Give me your best tips for traveling with an infant!

[Cjdv]

I’ve been traveling with my kids since they were 3 months old just not flying to Disney since we live in SFL.

I recommend when flying take the first flight out to avoid delays. Baby wear in the airport it’s much easier than a stroller. Use a backpack diaper bag. As others have mentioned definitely take a good stroller for the parks for when your LO goes to sleep. Also, if you plan on renting a car and don’t want to pack a bunch of items purchase diapers, wipes, etc near the parks.

 

[LSUmiss]

For anyone who has brought a 7 month old, did they just sleep in a pack-n-play?

 

[kat_lh]

For anyone who has brought a 7 month old, did they just sleep in a pack-n-play?

When we took my then 10 month old, we flew and didn’t want to take a pnp. So we rented a crib (I think it was from kingdom strollers) and he slept in that.

 

[LSUmiss]

When we took my then 10 month old, we flew and didn’t want to take a pnp. So we rented a crib (I think it was from kingdom strollers) and he slept in that.

Great! Good to know. I didn’t know if he’d sleep in a pnp so glad to know there are options.

 

[pineapplepalms]

We took DS for the first time when he was 14 months, so not quite an infant anymore, but it was a great age to go. A lot of people we know couldn't understand why we'd want to take such a young kid to WDW but we love going and were really excited to take him. It was so, so worth it. Some thoughts based on our experience:

* Some people swear by baby ear plugs for the plane rides so we got them and it turned out he didn't need them. It's something easy to get and bring with you just in case though.
* Having a comfortable stroller that can recline with a big canopy was really nice for having him nap on the go (we brought our City Mini with us). It's good to have some way to mark your stroller so it's easy to find it among a sea of strollers.
* Lots of snacks for the plane ride and to bring into the parks was key. We have an insulated saddlebag that attaches to the side of the stroller and it holds an amazing amount of stuff like drinks, snacks, sunscreen, etc.
* You'll know as you get closer if babywearing is still an option. DS didn't really like being worn after the first few months.
* We packed things like diapers and wipes with us since they got used up and that luggage space became souvenir space for the trip back! Once you get there, you can use a service like Amazon Prime Now to get some grocery items delivered to your resort if needed.
* Since you won't have a car, they may be times where you need to get somewhere quickly and don't want to wait for Disney transportation. I would recommend setting up the Minnie Van service on your phone so you can use it if needed - it's $25 one way within Disney property and they have car seats guaranteed. It's still cheaper than renting a car for the whole trip and can help you out in a pinch.
* We brought a silicone placemat that we would just wash after restaurant meals. This along with one of those silicone pocket bibs worked really well for us and we didn't need to change his clothes while we were out since he didn't really get messy.
* There are great play areas that aren't necessarily rides - the Dumbo ride queue has a fun playground as the waiting area, there's a little play area at Splash Mountain, AK has the Boneyard play area, the aquarium area at the Seas Pavilion, etc. I'm sure there are more that I'm not thinking of right now!
* Shows can be really fun at that age! DS loved the Festival of the Lion king show in particular.
* Some kids love the characters and others are terrified. Depending on how things go, character meet and greets might take up a lot of your time or not much at all. We did end up using some FPs for character meet and greets since sometimes those lines can be crazy long (like talking Mickey at MK).
* We planned for a balance of time in the parks and time visiting various resorts and just relaxing. We made sure we were all well rested and not on the go nonstop. Sleep/rest + snacks + play = a happy kid = happy parents.
* Memory Maker was so valuable for lots of great family photos (typically much better than what you'd get asking a random stranger to take one for you). Sometimes we would get a really enthusiastic CM who was great at spending lots of time with us and making DS smile.
* Enjoy whatever restaurants you want (I think the only one that doesn't allow kids is Victoria and Albert's) since there will be other kids there, and Disney is a very forgiving place to bring your kids to nice table service restaurants.

Whew. That was a longer list than I anticipated writing

Have an amazing trip and hope some of this was helpful!

 

[Rwethereyet?]

We took our daughter when she was 9 months old. Staying at the Polynesian was good for that trip because we didn’t have to fold up the stroller to get on the monorail. I would suggest getting a smaller stroller, but not an umbrella one...if that makes sense. We found one in the $40 range that was perfect, the umbrella strollers are hard to steer. My favorite memory from that trip is watching the baby talk to the ducks that would visit our window each morning.

 

[kat_lh]

Yes - definitely get memory maker! It’s so awesome to get great shots of the whole family together. And we had a ppo at crystal palace, so I sat my son down on Main Street and we have this great shot of him and an almost empty castle behind him. It was so nice not having to think about taking pictures.

And if it hasn’t been mentioned, take full advantage of the kid care rooms in each park! They’re such wonderful oasises of peace and quiet and coolness. Some of my sweetest Disney memories are in the kid care rooms!

 

[robert chapman]

We have traveled when my daughter was 12 months, again when she was 24 months and will be going again when she turns 3 yrs old. My advice: 1. Look at renting a car. Sometimes Disney buses aren't very quick and when you have a cranky hot and uncomfortable baby that can cause problems. The car will allow you to travel quickly. 2. Make sure your toddler gets lots of fluids, water, milk and even pedialyte to replace fluids lost to heat. 3. Because of the increased ed d fluids make sure to change them very often. We did it every 2 hours or so no matter what. They get uncomfortable sitting in the Florida heat in a wet or even remotely damp diaper. 4. Be ready to not get much done, some days we did a lot. Other days we didn't do as much. Adapt to them. We cancelled reservations, sometimes paying the $10 penalty because of a very fussy and cranky baby. 6. I suggest ordering ahead for things like diapers, wipes, formula (if they are drinking formula), a long with everything else. Have it delivered to your resort. It was a life saver for us. We didn't have to fly all that stuff. Trust me, you'll carry enough through the airport. No need to carry more. 7. Nap time is a must. Every child is different but getting out of the Florida heat and going back to the resort mid-day was key to a happy baby later.

