Who has gone with a baby?

[MrJT]

Okay, so I know that I am probably opening up a can of worms here, and I will likely get lots of differing, and possbily contradictory opinions.
We are contemplating returning to the World in November. It would be timed with a Military retirement, and a move from Boston to Texas. If we go, we will be traveling with our baby, who will be about 6 months old at the time. Has anybody gone with a 6-month old? Any tips? Horror stories? Good stories?
How was the experience for you? I know that every story can be different, because every baby is different. But I am curious about your stories...

 

[CrazyaboutCinderella]

In 2005, my sisters and I took my then 11 month old son to WDW. He did fine. We had a stroller that could recline so that when he needed to take his nap he could do it comfortably. I was able to bring his baby food with me and when it was time for him to eat it was great. He was also still on formula and I brought the On the go packets of formula with me and added it to water I had in the bottles.

 

[ericm078]

Back in 2005 we went with a 9 month old. She was fine 95% of the time. I brought a big stroller that she was able to sleep in. It did pose some challenges on the buses though. This year We are going in Sept with another 9 month old but im not bringing the big stroller this time.

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

A couple of years ago we went with a 5 month old and a two year old. It wasn't bad at all. I think the babies are easier than the toddlers because they pretty much can eat/sleep whenever and wherever! As long as you have the right attitude, and realize that you may have to take breaks etc., you'll be fine!

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I loved going to WDW with a baby! You'll get tons of advice here on what to pack, what to bring into the parks, etc. Since you'll have a stroller to help haul all your gear, it's no problem to just throw everything you need into the diaper bag.

My biggest tip is this--put some thought into what stroller you bring. We have a Peg and it folds up nicely (fits through the X-Ray machine at the airport) and reclines so baby can sleep in it. Get one of those ray-shades (look on Toys R Us website) for extra protection from the sun which you'll need even in November.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Forgot to also say make sure to make time for a picture of baby meeting Mickey Mouse! That will be a real treasure!

 

[Nicolepa]

I've gone with all (3) of mine when they were between 4-6 months. I love taking them around 6 months!

 

[Broadway Duchess]

DS10's first trip was at a little over a month and it was great. I agree with whoever suggested putting thought into the type of stroller to bring. Ours was invaluable; lots of room for our gear and a snap to fold up when it was time to go. Also, make sure to buy baby's first mouse ears!

 

[WIDisneyFan]

We have gone with a 3-4 month old twice and will be doing it again this summer. Traveling with a baby really is not bad at all (especially when compared to a toddler!). I would say go, have fun, and grab a map at the parks and get to know where the baby care center is - they are GREAT!!!!

 

[abouley]

Most babies do fine and I think they are relatively easy compared to a toddler! My daughter went to DL 3 times before her first b-day (first time was 5 months) and it was totally fine!

My best advice is to get a good carrier like a Beco or Ergo carrier and get baby used to it and plan to use it! My daughter would fall asleep in it and we'd keep riding rides with her in it! Also much easier to carry her in that in line and if they get fussy and want no part of the stroller it makes carrying them easy!

Also, buy a good stroller! I love something like the Peg Perego Pliko P3 that has full recline, full sun shade, but folds up compactly to transport!

 

[anotherdisneygal]

My younger son was there at 5 months and 12 months. 5 months was May and hot. He was an exclusively breast-fed baby, so I was super hot since he was attached to me a lot. He mostly just stared at everything and seemed fine. I had to buy a fan to keep on him when he was in his carrier so he wouldn't overheat, but it wasn't really a big deal.

At 12 months he wasn't as easy - he wanted to do things, but couldn't and he was afraid of the characters. Also, he was too excited to sleep in the stroller, so he was overtired a lot of the trip. It was still not a huge deal, we had a great time and by the end he was having a blast!

We'll be heading back at the end of this month and he'll be 18 months, so we'll say how that goes.

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

I forgot to mention that my son's interactions with the characters really were priceless. Of course, all children react differently but I have many pictures of him gazing adoringly at the characters, especially the princesses who couldn't get enough of him!

 

[maxie]

We went when my youngest was 3.5 months. The weather was cool as it was January so heat wasn't a factor.

It was a great trip. He enjoyed looking at the lights of Spectro. As he was not yet sleeping through the night we didn't make rope drop most days but then we weren't doing many headliners with small children a long.

