WDW with a 3MO Old? (AKA What Have We Gotten Ouselves Into?)

[sigsegv]

Last January DW and I made plans with her parents to spend a week in Jan 2003 at WDW. We booked a 2BR villa at BWV and were all ready to go. Next thing you know, we went and got pregnant in February. Our daughter was born in mid-October and will turn three months old while we're there (1/11 - 1/18). She's our first child. All three of the doctors (including her pediatrician) we talked with about this have said that there's no problem with bringing her there as long as we're not letting every stranger touch/handle her (and are people really that rude?). Because of this, we're really not very worried about the health implications, but as the day gets closer and she seems to be getting fussier, we're starting to panic about the plane flight, the strange surroundings, eating out, being out with her for extended periods... etc., etc... What have we gotten ourselves into?!!?! :veryconfu

Do any of you parents out there (probably chuckling as you read this...) have any advice (Wha? People with advice for new parents? ) for us on dealing with baby's first real trip? (Spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa doesn't quite count.)

We've read the Infants and Toddlers FAQ at WDWIG and we're doing most (all?) of the suggestions listed there. We're renting a minivan to travel around. We're bringing our own stroller and car seat. DW and I are very laid back about our park visits, frequently taking breaks in the middle of the day. We're also very concerned about disturbing other visitors.

She loves to sleep in her car seat and will usually sleep most of the time from around 8pm to 4am. We've taken her out to dinner with us a handful of times and they've mostly been pretty okay. I don't remember seeing this in the FAQ, but we're planning on bringing her pack 'n play too (she sleeps in there pretty well). Heck, with all her stuff, DW and I won't actually be able to check any bags for ourselves...

Anyway, any advice for first time (AKA, hyper) parents dealing with an infant at WDW?

Thanks.

-sig

 

[Erika]

Originally posted by Sherm00
you people still don't get it. it's not about getting, sick, or going with an infant. the point is it is a responsibility. saying "we made plans before getting pregnant..." is no excuse. when you have a baby everything else in your life stops for that baby. Iam not saying to drop the baby off at a sitter and daycare and go that isn't the point, the parents should take responsibility and sell their tickets have the grandparents fly in and the parents not go also. see thats the problem today to many times I have seen parents just in the mall letting their kids do whatever the hell they want. they leave infants in the cart not paying attention, it's not just disney it's being responsible. and the responsible thing to do at 3 monts old is not go on a big trip like that. yourgoing to be out late,so what you are goin gto cut your day short to get the baby home to sleeb by 7:30, heck you probubly made reservations for 7:30. to many times I have been down there, in august 98degree weather with infants, thats not good and not responsible. yesterday I heard a parent complain that her daughter was makeing too much noise and the mother said, "give her a cookie then she will shut up". be responsible don't make excuses because all I have read here is excuses. a baby is responsible and the most responsible thing to do is not go, period.

LOL- I must be tired because I am having trouble reading your post. Early to bed for me tonight.

Before we start accusing each other of "not getting it" please remember that Sig is asking us neither for permission nor blessings. He is looking for advice from like-minded parents who have already been to WDW with babies of their own.

Would I take an infant to WDW? Probably not, but that doesn't mean that nobody should.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Originally posted by Erika
LOL- I must be tired because I am having trouble reading your post. Early to bed for me tonight.

Before we start accusing each other of "not getting it" please remember that Sig is asking us neither for permission nor blessings. He is looking for advice from like-minded parents who have already been to WDW with babies of their own.

Would I take an infant to WDW? Probably not, but that doesn't mean that nobody should.

I am with you, that was a little hard to follow.

I never thought I would take a baby to WDW, but that was before I had kids. Unless you have kids there is really no point in people making comments regarding taking kids or not taking them to WDW. I don't think I would take our daugther when she was 3 months old, we waited until she was 9 months. But with a second kid and if the situation was right I might. It depends on many factors. The point is parents also deserve vactions and WDW is a family and baby friendly place.

