Give me your best infant in wdw advice please!!!

[karsen11]

Free years of trying for a little one, our first round of IVF worked!!! We are now expecting June 1st, and we have planned a giant disney world trip with my family late September 2015. We have been to disney twice this past year and can not to be there with our baby for the first time, so please give me your best tips!!! I know about the baby care centers and pack n plays in rooms... I mean your really good, never would have thought of that tips! Thanks!!!!

 

[EEPETEZ]

We took our youngest when he was 12 weeks old. It was a wonderful trip. I just put him in the baby carrier and off we went. I loved carrying him around all week. My biggest tip is bring some grandparents! Grandparents make great "nap" babysitters in a restaurant when you are with everyone else, or in our case with our older child. Also, I know many will say take breaks, but I have found with both of my boys, when they are infants, it's so easy to take them anywhere. My kids just slept wherever they were. Have a great time and enjoy your little one!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Free years of trying for a little one, our first round of IVF worked!!! We are now expecting June 1st, and we have planned a giant disney world trip with my family late September 2015. We have been to disney twice this past year and can not to be there with our baby for the first time, so please give me your best tips!!! I know about the baby care centers and pack n plays in rooms... I mean your really good, never would have thought of that tips! Thanks!!!!

First, congratulations!!!

Second, following along, because although we are Disney veterans...(our upcoming April trip will be our 10 and 7 year olds 6th Disney trip)....this will be the first time taking a baby!!! Our son will be 3 months old at the time and we have ZERO experience taking a baby, since we 1st took our girls when they were 3 and 5....

 

[mesaboy2]

An infant in WDW once told me this little gem: the FP+ kiosks are too high and it was hard to reach them.

 

[ghtx]

Wear a sling

Take a mid-day break/nap every day

 

[lugnut33]

It's OK to leave an attraction if the baby gets fussy.

Don't place your stroller in the middle of walkways.

Make sure you can protect the baby from rain while it's in the stroller (if it rains while you are there).

Don't leave valuables in your stroller.

 

[ParrotBill]

Learn the locations of the Baby Centers for any needs, feeding, or to have a quiet break.

Get a small, lightweight stroller with a back that folds flat for naps. Cover with a towel or light jacket.

Don't forget baby needs sunscreen.

try to get baby to take a bottle with some water in between feedings if it's very hot.

Ask politely at restaurants if they can get you a table where you can set stroller alongside so baby can sleep and you can eat. By default they will try to have you park the stroller but then you have to hold the baby while you eat or take turns eating. That's a reason to have a small stroller! Megastrollers are usually just too big to roll in between tables.

Learn how to use baby swap for rides.

Rides like Nemo, Small World, Imagination, and Ariel are great slow rides with color and music... babies usually love them if they are not overtired or cranky already.

Diapers are often too much to bring on a plan. Look into the shopping services (widely discussed on DISboards) to deliver formula and diapers.

If you prefer, there are several stroller rental places that deliver to your hotel for the stay.

We took ours at 8 weeks old !

 

[henrylovespooh]

A sling is a good idea, but if it's hot at WDW in September - which it usually is, you might want to use your stroller so both you and your baby don't overheat. I loved my sling, but if it was hot out, it was too hot for me and the baby.

I think WDW is great with babies. We took our son when he was 6 months old. They can sleep anywhere and anytime they want. My son fell asleep every time we got on a WDW bus, on It's a Small World, on the ride in the Epcot Ball - you name it. He was not a fan of the movies because they're pretty loud and that scared him.

 

[WIDisneyFan]

Each of our three kids made their first Disney visit at about 3 months old and to be honest, they were EASY. Just like any other time with an infant keep them well fed, and comfortable and they will be fine.

That being said my biggest advice would simply be to relax and have fun. Something is bound to go wrong with young kids along (poorly timed dirty diaper, fussy or crying, ....) and that is normal, how you react determines if it is just a speed bump or a major crash.

the tougher trips are yet to come..... toddlers in the parks can be interesting to say the least

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

We took our DS when he was 15 months old and we didn't take breaks by leaving the parks. But I did make sure to try and get him to nap around the time of his normal nap time. We would do a longer dark ride or show around nap time and then finish his nap in the stroller. I would either go in a store or restaurant with a snack I purchased there to let him finish his nap in the stroller. One thing we did was use the baby care center, which are GREAT, in the afternoon for his "dinner" and changed his clothes at that time. When it is hot out, your clothes start to feel icky even after you cool off. We would feed him, strip him down, wipe him down with wipes and then put fresh clothes on him. He really seemed to feel better after that treatment.