 

[natnelliesmom]

We are planning on taking our 3 month old this coming October. At least she'll be 3 months then!
I am a baby wearing kind of gal, only breastfeed- so I am thinking it should be pretty easy. I am going to do some research and find a well vented sling to keep baby cooler.
I will be trying out our stroller options ahead of time and will be looking for a great backpack diaper bag- but hope to have lots of stow space on the stroller.
I think it'll be easier with the baby than with a toddler. At least with my kids- they were always happy as long as they were with me, so I'm hoping this one will be the same.
I plan on bringing along the fold up co-sleeper that goes right into the adult bed. I think this will be our best bet for night time.
I do plan on limiting our TS meals for this trip. Or making reservations for off times, to avoid crowds of people shooting us the evil eye for bringing in a baby. (Although this doesn't bother me in the least!)
I would just add to pack plenty of changes of clothes for baby, and an extra shirt for you, to bring into the park each day. Don't want to be stuck walking around with puke on your shoulder!
Go for it, relax and and enjoy yourselves. Babies are easy!
-Sarah

 

[Lexie]

We are leaving tomorrow to road trip to WDW with our 8.5 month old...I'll have to let you know how it goes

 

[E-P-C-O-T]

Just got back 10 days with our 6 month old, we had a great time. She did absolutely wonderful, so, we decided to stay 2 extra days. Here are some tips that I learned here:

-Get a Rayshade- Its an extra long shade to cover your stroller. It also gave her some privacy during nap times.

-Use the baby care center for feeding, downtime, changing whenever possible.

-Bring a carrier- I got a Mei Tai, it's made out of soft fabric and it worked perfectly for when she was tired and needed to be close to mommy to fall asleep.

-Get a stroller accessory bag, I got this one from Babiesrus http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2507973 . It was perfect for a change of clothes, blankie and an extra bottle.

-Bring a gallon size bag with diapers, cream, disposable pads and wipes. It makes going thru security faster and it's perfect when you have to send daddy to change the diaper Which brings me to the next tip...

-The men's bathroom have changing stations (woooohooo!), so, daddy can help change diapers!!

-Bring a gallon size bag with baby food, disposable spoons and disposable bibs. For the same reason an above.

-If you can afford it, rent some babygear. I tried going the first 2 days without it and frankly, the baby was bored. Let's face 6 month olds are very active and spending all the time in her playard was making my very sweet baby into a very cranky baby. I ended up renting an exersaucer and a swing and my sweet baby was very happy. I highly recommend A Baby's Best Friend, everything was in perfect condition, at the best price (I did my research) and very clean. www.abbf.com

-Go at the baby's pace, my DD loved every ride, parade and even people watching.

-Take a lot of pictures. Sure the baby won't remember, but, I know that once she is old enough she will enjoy looking at the pictures of the first time she went to Disney when she was 6 months old.

-Bring an extra pair of socks and a light jacket - It gets cold in the restaurants, shows, some attractions and at the food court.

-Bring a couple of sheets from home for the Packnplay. Sure, Disney provides one, but, I felt better knowing that my baby was sleeping in her own sheets at night.

and the last tip:

Have fun!

We are going back in September for 9 days, she will be almost eleven months, I cant wait!

 

[love2disney]

Went with our DS at 6 months. He loved it. Went on most rides. Just keep a light for dark rides and you should be fine.

 

[mushumadness]

I traveled with an 8 weeks old at Christmas but just stayed round the villa relaxing (trip booked before my son was thought of lol) he was fine

We are going 12 days !! with a seven month old, and we are doing disney. I dont see it as a problem and we cant wait

 

[mom2meiko]

we took dd when she was 6.5 months old and it was an awesome trip! she was so content to sit in her stroller and watch everything happening around her - she loved the rides (no coasters, etc. obviously) - she loved the characters - it was really an amazing trip. even the flight was great - she slept both ways!

as a matter of fact - it was so much fun we are planning to go again next jan when ds (due 7/9) will be about the same age!

 

[Max1*]

Last year we went with my then 5 1/2 yr. old and 8 month old. It was fantastic. The baby did a great job and it was completely stress free. Here are my tips. Make sure you take a stroller that can lay back and use a blanket or something to shield the sun. Map out where the child stations in the parks are so you know where to go for some baby down time and a place you can go to just let baby loose for a while to roll around. Know that if you do forget anything that the baby stations are fully stocked with anything you could need and you can buy it there not a problem. We ran out of formula thinking we had plenty but didn't. They didn't have our exact but something close so we started to do a 50/50 mix and our daughter did just fine with it. Know that the places you eat are usually loud so just stay calm if baby is fussing and enjoy yourself no one is going to be mad if a baby fussing your at Disney where little ones are aloud to make noise. IDK what the temps. are like so just look at past weather patterns so you know what to pack.

Go, Have fun and take lots of pics!