I find it funny that the people who often get the most bent out of shape about this topic, don't have children.

 

[sigsegv]

Originally posted by Erika
Sig is asking us neither for permission nor blessings. He is looking for advice from like-minded parents who have already been to WDW with babies of their own.

Exactly.

-sig

 

[sigsegv]

Originally posted by DisneyPhD
I never thought I would take a baby to WDW, but that was before I had kids.

I didn't think we would either. I didn't think it was safe. After her doctors told us otherwise, I really couldn't think of a reason to not go.

-sig

 

[FourFourSeven]

Sig -

Congrats on the new baby! It sounds like the following things are true:

1) You're going for yourself, not the new kid.
2) You realize you won't be able to "do everything," and sound pretty relaxed
3) You have four adults to help with one three-month-old.
4) Your child's comfort and safety come first.

As you have the right attitude, so by all means go and enjoy! If you were going for the kid's enjoyment, I'd say you're crazy. That's clearly not the case. Judging by your posts, you won't get irritated at the baby when you miss the Indy Jones show to change a diaper or have a feeding. So enjoy being with your precious new family in a place you love to visit.

While not a direct parallel, we went with a fourteen-month-old once, and we all had a blast. It was about 85% for the adults, and 15% for our daughter. (In your case, obviously it's all for the adults).

Oh, when you're there, be sure to take your kid swimming with the dolphins! What a photo op!

 

[Erika]

Originally posted by FourFourSeven


Oh, when you're there, be sure to take your kid swimming with the dolphins! What a photo op!

ROFLMAO!!! :lol:

 

[sigsegv]

Originally posted by FourFourSeven
Oh, when you're there, be sure to take your kid swimming with the dolphins! What a photo op!

Actually, we're running over to Sea World for a "Swimming with the Sharks" experience. It's great. They give you chum to rub all over your body right before you get into the tank. You can get really up close and personal with these babies.

-sig

 

[FourFourSeven]

Sig -

I thought of one other thing. It appears you were pondering whether or not to get a seat on the plane for your child. If you can at all afford it, I strongly recommend you do so! Even ignoring the safety aspect of it (baby in arms in very strong turbulence is a bad situation), there are many advantages:

1) More space on the plane (and more carry-on space!)
2) A familiar place for your child to sleep
3) No chance of an inconsiderate stranger on the plane next to you.
4) A convenient place to put your carseat.

These advantages make it clearly worth the $100-$150 a half-price discount ticket would cost. We flew once without a seat for our second child - never again!

If you do decide to save the $$$, you should still be sure to request a window and an aisle seat near the back of the plane for you and your spouse - this will greatly decrease the chance of someone sitting in the middle seat. (And if they do get the middle, they'll be more than happy to switch with your aisle or window seat). If no one is in a seat next to you, most airlines will let you set up your carseat. (Which, by the way, is required to be in the window seat.)

Hope this is helpful info.

More advice: at WDW, wear a big coat that covers you and the baby in a baby carrier. Sneak your kid onto Splash Mountain and hold her up when the photo is taken. What a precious moment!

 

[sigsegv]

Originally posted by FourFourSeven
I thought of one other thing. It appears you were pondering whether or not to get a seat on the plane for your child. If you can at all afford it, I strongly recommend you do so! Even ignoring the safety aspect of it (baby in arms in very strong turbulence is a bad situation), there are many advantages:

1) More space on the plane (and more carry-on space!)
2) A familiar place for your child to sleep
3) No chance of an inconsiderate stranger on the plane next to you.
4) A convenient place to put your carseat.

We did get the extra seat and for the reasons you listed above. I'm just curious if the car set will actually fix in a coach-class row.

More advice: at WDW, wear a big coat that covers you and the baby in a baby carrier. Sneak your kid onto Splash Mountain and hold her up when the photo is taken. What a precious moment!

