Is this possible?

[Chernandkida]

I realize this isn't a typical situation. But I feel that we are doing everything we can to keep her safe. We are bringing extra epi pens and have talked to the special diets team and know what to really avoid. I also know to be extra careful in animal kingdom if animal handlers are out because they may have nuts.

As for restaurants, she has her own travel high chair that will be safe for her. We will also wipe down the tables before we sit, and have stick on placemats. As for the stroller. She will be using it in lines as a safe spot so there won't be as much exposure because it won't be parked in stroller areas for the most part. When it is parked we will drape a towel over her side.

I was connected to a friend of a friend who's child has a similar severity of allergy who frequents Disneyland. She assured me that wiping off the rides is very doable and she has no issues with it.

 

[OurBigTrip]

I realize this isn't a typical situation. But I feel that we are doing everything we can to keep her safe. We are bringing extra epi pens and have talked to the special diets team and know what to really avoid. I also know to be extra careful in animal kingdom if animal handlers are out because they may have nuts.

As for restaurants, she has her own travel high chair that will be safe for her. We will also wipe down the tables before we sit, and have stick on placemats. As for the stroller. She will be using it in lines as a safe spot so there won't be as much exposure because it won't be parked in stroller areas for the most part. When it is parked we will drape a towel over her side.

I was connected to a friend of a friend who's child has a similar severity of allergy who frequents Disneyland. She assured me that wiping off the rides is very doable and she has no issues with it.

If you plan to use her stroller in line, be sure to stop at Guest Services to get a stroller as wheelchair tag. Otherwise, you won't be able to bring it in most lines.

 

[primrosea]

2) Stroller
. . . when parked, the stroller is moved by CM's
. . . you will not know where the touching was done
. . . you will have to clean every time you retrieve a stroller
. . . and, you cannot lock in place, as the CM's are instructed to cut the locks off

This would be my big concern as well. We have come back to our stroller and found other children sitting in it and one time even found a cookie in the seat. Having a gluten allergy we were less than excited to see it there, but thankfully for us I can just remove it and move on as it is not a contact allergy. There was even one time at Epcot we saw a child walking across the stroller seats right down the row like he was hopping on stones over a river. Even if you use it as a wheelchair, the CMs will bring it to the end of the ride and it can come into contact with many people along the way so be sure it give it a good once over then.

Also, many of the stroller parking areas are near food service areas including popcorn stands, ice cream carts and QS locations so maybe keeping it covered with a plastic cover would help!

Good luck! Have a great vacation!

 

[mommyofsamson]

I would have a clear rain cover for the stroller, even if you are in the line. Kids will stick their hands our of the stroller when you are not looking. A plastic cover will also keep any CM hands/allergens off of it. Your daughter will still look out and enjoy the view.

If you use a towel or blanket, use one with two different sides. That way you know which side should be on the seat (put a label like "Bottom" would also help).

People touch people a lot. Especially strollers. They like to "push" them out of the way (even other people with strollers). Are you using a double stroller (You said "her" side) or is it a single stroller?

 

[spacecanada]

I am sensitive to contact reactions like your little one, except I'm an adult. It is tricky to navigate WDW and having an infant with these reactions is tough because they don't know how allergies work and don't understand why they cannot touch things or why you are telling them they cannot do something they see other kids doing. <3 to you and your little one - you're on the right path thinking about all of these things!

We bring a bag with baby wipes to wipe down as many surfaces as reasonably possible, tables, etc. (Clorox = rashes for me.) Rides can be tricky. If you are going in colder months, which is what we try to do, she can wear long sleeves and tights or trousers to minimise the amount of exposed skin. Preventing her from touching things and touching her face will be tricky at that age, so if there is a ride you cannot wipe down, you could have her wear little mittens for the few minutes she is on the ride or find a way to occupy her hands with something. As an adult, I've learnt not to touch anything and wash/wipe my hands after EVERY attraction. Certainly a good tip for anyone with allergies, at any age.

Leaning up against things, brushing up against people, etc. is just a normal part of life and something you have to learn to deal with at home as well as on vacation. We go at slower times to reduce crowds, the number of people eating allergens all over the park, and touching things. In queues and places where crowds are somewhat unavoidable, it can be tricky to watch what you touch or what touches you. Don't be afraid to leave a bit of room between you and the people ahead of you in the queue and keep your little one ahead of you in that buffer area.

I don't know much about strollers, but you could get a cover for yours, even just a blanket, to protect the surfaces your daughter would touch when you are not using it. When you go on a ride, throw a cover on the stroller whilst you are away, and remove it when you get back. I don't see any reason why a CM would touch or remove the covering/blanket. There are some good points made already on this topic though, so I would listen to parents with experience.

WDW restaurants are fine with you wiping down the table and chairs. We do it all the time. Some restaurants even provide a wipe or cloth to do so, upon request. You can request new cutlery too, citing allergies. Mark the allergies on all reservations and mention it to the staff at every meal to get safe food options.

