will we really be able to bring a 7mo old to wdw?

[dumbo_buddy]

first post here

dh and i were blessed with our first baby on june 20th! we always dreamed of taking our little guy to disney alot, starting at 7 mo (our usual january trip). little guy just turned 1 month and i can barely leave the house! how will i ever get him to disney? for those of you with kids, please tell me it gets better. between the nursing, colic, and reflux i am at my wit's end. how will we ever get to travel with him? i'm feeling awfully depressed about not being able to bring him to disney. how can i if he cries all the time and is so miserable?

please...will it get better?

 

[mickeymaker2003]

By 7 months, everything will be old hat. He'll probably love looking at the colors and seeing the parades and fireworks. There are baby care centers if you'd like to use them or you can nurse him anywhere you'd like to. At least at 7 months you won't have to worry about them darting off into the crowd! In January it won't be hot either (it is much easier to keep them warm than cool them off).

Have faith.... I'm sure you'll be fine! Remember to get lots of pictures.

 

[daleswife]

It gets better. the first month with your first child is always the hardest. I was able to take my DS to disney with us when he was just 3 months old. It was a piece of cake. He was easier to handle than my DD who turned 4 while we were there!!! You'll have a ball!!!

Congrats!!!!

 

[daleswife]

oops, sorry double post!!!

 

[cogero]

it gets easier to manage. We took our son last year at 8 months

 

[NotUrsula]

LOL, it *does* get better -- you're almost over the hump now, really, you just don't know it.

Nursing usually miraculously gets easier at around 6 weeks or so, it takes your body that long to get used to it. Colic very seldom lasts past 3 months, so you have a way to go on that, but it will be gone by Christmas if that's what it is.

Reflux can last for a few years, but if it lasts more than a couple of months, you'll get meds that will help him.

Since you're a new mom, forgive me for asking, but do you have a lot of milk? If so, your baby's digestive problems could be caused by what is known as overactive letdown -- literally too much milk too fast for his little tummy to deal with. If that is what it is, there are things you can do to slow yourself down a bit so that he doesn't get overwhelmed, and if so, that should stop a lot of the spitting up -- I'm a veteran of this condition. Meanwhile, don't let him nurse lying flat, and keep him propped up at a 60 angle after he eats for 30 minutes -- that may help some, too.

If you don't already have them, send someone out for 3 dozen flat birdseye cloth diapers, carry a couple with you all the time, and wear them over your shoulder when you carry him; they make great spit rags and you can bleach them, unlike those cute little burp cloths. 3 dozen is so you don't have to do chain-loads of laundry. (Put them on your favorite chairs/couch/bed, too, so that when he spits up you don't have to yell for someone to get towels (because if you get up the vomit will go all over). As you can tell, I've been where you are!))

I would suggest you get a sling if you don't already have one, colicky babies tend to like them, and they are great for carrying infants on rides at Disney.

He'll be grinning all over the place at the Magic Kingdom come January -- and so will you. Just hold that thought and hang in there; it really will begin to get better in just a couple of weeks.

 

[DISNEYFOS]

I just wanted to add to what others said, It will get better! and you should definitely keep your plans! My 2nd DD had colic that started at 5/6 weeks and they miraculously cleared up at 12 weeks. I had the same concerns because we had a plan to go to WDW when she was 4 mos old. It turns out she was the easier one compared to my then 4 year old.

You will start to get the hang of things and getting away and out of the house will give you so much more confidence that you know what you are doing. We took our first DD when she was 4 mos old to WDW and I'm so glad I did. It was a major confidence booster for me as a new mom. WDW is probably the easiest place to travel with magical express and baby centers, etc. We've taken our kids pretty much every 6 mos since they were born.

Good Luck!!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

It definitely gets better. The first month is the hardest. You are recovering from childbirth. You are trying to learn all the ins and outs of nursing. You are sleep deprived. Your hormones are all over the place.

By 7 months, your little one may be sleeping through the night, or at least longer stretches than he is now. You'll be a pro at nursing. Colic generally goes away after a couple months (not always, but often). You will feel completely different. And it will be a joy to take your infant to Disney.

Have you read "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Harvey Karp? If not, you might want to. He refers to a 4th trimester when a baby is trying to adjust to life outside of the womb. He has a technique he calls the 5 S'es which was a lifesaver for me. DD was a child who never wanted to sleep. The techniques in this book helped me finally be able to sleep for a few hours at a time.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

It does get easier. I took 3mo old twins last fall and was pretty apprehensive about it, but it actually went very well. By 7mo your little one will be interested in what is going on around him.

Just remember you will have to go at a little slower pace then in the past.

 

[princessbride6205]

You will have an amazing time! The beginning is difficult - DD was so colicky, too. (I second Happiest Baby on the Block. Great book for parents of babies with colic!) By 7 months, your little one will be a world away from now - smiling, babbling, probably sitting. He won't cry the whole time at WDW, and if he does - it's loud enough there no one will notice. But seriously, it does get better. Don't second guess the trip, you'll make amazing memories.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

You will be fine by 7 months!

The first month or two are always the worst while you learn the personality of the new person in your life. Like PPs have said, by 7 months, everything will be old hat. You'll be in cruise mode by then.

Taking baby to Disney won't be much different then have him at home. We took DD at 6 mo. She slept in the stroller when she wanted to. When she got tired of the stroller we put her in the baby backpack so she could see the World. She rode on HM, JC, POTC, the train - she was a participant in Monster's Inc Laugh Floor!

