL to the parks...

Thanks again! I love these tips!

 

[DisneyPhD]

A few things.

AKL busses are great because they don't share with anyone else and it is a "small" resort. You are more likely to get a set everytimes and have room for the stroller.

If you have a rain cover for the stroller this can save a trip. In May, you might not need it.

We always like to "pad" the pack and play with a folded blanket from home. If not they have one in the coset you can use. Those pack and plays have very thin matress. Also be sure to bring a blanket and lovey from home to make it smell and feel like home.

Bring baby food, or stop and get some if you baby is eating soilds. You can get a number of things at the baby care cents at each park. Be sure to visit them. I like the one at AKL the best personally. Try not to have to buy dipars there if you can avoid it. (or and bring your own swim dipars too.)

Bring some kind of carrier. I like baby bjiorn, but I hear slings are nice too.

Try our sun screen out ahead of time to be sure it doesn't bother baby's skin.


Have fun, we will be there in May too (6th to 12th.)

 

[bean]

We went last year with our DD (3 months) and DD 2. The best places we found were the Baby Care centers in the parks. They were cool, great for a break, well stocked with supplies, and the CMs were very nice. We also loved our stroller (Maclaren Quest), but also relied heavily on the wrap (mei tai baby carrier). It was great for waiting in lines and if she needed a little cuddle. For the water parks I used a solarveil sling made of SPF 45 fabric. It was very hot when we went in August so we also used our mister fans a lot. Relax! You'll have an amazing time! best of luck and have fun!

 

[QJ411]

A few things.

AKL busses are great because they don't share with anyone else and it is a "small" resort. You are more likely to get a set everytimes and have room for the stroller.

If you have a rain cover for the stroller this can save a trip. In May, you might not need it.

We always like to "pad" the pack and play with a folded blanket from home. If not they have one in the coset you can use. Those pack and plays have very thin matress. Also be sure to bring a blanket and lovey from home to make it smell and feel like home.

Bring baby food, or stop and get some if you baby is eating soilds. You can get a number of things at the baby care cents at each park. Be sure to visit them. I like the one at AKL the best personally. Try not to have to buy dipars there if you can avoid it. (or and bring your own swim dipars too.)

Bring some kind of carrier. I like baby bjiorn, but I hear slings are nice too.

Try our sun screen out ahead of time to be sure it doesn't bother baby's skin.


Have fun, we will be there in May too (6th to 12th.)

We'll be there from May 20 - 22 only...but we can't wait! I just bought a pack of baby swim diapers and I thought about buying another pack, but I thought there's 12 in the pack...and we're only there for a few days so it should be enough.

I have the Baby Bjorn and she's old enough to face outwards so I'm gonna rely on that and her stroller most of the time. I also have a hip sling that I'm gonna bring for 'just incase'...I KNOW I'll over pack, but I'd rather over pack than end up needing something. I didn't know they had baby care stations! That's neat...and I never noticed, but I'm sure the changing tables in the parks' restrooms are nice.

I hope we pack enough!!!

 

[DisneyPhD]

We'll be there from May 20 - 22 only...but we can't wait! I just bought a pack of baby swim diapers and I thought about buying another pack, but I thought there's 12 in the pack...and we're only there for a few days so it should be enough.

I have the Baby Bjorn and she's old enough to face outwards so I'm gonna rely on that and her stroller most of the time. I also have a hip sling that I'm gonna bring for 'just incase'...I KNOW I'll over pack, but I'd rather over pack than end up needing something. I didn't know they had baby care stations! That's neat...and I never noticed, but I'm sure the changing tables in the parks' restrooms are nice.

I hope we pack enough!!!

Don't worry if you don't pack enough, you will be fine. one package of swim dipars should be fine. Bring your own infant tylonal and Mortrain though.

The baby care station at MK is right near CP, it is nice. The one at MGM is easy to miss, right was you walk in to the left in the same building as guest relations. Easy to miss, not much too it. Epcot is of in a corner so to speak, on a walkway between Test Track and Mexico. Still a pretty nice place. AK is to the left of the bridge before going over to Africa (before Tusker Place.)

Have a great time, take lots of pictures.

