Disney with a 4 month old baby - opinions please...

[sweetmama17]

Also note that each park has baby care centers with changing stations and chairs for nursing. We are local so we didn't do Disney as overnight but we took my oldest to Sea World at 3 months and my youngest to Magic Kingdom for a day at 6 weeks. With my oldest I had to take lots of nursing breaks (it was 40 degrees so we were bundled) but otherwise I learned shows were a great time for a nursing session. And with everyone else a baby carrier is a must (for that age I loved my Lilebaby). Strollers cannot go in ride lines either and those 4 month olds get heavy quick!

 

[act1980]

Also note that each park has baby care centers with changing stations and chairs for nursing. We are local so we didn't do Disney as overnight but we took my oldest to Sea World at 3 months and my youngest to Magic Kingdom for a day at 6 weeks. With my oldest I had to take lots of nursing breaks (it was 40 degrees so we were bundled) but otherwise I learned shows were a great time for a nursing session. And with everyone else a baby carrier is a must (for that age I loved my Lilebaby). Strollers cannot go in ride lines either and those 4 month olds get heavy quick!

Thank you, i am aware of the baby care centres but my only concern with that is if I need to use them and I'm the other side of the park. Makes it a bit of a trek!

We're going at the end of November because it should be a little cooler then so hopefully the baby will be reasonably comfortable.

 

[margot31]

I personally think those days you will be there you don't need to sterilize everything. We are taking our 4 month old who will be 6 months when we go and I use very hot water and soap and soak everything, but than again she is my second. That is how I plan on dealing with the bottle issue is each night when we go back, since we are going back around 6-7 for bedtime for our son, that I will just soak everything in hot water and soap and clean.

 

[act1980]

I personally think those days you will be there you don't need to sterilize everything. We are taking our 4 month old who will be 6 months when we go and I use very hot water and soap and soak everything, but than again she is my second. That is how I plan on dealing with the bottle issue is each night when we go back, since we are going back around 6-7 for bedtime for our son, that I will just soak everything in hot water and soap and clean.

I'm going to try and stop sterilising from around 3 months. I live in the UK so everyone does it, I think it's a bit OCD though to be honest and wonder how they're meant to build up an immune system if they're not exposed to germs!

 

[4leobeans]

Congrats! Lots of good advice. I'd probably go at this age. Babies have had at least one series of vaccinations, and are starting to be interested in the world around.

If you have an extremely fussy/colicky baby, baby-wearing is a great thing for helping soothe. Make sure you get a high quality (or a few) carriers - Tula, Kinderpack, Manduca, or sling...and practice using and wearing before going. If baby BF, you can even feed in the carrier. I don't think the heat will be an issue. You'll also protect baby from the sun in a carrier.

I went on a week long trip with my daughter when she was 2 months.....it was a bit challenging with the BF, as we were still getting the hang of it, and I was concerned about her crying at night bothering others, but overall, she was great to travel with. We just did everything a little slower

 

[kboo]

The 2 trips I took with dd2 when she was 3 and 4+ months old, I did not even set foot in a baby care center! There is a thread here that has everyone sharing easy nursing locations. I have nursed at the Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress, and in most of the movies in World Showcase at Epcot, Spaceship Earth, the Little Mermaid show at HS, ...

 

[act1980]

Congrats! Lots of good advice. I'd probably go at this age. Babies have had at least one series of vaccinations, and are starting to be interested in the world around.

If you have an extremely fussy/colicky baby, baby-wearing is a great thing for helping soothe. Make sure you get a high quality (or a few) carriers - Tula, Kinderpack, Manduca, or sling...and practice using and wearing before going. If baby BF, you can even feed in the carrier. I don't think the heat will be an issue. You'll also protect baby from the sun in a carrier.

I went on a week long trip with my daughter when she was 2 months.....it was a bit challenging with the BF, as we were still getting the hang of it, and I was concerned about her crying at night bothering others, but overall, she was great to travel with. We just did everything a little slower

Thanks for the tips on the carriers, I'll check them out!

