Infant questions?

[JenniferW]

I am pregnant right now and we have a trip in the works (have the vacation days and some money set aside) We have been many times to WDW and DL, but now with our first child not sure what to do. Am due in Feb so am thinking of going in Nov 2003, child would be 9 months or so, but not sure what they can do. Want to be able to ride a lot of rides and then let them sleep in the stroller as need be and just rest more often. Our reasons for going then were because the weather would be cooler, and it works out a convenient time for family.

At 9 months are they scared of noises and would normally be upset with Pirates, etc? What rides can you hold the baby on or use the Baby Bjorn? Are they usually walking by then? How long do they sleep, is it all the time? Would I possibly still be breastfeeding if that works out?

I know every child is different, but I have no clue or even baseline to start from. Would prefer to go while still breastfeeding so I don't have to carry the food around. Any info would be appreciated : )

Jenn

 

[lizzie64]

Hi Jennifer,

I was at Disney last May with my 3.5 month old. It shouldn't be as hot in November as it was in May. We actually encountered a heat wave with temps in the 90's.

Definitely take your stroller. My baby slept in it alot. We also had a baby bjorn and used that when he was awake. He looked around at everything. I'd swear that he was taking in the sights as we were. I think all the colors and music fasinated him.

You can pretty much do everything with him because of baby swapping. A lot of the mild rides, he can just sit in your lap. I even nursed my baby on alot of rides. It was perfect. Air conditioned and dark. On the rides that may be a little to strong, we did baby swap. We'd wait on line and when you got to the point when it was our turn, my husband would go with one of our kids and I would stay with the baby. Then, as soon as he got off, gave him the baby, and went on. WOrked great and the CM's really help you out with this.

I would never reconsider a trip because of an infant. Mine loved it. And the characters love the babies. I have such great pictures of my baby with all the characters. Funny, we were in the Land for on of the character lunches. I was nursing Zachary and lo and behold here come the characters. Mickey came over to say hi to the baby and realized what I was doing and just started laughing. He was sooo funny.

Have a great trip. If you want any more info feel free to e-mail me.

 

[TLHB70]

Hi! I also brought my daughter when she was 3 months old, and honestly we had a fabulous trip! I was breastfeeding at the time, and just like lizzie64 said, I breastfed on rides and even in a couple of shows. The parks also have baby service/care centers set up that are fabulous! They provide quiet rooms with rocking chairs to feed baby; they have changing tables, high chairs etc. They also sell formula, baby food, pacifiers, diapers and anything else that you could possibly need for your baby. I suggest that you know about their locations in each park before you visit each day. That way you can be prepared for any necessary stops there. My daughter also enjoyed seeing the sights in her baby bjorn. She slept in the stroller when she needed the rest. I carried her on all of the gentle rides (Peter Pan, Small World, etc.) and the baby/parent swap was perfect for all of the other rides. We went in December for the Christmas festivities so we didn't encounter heat.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

We took our girls when they were ten months old & they loved it. We took regular strollers with a folding back so that they could nap when they needed to. They were starting on table food so they enjoyed trying new foods. We tried to take them on things that we didn't think would scare them (Small World, Pooh's ride). We just held them in our laps. We did Pirates & they were fine - Babies are all different so you really have to see how your baby reacts to things. Mine loved the characters, loved the lights and noises (with the only exception being the fireworks - we stood at the end of Main Street before the exit and it still was a little too loud for my one daughter)

Definitely go for it! Good luck! If you have any other qustions, feel free to e-mail me!

 

[JenniferW]

Thank you for the tips so far. I am definitely going sometime next year just trying to figure out when. We like November for many reasons. Cooler weather, Christmas decorations if we go late, etc.

Is there a chance a 9 month old would be walking? I was hoping not quite so they would be happy to sit on the airplane.

Jenn

 

[Kermit]

I'm also expecting my first in February and tentatively planning a trip in November. I have worked with a lot of babies though, so I can answer some of your developmental questions.

