traveling with 8 month old

[inloveindisney]

Any tips for traveling with an 8 month old? What can I expect? How will it be different than going without a baby? Anything I should keep in mind?

 

[rrobin3051]

Well the youngest I have taken was 16 months, but I would figure 8 months would be easier. I just got back and our youngest will be 2. I find it enjoyable and challenging. I love it though. Mine were big nappers in their cribs but suprisingly did quite well in the stroller. Our almost 2 year old is very stubborn and independent but did very well in disney. I think there is so much to see and do they dont whine as much. I took afternoon breaks and went back after dinner and stayed very late. I love disney at night. One thing is not easy to ride the train for transportation or the tram. I opted to walk in instead of folding the stroller. And we had more bag checks because of the baby. I took a bookbag instead of diaper bag worked out very well. I had my expensive camera in the bookbag, so on rides I just threw the bookbag over my shoulders easier to cary than a diaper bag slipping off my shoulder. Good luck and have fun...

 

[Nanu57v]

We took DD at 9 months...differences were we were pushing a stroller around and had to stop to nurse her and feed her. Other than that we had no restrictions other than baby swap on thriller rides. Its fun!

 

[msmayor]

We took our son when he was 10 months old, and he did just great.

We made sure we had a good reclining stroller for him so he could nap comfortably when he was tired. I carried light blankets and clothespins so I could shield him better from the sun while lying down (the pins also worked great for holding the park maps on the open hood of the stroller!)

I carried 8oz. cans of ready-to-use formula for him. They required no refrigeration, so I could just toss them in the diaper bag and open/pour into a clean bottle when he was ready. I know others have used powder, and mixed with water when ready to feed, but I was concerned about how his system would handle 'foreign' water. Better safe than sorry.

I always made SURE that he ate when he was used to eating...every meal. Didn't matter where we were or what we were doing. If it was time for lunch, either DH or I would find a shady spot to feed him while the other continued touring with our then 3-year old, or everyone stopped to eat. Again, our son was very used to a pretty standard schedule and keeping to that kept him happy. That makes everyone happy.

We carried plenty of diapers, extra clothes, and even jammies if we knew we'd be touring late. Carried two washclothes and a travel-size baby bath for cleanups if we chose to put him in his jammies. (he'd get a bath in the morning) This way, he could be completely ready for bed the minute we hit the hotel room.

 

[babystar]

I went with my daughter in May this year and she was 8 months old. She was fab, loved just watching everyone else and was amazed by the characters. My advise would be a comfy stroller that reclines for napping on the go and we found that trying to keep our daughter in her usual routine stopped any grumps!

 

[blessedby3]

The trip we took when our youngest was 10 mos was one of the easiest ever. She would either ride in the stroller or the frontpack and she was so easy. She wasnt mobile yet and that helped. We are taking our 3 1/2 month old this Jan. and Im thinking it should be just as easy. I will be nursing her so no formula or food to worry about. Babies are so portable!! Have a great trip with your little one.

 

[MeLaNie9]

We just took 2 trips with our 8 month old. First, I would recommend keeping your baby on his/her same "schedule" as much as possible...we thought "oh isn't it great that he is sleeping throughout this entire car ride, no crying, no need for me to go into the back seat to entertain him". Well, bad idea - he slept almost the whole way (woke up twice to eat over about 7 hours) and he was awake the whole night - and I mean the WHOLE NIGHT. Since it was the very first night of our week-long trip we were pretty much exhausted for the rest of the trip! Second, definitely have a stroller that your kiddo can nap in (to help keep on that schedule while in the parks). Also, expect some difficulty getting to sleep at night if he/she is in a strange crib/pack-n-play. Our first son never had any problems traveling and sleeping in the pack-n-play at our destinations, but our younger son is definitely different and a bit more "high-maintenance" when it comes to sleeping. Lastly, I would recommend giving your baby some time to do the things that he/she does - our DS was crawling at 6 months and so on these trips, we really had to let him crawl about for awhile (even on the beach with sand going hand to mouth!) or he would be super cranky. He just couldn't stay confined to the stroller all the time or he was miserable! Good luck and have fun!