 

[act1980]

The 2 trips I took with dd2 when she was 3 and 4+ months old, I did not even set foot in a baby care center! There is a thread here that has everyone sharing easy nursing locations. I have nursed at the Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress, and in most of the movies in World Showcase at Epcot, Spaceship Earth, the Little Mermaid show at HS, ...

Thanks, I'll look for that thread!

 

[kboo]

Thanks, I'll look for that thread!

Here it is! https://www.disboards.com/threads/o...d-for-wdw-parks.2465781/page-67#post-53059639

 

[act1980]

Here it is! https://www.disboards.com/threads/o...d-for-wdw-parks.2465781/page-67#post-53059639

Thanks!!

 

[Mrs Geek]

How do you know which rides allow the baby to come? Is it anything without a height requirement, or just a sub-set?

 

[KrazeeK120]

How do you know which rides allow the baby to come? Is it anything without a height requirement, or just a sub-set?

Baby can come on anything without a hieight requirement.

 

[kimfirstdisneytrip]

I don't know....

That all sounds good in theory, IF you can breastfeed, and IF you can babywear comfortably, IF you don't have a colicky baby or any medical issues, and IF you guys don't mind having a substantially different vacation with a baby along.

My rule of thumb is this: "Would I have chosen to book this vacation if I knew a 4 month old baby would be with us?" If the answer is no, consider canceling or rescheduling to a later date, if you can. If the answer is yes, then go for it! You also want to consider the cost of the trip, and if taking a chance that some of these things could wash out your trip, is it worth the money spent?

With one's first child, one really has no idea what they are getting into. With my first child, I had planned to breastfeed, and babywear, and cloth-diaper, and NONE of that happened. And with my second child, only the breastfeeding happened out of those three things. Personally, looking back at each of my children being 4 months old and the idea of traveling - there is no way. Again, this is just me, but we were too tired, too overwhelmed, and in a hormone newborn fog. You know, the 4th Trimester is the first 3 months after baby is born. Sorry to be a wet blanket.

Everyone is different. Every baby is different. And you know yourself and what you are willing to chance, and if that is worth the cost. Good luck!!

 

[kstgelais4]

I want to chime in, even though I have yet to travel to WDW with a baby. My little one will be nine months when we take her for the first time in Sept, and is three months right now. I feel the need to add my two cents, as it seems all of the above posters are speaking from the vantage point of being seasoned parents with more than one child. My little girl is mine and DH's first, and right now at the three month mark I could not imagine traveling to Disney with her. We are just getting into the stage where showering every day is feasible, lol. For me, new motherhood was a bit of a shellshock and getting into a routine, learning to care for her while still taking care of myself, etc has been a huge adjustment. I'm not saying you should cancel, as everyone is different. In fact, DH and I actually went to Disney when I was newly pregnant and everyone said I would hate it, but it was actually fine.

Now, it is possible I would feel different a month from now, when my baby is four months. Each week brings big changes and progress is huge month from month. I just wanted to add another perspective, as it sounds like you too are about to be a first time mother. Congrats!

While I am not a first time mom anymore, I was at one point, and we did take our first to Disney when he was 4 months. Babies that age are still so portable! Not moving quite that much, generally happy just to be where you are, and will sleep anywhere.
My advice is to expect to go slow, WEAR your baby!, and be flexible.
We are looking forward to taking along our newest who will be 4 months on our trip next month!

 

[act1980]

While I am not a first time mom anymore, I was at one point, and we did take our first to Disney when he was 4 months. Babies that age are still so portable! Not moving quite that much, generally happy just to be where you are, and will sleep anywhere.
My advice is to expect to go slow, WEAR your baby!, and be flexible.
We are looking forward to taking along our newest who will be 4 months on our trip next month!

Thanks for the encouragement & advice

 

[KrazeeK120]

Babies that age are still so portable! Not moving quite that much, generally happy just to be where you are, and will sleep anywhere

The thing is, that's not always true and not the best advice for a first-time mom. I'm very fortunate that my son has always been super easy and we've always taken him everywhere with no problems. But apparently I was a demon child...horribly colicky and didn't sleep for the first 4+ months of my life. My nephew was similar and he HATED being worn, and I clearly remember my sister's zombie-like state for several months (and was questioning whether or not I should move forward with my plans to have my own child!).

