Travelling with a Baby (3 mths old) ???

[Rascal1003]

Hi All,
First trip to WDW since the arrival of Baby Morgan so we are looking for any tips/experiences from those who have taken infants across the pond.

We are flying with Virgin and are DVC members so will be staying at Saratoga Springs, however, we are first-timers with a baby. It is actually our 4th trip, but this time we have a whole new set of challenges.

Any advice from any parents would be very much appreciated.

Regards,
Russ

 

[shellbelle1971]

Fellow DVC/Saratoga Springs-er and Yankee here, and mother of 7 who has taken <1 year olds to both Europe and Asia many times.

Here's my list for the big flight...in addition to all the normal stuff like diapers (you call them nappies, I think) wipes, spare clothes for you and baby, snacks, small toys, etc.:

1. Request a bulkead seat with a bassinette (I think you Brits call them cots or mini cots.) They work great so long as your baby still fits in them. Even if baby is too large to sleep in it, though, they often still find it a great place to sit and play, which gives your arms a nice break. Nearly all transatlantic flights and all classes of service have them, but sometimes there are only one or two, so be sure to get your request in as soon as you can--before some other intrepid traveller can get it first!

2. We keep ear numbing drops (the label says "Antipyrine and Benzocaine Otic Solution USP" whatever that means ) in the diaper bag, which work very well if your baby seems to be sensitive to altitude changes, but they do take some time to work, so don't wait until you're on the way up to put them in baby's ears. If your baby is breastfed, she or he can nurse on the way up and down, too, which greatly eases any discomfort. If not, I hear having a bottle ready works pretty well, although you can end up in trouble if you give the bottle too soon and run out before you get in the air! (All the airlines can warm a bottle or baby food for you.)

3. This is very controversial here, but on our pediatrician's suggestion, we always give our littlest one 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (I think that's about 1 to 3 ml?) of Benadryl (also sold as diphenhydramine) about 10 minutes before the flight. Baby usually sleeps well for up to six hours as soon as the benadryl kicks in.

4. Not really for the flight, but if you and your sweetie want some "time out" without baby while in Orlando, I highly recommend the Fairy Godmothers' service. Our children have always had very good experiences with them!

If you have any other questions about how we manage things, feel free to PM me!

Michelle

 

[Midnight Belle]

I have travelled with youngsters and I would take the following:-
1) Small cartons of baby milk (this is fine to take on the plane and through customs provided they are unopened.
2) Calpol (just in case baby is poorly).
3) Change of clothes for baby and for you!
4) The obvoius ones like nappies, wipes and baby cream. (I always took enough of these to cover me for the duration of the holiday so I new my child would not get a reaction to any the baby wipes used in the States, I found the ones in the UK to be much softer on the skin. Nappies again are cheaper here and and least you now which ones are good, although they do sell Huggies over there.
5) I have three children in total and I have never dosed them up just to get a few minutes peace I know a lot do but I am just a worrier and I would rather they have something for being unwell, rather than just for my needs. My friend travelled to Australia and the Pharmacist at Sainsburys provided something that would help her child sleep if needed (this would probably be a better option to go and ask your local pharmacist to see if they can recommend something). You will probably find the 3month old will be fine and will not need dosing on anything, mine were all very good at that age but got slightly worse around the 2-3 age!!.

6) Take some juice with you (I brought my from boots chemist) enabling a change from milk as the baby may need other refreshments.

7) As regards to ear pressure I would not worry again, if your baby has a dummy this will suffice or alternatively sucking on some juce at this time will help.

Hope this helps, any other questions please feel free to ask.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

We took our son at three months old to Florida as a bit of R & r for the wife.
All suggestions above are good, you will be supplied with a bassinet but be prepared to spend a lot of time taking baby in and out of the bassinet if you hit turbulance. As soon as the seat belt sign comes on you will have to remove baby from the bassinet.

Virgin are very good at staggering your food supply, i.e. one of you can eat then the other.

They do have some nappies on board but are not normally we found the right size for little ones.

