First Trip with a 7 Month Old

[sanaj2000]

Hello All,:sohappy:
We are planning on our first Disney trip with a 7 month old (little Mya Rose). We plan on driving down there from New Haven, CT the week after thanksgiving.
We just have a few questions:
What rides can we take her on? We plan on going to all 4 parks and one water park.
Do we have to pull over the car every time we have to change her?
How long of a drive is it from up here to Orlando?
Where can I find a list of rest stops from CT to FL?
Any tips on going with a 7 month old?

Thanks

 

[marcriss]

Hi!:wave: We've gone to Disney when both of our kids were 9 months old. You can pretty much take her on anything that doesn't have height restrictions (Dumbo, Small World, Peter Pan, Pooh, Aladdin, even Pirates and Haunted Mansion). In Epcot the rides are longer so you have to judge whether she'll sit that long, or if she'll likely take a nap (SpaceShip Earth is a long ride, great for napping). Shows can be done too depending on and if she'll sit. Each child is different, we had a lot of luck with both of our kids.

We've never done a water park with the kids. If it's just the three of you I wonder if it's worth the extra money.

Try AAA for rest stop info and how long it'll take. Yahoo Maps or Mapquest should also be able to give you a good idea.

Most importantly your baby needs to be in her car seat the entire time that you are driving. So, all changing, burping, feeding (unless it can be done in her seat) you will need to pull over. It is incredibly dangerous (and illegal) for you to travel with your child not in the car seat.

Other tips: bring some favorite toys and a strap that can attach to your stroller so that they don't get lost. Bring Cheerios (if she's eating them) with you or other small foods that can be good distractors and also to make sure that she's eating enough and when she needs to. Both of our kids didn't eat as much when we were away so we tried to have the things they really liked so they were more likely to eat. Make sure she drinks plenty. Ask your doctor about how much water and how often she should drink (you can drink too much water, and it's easy for a baby to drink too much). Make sure you buy baby sun block. She'll just be old enough to use it, you want to make sure you get stuff that is safe and remember you can get a sunburn even if it's overcast.

Character meals are awesome with babies. If your little one is able to sit up in a high chair and isn't afraid of the characters the interaction can be awesome. The characters are incredible with infants.

I hope this helps! Have a great time, both of our kids loved being in Disney at this age.

Also, the fountains downtown were a huge hit!

 

[sanaj2000]

Awsome. Thanks for the input!

 

[WDW_Emily]

i'm from western mass about 20 minutes from Hartford, Ct and it takes us a good 19 or so hours to get down.

to see hotels and such go through AAA. they will give you a book listing hotels you can get discounts with and where they are located.

 

[Dollysmama]

I have never driven down with someone that small to DisneyWorld, But I have taken a 6 month old on an 18 hour drive, Just take breaks.. Have some sit next to the car seat, if possible to keep them entertained. It was not too bad at all.. My DS slept most of the way.. Have a good Trip...

 

[disneyliv85]

Just a little sunblock tip - I've found that the baby Aveeno sunblock works well. My little one has very sensitive skin and it didn't seem to bother her. Also, I didn't have any problems with it running down into her eyes or anything like that! It was thick and stayed put. I think it was a little more expensive than the regular baby sunblock but it was worth it to me!

 

[Huck]

Good Luck!! You can probably guess from my profile that I live very close to you. My parents drive from WMass. Total trip is in the 20 to 22 hour range. Good thing is that 7 month olds handle car seats very well. You would be loath to consider it if she were walking. Totally different animal on a long car ride. We've been many times with our kids when they were as little as 3 1/2 months and have a good deal of experience with traveling with kids to WDW (we're going in March/April with our 6,5 and 3 year olds).
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions!:wave:

 

[Huck]

i'm from western mass about 20 minutes from Hartford, Ct and it takes us a good 19 or so hours to get down.

to see hotels and such go through AAA. they will give you a book listing hotels you can get discounts with and where they are located.

Springfield or Chicopee? Agawam? Holyoke? Longmeadow! Right?

 

[dvcnut39]

This was our strategy once we got to the parks- We put our six month old daughter in her stroller, attached a umbrella to protect her from the sun, attached a battery operated fan w/ a mister, apply some sun screen, and had a great time. Don't sweat it.

 

[Heatherbell]

Hello from Holyoke, MA :wave:

We too are taking our 7 month old...we actually leave in 13 days!!!!

Anyway, do a search, there are many many awesome tips on these boards in various forums that have helped me immensely in planning our trip.

Have a great time!

 

[sanaj2000]

OMG I never thought that I would get so many replies. I'm excited to bring her on her first disney trip, even though she hasn't even been born yet. I plan on taking a big break in the middle of each day so that she can actually sleep in a bed during the day. Hopefully by that time she will be eating some solid food like eggs or mashed potatoes or apple sauce. We plan on dressing her as one of the princesses for the breakfast's with Cinderella and as Askerhouse. Hopefully she dosn't throw up on the princesses. :lol: I'm so excited for her. We definately have to bring a video camera to catch all of these special moments.

 

[disneyliv85]

Don't forget to bring some comfy clothes for her to change into in case her little princess outfit is itchy or comfortable in any way! I'm sure she'll be pretty! Take pictures and share!!!

