Taking a 4 month old in Oct. Need to know everything!

[GEM]

We are expecting our first baby right now and we already had a Disney trip planned for late October. We still really want to go. The baby should be about 4 months old. I need to know all your advice and information about traveling with a baby! DH and I have been to WDW 10 times, so we know pretty much every inch of the place and we certainly don't mind taking our time and making it a slower paced trip.

We are thinking about staying at Carribean Beach, since we won't be able to afford a deluxe this time and that is the only moderate we have never stayed at.

I'd like to know all sorts of things including -

-What should I not forget to take with us for traveling with an infant?
-What rides can I take a baby that young on?
-What is the best room location to request at CBR?
-Should we take our own stroller? I'm guessing we should.
-Any tips for flying with an infant?
-I'm planning on breastfeeding. Any good "out of the way" locations in the parks? I know about the baby centers, but I don't think I will want to head back there everytime I need to nurse.
-Do your babies sleep in the stroller? Or will we need to spend a lot of time in the room so the baby can sleep?
-Any other general tips for traveling with a young baby?

I really will appreciate any advice you can offer!

 

[mommie3]

on the feeding thing...the baby centers are great..but before you leave practice nursing without exposure. try parcticing in front of your hubby and see if he could see anything. If you do this then you will feel more comfortable in public and feeding will be easier and quicker if you are relaxed.

traveling...we took are baby on a flight without getting his own seat..never again...when we took DS at 4 months to Disney we got him his own seat for his car seat/ carrier and had a much better trip. They barley have room on the flights for adults let alone another person on your lap.

stroller...I wished I bought this stroller for the first and sooner for #2..It's a shell like stroller that you fit your car seat/ carrier onto.. it's made by baby trend and it was around $60. It is soo worth the money. and very light weight so easy to carry on to the buses. and DS is so used to sleeping in his car seat that he didn't mind sleeping through the parks.

rides...we didn't do very many rides dumbo, pooh bear, peter pan and the safari (that's all I can think of)

Have fun!!

Marissa

 

[StampMom]

We were just there this past October with our then-3-month old baby, so let me see if I can answer some of your questions. (Congrats on expecting your first, BTW!)

For packing, especially if you are breastfeeding, you won't need to pack much. The baby won't be eating solids yet, and he/she will be too young for sunscreen (which you're not supposed to use before 6 months). The main things to pack will just be diapers, wipes, clothes, and bath stuff. Bring more clothes than you think you'll need, to avoid having to do a ton of laundry -- baby clothes don't take up much space in a suitcase. Also, because of the sunscreen restriction, make sure you bring a hat or hats.

I'll answer the "which rides" question and the "where to nurse" question together, because the answer is the same, LOL! The baby can pretty much go on any ride that doesn't have a height restriction. And those slow, sitting down rides are the perfect places to nurse! On our last trip, DS took the "nursing tour of WDW." For example, in MK, he nursed on the Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, as well as in the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Hall of Presidents!! Also, I "wore" him in a sling for most of the time, so he also nursed quite a bit in the sling, while I walked around.

We brought our own stroller, because the rental strollers don't recline. However, the baby ended up spending most of his time in the sling, so our older DS (4) as well as the cousins we were there with, used the stroller more than the baby did. If you get a sling or a front carrier (I recommend the sling because of the ability to nurse in it), you may not even need a stroller. (Check out http://www.kangarookorner.com for lots of info on slings, how to wear them, and how to choose the right one for yourself.)

We haven't flown with this baby (haven't flown at all after the scare of being up in the air on 9/11 when the attacks occurred, but that's another story), but from what I remember with my older son, it helps a lot to try to nurse the baby on takeoff and landing. That's when his/her ears are most likely to "pop," and the swallowing from nursing will help avoid that.

I'm sure other people will have lots more input, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling! BTW, we'll be there at the end of Oct. too -- when are you going?

 

[heart4dis]

I went to Disney with a 3 month old (my first baby--I now have 4). I didn't bring a stroller. At the time (1992) the rented one reclined fully and she slept pretty much the whole time. Bring several baby blankets to drape around the stoller to keep out the sun. The nursing areas were nice. I was very comfortable nursing in public. As suggested in other posts, just practice first. One note: the first month or two you'll wonder if you can EVER nurse in public because you are so new to it and because you leak so much at first, but it WILL even out and it WILL get better. Don't give up! Get help from lactation consultants or fellow nursing moms.
I nursed her in the plane on take-off and landing. I held her and didn't use a car seat. mommie3 said she wouldn't do that again, but I end up holding a baby that young anyway. They sleep better and are in position to nurse sooner...
Things to bring...
infant Tylenol (just in case), baby thermometer, Orajel if he/she is teething already (you'll know), baby shampoo/bath soap, pacifiers and "leashes" if you use pacifiers, lots of changes of clothing, baby blankets, I would bring some diapers then buy some there (Wal-Mart) instead of hauling a big package (same with wipes). Make sure YOU bring spare nursing bras and nursing pads and a good water bottle to stay hydrated. Bring your pediatrician's phone number. You may want to bring a cap or sunhat for the baby, too. DON'T FORGET THE CAMERA (LOL!! As if a new parent would...)

 

[Whosemom]

This is the perfect time for a trip!

