Travelling with a baby - my experiences

[kisaacs]

We just came back from WDW with our almost 11 month old. I've seen lots of posts about what to do and not do and bring and not bring, so I thought I'd share my experience.

For reference, DD is not walking, and barely crawls (not a mover!), and she's completely on table food, and takes 3 bottles a day of formula.

Things that were great:
1. Shipping stuff to the resort. We packed up all the stuff that wasn't coming home (diapers, wipes, snacks, formula, bottle liners, swim diapers, disposable bibs, disposable placemats, etc) and shipped it to the resort. Cost less than a suitcase and was super easy and wonderful.

2. Shows and parades. My DD loved them. We did the 3pm parade in MK, the SpectroMagic parade. Her favorite was the Nemo show in AK.

3. Baby carrier. We borrowed an Ergo and my DH wore it. It was the best way for her to sleep and was great in lines.

4. A light muslin blanket and clothespins. We were able to clip it to the sunshade of the stroller to completely cover her while she was napping. She was so interested in everything, it was the only way she'd sleep in the stroller.

5. Disposable bibs and placemats. These made things so easy. No carrying around a gross bib, and the placemat gave her a space to eat her food.

6. Bus transportation. We got really lucky with the buses and hardly ever had to wait and always got a seat. It was great.

7. Character breakfasts. She loved them!

8. Boat ride from POFQ to Downtown Disney. I think this was her favorite "ride".

9. Days off. We were there for a week and went to parks 4 days and were off 2. We definitely needed the break and so did she. Consequently, upgrading our tickets from 7 day to 10 day no expiration for $130 each was a great decision.

10. Kids Nite Out. Tanya was our babysitter. She was awesome. It was great for us to get out for a night, and DD loved it. Definitely worth it.

11. Stick sunblock for her face. The first day, we only had regular Aveeno Baby and it got in her eyes and caused screaming. I found coppertone stick at the gift shop, and it worked much better.

12. Applesauce. In my box that I shipped, I included 2 six packs of the single serve apple sauce (strawberry and peach flavor). These were great as a supplement to whatever she was sharing with us, or as breakfast in combination with some Cheerios.

13. The best - when in World of Disney on the last day, I showed her the Mickeys and Minnie's and asked, "Which do you like better, Mickey or Minnie?" She actually answered, "Mimmie" and has been in love with her ever since. My home is a chorus of "mimmie mimmie mimmie".

Things that were not so great:

1. POFQ. The hotel was great, but sharing a hotel room with our DD threw her schedule completely off. She hasn't woken up at night since 2 weeks old, but is now doing it consistently. I'd do something with 2 bedrooms, maybe even off site next time.

2. The Graco stroller. We borrowed it from a friend since we only own a jogger and I wasn't going to buy a single for Disney when I need a double in a few months. It was big, bulky, and the lock was broken, so it was hard to get on the buses.

3. Some of the rides that I thought would be okay weren't. The mexico boatride is dark. Journey into Imagination has a startling dark "blast" that scared her half to death. Next time I'd stick to mainly shows, and stay out of anything that's really dark.

That's all I can remember right now. Hope that helps someone!

Kristen

 

[dayzemair]

Good info - especially about the blankets and the clothespins to get them to nap and the disposable bibs! We will be bringing ds who will be just turning one when we go. Not sure whats going to happen with that, we'll see. We love that downtown disney boat ride also - we are staying at CSR this time are sad that we won't have the boat anymore
Thanks again!

 

[Bruner1978]

We just came back from WDW with our almost 11 month old. I've seen lots of posts about what to do and not do and bring and not bring, so I thought I'd share my experience.

For reference, DD is not walking, and barely crawls (not a mover!), and she's completely on table food, and takes 3 bottles a day of formula.

Things that were great:
1. Shipping stuff to the resort. We packed up all the stuff that wasn't coming home (diapers, wipes, snacks, formula, bottle liners, swim diapers, disposable bibs, disposable placemats, etc) and shipped it to the resort. Cost less than a suitcase and was super easy and wonderful.

2. Shows and parades. My DD loved them. We did the 3pm parade in MK, the SpectroMagic parade. Her favorite was the Nemo show in AK.

