Disney World with Newborn

[Disney013]

Looking for advice - have you gone to Disney with a newborn? We've had a big family trip planned (11-12 people total) since before knowing we were pregnant, and now that both baby's due date and the trip are coming up my husband and I are torn on what to do. My Family hasn't done a big trip like this ever, so we would really hate to miss out (family definitely won't reschedule if we back out). We've already said if baby comes late we definitely won't be going, but even if she comes on time that would put her at only 7 weeks old.

We do plan to ask our pediatrician what she thinks once baby is born and we know exactly how old she would be, and we also plan to monitor the COVID situation which I'm sure will influence our decision, but I also recognize fall is the start of flu & RSV season as well. If it matters, we already know we would be driving there and not flying.

So for all the parents out there, what would you do? Have you gone to Disney with a newborn before? How did it go? Have you taken your baby in the past year+ of COVID? Even for those who took babies prior to COVID I would love your thoughts on taking baby during RSV/flu season in general and how you were able to ensure baby stayed healthy!

 

[RememberWhen]

It’s such a hard call. We have a trip planned in October and our kids will be 9, 4 and 4 months. We had planned to fly, but we’re now thinking if we go we’ll drive There are things that are nice about traveling with a tiny baby. They don’t whine and fuss about waiting in line. They’re sweet and snuggly. There are some downsides too. If you’re nursing, that can be hard. By 7 weeks you will likely have that pretty well established, but it’s hard to know ahead of time. If you’re bottle feeding you’ll need to carry formula and bottles, and maybe water. Plus new babies can go through a lot of diapers.
The youngest we’ve done is about a year and a half, but my mother says she really preferred to bring babies. They just go with the flow.
They also get a lot of their first shots around 8 weeks. With our first we waited to travel with him until after those first shots.
If you go, find a baby carrier and diaper bag you like. We usually use a backpack as it’s most comfortable, but find what works for you. A stroller would be good if only as a place to stash stuff. I personally don’t like to keep baby in a car seat more than necessary, but finding the right stroller can be tricky. Look up where the baby care centers are in each park. You can feed your baby anywhere, but it’s sometimes nice to have a quiet spot. I also recommend finding the family restrooms. My babies hated the hand blowers, and they often seem to be right next to the changing table…
Good luck with your decision making! And congrats on the new baby!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We've never done quite that young, but we've done 16 weeks and had a fantastic vacation. The biggest obstacle is weather. I would absolutely NOT take a baby any time from May through September, and even April and October might be pushing it, but once you're out of the hottest months it can be a great trip.

Random thoughts to consider:

- Will you have help? Are the other people in your travel party going to be willing to take a diaper change, or skip a ride, or let you sleep in one morning; or are they going to be giving you a hard time for slowing down the group?

- Will you be nursing? If so, are you comfortable nursing in public? For our first daughter, my wife was very private about nursing so she spent a ton of time going back and forth to the Baby Care centers in each park. By our second and third kids, she was 100% comfortable nursing in the open on any random bench, so there was a lot less trekking around for her. If you're not nursing, you'll need to prepare to pack and carry all of the coolers, cold packs, and bottles.

- Where are you staying and will you be able to sleep? My wife is a very light sleeper and had trouble when the baby was in the room with us. We did much better in resorts like DVC villas, AoA family suites, and Fort Wilderness Cabins, where we could put the baby in another room and close the door.

- Are you planning a lot of sit down dining? Disney restaurants do a great job accommodating *kids*, but it's a lot different accommodating *infants.* You don't want to be in the middle of a nice (i.e. expensive) meal and the baby has an hour long fussy stretch.

 

[Nala06]

all valid points above about baby...but don’t forget about mama! Birth is difficult on the body, and can take weeks to heal fully. I know after my first i was in pain with normal day to day activities for the first two months. A big trip like disney that required a lot of walking would have been a no go.

 

[jaklgreen]

You asked, so I will say that no, I would never take a newborn out in public like that. Being out in the elements, the noise, the sick people, etc. I just would never feel comfortable doing that. We did not take our kids to WDW until the youngest was 18 months old and had the majority of her vaccinations. Now, especially with what is going on, there is no way that I would risk my baby like that. WDW is not going anywhere and I would never forgive myself if my baby got sick because I did not want to wait a year or two. And that does not even take into account how hard it is to have a newborn. You don't know their sleeping habits, how well they will nurse, etc. I barely had time to shower when my babies were that little and no one was sleeping much. The last thing I wanted to do is pack everything up and go to WDW.

 

[RWilliams]

You asked, so I will say that no, I would never take a newborn out in public like that. Being out in the elements, the noise, the sick people, etc. I just would never feel comfortable doing that. We did not take our kids to WDW until the youngest was 18 months old and had the majority of her vaccinations. Now, especially with what is going on, there is no way that I would risk my baby like that. WDW is not going anywhere and I would never forgive myself if my baby got sick because I did not want to wait a year or two. And that does not even take into account how hard it is to have a newborn. You don't know their sleeping habits, how well they will nurse, etc. I barely had time to shower when my babies were that little and no one was sleeping much. The last thing I wanted to do is pack everything up and go to WDW.

I agree with all of this! Plus after birth you aren't even cleared for exercise until 6 weeks postpartum. This would be a hard "no" for me even in the best of times but throw covid in- no way. I can't personally imagine taking my new baby while still recovering myself to WDW at 7 weeks pp. I'm sure there are plenty of people that do and everything is just fine but its not something I would even consider.

 

[JohnD]

I don't have kids but will never forget getting on the bus after MNSSHP after midnight several years ago. A couple boarded the bus with their infant who was screaming bloody murder. And why wouldn't the poor kid be? The baby just wanted to be asleep in its room and not dragged around everywhere in the wee hours of the morning. No one on the bus was upset with the baby. We understood. I can guarantee you we were all thinking the same thing, "What were these parents thinking?"

 

[PSM]

Speaking for me, personally (two young kids), I can't imagine having to deal with a newborn on a vacation. The complete lack of sleep, stress of eating (or not eating) habits, scheduling to try to stick with in order to maintain some sense of sanity, and so much more...it's a lot to deal with.

I could be biased since one of our kids had serious feeding issues for months as a newborn and both have had near constant minor to moderate health issues for the first year and a half of their lives, but there's no way I'd consider it after our experiences. We even took my first son for his first birthday and then again when he was closer to two, and I don't think I'd make that decision again, at least the first birthday one.

I don't regret that first birthday trip, but it seemed to take almost the entire trip to figure out how to make it work well and be enjoyable for everyone involved. Most of it was definitely stressful (which makes the major expense harder to feel good about). The second trip was much better because he was a little older and we had a better idea of what to expect going into it, but there was still a lot to worry about and plan for that you don't have to when they're a couple years older than that.

 

[Diamond Dot]

I would never take a newborn to Disney, what is the point? Just to get a few cute photos with Mickey? I've had to sit on a bus or next to a fractious baby or toddler for too many times and it's not fair on the infant nor on those around them to have to listen to the distressed cry of a tired, hungry or wet baby.

I'm too old for all this modern nonsense. You decide to have a baby and in my day, (I have a 31 year old) you accepted that you didn't do all the things you did pre baby for a couple of years unless Granny, Grandpa or an aunt or uncle would baby sit. Now, you just think you can carry on once bubs is here and bubs has to adapt to your life, not the other way around. Even going to the movies you have them bringing babies in car seats being brought in!