 

[kerrie]

from fairfield CT

Im lived in fairfield forever and that drive is long and with a small child . i took her on a lot granted my littlest one is 1 year but she is a very tiny peanut, have you thoughheard of the auto train? you drive to vergina and then ride the train and your car is loaded on might be expensive but saves gas and includes 2 meals, snacks and a movie . well ride with younge ones are pretty good i took my little one on pirates ride transit the toystory ride and they have the rider swap. good luck

 

[Prof. Aronnax]

We took our daughter when she was 3 months old. We found Disney to be the absolutely best place you could take an infant on vacation. Say for example when preparing to go into the park you did not pack enough diapers or formula or breast milk, etc. Each park has a very nice baby station. Not only can you purchase the emergency supplies you need, but they are very clean, calm places to change or feed your baby. I know they are mostly likely charging too much for the items in question. But as any parent knows, when your baby needs something that you don't currently possess the ability to provide, you would gladly overpay to rectify the situation.

Disneyliv85 brings up a good point about sun. Most people don't realize how quickly an infant can become overexposed. Not only did we use a good sunblock for baby sensitve skin, but we also used these "Sun Dots". They are little stickers you place on your infants exposed skin, like a knee or thigh. As long as the sticker does not change color you are okay, but if the sticker darkens significantly, it would behoove you to get your child out of the sun ASAP. Children do not process overtemperature the same as adults, and can quickly cascade to a dangerous level. Obviously, it is recommended to use an umbrella or other cover when possible. But we found that simply carrying our daughter from a ride to her stroller was enough to darken her "Sun Dot" by the middle of the afternoon.

 

[TigerBravo1977]

My daughter is 27 months old and we are taking her to WDW for the third time next week. She was about 8 months old the first time and basically the baby will enjoy riding around in the stroller seeing things. WDW is almost like being inside a giant, brightly colored toy for her. The most important thing you need to know is where the baby centers are in each of the 4 parks. They are a wonderful resource where you will find air conditioning, peace and quiet, entertainment for older kids, baby changing areas and a nurse. We always use them. If you think your baby has a fever, have them check it for you. We go to let our baby calm down from all the over stimulation too.

We're expecting another one this summer so this trip should be memorable!

If you have any questions I'll be glad to help.

 

[A&LMom]

I live west of Boston, and have driven to WDW the last two years, with our small kids now 2.5 & almost 4. There is a book called "Drive I-95" by Stan Posner and Sandra Phillips-Posner. It gives you easy to read, exit by exit info, maps, details of what restaurants, hotels, gas stations, etc are located off each exit. It also lets you know what the speed limit is in a particular area, distance to each exit. This was invaluable information when traveling with little kids.

We also leave our home, and our hotel on the way down at about 3:30am. The goal being to have the kids sleep for as much of the trip as possible. They usually wake up about 8am, about the time we are reaching Delaware. Stop at a hotel around 3pm, relax, eat, and repeat, and we reach WDW by noon day 2.

Good luck & enjoy.

 

[KC82271]

All I can stress is find the Baby Center's in each park. They will be your new best friend. It's air-conditioned, so you can go in and feed her and stay cool. In case you need anything, they have it all. It's just the best thing DIsney could've done for moms with such young ones going. Did it with a 10 mo. old. Would do it again.

DOn't forget to buy the $15 fan with the mister on it. We lived with that going. It was worth every penny.

 

[mickeymatt]

You may also want to consider buying a GPS device if you do not have one. It is great for trips because it can track your time in real time and give you all the restaurants and stores at the exits coming up and even rest stops. Also if you ge into some traffic you can have the GPS navigate you around it. Oh and it also knows where the mouse is! Good luck.

 

[GSpiff]

I'm in New Haven county myself, and if you can, you might want to think about flying down unless you need to drive. 24 hours driving is a lot on a little one. Flying down from Bradley can be the same price as driving if not cheaper depending on what the gas prices are going to be like at that time and if you plan on stopping and staying in a hotel. Another good airport to go from is White Plains. Jet Blue flies out of there, it's a small airport, only about an hour down the Merritt Parkway. Best of all, when you fly, you only have to pay for any adults. You can hold your baby on your lap, and it's only less than a three hour flight.

My wife and I were able to get airfare for just about $300 (roundtrip) for the both of us flying out of Bradley in August.

 

[NewfieFan]

OMG I never thought that I would get so many replies. I'm excited to bring her on her first disney trip, even though she hasn't even been born yet. I plan on taking a big break in the middle of each day so that she can actually sleep in a bed during the day. Hopefully by that time she will be eating some solid food like eggs or mashed potatoes or apple sauce. We plan on dressing her as one of the princesses for the breakfast's with Cinderella and as Askerhouse. Hopefully she dosn't throw up on the princesses. :lol: I'm so excited for her. We definately have to bring a video camera to catch all of these special moments.

Don't expect your 7 month old to be eating too much solid food at the age of 7 months. It's now recommend that you don't even start solid foods until 6 months of age. Most babies at 7 months are still on baby cereal and maybe a couple different kinds of baby food... but their main source of nutrition still comes from breast milk and/or formula! And it also recommend to not give you baby egg until close to age one! Don't worry, your baby will have the rest of it's life to eat mashed potatoes, apple sauce, and all the other yummy foods in the world!:animwink:

You've been given a lot of great advice in this thread... have a great trip to the "World"!