Oh one last tip. TTA never has a wait and is a great place for a good relaxing sit down. It gets dark in places, having something small with a light can help in all the rides that gets dark. We got a winnie the pooh spinner when my oldest was a baby and we still have it. We just change the batteries and bring it every trip. When my kids were babies they loved TTA (and still do now.) If you ride it twice in a row it almost never fails to put them to sleep (just ask, the CM never have a problem with this.)

 

[amarberry]

My DD has been to WDW at 4 mo., 14 mo, and 18 mo. (and will be returning at 26 mo.!). I just wanted to second (or third) the Baby Bjorn suggestion. We couldn't live without it at WDW or any other vacation for that matter. Definitely check out the Baby Care Centers. I'm a little germaphobic, but IMHO the changing tables in the regular bathrooms weren't always the greatest. We used them in a pinch, but we always made a point to stop for a diaper change if we were walking by the Baby Care Centers.

The only other thing that I would recommend is this:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t.../102-9257803-3376929?v=glance&s=baby&n=542446

It's called a Ray Shade and it fastens to your stroller. When baby is sleeping, you can pull it down and it maked a nice little UV protected tent for your child. I actually saw a bunch of people using them on our trip with DD when she was 14 mo. and bought one for our next trip. It worked a lot better than a blanket because we didn't have to worry about a breeze blowing the blanket off.

Have a great trip!

 

[Nanu57v]

Queenie--Two ideas--YOu mentioned about a cooler to keep formula cold. Why not pre measure the powder into a bottle and then bring bottled water separately? That way you don't have to lug a cooler?

Second, I labeled my stroller with a luggage tag with my name, address, and phone # and I always locked the wheels when the stroller was parked. I figured if someone was going to steal a stroller they might pick one that they didn't have to figure out the breaks. I read most stroller 'thefts' were due to identical strollers being mistaken.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

Just another idea for the formula/cooler problem. I ordered a case of 4oz Ready to feed bottles of her Isomil Formula from Ross Home Delivery. DD didn't have any trouble drinking them at room temp..So you just popped off the cap and screwed on the disposable nipple...and Wa la!

Not sure what Formula you use but here's the website for Ross http://rosstore.com/pediatric.cfm?OrderID=0 The other manufacturers might have something similar..

 

[QJ411]

Thanks for the formula tips, she's used to the ready mix bottles so we were quite unsucccessful with the powder mix so that's why we'd thought about finding a little bottle cooler. I will look at the Ross site DISNEYFOS (she uses Similac also) and see if they have the right amount in individual servings, I didn't think of that. She doesn't mind it at room temp. but she takes 5 oz, so I think the individual servings are 4 oz? I gotta double check, but I didn't think of that...cool, thanks!

I'm really begining to think that we'll be taking it easy most of the time and just hang by the pool or walking around. DH said he doesn't care as long as he gets to try Everest...

And Nanu57m thanks for the tip on labeling the stroller, I'm gonna be sure to do that...its mostly psychological...I'm sure I can put a lo-jack on that thing, if someone really wants it (I have NO IDEA who the heck would), they'd easy take it no matter what!

Amarberry:: Thanks for the link, I will pick that up, I never saw it before and the shade cover on the Maclaren is pretty big, but not big enough to cover her on sunny days...so that's a must! THANKS!

I love all these ideas, every night DH comes and asks me so any new tips we should follow from the DIS? LOL...the info we learn from this board is PRICELESS!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

The deal with the Pack n' Play sheets is about SIDS, so for those with a child old enough to be past that danger it isn't super important to bring your own. The sheet that the hotel will provide is usually a flat double sheet like they use on beds, just folded down -- which would be too loose to be safe for a very young infant.

My best tip is one that people tell me is odd, but I found that they were worth their weight in gold while travelling: 2-3 flat cloth diapers, the thin kind. You can use them for an enormous number of things, from serious cleanup to sunshades to light blankets to emergency clothing. Take a couple of binder clips to make the diapers more versatile. Also, if your ped approves sunscreen, a wax stick makes it easy to apply to delicate baby parts.

If you are flying, your carryon should contain 24 hours worth of formula, diapers, food and clothing for baby, plus a full change of clothing for both parents, plus several large ziplocs and a big pack of wipes. You never know when there could be a major flight delay, or a major spit-up disaster. This *is* super important -- you usually cannot buy baby necessities in an airport.