There's really not much chance that the baby will be really walking by 9 months. There are babies who do it, but the average is between 10 and 16 months, with most babies taking their first steps right around their first birthdays. The baby will be standing by then with support, and he may even be cruising between pieces of furniture, but you'll have to carry him or put him in the stroller to actually get him anywhere. Most babies that age will be fine in their carseats while on the airplane, but some can get kind of fiesty and want to stand up frequently.

You'll definitely need to be prepared for some solids at that age, but not a whole lot. Babies need to get the majority of their calories from breastmilk or formula for the entire first year, but most start on solids by the time they're 6 months. But since the early feedings are mainly just to get them used to eating, you won't need a whole lot of glass jars or anything. You'll probably be doing about 3 feeding sessions a day with solids at that point with lots of nursing.

Have fun planning your trip and your upcoming delivery!

 

[Scoootch]

Definetly Go! You'll have a great time!
We took our ds for the first time when he was 7mos(he's now 2 1/2) and it was wonderful. We went in January and having a baby didn't slow us down a bit. The baby centers in the parks are absoulutely wonderful as someone previously posted - perfect for breast feeding, CLEAN places to do diaper changes, and great for feeding babies on babyfood. They have a microwave you can use, free of charge and a kitchen to wash up your babyfood bowls and stuff. As for rides, we went on lots of things. Anything slow(boatrides like small world, the boat ride in Mexico in Epcot) My ds espcially seemed to like Spaceship earth in Epcot - nice slow ride with lots of sparkling lights and music throughout parts of it. And of course baby switch for all the bigger rides. The characters and CM's were so helpful too, so go and have a wonderful time!!

 

[riggins]

Hi Jennifer-
We went in April when DD was 9 months. It was a great time to go . . . both her age and the weather were perfect. November should be a good time too- not too hot or too cold.

9 months is also a good age. We are planning a trip in November when she'll be 16 months and I don't think it will be nearly as easy!! We took her on everything!! You can carry them on to anything that doesn't have a height restiction. We took her out for Spectro, parades, Illuminations, etc. and she just slept in her stroller when she got tired. The only attraction that bothered her was the Tiki Birds (go figure!). I'd guess it was because it was loud, but she slept through Illuminations, so who knows. Keep in mind that babies this young don't know to be afraid of monsters or other "scary" images. Its usually darkness or loudness that cause them problems (although mine just fell asleep in the dark!)

We took her to 1900 PF for dinner and she loved the Pooh characters. At 9 months, she had no idea who they were, but she was fascinated nonetheless. Feeding her was pretty easy. I was no longer nursing so we had bottles. We stayed on-site at BWV, so we were able to go back the room in the middle of the day. This really reduced the amount of stuff we had to carry. Before we'd head out, I'd fill 2 bottles with formula mix and take a bowl with a lid filled with cereal. At mealtimes, we'd go to the baby center to add water to both and feed her. It was really very easy.

All babies have different sleeping habits, but its reasonable to expect that your baby will be sleeping through the night and then take both a morning and afternoon nap (1-2 hours). My DD usually work up by 6:30 and was asleep by 7:30 or 8:00. We typically got the parks at opening without any trouble. We would do rides and shows until lunch. She would usually fall asleep around 10:30am for about an hour. We either left her in her stoller to sleep or would carry her on some "mellow" ride- like Small World. We would then have lunch and head back the hotel. She often fell asleep in the bus on the way back. We would all take a nap in the afternoon. We'd head back out for dinner and parades/fireworks. She fell asleep at her normal bedtime in her stroller.

In retrospect, this was a really easy age to take a baby. Babies that are less than 6 months need to eat more often and tend to be "higher maintenance." Ever since mine started walking (12 months), she doesn't want to stay in her stroller. So, if you wait much later, your baby will likely become more demanding as she becomes more independent.

Good luck and have a great trip.

 

[JenniferW]

Thank you very much. As you can tell I have a lot to learn about babies : )

Thanks for the info!

Jenn

 

[MichelleC]

My only thought is that the Baby Bjorn may not be so comfy for you at 9 months. It got tough on my back when my babiess were 6 months or so, and they were not big kids. Once they were decent sitters we switched to a backpack (also around 6-7 mo). Not sure that would be very convenient at WDW, though.

Have fun!!

Michelle