If you get a kid like mine, the trip will be a breeze. If you get a kid like me...not so much. You really just have to be prepared for both ends of the spectrum because you have no idea what kind of baby you'll get until the baby is actually here. I'm not trying to scare anyone or be a Debbie downer, but the reality is that extremely difficult babies (and children) do exist.

 

[kimfirstdisneytrip]

The thing is, that's not always true and not the best advice for a first-time mom. I'm very fortunate that my son has always been super easy and we've always taken him everywhere with no problems. But apparently I was a demon child...horribly colicky and didn't sleep for the first 4+ months of my life. My nephew was similar and he HATED being worn, and I clearly remember my sister's zombie-like state for several months (and was questioning whether or not I should move forward with my plans to have my own child!).

If you get a kid like mine, the trip will be a breeze. If you get a kid like me...not so much. You really just have to be prepared for both ends of the spectrum because you have no idea what kind of baby you'll get until the baby is actually here. I'm not trying to scare anyone or be a Debbie downer, but the reality is that extremely difficult babies (and children) do exist.

Well said. Exactly, we don't know what kind of baby you'll get, and we also don't know what kind of postpartum mom you'll be. You can think that you'll think, feel, or act a certain way, but until you literally have the baby and are in that moment, you don't really know for sure. Your feelings or thoughts could change.

 

[memma05]

I agree it totally depends on what type of personality your baby ends up with.....but on the positive it is your first so you can tailor your schedule and not have to worry about other kiddos! I have found that by four months all of my kiddos had a general sleep schedule and eating schedule so you will probably have a good idea of what timeline you're working with during the day! I have three and my youngest went for the first time right around 4.5 months. We also have a baby jogger (Gt mini double) which is a fantastic stroller! Do you have the bar to attach a carseat? We took it with us and on certain days took her in her carseat so we could take her into restaurants in her seat when she was asleep! I also have the battery powered fans because even in the coolor months there are still pretty warm days! My go to carrier was the ergo and she loved it and rode rides, ate at TS restaurants and hung out in it a lot! I never encountered issues with having her in it on rides but certain things like the safari at AK we just took her on our lap so she could see better! Also I didn't see it mentioned but couldn't you get an electric bottle sanitizer? I had them for pacifiers and such and that would be a lot easier then having to find a microwave! They are pretty compact too so you could back them in your luggage. No matter what I am sure you will have a great trip!

 

[Traver Freeman]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for a little advise as I'm expecting a baby in July. I currently have a booking for 11 nights at the Polynesian at the end of November

How neat! Our son was born in July 2014, and we took a trip with him that November. He was 4 months, so basically the same story. We loved the trip with him. He was so easy going and mostly stayed in his stroller all day. We took a pack 'n play with us for him to sleep in and just stuck in the corner of our room.

Yes it was a little slower going than when we used to go just the two of us. You have to take advantage of the rider swap more, and each of the big rides basically need to be ridden twice before you can move on so that the person sitting out with baby gets to ride, but it's not really a big deal.

I would definitely still go if I were you!

 

[act1980]

How neat! Our son was born in July 2014, and we took a trip with him that November. He was 4 months, so basically the same story. We loved the trip with him. He was so easy going and mostly stayed in his stroller all day. We took a pack 'n play with us for him to sleep in and just stuck in the corner of our room.

Yes it was a little slower going than when we used to go just the two of us. You have to take advantage of the rider swap more, and each of the big rides basically need to be ridden twice before you can move on so that the person sitting out with baby gets to ride, but it's not really a big deal.

I would definitely still go if I were you!

Thanks for sharing your success story! I just hope we get a relatively easy baby and no colic. I'm sure either way that we'll be very tired by the time we travel but as you said, we'll just do things at a slower pace. I'm really excited!