Baby care centers are really great and with a baby that young, I would use them alot. They have large changing tables. They have rocking chairs and quiet rooms for them to get to sleep. I can't say enough good things about the baby care centers!!

 

[Mikie]

A sling is a good idea, but if it's hot at WDW in September - which it usually is, you might want to use your stroller so both you and your baby don't overheat. I loved my sling, but if it was hot out, it was too hot for me and the baby.

I think WDW is great with babies. We took our son when he was 6 months old. They can sleep anywhere and anytime they want. My son fell asleep every time we got on a WDW bus, on It's a Small World, on the ride in the Epcot Ball - you name it. He was not a fan of the movies because they're pretty loud and that scared him.

Totally agree - bring both a sling and stroller (not the huge travel system kind)

Monorail, shows, carousel of progress, hall of presidents, Ellens energy adventure, spaceship earth are all good cool places of relative calm if you don't want to fully return to hotel for a break

Each of our three kids made their first Disney visit at about 3 months old and to be honest, they were EASY. Just like any other time with an infant keep them well fed, and comfortable and they will be fine.

That being said my biggest advice would simply be to relax and have fun. Something is bound to go wrong with young kids along (poorly timed dirty diaper, fussy or crying, ....) and that is normal, how you react determines if it is just a speed bump or a major crash.

the tougher trips are yet to come..... toddlers in the parks can be interesting to say the least

Also right in the money! Definitely take your best "we won't get to do it all, enjoy the small moments" attitude and you won't be disappointed. I hate to be a pack mule, but when I had an infant at WDW, I had a diaper-related incident that made me wish I had tucked an extra outfit for ME in the park bag

Oh yeah, piggy backing on a PPs post - diapers hog a suitcase! To save space, you can ship a box of diapers, formula, baby food, other consumables to youself at the resort. You'll use it up while there, won't have to carry it around, and nothing to bring home!

 

[ruthies12]

After reading a bunch on the boards about ride break downs I was super paranoid about that happening. Especially since we use Disney transportation, busses and monorails can break down too and I've heard of people being stuck for a few hours.

So one thing I did was found myself a really comfortable crossbody bag (small backpack would work too though you'll have to take it off on rides which would be a pain) and filled it with a few essentials like a bottle and a diaper pack and a small snack for my older child. Then I put my wallet, camera and phone in the bag and kept it on me at all times. That allowed me to leave our big diaper bag on the stroller when we parked it since it had no expensive items in it. Being able to park the stroller quickly without having to take 100 things out of it was a huge bonus too, cause you will be parking it a lot.

Definitely find yourself a comfortable sling and practice with it at home. You will need a stroller for sure, but you can't take the stroller in lines and you will feel like your arms are going to fall off if you try to hold the baby the whole time. Make sure the bag you select to wear will work with the sling you select and practice sitting down with it all on so you aren't holding up the ride trying to get yourself situated

Last but not least make sure you get a good raincover for your stroller and keep it on it when you go into shows and rides.

 

[staceyrhood]

In September make sure you have a good stroller fan with back up batteries as it will be hot, a rain cover for the stroller too (rainy season), and some good baby sunscreen.

The good thing is there are lots of places to go into to cool off, and the baby care centers are awesome.

Have a great trip and congratulations!

 

[richmo]

Main advice: Be flexible and don't feel you have to get everything accomplished. Your plans for the day can change in a heartbeat. Babies rule!

 

[muenginerd]

I would go in with no expectations. If baby needs a break take a break. We were there last week and it was still Hot Hot Hot!

We watched one family have a toddler in line for the safari. The toddler was having a meltdown because of the heat, she was on the floor fullout crying. Family members kept trying to pour water on her to cool her down. One family member suggested the leave to get her out of the heat, and mom said she wasn't leaving and wasting the FP+. The toddler got so hot and worked up she ended up throwing up in the loading area. The CM's finally nicely, but strongly suggested the need to get their daughter out of the heat (and provided an area for the family to go to). I just felt so bad, the little girl was clearly not ok, but the family was refusing to get her out of the crowd.

We also meet another nice family on the bus with a 5month old. Mom used a carrier for baby and dad had a diaper backpack. They said they loved using the carrier and not fighting a stroller through crowds. Baby was still small enough mom didn't really have an issue with the extra weight.