I like the photo idea, but why not get out of the log right before the big drop and just show her the cute little bunnies and froggies? After that, we'll walk to the top (or maybe just grab one of the passing logs and let it drag us to the top) and they slide down on our bellies. What a precious picture that'd be for her grandparents.

-sig

 

[wdwrules]

I say if you are prepared before hand to just enjoy the atmosphere and the occasional ride you should definately go. Especially since you will have his grandparents there to help out once in a while. We just had had our first little boy in Sept and are taking a trip to wdw in march with my younger sister. I think well have a great time because usually when we are there we try to get as much done as possible in a short time and this time we will actually slow down and take in the surrounding more. Plus after having a baby it will be nice to get away with our family for the first time. Id hate to have to wait until hes 5 to be able to start family trips. I dont know if your nursing or not but we are and i think thatll help alot. Also our little boy is so awesome, he smiles non stop rarely fusses except when hungry and i cant wait to take him to disney for the next 20 years. Cant imagine leaving him with someone else for a week+, that would wreck my trip more than anything and with my sister there to take him occasionally we can still rides some of our favorite rides together. HAUNTED MANSION BABY.

Hope everyone has a happy holiday:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[DisneyPhD]

Originally posted by wdwrules
Id hate to have to wait until hes 5 to be able to start family trips. I dont know if your nursing or not but we are and i think thatll help alot. Also our little boy is so awesome, he smiles non stop rarely fusses except when hungry and i cant wait to take him to disney for the next 20 years. Cant imagine leaving him with someone else for a week+, that would wreck my trip more than anything and with my sister there to take him occasionally we can still rides some of our favorite rides together. HAUNTED MANSION BABY.

Congrates WDWrules. Sounds like you have a great trip planed. Yes breast feeding helps a ton, much easier. Hope you have a great trip. BTW when we took our daughter she was 9 months old. We had the best backpack stroller by Instep. It was only around 50$ and it saved the trip. When the park got crowded we just changed it into the back pack and walke right out during a parade. Never would of been able to to that with a normal stroller. Sadley she outgrew it this year and we just got a Combi Travel Savey DX, hope we like it as much!

 

[FourFourSeven]

Originally posted by sigsegv
I'm just curious if the car set will actually fix in a coach-class row.

From my experience the answer is:
-Yes, facing forwards, on all airlines (this doesn't help you, I know)
-Yes, facing backwards, on American ("more room through coach"), and the front portion of United's coach class.
-Probably, facing backwards, on Continental (I succeeded the one time I tried).
-Quite possibly no, facing backwards, on United in the back half of the plane. I couldn't get it to fit backwards on United once. Since my daughter was about one pound below the "facing forwards in a car" weight at the time, I put her facing forwards. But it made me furious at United - an FAA-approved seat should always fit in a coach seat. (I fly about 100,000 miles/year from Chicago, usually full fare, and, believe it or not, because of this incident, I fly NONE of it on United! No wonder they're bankrupt...)
-No idea on any other airlines.

I like the photo idea, but why not get out of the log right before the big drop and just show her the cute little bunnies and froggies? After that, we'll walk to the top (or maybe just grab one of the passing logs and let it drag us to the top) and they slide down on our bellies. What a precious picture that'd be for her grandparents.

I didn't mention that idea because it's so obvious, I figured you'd already know about it. Oh, sliding down on your bellies reminds me! You MUST take your three-month-old on Summit Plummet, and into the surf pool at Typhoon Lagoon.

 

[Maria]

Originally posted by FourFourSeven

I didn't mention that idea because it's so obvious, I figured you'd already know about it. Oh, sliding down on your bellies reminds me! You MUST take your three-month-old on Summit Plummet, and into the surf pool at Typhoon Lagoon.

Yeah! The baby can sit next to you on the skyway to the top! It´s sooo much fun! She can even take her first nose dive on the kiddie pool from there! Then when she gets tired, get her little raft in the lazy river! Perfect for a nap!

