EPCOTgrl1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2001
I am about to embark on my first trip to Disney with a baby. I have been the Walt Disney World (WDW) many times before, even worked there for several years, so I know my way around the parks, but this is the first time I am going to bring my baby to Disney. I have been planning this trip since I was 20 weeks pregnant; I have been looking up blogs and trip reports to figure out what I have to look forward to, when taking a 5 month old. Well there just isn't a lot out there. Honestly I don't know what I was looking for, but it wasn't what I found.
I know some of you will say "Why are you taking a kid that young to Disney?” Well… because I want to and I can. Really this trip is for me more then it is for my daughter. I know and understand that she will not remember this trip at all but I will. I can’t wait to see her reactions to all the sounds, colors, rides, and people while we are there.
Now that has all been said: welcome to our little adventure.
Pre planning
Since I booked this trip so far in advance, and it is my first trip out of the state since I found out I was pregnant, I have been planning as much as I can. This is very odd for me, because most of our trips to Disney are last minute and they all just go with the flow.
We are also going down at the end of October, when it might be a little cooler then the summer, but not by much. During this time of year we like to enjoy Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT. There is also another event at the Magic Kingdom (MK) called Mickey’s No So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP). We toyed with the idea of going to MNSSHP but it will be to late for our daughter to enjoy and she is really to young to understand what is happening. I know that we will go back again when she is older for this event.
Travel
We will be flying this trip to Disney. With having a baby so young with exclusively breast feeds (EBF) our 12 hour trip would turn into a 20 hour trip with all the stops we would have to make on the way down. We are flying Southwest with a lap baby. I called ahead to let them know I was bringing my baby with me, I don’t think you have to do this, but you have to bring a copy of the birth certificate to the desk to get a the correct documents for the baby to go on the flight with you. Southwest also lets you gate check 2 baby items, which could be a stroller, car seat, or pack n’ play. This trip we are only taking a stroller with us because we know there will be a pack n’ play in our room and we will not be using a car this trip. When we get to Orlando we will be taking advantage of Disney’s Magical Express to get us to and from the airport.
Hotel
We are Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members. My mom requested, since she found out that we were trying to have a baby, that she come on the babies first trip to Disney. She was the one that really started my love for Disney. That being said, on this trip my parents are coming with us. We are staying at Old Key West (OKW) in a two bedroom. This room is HUGE for the number of people we have going on this trip, but I wanted everyone to have their own space. I feel that is very important. The baby wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes and I didn’t want her waking up everyone. We also invited others to come with us/stay with us on this trip, and they all said no; so more space for us!
There are may perks to having a room this big. First off we all have our own spaces that can be closed off. My husband and I will be staying in the master suite, and my parents will be staying in the room that has 2 queen beds. We will also have a full kitchen as well as a washer and dryer in the room. This will help us not to over pack, mostly for the baby. We will also be able to eat all of our breakfasts in the room as well as store leftovers and snack. For breakfast and snacks we are placing an Amazon order that we will have delivered to the hotel.
Dining
This trip we will be down at Disney for 6 days, and I only made 3 dinning reservations. They are all early dinners or late lunches. Since we normally start bedtime for our daughter, E, between 6:30-7p we thought that a “normal” dinner time would not work for us at all, and the late dinners (which my husband and I normally choose) would defiantly be out. This trip we are going to Trails End, a buffet of all the good old American favorites, Sanaa, African inspired food, and 50’s Prime Time Café, 50’s inspired food from Mama’s Kitchen. They are all very laid back and are some of my families favorite places to eat. The other days we will grab quick service food, eat around the world at Food and Wine, or see if there are any last minute reservations that we can get. Since all of us have been to Disney more then once, and we all know we are going again (within the year) we are not to concerned with not having something planned for every night.
FastPass+ (FP+)
I still dislike the FP+ system, but in the end it is making wait times shorter for all the rides, so I guess we will take it. This trip we have planned FPs for 4 out of the 6 days that we are staying. I tried to plan at least 2 FPs that everyone could enjoy, including E, and 1 FP that is just for the adults. Now I do know that there is a way to work the system, but I chose not to do that this trip. Our FPs for this trip include Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Mine Train, Dumbo, Meeting Mickey and friends, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Toy Story Mania, Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, Star Tours, and Tower of Terror. Ok maybe I did more FPs for the adults. We will be using Baby Swap throughout the trip. Baby Swap is where part of your party goes on ride while someone waits with the baby. You get a paper ticket, which you can use later to let the person waiting with the baby to go on the ride. If you have older children with you they can also join the person that was waiting with the baby to go on the ride again.