First the stroller. I'm with stampmom. We used the sling the whole time. We didn't even take a stroller. You can't take the stroller in hardly anything so you are putting the baby in and out all the time. And the baby can lay down and sleep, or sit up and look at the same stuff that you see instead of knees LOL.

next, the rides. I seem to remember riding quite a bit. And with just one baby you can do the swap thing. (not the swamp thing - boogie oogie)

You won't believe the even-extrodinary-for-wdw service you'll get with a little cutie in tow. Anything you need, just speak up and a cast member will help you.


how wonderful. and planning is half the fun

 

[Ratpack]

This is great info, we will be taking DS this summer and he will be 5 months. Thanks for the tips.

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

We went in December with our then 7 month baby. Seven months is quite a difference than four months in some ways but I will give a little advice anyway.

The sling or baby carrier is a great idea. I like the reasons stated above but also its a great idea just for waiting in the lines. We brought our big stroller (major pain on the bus but more than worth it in the parks) and kept a carrier in the basket underneath. When we had to wait in line we put our daughter in that. That was much easier on both us and her. She could fall asleep there and when we got on and off the rides she just kinda hung along with us.

Our stroller is pretty big. It was a pain at first to get used to getting it on the bus but we got better at fitting it in. It was WONDERFUL to have in the parks because it would lay flat, this let my daughter sleep anytime and anywhere she wanted and she slept a lot. It also had drink holders by the handles, not a necessity but very nice!! We also loved that it had a huge basket underneath, very very handy to carry cameras and diaper bags.

I was done nursing at that point but I did see a lot of woman nursing on the rides. My husband pointed this out... If you are really shy and don't want to be exposed don't think that you are completely sheltered on the rides. There are castmembers who are watching us on t.v.s during the rides. So, maybe it makes a difference if you can't see them but just be warned you are not as alone as you think. Of course you can nurse on the ride without exposing yourself at all, but I saw some woman just pull it out once we were in the dark.

My last bit of advice is to let the characters get in the pictures with your baby. Many characters actually held my daughter for the pictures and I think she will cherish those pictures when she is older, I know I love them.

You will have a blast with your baby!!! It really won't slow you down as much as you think. They can go on any ride that doesn't have a height requirement.

Enjoy your trip!!!!!

 

[megaelch]

Hi we just came back with a 5 month old...travelling from germany..
we did make use of the baby care centers all the time.. if you are not comfortable with nursing in the puclic these places in the parks have their private rooms with rockers for your convenience and you can really find everything you need for your baby in their ( food, clothes, diapers, medication ) they give you a nice airconditioned break for a few minutes ( free water in there, too )
make sure your baby will drink regularly in the heat !!!and we loved our own stroller ( used it to caryy our bunch around ) it receined fully. We did not use Disney transportation, because the waiting times for busses were sometimes very long and so we rented a minivan from L&M .. so we could just store the stroller and some extra things in their without collapsing the stroller. We were totally flexible where and when to go and i would recommend to use a car !!!
If you have any other question please send a PM


Stephan

 

[Princess_Aurora]

I went last September/October with our son who was 4mo at the time. Here are some thoughts for you:

-What should I not forget to take with us for traveling with an infant?
If he's eating cereal by then (mine was) don't forget a bottle warmer (I had an Avent one and Avent makes great bottles, breast pumps, etc in case you haven't heard yet) Anyway, DS eats the cereal that has the formula already add so all you have to do is add water (I suggest that you also take your own nursery water) but we had no way of warming it up so he had cold cereal in the mornings. While summer is here, go out and buy sleevless onesies (I found mine at Carters) for 3-6 months. You don't want any heavy clothes to put on him because even though it's October it'll still be HOT.

-What rides can I take a baby that young on? Any ride that doesn't have a hight restriction. DS LOVED the Pooh ride.

-What is the best room location to request at CBR? It's been a while since I stayed at CBR but Martiniq (sp?) is a good place because it's close to the main house. Also, ask for a room close to the bus stop.

-Should we take our own stroller? I'm guessing we should. YES! A lot of people suggest the umbrella stroller, but we took our whole travel system (we had to take the car seat for the flight there anyway) and even though it was bulky to take on the bus it was a lot easier to have him in the carrier part of the stroller so he can be under the canopy and away from the sun.

-Any tips for flying with an infant? Get an early morning flight if you haven't booked your flight already. Most of the flights that leave first thing in the morning are never completely booked. Let them know you will be traveling with an infant, and if the flight isn't booked, they will save a seat for the baby...and you don't have to pay for it! Well, I may not be speaking for all airlines, so I should add that this was Delta. They were very baby-friendly with us. I pumped some BM so I could easily feed him with the bottle before take off and he fell fast asleep and didn't wake up until after we landed! But be sure to have his favorite toys, blankies and a pacifire also in case he doesn't sleep through the whole flight.

-I'm planning on breastfeeding. Any good "out of the way" locations in the parks? I know about the baby centers, but I don't think I will want to head back there everytime I need to nurse.

These centers are usually pretty far out of the way. I mostly bottle fed DS while in the park, but did BF on some of the rides like someone else said.

-Do your babies sleep in the stroller? Or will we need to spend a lot of time in the room so the baby can sleep?

DS slept in the stroller a lot, but all babies are different.

-Any other general tips for traveling with a young baby?
I brought our own Pack and Play playpen because that's what he was use to. I suggest you bring a lot of familar night time things because DS had a really hard time adjusting to sleeping in strange suroundings. Don't pack the diapers in the package that they come in...take them out and line the inside of your suitcase with them...it takes up less space that way. Buy one of those fan spray bottles before you get there (they cost too much there) and use that to cool the baby off every now and then.

I think that's about it. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me