We took boiled water and powder mix for the flight, mixing when required.
We also too our own pushchair and cot for the car, putting that and a load of nappies etc into a Slazenger cricket bag put into the hold and enough nappies for an 8 hour flight into a flight bag.

One other thing. this may be telling you to suck eggs,
When you get out to florida, the sun and even in cloudy conditions is too much for a baby of that ages skin, so ALWAYS keep baby under shade even if it means you don't get to see all of the parks this trip. Use it as a place for rest for you (mum) and not the normal hot manic hike that WDW normally is

 

[clairelovesorlando]

We are going in december our son will be 8 months then i thought you were not allowed to take cartons of ready made milk through customs.

 

[jakereese]

We travelled to orlando when my son was 7 months old. I was allowed to take the ready made milk in, but they confiscated any jar of baby food that had meat in it. We had no worries though as baby took to american brand formula and foods straight away. Make sure you book the bassinete seat well in advance as it is very hard to get, and makes the trip a whole lot easier. With the bassinete seat mum and dad also get a lot of extra leg room.

 

[stevechase]

I agree with the ready made milk, I think the Cow and Gate do small cartons, we got a load of that and also some heinz puddings. Josh was 8 months when we went to Tunisia so it wasnt too bad. Cuba was more difficult as he was nearly 2 and god forbid, MOBILE!

have a great time

Steve

 

[jools]

I agree all the advice given so far is good. Just like to add when you are there make full use of the Baby Care Centres within the Disney theme parks, the facilities are excellent.

 

[Rascal1003]

Thank you everybody, some really great advice there and very much noted.

We are not on a manic park-seeing holiday this time around. We plan to spend a lot of time around the pool and in the Saratoga Springs Resort as it will be our first stay there as DVC members and just looking forward to the break.
We have been to Orlando enough as a couple not o worry about all the parks, so are planning to just probably visit MK and AK for the relaxed stroll and a bit of Disney shopping. The rest really depends on the baby, probably a bit of retail therapy in the malls to avoid the sun if required, but mainly R&R after a busy year and a reward to my wonderful wife for her hard work bringing him into the world.

It is so exciting being back on DisBoards and planning for our next vacation in only 7 weeks.....WooohhooooooooO !!!

 

[Clare D]

I would also check out where your nearest supermarket is so that you can stock up on nappies and baby milk. I am sure that buying off site will be cheaper than buying in stores on Disney property. When we travelled with DS I took enough nappies to get me over there and for a day and then bought them from the s'market. Taking a pack from here wieghs quite a bit otherwise in your case. Also try Milton sterilising tablets. I found them very convenient.

I would also consider one of the UV buggy covers as they pull all the way over the buggy ensuring they are fully out of the sun. They work like a rain cover does.

You will probably find that travelling with a baby is a breeze and you will be able to enjoy your holiday together as babies spend a lot of time asleep. Make the most of it as when they become a toddler it is a different matter.

 

[DebIreland]

I think you'll have a great time. Our youngest was 1 last year and not walking yet and I strongly suspect it's gonna be much harder this year with a TWO year old She was such a sweet angel up to recently!! I'm in the process of making two itineraries for each day - a regular one and a 'baby's having a meltdown and must be removed from the premises' one.

 

[Lizzybear]

I don't have kids but one tip i've heard is to attach a battery operated fan to the pram and hey presto, baby has his own personal air con!

 

[fizz13]

Don't know what to add to the wonderful advice given, except to say that my 5 month old at time of flight slept through a lot of it really peacefully in the bulkhead seat and I think that travelling with a baby under 1 is a lot easier than a mobile 18months/ 2 years. You will be amazed how simple it was when you get back I promise, so no worries, just relax and enjoy, you will have a great time

 

[lawlesslovewdw]

we took our 3 mth old and 24 month old last year, the flight wasnt a problem - although this year i am expecting it to be! My main advice is to take your own nappies and powdered milk formula. They dont stock uk varieties and changing milk can be a problem. They do allow powered milk but not readymade it can be confiscated at customs. Nappies and wipes are cheaper here and as baby has its own luggage allowance its not a problem also then gives you room for gifts etc in your cases on the way home.

Enjoy your first trip home - ours is next year