 

[sigsegv]

Originally posted by Maria
Yeah! The baby can sit next to you on the skyway to the top!

Can I hang her over the edge?

-sig

 

[Maria]

Originally posted by sigsegv
Can I hang her over the edge?

-sig

Only if she doesn´t cry and make much noise... noisy babies are so annoying! :animwink:

 

[Stellajack]

Don't worry about your 3 month old. Your baby won't be any trouble at all. We had a 3 month old along on our trip in Sept and she did absolutely great! Chip (or was it Dale?) at the Liberty Tree Tavern made an excellent babysitter for our meal there.

Have a great trip and take lots of pix.

 

[Stellajack]

Originally posted by sigsegv
Hmmmm.... I didn't know that. I wonder if anyone here has used them and if they're any good. -sig

sigsegv, I hope I haven't overlooked all the responses in this thread, but I did want to tell you that you do not need your carseat if you have arranged airport transportation. ALL you need to do is make sure you use a service such as (ahem) YOURRIDE, who provides front -facing and rear-facing carseats. Rabbit is great and provides exactly what you need! Also, don't miss ANY attractions, ie., ToT, RnR, cause with grandparents, CM's are very happy to help you with babyswaps. The Pac-n-Plays are more than adequate for your baby. Just let the CM at your resort know and they will have it when you arrive, OR they will be happy to handle that at checkin. AGAIN, enjoy your trip and send a report when you get back.

 

[BitO'PixieDust]

Originally posted by doombuggy1983
C'mon, your baby did not experience any Disney Magic at 9 weeks old!


How sad to be so cynical about being able to experience Disney Magic

I believe that anyone, regardless of age, can experience it. The many times we've been to WDW or Disneyland, I have seen many children and adults who are physically and/or mentally challenged. Would it be fair to say that because of their limitations that they cannot experience Disney properly? Disney is a state of mind that you just feel. Happy parents CAN make happy babies.

Did my son jump up and down enthusiastically at WDW at 9 weeks old? Of course not. But did he tune in to the music and lights and feel our happiness and hear his sisters laughter? Of course he did!

Going to WDW with an infant takes effort...but so does GOOD parenting. We could have dropped him at a sitters. But who would it have been easier for? Not him, but us. He was more comfortable with mom and dad than a sitter.

As a full-time, stay-at-home mom for 15 years, I think I qualify to know what's best for my child.

 

[figmentmom]

Go for it, and have a great time! I think I read all the previous responses to this thread, but maybe someone already suggested this, and I missed it. If so, sorry! If not, it just might be a lifesaver - if your baby takes a pacifier, make SURE you let him/her suck on it while the plane is taking off and landing!!! Both of our kids had awful times on airplanes until a flight attendant suggested the pacifier trick. (When the kids got a little older, a slug of Dimetapp an hour before takeoff was effective, too, and not just for the kids! :lol

 

[Charinr]

WDW w/6 mo. old

I know my child was somewhat older than your new baby but we had no problem with her at 6 mo. old. My parents went with us and like you all, our 6 mo. old was our only child. We did everything as we normally do only my parents would baby swap with us. The baby stations at every park were wonderful. I used them when I could for changing diapers. Every bathroom has a changing table but I brought blankets to lay over the entire table instead of just a changing pad. I'm a bit strange about putting my baby's bare bottom on anything that may not be perfectly clean. Our child traveled well, we drove. She did great in restaruants, we did a lot of character meals. The characters in the park paid a lot of attention to her even though she spent most of her time in a stroller. The only advice I would add is bring a couple of extra blankets for cold weather and changing table. Also, be prepared for rain. We encountered rain the past three times we were there in Feb. Enjoy your self. My child is 3 1/2 now and a great big WDW fan. Her first trip was when I was pregnant, she's been at least once a year since then. Hope this helps.