Travelling With Toddlers ??

[Rascal1003]

Hi All,
We were in Orlando at the AKL for our wedding in September.
Whilst we were there, we decided to buy oursleves a wedding present, DVC membership.......all very nice and something special to enjoy next year.......but.........

A couple of weeks after arriving home, we found out that my wife is pregnant (Woohoo!) and is due in June 2006. This has made us rethink our plans.

We had originally considered going back in Sept/Oct but now, we will have a 3 or 4 month old baby.

So my question is.......how young have your kids been when you travelled trans-Atlantic ? Have you travelled with a tot ? If so, how was it ?
We have no concern over accomodation as we will have a DVC appartment at Saratoga Springs, but I am worried about the 9 hour flight and how the baby would cope. Also, the heat might be a problem as well.

Any advice for this first time parent would be great ! Many thanks in advance.

Regards,
Russ.

 

[FizzyPop]

We took are 16 week old out with us in september 2003 and he was great during the flight, slept alot of the time He coped with the heat really well and it didn't seem to bother him, we just put loads of sunscreen on him made sure he was kept under his sunshade at all times and gave him lots of fluids.

Congratulations to you and your wife

 

[SammieG]

although Ive not taken a child that young.. you do see lots of tiny babies at wdw and they seem to be fine! In terms of heat.. September can be very hot and humid, I would probably try and go towards the middle part of October..as the humidity is a little better then.

We took our son when he was just one year old... and to be honest, that was the easiest trip we took. Its as they get older the trips get harder!!!

I would think that the flight will be fine. the jet lag might cause you problems, as you will have to force the baby onto US time which might be tricky.. but it might be ok, it probably depends what mood the baby is in!

Other than that, it will be a fun trip! They are so much easier when they are contained in a pram!!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi Russ,

We first took our son when he was 10 months old

I wouldn't necessarily say you will have any problems but obviously the main one would be that baby is 'probably' too young perhaps? Our concerns were similar to yours.

The flight is long yes, however, we found Joshua coped and adapted pretty well to it - children generally do, even babies - it's the parents who worry that is the problem

As far as the flight is concerned, yes it will be tiring, having said that it's tiring anyway irrespective of whether you have children or not, though baby will probably be asleep for a good part of it. You should get allocated bulkhead seats and generally be very well looked after, who would you be flying with?

The main issue I would have is the weather, naturally you would need to keep any baby as cool as possible around the parks, we took our own stroller etc - as you are staying at DVC though I am sure the fact that you will have cooking facilities and basically your own mini-villa will make life a lot easier for you.
But yes you are right the heat will be a problem, however if you plan your days well and avoid the hottest/busiest times of the day it isn't a problem that cannot be conquered.

Guess though ultimately it depends on how much you want to go , the baby will probably be oblivious to all that is going on so...? Sammie's point about age is good though and in a way the older your child gets the more tiring (though rewarding) it becomes.

 

[Rascal1003]

Thanks for your replies. Seems coincidental that I managed to post the thread about the same time there is one about flying with babies !

We have been to WDW 4 times as a couple and do not intend to stop going because we have a baby.
Our plans would be to have a relaxing holiday for the first "family" trip and spend a lot more time around the pool than in the parks. We found that over the years that you do tend to ease up on the "route march" approach as you know the routines and layouts. In September we had a pretty good balance between the pool and the parks.

We feel that it would be pretty easy to cope with a few jaunts around the likes of the MK and AKL, but what about the evenings ? How have you all coped with regards going to restaurants etc ?

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Thanks for your replies. Seems coincidental that I managed to post the thread about the same time there is one about flying with babies !

We have been to WDW 4 times as a couple and do not intend to stop going because we have a baby.
Our plans would be to have a relaxing holiday for the first "family" trip and spend a lot more time around the pool than in the parks. We found that over the years that you do tend to ease up on the "route march" approach as you know the routines and layouts. In September we had a pretty good balance between the pool and the parks.

We feel that it would be pretty easy to cope with a few jaunts around the likes of the MK and AKL, but what about the evenings ? How have you all coped with regards going to restaurants etc ?

I know what you mean, even though our son is now 9 we do relax a lot of the time and not rush around the parks each day.

As for the evenings, it tended to depend on Josh's sleeping pattern, when he was 10 months we stayed at the Rosen Center on I-drive. We would often go for walks in the evening, maybe do some shopping at one of the malls..we never had any real problems in restaurants, but we tended to stick to the Buffet style one's like Ponderosa...rather than anything a bit more formal.

Josh was usually either asleep or just sat happy in his stroller.