Disney even with a 10 month old can be very fun and gratifying. Our daughter was so excited to see Princess Sofia, her smiling and laughing was amazing for us on Small World. Just be flexible, be patient and just go with their schedule. You'll have a blast.

 

[moose81]

We took my son to WDW when he was 9 months old. Definitely take both a stroller and a baby carrier. We had a double stroller for my 2 kids (oldest was 3) which was great for moving around the parks, but the carrier was critical for holding the little guy in lines. He is also not a baby that sleeps easily in the stroller but he would nap in the carrier so that was nice.

My pro tip for anyone flying with young kids is always to try to time the flights with nap time if you can. It can be tricky to guess what nap time will be when they are very young but assuming a 2 nap schedule, you could probably bet on 10am and 2pm or something similar. That is our #1 way of getting through flights easily. Giving baby a pacifier (or bottle or breastfeeding) is great for take-off and landing to help ears.

I would say keep expectations low about ADRs. I had booked a ton including some very hard to get ones but we ended up cancelling them all except Ohana breakfast. Our little guy simply wasn't at an age to stay content in restaurants. We ended up doing quick service for the whole trip and it was much less stressful and probably saved us a lot of money.

Definitely make time for the pool! That was probably my baby's favorite part of the trip.

Have fun!

 

[Dmargliotti]

Has anyone sent diapers and other supplies to resort with Amazon? Also how long in advance do you sent it? I have Amazon prime?

 

[kat_lh]

Has anyone sent diapers and other supplies to resort with Amazon? Also how long in advance do you sent it? I have Amazon prime?

We had them ordered from a grocery service. I believe if you look at the thread for the resort you’re staying at, there should be directions for having amazon sent to your specific resort.

 

[Tink_83]

We lived in the city when my dd was young so we rarely used a car seat. She hated being in a car seat so we never brought one on the plane with us. I was not very comfortable using a car seat so the idea of trying to install one on an airplane seemed really stressful. Flying was fine as a lap baby and then just sitting in the seat as toddler. I am always surprised how often people recommend buying the seat / bringing a car seat. It really seems unnecessary. That being said, if it makes you more comfortable go for it.

The other aspect to this is that not all car seats can be used for air travel; I don't know how many are made for air travel and how many don't meet the requirements, I'd like to assume that the majority can be used for both BUT it is something else to consider when choosing to purchase a seat for your child. Parents can find information regarding this on the FAA website: https://www.faa.gov/travelers/fly_children/

I'll add that just choosing to fly is the safer option over driving (no judgement here as I drive everywhere); but the reason you don't have to purchase a seat for infants is to encourage those people who would look at the cost of flying versus driving and then fly if they don't have to purchase a seat for their child to choose to fly. (https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?contentKey=1966). I add this mostly because if you are deciding between driving and flying and the only way you can afford to fly is to have your child sit in your lap know that it is still, statistically, the safer option then driving (again; I drive everywhere, if I didn't we wouldn't get to travel ).

 

[figment3258]

Ive taken all three of mine as a baby one at 11 months one at 15 months an one at 9 months old. I have found it to be so easy with a baby. Flying they ll sat oj our laps we flew from ma so 3 hrs total super easy just make sure the baby has a bottle or sip cup for take off but I was told by my pedi that their ears won't pop like ours until age 2
As for the room we tucked the pack and play between the two beds
we had a great umbrella stroller that folds up one handed and has a nice size storage under for the diaper bag. Just make sure they have plenty of water and pack snacks. The best tip I can give you is to enjoy it from their eyes my favorite memories they don't remember but I will. my middle was rocked by tigger for at least five minutes and the cast embers were so great I wanted to get her and let someone else meet tigger but they said the character knows when to move on and not to worry
my oldest was dressed as a Dalmatian for halloween and she was captured by corella in the halloween parade and my youngest hate the characters but loved getting her first mickey bar

 

[alyssa810]

Utilize the baby care centers! They are great! My son's first trip was at 12 weeks and he's 10 now so we're long gone from needing them, but they were great when I was nursing, when I wanted to feed him food, when he was potty training and for getting cold water!!
We always rent a car so when he was still in diapers, we would stop at CVS or Target for water or snacks and get diapers and wipes then rather than pack them in the suitcase. We also had a car seat bag that we could use to pack additional supplies in or if we bought too many diapers (and bottles of water) and needed to bring them home. We did not use this on the plane though, and we lucked out not getting him his own seat until he was 2 and we had to, and flying on SW, we lucked out with always getting a row of our own - head to the back of plane for that

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Great! Good to know. I didn’t know if he’d sleep in a pnp so glad to know there are options.

I just got back, we rented a crib from Kingdom also. Best thing we did. My 15 month old is large and used to a crib. The crib we rented was clean as in brand new looking, with extremely clean bedding and came well covered to keep it clean. Did I mention clean? LOL. Very clean and they were amazing to deal with!