Need some tips for taking our 3 month old baby to Disney World

[mistydoodles]

Good afternoon. We are 20 days away from our 6th trip to Disney World. This will be our first time bringing a baby with us and I really don't know what to expect.

We had this trip planned before I found out I was pregnant with our third child. Our other children are 14 and 10 so this was a little bit of a surprise and it was the furthest thing from my mind when making our plans.

Now that we are getting closer to the trip I am starting to get nervous. I really don't know what to expect and what we should bring with us other than the obvious items such as diapers, wipes, clothes and our stroller.

I am breastfeeding her and I am considering getting a pump so I can feed her from a bottle if need be when we are at restaurants or so dad or grandma can feed her if I am unavailable. Other than those times I am planning to breastfeed her. Are there places I will be able to go so I can feed her when she is hungry or will it be okay to feed her wherever we are as long as I am discreet?

Also, I am worried about the table service restaurants. She is not able to sit up on her own yet so I don't know if I will have to bring our travel system with us in the parks and then bring the carrier/car seat into the restaurant for her to sit. How does this work at places like Cinderella's Royal Table and LeCellier?

How do rides work? I know she won't be able to ride on rides that have height restrictions but will I have any problems bringing her on such rides as Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, Pirates and etc?

I really would appreciate any advice and tips that you can share with me. Thank you very much!!

 

[kaleighmariesmom]

I would LOVE to know too! we are bringing 5 month old TWINS next month...I am starting to freak out!

 

[jack'smom]

Good afternoon. We are 20 days away from our 6th trip to Disney World. This will be our first time bringing a baby with us and I really don't know what to expect.

We had this trip planned before I found out I was pregnant with our third child. Our other children are 14 and 10 so this was a little bit of a surprise and it was the furthest thing from my mind when making our plans.

Now that we are getting closer to the trip I am starting to get nervous. I really don't know what to expect and what we should bring with us other than the obvious items such as diapers, wipes, clothes and our stroller.

I am breastfeeding her and I am considering getting a pump so I can feed her from a bottle if need be when we are at restaurants or so dad or grandma can feed her if I am unavailable. Other than those times I am planning to breastfeed her. Are there places I will be able to go so I can feed her when she is hungry or will it be okay to feed her wherever we are as long as I am discreet?

Also, I am worried about the table service restaurants. She is not able to sit up on her own yet so I don't know if I will have to bring our travel system with us in the parks and then bring the carrier/car seat into the restaurant for her to sit. How does this work at places like Cinderella's Royal Table and LeCellier?

How do rides work? I know she won't be able to ride on rides that have height restrictions but will I have any problems bringing her on such rides as Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, Pirates and etc?

I really would appreciate any advice and tips that you can share with me. Thank you very much!!

We also took our youngest at 3 months and it really didn't seem too difficult. I used a baby carrier and we were both very comfortable most of the time. For little ones that small, I have both a belle baby http://www.bellebabycarriers.com/baby-carriers.html and a baby k'tan carrier http://www.babyktan.com/black.html and loved them both. He slept in these carriers much of the day. I was also able to wear him on some of the rides (like Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan). Wearing him also helped protect him from well-meaning people that would want to touch him, etc. We went during the first panic of swine flu, so I was a little cautious about germs.

You can nurse anywhere (I often nursed on rides--I would ask for the back row of some rides so I was more discreet). I brought a nursing cover because I did often nurse while we were at restaurants. Also, every park has a baby care center--these are the best. They have private rooms for nursing, changing care stations, and even places to play. I brought a pump, just in case, but never actually used it. Pumping and cleaning just seemed like too much of a hassle.

As for the restaurants, some have the infant high chair seat things (Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace for sure did), but for the most part, I either wore the baby while he slept and I ate, nursed him while I ate, or took turns with my husband and my parents holding him. It wasn't really that bad.

Have a great trip! We did and have some very precious photos and memories.

 

[Tiffanie]

We brought our four month old a few years ago on his first trip and went in to the trip knowing it would be a slower trip than normal. Take a good stroller that the baby will be comfortable in, a blanket to drape over the stroller to keep the sun out, a baby sling was a life saver for us on this trip, my husband and I took turns carrying him. He was comfortable and so were we, he slept many times in his sling. Some of the restaurants have the infant high chair seats, those were great. Otherwise we just took turns holding him while we ate. Use the baby care centers, they are just wonderful! Enjoy the trip, just know you will probably move slower than you normally do without a baby. We had a great time bringing ours!