We took as many disposables that we could: bibs, changing pads, spoons and we had a great experience.

Stay strong! DS was colicky and the only thing that kept me sane was that he would start having a HUGE fit and then he would snort. I felt bad, but I laughed my butt off each time - it was the only thing that helped me keep my mind!

 

[jaycns]

We did it last year (our son was seven and a half months old) and it went really well. I was actually surprised at just how well it went.

My number one tip? Don't let yourself run out of diapers in the park! We did and paid an arm and a leg for a few more. However, remember there are diapers and other baby needs available if you should forget or run out.

If you are interested in reading about our trip (with our little guy and his brothers) I wrote a trip report. You can follow the link below. HTH.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1976201

You can do this! Just think...about a year from now, you will be following a little ball of energy around and looking back fondly on these days! IT DOES GET EASIER! Trust yourself, let everything else go (besides your health and the baby), concentrate on letting yourself heal/adjust/learn all their is to love about your new little bundle of joy.

Hang in there!

 

[dumbo_buddy]

thank you all for your kind words. we are just having a rough go i guess. we actually just got home from the ER because DS was spitting up blood! horrible and so scary. turns out he is drawing blood from my cracked nipples. ugh as if nursing could get any harder right now. we are all exhausted from the adventure. i hope you are right that things get better. they just HAVE to.

i have read happiest baby on the block and we follow the 5 S's diligently. still, sometimes he is in NO mood for the swaddling, etc and just seems to want to scream!

thanks for the encouragement. it is just really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[tiffsix]

As everyone has said, Yes it does get better! Our son's first trip was when he was 7 months old and it a great trip! One thing I recommend doing if you are flying is send a package down ahead of you to your hotel with baby food, diapers, wipes, and other necessities you may need while you are there. It was a major space saver in the luggage! Breastfeeding is a breeze in Disney! There are plenty of places to nurse! I found myself nursing on a lot of dark rides! You will have a great trip!! Hang in there!

 

[mjkacmom]

#1 was by far my easiest baby, and the first 6 weeks of her life were absolutely the worst 6 weeks of my entire life. By the time she was 7 months old, I could take her anywhere. Actually, a 7 month old is probably at the easiest age to travel, in terms of bringing a baby. On a schedule, both eating and sleeping, but not mobile. Hang in there - you are almost at bottom, and then there is nowhere to go but up! As you can see from my siggy, it gets better. You are just in boot camp.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

turns out he is drawing blood from my cracked nipples. ugh as if nursing could get any harder right now.

Have you met with a lactation consultant? Cracked nipples can be a sign of an inproper latch, which would make nursing a whole lot more difficult and painful than it needs to be.

 

[Tiger926]

It does get easier - travelling with infants is pretty easy at WDW. Baby Care Centers are fab!

We don't take our kids until 10 or 11 months old though , due to immature immune systems. Just wanted to remind you that going in January with a baby that young, will mean that you need to really watch for germs. I would never take a baby that young during the winter months - we had our 22 month old hospitalized when we went in March, for our 1st and last time. We were beyond vigilant, but missed one small thing, and that's all it took. I don't want to scare you with what the pediatric specialists told us at Dr. Phillips' Hospital about travelling between Nov - April in terms of infectious diseases. Please remember to be extra vigilant with a young infant at that time, especially one who struggles with reflux issues.

I wish you a safe and healthy trip, Tiger

 

[monorailsilver]

first post here

dh and i were blessed with our first baby on june 20th! we always dreamed of taking our little guy to disney alot, starting at 7 mo (our usual january trip). little guy just turned 1 month and i can barely leave the house! how will i ever get him to disney? for those of you with kids, please tell me it gets better. between the nursing, colic, and reflux i am at my wit's end. how will we ever get to travel with him? i'm feeling awfully depressed about not being able to bring him to disney. how can i if he cries all the time and is so miserable?

please...will it get better?

Like everyone else said it really will get better. If it didn't, I would not have 3 kids now. You entered a new part of your life. Before it was really just you that you had to look after & now you have a little guy to tend to. I can not so fondly remember those days of thinking I could not get out of the house at all since it was so hard. It is hard but take it one step at a time.

When I had my 2nd, I went to Walmart with both kids. I chose there because it was about 10 min from my house. I nursed my ds, & got both kids in the car, went in for about 1/2 hour, saw that I could do it & left. I felt so much better.

The same thing with my 3rd. I didn't think I could take all 3 out. So I went to Walgreens with them. My 3rd was probably less then 2 weeks old. I had her in the car seat & I held my then 2 yo's hand while my 4 yo held my 2 yo's hand. I did it.

Baby steps it will get easier.

Oh & my first cried from about 6pm until about 1am almost nightly. It was not fun!

Have you met with a lactation consultant? Cracked nipples can be a sign of an inproper latch, which would make nursing a whole lot more difficult and painful than it needs to be.

BTW, I see you are in NYC. I have a friend that is a LC in NYC if you needed someone.

 

[AKADrea]

our sons share a birthday!!! Congrats! It DOES get easier! You'll have a great time!

 

[TXSchoolNurse]

We took our DD to Disneyland when she was 8 months (very crowded Christmas - New Years) and we just got back from WDW a few days ago - she turned 2 in April.

The trip when she was 8 months was an absolute breeze compared to the one we just returned from!!!