And, as always, keep two EpiPens/Allerjects/AuviQs with you, keep them at the right temperature (that can be tricky in the hot Florida weather - get a Frio), plenty of wipes, plenty of safe soap (if that's an issue), and take your time. Rushing is a perfect recipe for allergy disasters.

Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[tartemis]

My youngest daughter had severe contact allergies at that age, too, and we went to Disney World with her several times. (She still has a contact allergy to dairy, but she has outgrown her other food allergies so there is hope!)

The keys for us for a successful trip were:

-- Long sleeves and pants. That way you really only need to worry about the hands as potential contact sites.

-- Baby wipes for any surface she would touch. But we did it really quickly -- it takes no more than 15 seconds if you have the wipe ready as you load. No special accommodations are necessary.

-- Benadryl. Inevitably, she would break out in hives from touching something so we gave her Benadryl and she would be fine. Depending on how sensitive your little one is, you could even consider giving it around the clock as a preventative measure -- but talk to your allergist about it first.

Good luck!

 

[LilyWDW]

Please do not use Clorox based wipes. All you need are baby wipes to get the allergens off. Quite a few people have issues with the Clorox based wipes due to the chemicals in them, including myself. If my hands come into contact with it before it has dried, then they will swell and get itchy. If someone sprays it around me, I can have issues breathing and end up with a severe headache. Luckily I have no had issues with this at Disney because most people are smart enough not to spray those sorts of things around a bunch of random people LMAO.

 

[mistysue]

I realize this isn't a typical situation. But I feel that we are doing everything we can to keep her safe. We are bringing extra epi pens and have talked to the special diets team and know what to really avoid. I also know to be extra careful in animal kingdom if animal handlers are out because they may have nuts.

As for restaurants, she has her own travel high chair that will be safe for her. We will also wipe down the tables before we sit, and have stick on placemats. As for the stroller. She will be using it in lines as a safe spot so there won't be as much exposure because it won't be parked in stroller areas for the most part. When it is parked we will drape a towel over her side.

I was connected to a friend of a friend who's child has a similar severity of allergy who frequents Disneyland. She assured me that wiping off the rides is very doable and she has no issues with it.

It sounds like you have it under more control than you are giving yourself credit for. I read your first post wrong, thinking you meant you needed extra time- like when people board a plane early to wipe the area then somebody follows with the allergy child. By your 3rd or 4th ride you will probably have the process down, wiping with one hand while holding her in the other.
Nobody is going to mind or even notice you wiping off the ride car. I would take a sandwich baggie and stuff it with baby wipes. That way you can stuff the entire thing in your pocket and just refill it once or twice a day. Take a second baggie for used wipes.

I would consider a rain cover for the stroller- then you can pull it down when you leave the stroller. While at Disney we leave the rain cover on all the time. We just pull the front up and bunch it up near the handle when we don't want to covering the seat. This way it can just be flipped down and the chance of anything moving in or out of that seat is reduced. (also great when it gets parked and starts to rain during the ride or show!)

Will your daughter be ok sitting in her stroller for most of the day? I might put some thought into your strategy for non-stroller time. Even my son who couldn't sit (let alone crawl or walk) at 18 months would not let us sit him in a stroller for much of the day. He would start screaming until we took him out and set him on a floor for a while, as if that's not awkward in huge public places to lie your child on the floor. You might want to work in planned walking times for her in the parks where you suspect she will touch less so that the nightmare style lines are easier. Certain lines might be a little better- the safari at Animal Kingdom comes to mind because the walkway is wide. If you could create a little bit of a buffer zone for her she would be less likely to touch people or stuff. She may actually be too short to touch many of the poles/chains/bars in the queue area for many rides which could work to your advantage. If you haven't looked into the details of lines much you should be aware that the dumbo line involves a full children's play area with a toddler zone. They also have redone the queue for Winnie the pooh to be your worst nightmare- it's a TON of interactive stuff geared right toward little kids complete with touch screen walls that look like honey and are irresistible for every single person in line to smear their hands across. The Haunted Mansion line is also full of interactive touch things now too. I'm not trying to be discouraging, I would wish somebody told me about those if I didn't know. You might want to reserve your "no, really stick to the stroller" energies for those lines if it's an option.

 

[Mrs K]

My youngest daughter had severe contact allergies at that age, too, and we went to Disney World with her several times. (She still has a contact allergy to dairy, but she has outgrown her other food allergies so there is hope!)

The keys for us for a successful trip were:

-- Long sleeves and pants. That way you really only need to worry about the hands as potential contact sites.

-- Baby wipes for any surface she would touch. But we did it really quickly -- it takes no more than 15 seconds if you have the wipe ready as you load. No special accommodations are necessary.