3. Baby carrier. We borrowed an Ergo and my DH wore it. It was the best way for her to sleep and was great in lines.

4. A light muslin blanket and clothespins. We were able to clip it to the sunshade of the stroller to completely cover her while she was napping. She was so interested in everything, it was the only way she'd sleep in the stroller.

5. Disposable bibs and placemats. These made things so easy. No carrying around a gross bib, and the placemat gave her a space to eat her food.

6. Bus transportation. We got really lucky with the buses and hardly ever had to wait and always got a seat. It was great.

7. Character breakfasts. She loved them!

8. Boat ride from POFQ to Downtown Disney. I think this was her favorite "ride".

9. Days off. We were there for a week and went to parks 4 days and were off 2. We definitely needed the break and so did she. Consequently, upgrading our tickets from 7 day to 10 day no expiration for $130 each was a great decision.

10. Kids Nite Out. Tanya was our babysitter. She was awesome. It was great for us to get out for a night, and DD loved it. Definitely worth it.

11. Stick sunblock for her face. The first day, we only had regular Aveeno Baby and it got in her eyes and caused screaming. I found coppertone stick at the gift shop, and it worked much better.

12. Applesauce. In my box that I shipped, I included 2 six packs of the single serve apple sauce (strawberry and peach flavor). These were great as a supplement to whatever she was sharing with us, or as breakfast in combination with some Cheerios.

13. The best - when in World of Disney on the last day, I showed her the Mickeys and Minnie's and asked, "Which do you like better, Mickey or Minnie?" She actually answered, "Mimmie" and has been in love with her ever since. My home is a chorus of "mimmie mimmie mimmie".

Things that were not so great:

1. POFQ. The hotel was great, but sharing a hotel room with our DD threw her schedule completely off. She hasn't woken up at night since 2 weeks old, but is now doing it consistently. I'd do something with 2 bedrooms, maybe even off site next time.

2. The Graco stroller. We borrowed it from a friend since we only own a jogger and I wasn't going to buy a single for Disney when I need a double in a few months. It was big, bulky, and the lock was broken, so it was hard to get on the buses.

3. Some of the rides that I thought would be okay weren't. The mexico boatride is dark. Journey into Imagination has a startling dark "blast" that scared her half to death. Next time I'd stick to mainly shows, and stay out of anything that's really dark.

That's all I can remember right now. Hope that helps someone!

Kristen

Thank you that has been very helpful!

 

[thmar]

Thanks!

 

[vettechick99]

Great tips! Thanks for the review. Good idea about the blanket for covering her stroller. DD isn't a good stroller napper either, so I may do this!

As for your con of staying with her in the room, I totally agree! Our first trip as parents, we stayed at CSR. Great resort, but not great with a baby who likes her sleep. She really needed her own space for naps, so this last time we booked Bonnet Creek, which is next to CB. LOVED IT! As long as we need 2 rooms, I'll be staying there. Maybe one day in the future we'll go back to WDW resorts. Here is my review, maybe I can convert you!

 

[cltk78]

Great tips! Thank you!

 

[la79al]

We just did one day in Epcot last week and we were amazed at how many other 10 month old babies there were. Apparently it's a great age to take them. I'll ditto the blanket over the stroller. We do have a stroller sleeper who went with the "we're in DW, we can sleep when we get home" attitude. When she gave in though, the blanket kept the sun off her. Our DD didn't mind the ride in Mexico, LOVED the touchscreen computer on the ride inside the big ball (that I can't remember the name of) and didn't mind the fireworks until the booms, not something that we could avoid if we stayed in the park. I used DW as a place to window shop for a new stroller because I was really going to splurge and get a new one. But really, I didn't see a single stroller that I liked the recline/sunshade/storage as much as my Graco. So much that I might just get a new Graco (in a girlier color). I would have to say DDs favorite part of the whole adventure was the next day taking the ferry from MK to FW to visit the ponies.

 

[MasterChief]

1. Shipping stuff to the resort. We packed up all the stuff that wasn't coming home (diapers, wipes, snacks, formula, bottle liners, swim diapers, disposable bibs, disposable placemats, etc) and shipped it to the resort. Cost less than a suitcase and was super easy and wonderful.

