Hello! My husband and I are traveling to Disney with our son (9 months in Feb) at the end of February for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I am hoping to get some tips on:
-Shipping baby food (glass jars or those pouches?), Diapers, wipes to the hotel
-We are planning to bring a travel crib but should we just use the hotel crib instead? (I'm a big germaphobe)
-Tips for sharing a room with baby. As of now, he goes to bed around 7pm. We have a standard room at the Contemporary and I'm not sure what my husband and I can do once baby is asleep. I wouldn't want the TV to wake him.
- Most important: Tips for the plane ride! My son is so active and rarely sits still for more than 30mins. I'm sure it'll only get worse as he gets older. How can we distract him?
Thank you!!
We stayed at CR last fall with our 9mo daughter. Generally we've stayed there several times with our small children.
We used
Amazon for baby food and diapers to be shipped to the hotel. It was great! We scheduled the package to arrive the day before we arrived so it was waiting for us. There may be a small fee from Contemporary to pick up the package - one time they waived it for us; it just depends on who's working in the business office. We like the pouches in general, but especially for traveling. Less space used in the diaper bag and no broken glass.
CR has a few cribs for guests as opposed to a pack N' Play, and though they're not guaranteed, we've gotten one both times we needed/requested it. The mattress in the crib is HARD. It was fine for our son, but not for our daughter. If your kid can sleep in a pack N' play without an additional mattress, you should be fine with either their crib or pack n' play. You can bring your own sheet, but they change them just like the regular bed sheets, so its up to you if you're comfortable with that level of cleanliness or if you would rather bring your own.
In terms of what to do once your baby falls asleep, I'll share what we've done and what I've seen others do.
We put their crib in the far corner of the room, by the patio door. Once they're asleep, we turn the TV so it's angled away from them and watch it with cc or the sound down low. We've also taken turns heading out of the room to run errands or visit the lounge for a little bit. Or just go to bed ourselves!
I've seen others put a blanket over the crib to keep it dark, or put the crib in the closet or the bathroom. There's not room for the crib to go in the closets in CR, but if you don't need the bathroom or can be really quiet using it, that may be a good option as CR has a bathroom door that closes to the room.
Is your son in your lap or in his own seat on the plane? If he has his own seat, bring the car seat and strap him in!
We had our kiddos in our lap at that age for the plane ride. My husband boarded first with all the stuff and I waited until the last minute with the baby to get out all the energy we could. Our daughter slept for part of the plane ride both ways which was amazing! But I packed a few small toys and LOTS of snacks to keep her entertained. And me; if all else fails I will sing itsy bitsy spider 100 times if it keeps my kiddo entertained and not screaming. I would suggest a small set of stacking cups (
https://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Stacking-Up-Cups/dp/B00005C5H4/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1515521495&sr=1-5&keywords=stacking+cups&th=1) as one of the toys you bring. We used these on the plane, in restaurants, in the bath, everywhere. A chew toy and maybe a favorite book. I've also used a stack of small post-it notes that they can stick everywhere without damaging anything. But really, our kids are pretty entertained by snacks, so anything that takes a long time to eat like rice puffs or cheerios are a good option.
Good luck - it's going to be a great vacation!