 

[PrincessSteph]

We took our 7 week old to WDW in 2008 and he was so easy. Like the others have stated, we wore him a lot during the week. We did not take our car seat and never had a need for it. I used the baby care center a few times, but other than that I used a coverup anytime I needed to nurse him. I did take my pump on the trip knowing that I would have to leave my son behind one day (I was in my BFF's wedding!) but it stayed in the room.

I don't really remember having the baby on any ride other than It's a Small World, but I would think he was on more than that...

Enjoy your trip and don't forget to take lots of pictures!

 

[TMJR]

We took our daughter at about 6 months, and it was much easier than I thought it would be. We did bring the travel system/carseat and brought the seat right into restuarants with no problem at all. She completely slept through many meals.

The baby centers are fabulous. The only places that took a little extra effort were the water parks. If you go, be there right at opening to try to get some covered area...this was easier for us at Blizzard Beach.

We took her on so many rides, and she really enjoyed them. You'll be surprised how many rides she can go on, and don't forget baby swap for the rides you cannot take her on!

Have fun!

 

[1disneychic]

We just returned two weeks ago from our WDW trip with our 3 month old. I must say that I was nervous as this was our first child & our first trip with him. We carried him in a sling in the morning to get on the bus--one of us had baby in sling & the other had stroller/bag duty. During the day we had him in the stroller when we were walking around, then parked the stroller in one of the stroller parking areas in each land & carried him or had him in a sling.

As far as rides...we took him on any that didn't have height restrictions. At MK, we did PP, IASW, Pooh, Carousel, Philharmagic (good place to nurse), HM, POTC, Dumbo, Magic Carpets, JC, TTC, MILFC show, Buzz Lightyear, COP. We also used rider swap for bigger rides--the CM were great about this. At EPCOT, we did all the rides in FW except MS & TT. At DHS, the only things we did were TSM & GMR. At AK, we did KS, Triceratops Spin, and FOTLK (He loved all of the action here!).

Baby Centers--these were great--a nice place to relax, BF, etc. My DH would always just wait for me while I nursed. There are small seating areas for people to wait. Also, I nursed in several shows & even once on a secluded bench in EPCOT (very hungry baby--wasn't going to make it to the Baby Center). I just used a blanket as a cover up--no one noticed, or if they did, they didn't stare. As someone who has never BF in public in my town, I had no problems at WDW.

For meals, some restaurants have infant seats--sort of like a car seat high chair. Whispering Canyon was one I remember having it. We made all of our ADR to include DS as one of the party so there'd be room for his stroller. Most of the time, we just held him while we ate, though.

One thing that we did make a point to do was character pics. DS loved the characters, especially Pooh & friends. He'd smile whenever he saw them. He won't remember them, but we have some great pics to share with him later.

Diapers, wipes, etc.--we ordered some diapers from Amazon & had them delivered to our resort. For the parks, I had a small clear plastic bag that contained my 'changing kit'. I put the changing pad, a set of clothes, a few diapers, wipes, and antibacterial hand gel. I put this inside the diaper bag with all of the other necessities. It was very easy to just pull out the small bag for diaper changing.
If you use a pacifier, take at least two just in case one gets lost & use a pacifier clip. This helped us avoid a dropped pacifier several times.
I also used link-a-doos to clip a couple of toys to the stroller...just in case. Do something to make your stroller easy to find--we had large stickers of his initials that I put on the back of the stroller. We saw someone that printed out a sign with a picture & had it zip-tied to the stroller handles. Take a stroller cover in case of rain. We only needed it once, but we're very happy to have a dry stroller to put DS in.
Have a few toys for in the room for the evenings. Also, bath time was interesting...we decided to just bathe him in the sink instead of getting an inflatable tub. It worked but it took two of us--one to hold the very slippery baby & one to wash.

Sorry for the length of post, but I hope this helps you. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Have a good trip.

 

[jedijohn]

I think they have lockers near the entrances where you can store your infants for the day.


But seriously, you will have a great time with your 3 month old; we did with our 9 month old. Just don't become frustrated if they need a break. Go back to your car or resort and catch a quick nap so you can all recharge away from the crowds. Take lots of pictures so you can share your experiences with your child when they are older. Have fun!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

I really don't know what to expect and what we should bring with us other than the obvious items such as diapers, wipes, clothes and our stroller.