I'd only recommend that for those that fly. For the rest of us who drive I'd tend to think it'd be more cost effective to pack it in the car.

 

[E-P-C-O-T]

We are Disney veterans, but, this is our first time traveling (anywhere) with our baby. I have started to pack our "must" for this trip (disposable bibs, formula, bottles, baby food, formula, blankets, etc) and the bag is getting full. I had completely forgoten that we could have all of this shipped to our resort. Thank u for reminding me and for offering such great tips!

 

[here757]

 

[dislvr74]

OP-I hope you don't mind if I add some of my tips! We took my youngest when she was 4 months old and my oldest was almost 6. I thought traveling with the baby was easier than dealing with the 6 year old!

1. I second your recommendation for a baby carrier instead of a stroller. We used this sling the entire time and it worked so well. My dd slept in it without a problem and it was great to avoid constantly unbuckling or buckling her into the stroller. I got a lot of compliments from other parents!

2. I was breastfeeding and didn't need to deal with bottles, formula, or finger food, so we didn't ship anything. I only had to bring diapers.

3. Speaking of breastfeeding, I wasn't shy about breastfeeding in public, but there are plenty of quiet, out-of-the-way places if you aren't a "throw a blanket over your shoulder and let the kid go crazy" kind of mom. (I even managed to keep walking around while she was nursing, but I know that isn't for everyone.)

4. We didn't need to go back to the room for naps because the baby slept in the sling. I loved that I could continue to go on rides while she was sleeping because I never had to take her out of the sling.

5. The baby loved the parades, shows, and any ride with music. I brought ear muffs (hearing protection that goes over the ear) for the fireworks. We have them around because I like to take the girls to IndyCar practice for the Indy 500, but you can order them here: http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ear-muffs-for-children.html. The ones in that link fit infants to older children.

6. We rented a stroller for the oldest and I brought a cheap stroller organizer instead of a diaper bag. It had clear plastic pockets, which made going through security a breeze and made it easier to find our stroller in the crowd. My DH just slung the strap over his shoulder when we were coming/going to the parks. Again, I got lots of compliments about this idea. I think I got it at Walmart for under $10.

7. Babies don't care if you miss Dumbo or ride the Haunted Mansion 5 times in a row. 6 year olds have a lot of opinions.

8. Almost all of the restaurants have infant high chairs. You just have to ask because they are usually in the back.

9. You would be surprised how much a baby can enjoy meeting the characters. She just loved any character that was soft and cuddly.

10. We didn't have problems with the sleeping arrangements, but our kids will sleep through anything. My sister brings duct tape and a dark colored sheet with her and creates a temporary wall between the sink area and the bed area in the rooms at Pop to deal with this.

The bad:

1. We didn't bring any bags to wrap up the especially smelly diapers before putting them in our room trash. It wasn't pleasant.

2. We also had problems with the lotion-type sunscreen running into the kids' eyes. The stick type is much better.

3. We had to leave too soon!

 

[marcielm]

I'm going to agree that a sling/carrier is great! You can't take a stroller into the lines with you, so it's a perfect way to manage your little one while standing in line. Here I am with my 11 mo old in the sling, and my 2.5 yr old waiting in a line. My girls napped great in their double stroller, despite me forgetting a lightweight blanket to cover them with.

I too was breast feeding, and just always used my sling to cover up. I saw several women around the parks doing this. At lunch one day, there were 3 of us all in the same general area feeding our babies at one point!

1. I second your recommendation for a baby carrier instead of a stroller. We used this sling the entire time and it worked so well. My dd slept in it without a problem and it was great to avoid constantly unbuckling or buckling her into the stroller. I got a lot of compliments from other parents!

2. I was breastfeeding and didn't need to deal with bottles, formula, or finger food, so we didn't ship anything. I only had to bring diapers.

3. Speaking of breastfeeding, I wasn't shy about breastfeeding in public, but there are plenty of quiet, out-of-the-way places if you aren't a "throw a blanket over your shoulder and let the kid go crazy" kind of mom. (I even managed to keep walking around while she was nursing, but I know that isn't for everyone.)

 

[dislvr74]

Marcie, how weird is it that we are wearing the same color shirt in our photos?