Packing
This is where I don’t really have a clue on how much stuff to take with me. I do know that with the washer and dryer in our room we don’t have to take as much. This is my current packing list for the baby:
I hope this will be everything we will need, but I guess we will find out soon enough. The new trick is figuring what to put into a carryon and what to put into the bag. I have never had to think so much about what we will need for the first day in the parks.
Tips and Tricks
So while looking on blogs and websites I found a few tips and tricks that I am looking forward to trying on this trip.
Bring the boppy on the plane with us. Not only do we EBF, but we will also be having a lap baby on the plane. This will help me not have to hold her the whole trip if she does fall asleep on the flights.
Using cloths pins to attach a swaddle blanket to the front on the stroller. This way we will be able to offer full sun protection, since she cannot wear sunscreen yet. We bought a package of 50 cloths pins, since I have a feeling they will go missing throughout our trip.
Decorating our stroller so it will be less likely to be stolen. I have said this before and I will say it again, Disney isn’t the safest place on earth. There is always a chance for the stroller to be taken, but I am going to try and make it a little less likely with decorations that will be harder to remove. It will also make it a little easier to spot our stroller when it is moved.
Using a shower curtain as a rain cover for the stroller. The stroller that I have doesn’t have a rain cover that goes with it. The shower curtain will hopefully work out well.
Nursing on dark rides. I want to say my mom did this back in the day. I will be finding cool dark places where I can nurse E and give her a little break from the hot day, without having to pack up and go back to the hotel.
Taking breaks in the middle of the day. I know that this is a must now. I am not going to be dragging my child around when she is cranky and tired, no one wants that. So we will be taking breaks each day. The timing will depend on E. We are not worried about not making our FPs, and we schedule all the meals during her normal awake times.
Taking different size ziplock bags with use for dirty/wet cloths.
Using a backpack as a diaper bag.
1 more week before we leave and we cannot wait!
I know some of you will say "Why are you taking a kid that young to Disney?” Well… because I want to and I can. Really this trip is for me more then it is for my daughter. I know and understand that she will not remember this trip at all but I will. I can’t wait to see her reactions to all the sounds, colors, rides, and people while we are there.
Now that has all been said: welcome to our little adventure.
Pre planning
Since I booked this trip so far in advance, and it is my first trip out of the state since I found out I was pregnant, I have been planning as much as I can. This is very odd for me, because most of our trips to Disney are last minute and they all just go with the flow.
We are also going down at the end of October, when it might be a little cooler then the summer, but not by much. During this time of year we like to enjoy Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT. There is also another event at the Magic Kingdom (MK) called Mickey’s No So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP). We toyed with the idea of going to MNSSHP but it will be to late for our daughter to enjoy and she is really to young to understand what is happening. I know that we will go back again when she is older for this event.
Travel
We will be flying this trip to Disney. With having a baby so young with exclusively breast feeds (EBF) our 12 hour trip would turn into a 20 hour trip with all the stops we would have to make on the way down. We are flying Southwest with a lap baby. I called ahead to let them know I was bringing my baby with me, I don’t think you have to do this, but you have to bring a copy of the birth certificate to the desk to get a the correct documents for the baby to go on the flight with you. Southwest also lets you gate check 2 baby items, which could be a stroller, car seat, or pack n’ play. This trip we are only taking a stroller with us because we know there will be a pack n’ play in our room and we will not be using a car this trip. When we get to Orlando we will be taking advantage of Disney’s Magical Express to get us to and from the airport.
Hotel
We are Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members. My mom requested, since she found out that we were trying to have a baby, that she come on the babies first trip to Disney. She was the one that really started my love for Disney. That being said, on this trip my parents are coming with us. We are staying at Old Key West (OKW) in a two bedroom. This room is HUGE for the number of people we have going on this trip, but I wanted everyone to have their own space. I feel that is very important. The baby wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes and I didn’t want her waking up everyone. We also invited others to come with us/stay with us on this trip, and they all said no; so more space for us!
There are may perks to having a room this big. First off we all have our own spaces that can be closed off. My husband and I will be staying in the master suite, and my parents will be staying in the room that has 2 queen beds. We will also have a full kitchen as well as a washer and dryer in the room. This will help us not to over pack, mostly for the baby. We will also be able to eat all of our breakfasts in the room as well as store leftovers and snack. For breakfast and snacks we are placing an Amazon order that we will have delivered to the hotel.