 

[Elffriend]

I've been lurking here for awhile, but I registered just so I could answer this question.

Congratulations!

It's been a long time since we took a baby to Disney World, but these are the things I remember:

Bring plenty of diapers and wipes and a change of clothing to the park each day. The cost of diaper packs at the baby centers was outrageous and only came with two wipes. Sometimes you need more than that.

I second a sling if it's not too hot. We went in October with a 5 month old and I wore him a lot. Even if the baby spends a lot of time in the stroller, it was convenient to have him in the sling for getting on and off rides.

Bring your own stroller. I don't know if the strollers are different now, but the ones they had for rent back then were not suitable for an infant who couldn't sit independently.

If you are breastfeeding try to get some practice nursing in public before you go. It will not always be convenient to trek over to the baby center to nurse. My favorite place to nurse was on the TTA. It's a nice long ride and if there isn't much of a line the CM will let you keep going around until you want to get off.

I used a clear plastic tote as a diaper bag, that way everyone could see that it just had baby stuff in it. We left it on our stroller when it was parked outside rides and no one ever took it.

 

[WantToGoNow]

Free years of trying for a little one, our first round of IVF worked!!! We are now expecting June 1st, and we have planned a giant disney world trip with my family late September 2015. We have been to disney twice this past year and can not to be there with our baby for the first time, so please give me your best tips!!! I know about the baby care centers and pack n plays in rooms... I mean your really good, never would have thought of that tips! Thanks!!!!

Congratulations. My dd had her first IUI and is due on June 5. We will be going mid-October. I have been twice with infants but not with a baby/babies 4 months old. I do recommend a good stroller that reclines completely and take advantage of the baby centers in each park. Take plenty of supplies - when ds was 6 months old I ran out of diapers, formula (he started refusing to nurse the week before the trip), lost all of his pacifiers and his two favorite toys. Buying these things at Disney is $$$.

 

[DisneyParkLover]

Congratulations! I took my 2 1/2 month old last September so I know a little! Here's what I can tell you:
1) prepare for it to be HOT! Even in late September it was in the 90's with high humidity during our trip. Bring stroller fans and plan to be out of the sun at the hottest part of the day. Babies can't regulate their temps as well as adults so this is important!
2) A carrier is great! We only use a carrier some at home, but used it a lot at Disney. It is helpful for places you can't have a stroller (lines, restaurants) or times when a stroller is inconvenient (heavy crowds).
3) it will be a slower trip than usual. Be prepared to get a lot less done than you have in the past. There were days we only got a few rides in. It will be an awesome trip but it will be different.
4) try lots of things because you never know what your baby may like. I was prepared to skip fireworks because I thought my son might be scared. I'm glad I didn't because Fantasmic was his favorite thing in WDW!
5) the baby care centers are really nice but not always convenient. I found that a nice air conditioned ride or show works just as well for nursing/bottles (I had a cover and nobody was any the wiser!).

Also, I have my trip report linked in my signature that will tell you more about our adventures with a baby at Disney!

 

[karsen11]

Thanks everyone!!! We are so excited and can't wait to put all of this great advise to good use!!

 

[princessdi81]

Free years of trying for a little one, our first round of IVF worked!!! We are now expecting June 1st, and we have planned a giant disney world trip with my family late September 2015. We have been to disney twice this past year and can not to be there with our baby for the first time, so please give me your best tips!!! I know about the baby care centers and pack n plays in rooms... I mean your really good, never would have thought of that tips! Thanks!!!!

You sound just like me! Three years ttc, 6 Clomid cycles, 4 iui's, and our first ivf was a winner! I'm sitting here with my beautiful 19 week old planning our trip in February. I will let you know how it goes.
My friends have suggested using a baby carrier. (I have the moby, Baby Bjorn, infantino, Cicco, and a Ergo.). I'm planning on trying these out for store sessions and I'll let you know my thoughts. My friends also suggest an umbrella stroller. We are planning on taking a carrier or two, umbrella stroller & her pack&play because I'm OCD about that.we are also planning to hit the parks early (my baby is a morning person) and head back to the room or pool for naps before getting ready for dinner!
Good luck & Congratulations! (I was due 6/11/14 & was induced on 5/21 due to fetal growth issues.)

DI/SOG (86), Poly (92), GF (97, 99, 11), AKL (09, 10, 12), CR (09), DFTW (2/22/11), BC (11), WL (15)