Disposable bibs. Disposable changing pads. Ziplock bags. Extra clothes to keep in a ziplock bag for emergencys). Sunscreen. Hat. Booger sucker. Tylenol/ibuprofen. Baby backpack/wrap. A way to tether a pacifier to baby or stroller (if baby uses one...).

I am breastfeeding her and I am considering getting a pump so I can feed her from a bottle if need be when we are at restaurants or so dad or grandma can feed her if I am unavailable. Other than those times I am planning to breastfeed her. Are there places I will be able to go so I can feed her when she is hungry or will it be okay to feed her wherever we are as long as I am discreet?

There are baby care centers in each park. Find them. Use them. LOVE them!!!

As for bottle feeding... we used the Playtex drop-in system at WDW. We carried 2 shells in our bag, a bunch of liners, and 2 nipples for our 6 mo old. We kept the dirty nipples in a baggy and would wash everything out at break.

As for BFing in public domain... discretion is always asked for... if you have a blanket or something use it... people get weirded out over BFing in public - regardless of how natural it is.

Also, I am worried about the table service restaurants. She is not able to sit up on her own yet so I don't know if I will have to bring our travel system with us in the parks and then bring the carrier/car seat into the restaurant for her to sit. How does this work at places like Cinderella's Royal Table and LeCellier?

Bring a baby backpack or wrap and strap her in. It's easier than trying to hold her while you eat.

How do rides work? I know she won't be able to ride on rides that have height restrictions but will I have any problems bringing her on such rides as Winnie the Pooh, Haunted Mansion, Pirates and etc?

Backpack! Backpack! Same deal as dinner. Strap her in and enjoy the ride. DD fell asleep on ALL of the dark rides. She got mad when the trip was over!

 

[worker33]

We brought our 4 month old several years ago...have papoose....will travel!

My wife and I alternated wearing a close-fitting front papoose, with our DD wearing a sun hat at all times....sometimes facing in...for a nap. Sometimes facing out to see what's going on. We had a good comfy stroller, but the papoose was the way to go....she was comfortable slept very well and while we avoided adventurous rides, she came onto to many of the "attraction" type rides throughout disney.
Don't over do it. Take breaks midday...stay cool, stay hydrated.

 

[Soexcited!6]

We're planning a trip for August and I'm a little nervous that I could be pregnant. It would make me due in Oct and that would be a complete show-stopper. Which really upsets me because I've been planning this for a couple of years and finally have a financial plan to do it. I'd much rather go when I don't have an infant, (my youngest will be just shy of 3 when we go) So- that would mean waiting a few years again. ;-(.. about the breastfeeding thing.. I bf my two youngest girls exclusively for their first year. I got pretty courageous because when they have to be fed, you gotta do it. If we were at a restaurant, I'd sit closest to the wall instead of the aisle so no one could see. I never bothered with the cover up things, because people pay more attention to that. If you just lift up your shirt just a little and keep your side covered, no one can tell ;-) btw, your brave taking such a little on ;-) have fun!

 

[playjar]

Does anyone have a picture of these infant high chairs? I will be going with a 5 month old, and also wondered what to do at restaurants. I didn't know anything about these. Which restaurants have them?

 

[SnipsNSnails]

We're planning a trip for August and I'm a little nervous that I could be pregnant. It would make me due in Oct and that would be a complete show-stopper. Which really upsets me because I've been planning this for a couple of years and finally have a financial plan to do it. I'd much rather go when I don't have an infant, (my youngest will be just shy of 3 when we go) So- that would mean waiting a few years again. ;-(.. about the breastfeeding thing.. I bf my two youngest girls exclusively for their first year. I got pretty courageous because when they have to be fed, you gotta do it. If we were at a restaurant, I'd sit closest to the wall instead of the aisle so no one could see. I never bothered with the cover up things, because people pay more attention to that. If you just lift up your shirt just a little and keep your side covered, no one can tell ;-) btw, your brave taking such a little on ;-) have fun!

Don't let being pregnant stop you! When we went over Christmas in Dec 2008, I was due at the very beginning of March. We just got me a wheelchair. I was quite comfortable not having to walk so much, always had somewhere to sit too. It was a very enjoyable trip! My DS was 2.5 and our stroller broke the first day there, so he walked some and rode on my lap when he got tired so that eliminated the stroller. Obviously there are rides that you can't ride, but peter Pan etc was no problem.