Dining
This trip we will be down at Disney for 6 days, and I only made 3 dinning reservations. They are all early dinners or late lunches. Since we normally start bedtime for our daughter, E, between 6:30-7p we thought that a “normal” dinner time would not work for us at all, and the late dinners (which my husband and I normally choose) would defiantly be out. This trip we are going to Trails End, a buffet of all the good old American favorites, Sanaa, African inspired food, and 50’s Prime Time Café, 50’s inspired food from Mama’s Kitchen. They are all very laid back and are some of my families favorite places to eat. The other days we will grab quick service food, eat around the world at Food and Wine, or see if there are any last minute reservations that we can get. Since all of us have been to Disney more then once, and we all know we are going again (within the year) we are not to concerned with not having something planned for every night.
FastPass+ (FP+)
I still dislike the FP+ system, but in the end it is making wait times shorter for all the rides, so I guess we will take it. This trip we have planned FPs for 4 out of the 6 days that we are staying. I tried to plan at least 2 FPs that everyone could enjoy, including E, and 1 FP that is just for the adults. Now I do know that there is a way to work the system, but I chose not to do that this trip. Our FPs for this trip include Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Mine Train, Dumbo, Meeting Mickey and friends, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Toy Story Mania, Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, Star Tours, and Tower of Terror. Ok maybe I did more FPs for the adults. We will be using Baby Swap throughout the trip. Baby Swap is where part of your party goes on ride while someone waits with the baby. You get a paper ticket, which you can use later to let the person waiting with the baby to go on the ride. If you have older children with you they can also join the person that was waiting with the baby to go on the ride again.
Packing
This is where I don’t really have a clue on how much stuff to take with me. I do know that with the washer and dryer in our room we don’t have to take as much. This is my current packing list for the baby:
- 1 towel
- 2 washcloths
- Small soap
- 1 package of wipes
- 6 outfits
- 3 pajamas
- 3 swaddle
- Hat
- Sun glasses
- Hearing protection
- Clothes pins
- 6 burp cloths
- Pack n’ play sheet
- Bottles
- Pump and associated pieces
- Ice packs
- Cooler/lunchbox
- Blue nosy thing (I am sure it has a real name but this is what we call it)
- Bibs
- Blanket for tummy time
- Nail clippers
- Boppy
- Stuff to wash Bottles (green grass pad and bottle washer)
- 1 Sleeve of diapers
- Moby Wrap
- Tula
- 6 diapers
- Package of wipes
- 1 outfit
- 2 burp cloths
- Powder
- Butt paste
- Swaddle
- Changing pad
- Binkies
- Feeding cover
- Medicine
I hope this will be everything we will need, but I guess we will find out soon enough. The new trick is figuring what to put into a carryon and what to put into the bag. I have never had to think so much about what we will need for the first day in the parks.
Tips and Tricks
So while looking on blogs and websites I found a few tips and tricks that I am looking forward to trying on this trip.
Bring the boppy on the plane with us. Not only do we EBF, but we will also be having a lap baby on the plane. This will help me not have to hold her the whole trip if she does fall asleep on the flights.
Using cloths pins to attach a swaddle blanket to the front on the stroller. This way we will be able to offer full sun protection, since she cannot wear sunscreen yet. We bought a package of 50 cloths pins, since I have a feeling they will go missing throughout our trip.
Decorating our stroller so it will be less likely to be stolen. I have said this before and I will say it again, Disney isn’t the safest place on earth. There is always a chance for the stroller to be taken, but I am going to try and make it a little less likely with decorations that will be harder to remove. It will also make it a little easier to spot our stroller when it is moved.
Using a shower curtain as a rain cover for the stroller. The stroller that I have doesn’t have a rain cover that goes with it. The shower curtain will hopefully work out well.
Nursing on dark rides. I want to say my mom did this back in the day. I will be finding cool dark places where I can nurse E and give her a little break from the hot day, without having to pack up and go back to the hotel.
Taking breaks in the middle of the day. I know that this is a must now. I am not going to be dragging my child around when she is cranky and tired, no one wants that. So we will be taking breaks each day. The timing will depend on E. We are not worried about not making our FPs, and we schedule all the meals during her normal awake times.
Taking different size ziplock bags with use for dirty/wet cloths.
Using a backpack as a diaper bag.
1 more week before we leave and we cannot wait!