 

[disneyholic family]

my kids have been on transatlantic flights basically from birth

my daughter flew on her first transatlantic flight when she was 6 weeks old...(from much further than the UK - on a 12 hour non-stop flight to NY and then changing planes to continue on for another 3 hours)...
we flew back a two weeks later..

her second flight was when she was 4 months old (for two weeks) and then again when she was 6 months old...

her fourth trip was when she was 9 months old.....etc.etc..

my son's first trip across the Atlantic was when he was 6 weeks old.....etc etc....

the flight's easy.....just make sure the baby is sucking something for landing.....i nursed so i made sure they were nursing for landing....otherwise they get ear pain....(if your baby is bottle fed, then give him a bottle during descent....)...
other than that, flying is super easy with a baby.....
it's when they can get up and walk around that it gets more challenging...
the best thing to do is fly at night when they sleep....
our flight is 12 hours as i said, but if they sleep for the first 6 hours we're doing well...

as for heat - we live in a hotter climate than orlando, so the heat's no big deal....
my advice to you would be like what others have said, keep them out of the midday sun and heat....go to the parks early in the morning and late in the day.....stay indoors in the heat of the day.....
you'll need a covering for them when you're indoors as the A/C is so very strong....
and be very very very careful of the florida sun....make sure they're shaded at all times...

 

[Celestine]

DD was 16 weeks when we went this October. spent most of the flight going stood up, but she slept all the way home. Virgin were great - sky cot, baby food etc. She was rather airsick on the way over & although I took extra clothes for her, didn't for me, so landed at MCO in a VA sleep suit (v. nive, but rather warm in 90 degrees heat!) Smothered her in factor 50 & she was fine, even tho' it was very humid. She loved all the shows etc & was amazed by the fireworks at MNSSHP (she was woken by the bangs, but went straight back to sleep after the show). She got nappy rash, but don't know whether that was heat, different nappies, different water or a combination! At night she slept in her pushchair, and some restaurants (TGIs definitely had this) had a sort of hammock thing you could plonk the car seat in/on so you didn't need to wake her to leave, but just remember a blanket because of the AC. I wouldn't change your plans, but just be relaxed about your approach as you see alot less, but the tour of the baby care centres is interesting - my favorite was animal kingdom!

 

[mrsminniemouse]

Congratulations on your marriage, pregnancy and DVC purchase !!!

We took DD (born May 2003) for the first time in December 2003, she was nearly 6 months old. It was great. She was happy to sit in the pram and look around. I felt back to normal by then, I had stopped breastfeeding so I felt more comfortable. She was sleeping well and starting to eat baby food. We stayed at The Beach Club but bought DVC (also Saratoga Springs ) that trip. Since then we have been back often. DVC is GREAT with a little one.

We travelled with BA and she had a sky cot like you get with Virgin too. She slept well and we had extra room seats because the sky cot has to be at the bulkhead.

WDW is beautiful in early December. It is a very quiet time crowds wise, and the holiday decorations are fantastic. Your baby will be a good age to look at everything, the weather is not too hot and DVC is low points (but popular so book at 11 month window) ! Go for first two weeks in December I say.

Mandy

 

[Bexx]

what about the evenings ? How have you all coped with regards going to restaurants etc ?

On the whole we didn't bother even trying!!! Ate in a restaurant one evening, but our DDs (ages 4 and 17 months) made it a very unrestful experience!!! Hopefully a younger baby may sleep while you eat and allow you a few pleasant evenings!! Otherwise, what size accomodation are you booking - a studio or a one bedroom?

As Mandy has just said, DVC accomodation is wonderful when you have little ones to look after. Well done on your forward thinking!!

Congratulations!!

 

[Clare D]

I agree with what everybody on here has said. Travelling with a baby is much easier than a toddler. My DS has been to WDW twice. The first just after he turned two and the last was in October before he turned 3. To be honest I found it easier when he was that bit younger and most of the kids playing up on the plane were around 5, the babies slept soundly!
I would invest in one of those UV sun shades for your buggy as you will probably find that he/she will only wear a nappy and a vest.
Disney are one of the best places I think to take kids as the facilities are fantastic and very clean. Plenty of places for nappy changes, feeding etc...
We also never had a problem taking Joe with us when we went to eat out. As long as he was fed and his nappy was clean he was fine.
Congratulations to you all on your wedding, DVC Purchase and your news about the baby.
Not really related but check out the GroBags. My DS had these until he was in his bed and they are fantastic. You could also take it in your hand luggage for the baby to sleep in on the plane.
Anything else ask away.

 

[Bexx]

Not really related but check out the GroBags. My DS had these until he was in his bed and they are fantastic. You could also take it in your hand luggage for the baby to sleep in on the plane.

That's a really good idea! We used them too - got them from here. If you start using them before you go, it becomes very something very familiar, and should help baby feel "at home", even in a strange cot.

 

[Rascal1003]

Thanks everyone for your responses. It has definitely put my mind at rest over 2006's holiday. I was a little concerned that it would be difficult, but apparently not.

I really can't wait to do the Disney thing with kids, I am sure it makes you look at it in a completely different light.