 

[robinsegg]

Hi!
We just went with 10yo, 8yo & 17mo. She stayed in the wrap most of the time (though she's big enough to walk now and did quite a bit for her age). At 3mo, we took her to Chicago, where we used a wrap as well (no need to mess with strollers). At WDW, we each had a fannypack . . . mine was smaller than dh's, since I was carrying baby We found it to be much easier than a backpack this time (though we *did* carry a slingpack in Chicago and it was ok).

I've never had a problem wearing baby in restaurants (esp. at 3mo), and it *really* keeps things easy, esp if baby is sleeping when you get there

Oh, strollers aren't allowed in ride lines, so take a carrier for that, even if you're using a stroller

 

[Soexcited!6]

Don't let being pregnant stop you! When we went over Christmas in Dec 2008, I was due at the very beginning of March. We just got me a wheelchair. I was quite comfortable not having to walk so much, always had somewhere to sit too. It was a very enjoyable trip! My DS was 2.5 and our stroller broke the first day there, so he walked some and rode on my lap when he got tired so that eliminated the stroller. Obviously there are rides that you can't ride, but peter Pan etc was no problem.

Well... I live all the way in WA and would be planning a trip to stay for a few weeks with family before a week in Disney and dh can't come all that time, so I'd be traveling with my kids, 17, 12, 5, 2.. and it's a big deal to go across the country. Plus- I've been wanting to do this trip for so long and I really don't want to be about ready to pop when I do it. Also, being 41, it's probably not real safe for me to be flying and walking that much.

 

[MNmama]

Great thread!!! We are going in May with our 4 year old and will be 2 month old at the time. People are talking to us like we are nuts for going with a 2 month old. We are staying at POP and I am a little nervous about the space more than anything. But I would love to know what to bring to!

And whats this with rides? I just assumed that the 4 of us would never be able to go on rides all together, but there are some infants can go on? Do you need to have them in a carrier??

 

[jedijohn]

And whats this with rides? I just assumed that the 4 of us would never be able to go on rides all together, but there are some infants can go on? Do you need to have them in a carrier??

No, you don't need a carrier. It is suggested so you don't have to hold the infant in your arms all day long. About 75% of the rides have no height restriction and thus an infant can go on. The few that have height restrictions you can just do a rider swap (this means your 4 year old can ride twice, once with each parent).

 

[Reese]

And whats this with rides? I just assumed that the 4 of us would never be able to go on rides all together, but there are some infants can go on? Do you need to have them in a carrier??

I found that a lot of the rides wanted the baby to be facing front (even when they were sleeping in a carrier). Toy story mania has no height restriction but I find it really swings for a little one. Our dd was 2 months when we went and I fastpassed to go on with the kids after Dh took them on rather than take her on.

Some of the restuarants we visited had the infant seats. We had a travel system so we just brought the car seat in and hooked it to the high chair. In other cases we just brought the entire stroller in if the could not accomodate the car seat. The CM were all very helpful in trying to accomodate.

This is the third child that I have been breastfeeding at WDW and it was the first time that I have used the baby care centers. They are lovely. It's a nice place for a little break and they have toys for the other kids to play with while your busy.

I also took a carrier with the stroller. I would park the stroller and wear her in that area instead of in and out of the stroller and moving it all over the place.

I also just used a lightweight blankie as a cover while nursing on rides or in restuarants. It also worked as a cover in these places because the air conditioning can be cool.

 

[jpeka65844]

I would highly recommend you send yourself a box. Put all the things you'll "consume" over the week in it. When DS was little, we did diapers, wipes, baby food, snacks, disposable sippy cups, etc....

It saves on your luggage and pocketbook. Those items in FL, even at a grocery store or grocery delivery service can be super $$.

When it comes to traveling with baby, I use the KISS method. Keep It Simple, Stupid!! Do not weigh yourself down like a pack mule trying to anticipate everything your baby MIGHT need. That's why there are baby care centers at the park.

Enjoy!!

 

[waltskids]

We took DS when he was 3 months and DD when she was 9 weeks in 4 months. For all of those trips when we made dining ressies we told the person on the phone we had a little one who could not sit up and wanted it noted we would need the stroller. We also mentioned it again at check in at the restaurant and in each case Disney was very helpful. Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace had infant high chairs but the rest we just brought the stroller inside. We never used the infant carrier as we didn't want baby sitting in it for long periods of time (or lugging it onto the buses). We did have a stroller that fully reclined and an extra shade protector. Our ped. said certain sunscreen was fine and we just made sure they had a hat too. They were honestly the easiest trips! Have a great time.