-- Benadryl. Inevitably, she would break out in hives from touching something so we gave her Benadryl and she would be fine. Depending on how sensitive your little one is, you could even consider giving it around the clock as a preventative measure -- but talk to your allergist about it first.

Good luck!

I totally agree. My DD has severe peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish allergies. She is extremely contact sensitive. She has been to WDW more than a dozen times. I usually wiped down most things she would touch. She still carries baby wipes or hani-wipes, not Clorox wipes. She wipes her hands and tables when she eats. We always gave her Benadryl in the morning or Zyrtec. Zyrtec made a huge difference. Traveling with an allergic child is stressful, but it can be done.

 

[Mum23]

To the OP I just want to say (and maybe you covered this, I tried to read all the responses but not sure I did)...Baby wipes are NOT adequate to wipe down things. I've seen a lot of people recommend them but they have emollients in them that basically just move allergens around. My kids have very sensitive skin (and allergies though not as contact as your little one) and we've had good luck with Wet Ones Sensitive. I buy the individual ones from Amazon to have in the car all the time and in the diaper bad, with the epi pens and so on.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

on most rides even bringing stroller with you, it will be moved by someone outside of your group as you may not be getting off where you started. and as I said earlier even in stroller child may be able to touch chains. others will be coming by your stroller as they get on so another child could touch it granted not like stroller corral but it can happen. just be prepared as it is not just you moving stroller

 

[wdwhappyplace]

I certainly understand your allergy issues and agree with some of the suggestions posted. However, please bear in mind that others like us do have a problem with the chemicals in Clorox wipes and some other brands as well. Even breathing the fumes from a freshly opened pack can cause a migraine. Also, my daughters and I could have an extreme reaction to the chemicals in aerosols or sprays if you spray in the area next to us with migraine or breathing issues.

 

[Chernandkida]

She's 12 months, and not walking. She will either be in the stroller, a baby carrier, or held the whole time. Her arms simply aren't long enough to reach to the outside of the stroller to touch things outside the stroller. I have looked while she is in it. I have already said that we will be covering her side of the stroller, yes it is a double, when we are not in the stroller to prevent things from touching her side. I am aware that someone outside my group may move the stroller, but they would more than likely be just touching the handle, which she wouldn't be touching. It's highly unlikely they would remove a cover from her side of the stroller and grab her straps, then replace the cover. But should that happened I will be prepared. We will be carrying extra benadryl and epi pens just in case because I know there are a lot of unknowns.

As for simply eating in the restaurants, or people walking by with food. That's fine. She isn't airborne, only contact. Someone would have to walk by with an allergen, touch the allergen, then touch her or her plate. That would be extremely obvious if someone did it. And even if a child threw food, I don't see how that could cause an issue, unless they threw it and it landed on her plate.

As for the cleaning, all my research has shown that baby wipes will not remove allergens from surfaces, I will need a cleaner. I will not be using aerosol in the lines/the car (an aerosol can of lysol wouldn't kill allergens, they have to be wiped away), so no one would have to worry about us spraying them, or breathing in the dust. I would have the cleaning wipes in an easy to access spot, have one ready as I get on, wipe where she may touch, then put back in our bag. If someone can provide an article or something showing where baby wipes would actually remove an allergen I'll gladly read it.


Thank you so much for the encouragement from those that have severe contact allergic kids! It makes me feel better knowing others have successfully done it!

 

[mistysue]

As for the cleaning, all my research has shown that baby wipes will not remove allergens from surfaces, I will need a cleaner. I will not be using aerosol in the lines/the car (an aerosol can of lysol wouldn't kill allergens, they have to be wiped away), so no one would have to worry about us spraying them, or breathing in the dust. I would have the cleaning wipes in an easy to access spot, have one ready as I get on, wipe where she may touch, then put back in our bag. If someone can provide an article or something showing where baby wipes would actually remove an allergen I'll gladly read it.

I'm aware of anybody actually testing out allergen removal by specific baby wipe. The best thing to use to be considerate of others would be a damp wash cloth- but that would be a pain in the butt. We use the specialty baby wipes that are more expensive and feel more like a tough cloth. I believe the issue with baby wipes is people want to buy the cheap ones that don't remove anything well and tear as you use them.
A basic search suggests that Wet Ones wipes and Tidy Tykes wipes (see http://foodallergies.about.com/od/foodallergybasics/a/Clean-Peanut-Residue.htm) remove as many proteins as washing hands with soap and water.
I have seen nothing to suggest there is any benefit to having a disinfectant wipe. They usually compare disinfectant spray (wiped with a cloth) to wet ones. A disinfectant spray is no more effective than water, so the issue is the material of the cloth you are using, not the cleaning agent.

 

[Mum23]

SOAP and water is the #1 way but yes, that would be a challenge for sure. Wet Ones type wipes are second. As I said, baby wipes don't cut it. They just spread the allergens around because of the formula used. That is what the most recent research on the subject says.

HTH