Traveling with a 1 yr.-old

[Naisy68]

Hello, We are planning a trip July 8-13 and are a bit nervous about how we are going to handle our daughter who will be 1 on 7/20. I am very excited about taking her but we have been searching for a good travel stroller. We have a Kolkraft (sp?) but it is big and bulky when folded up. We want one that is light and yet one she can lay down in with starage underneath. We are planning to stay at CBR and I know we will be getting on and off busses and other modes of transportation. We are looking for any tips or advice in regards to traveling with an infant of this age.
Also, Does anyone know where we can buy babyfood when we get down there or would it be easier just to pack it maybe?

 

[campingcorgi]

You will have so much fun! Just remember--relax and be flexible!!

Baby food is pretty expensive on-site, so if you are driving I would plan on taking some or stop at a Publix grocery store or a SuperWalmart. If you are flying, some of the towncar services will stop at a grocery store for 30 minutes.

You will get lots of stroller info--our lightweight is an Evenflo something. It has a nice sunshade ( a must!) and will recline almost flat. Very minimal storage underneath, but it folds like an umbrella stroller and is under 10 lbs. Not great to push, though, you kind of have to tip it back to make turns. Not a problem with a smaller child, though. There are lots of stroller options. We usually take 3 strollers (1 child) but we go in a motorhome and have lots of space. I like to buy strollers--is there a seven-step program for that?

44 days to go

 

[FreeTime]

We have taken our daughters when they were 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 18 months, and now 27 months. An I have have a stroller problem too (we have to get a new one each trip!) We have a light weight Graco one with a shade, cup holder for baby and basket, it folds flat and doesn't take too much space. If we drive I usually take formula and baby food with me (I don't like to waste precious vacation time grocery shopping) then just run in for a few essentials. You will have lots of fun with your one year old. Just keep in mind of how loud many of the attractions may be for baby.

 

[tjmw2727]

Our youngest was 13 months on our first trip and it was wonderful. Take it slow, plan for afternoon breaks if you can and enjoy.

Stroller - I would take baby to your local BRU (or wherever you buy strollers) and try them out, everyone has different preferences. There are so many great ones now in every price range your sure to find something that suits your needs. I would say fully reclining and a sunshade are a must, we also used a clip on umbrella to shade feet without making it to stuffy. I would also get a clip on fan to keep baby cool in the july heat - again available at BRU. The fan was also great "white noise" and seemed to help sooth her when she was tired!

We also used a sling, if you haven't used one a snugli is easier to adapt to. We found this invaluable for lines and wore baby right onto rides. You may or may not be aware that strollers aren't allowed in lines and some can be long! Wearing baby on the bus was another great thing. DH or I wore baby and the other dealt with stroller and stuff. Again I suggest shopping with baby and trying out various models in the store if you think this could work for you. I can't stress how much of a lifesaver our sling was to us on that first trip.

Babyfood -If your driving then by all means pack lots of babyfood and formula if necessary. If flying and renting a car at the airport then stop offsite to a large chain for groceries. Once you hit WDW the prices are unbelievable. If your flying and not renting a car then consider a towncar, we use Tiffany and they include a 30 minute grocery stop free of charge.

In each park there is a babycare center - check your guidemaps. They provide an air-conditioned place to feed and change baby.

Our dd rode every ride in MK that didn't have a height restriction that first year along with our 2yo and we all had a blast.

All the hotels use a pack and play crib - worked fine for us. If you have a sheet that fits a pnp I would suggest bringing it. They don't always have enough and I found having a familiar smelling sheet (washied at home!) helped alot.

The resort will rent you a fridge for 10.60 per day, its pricy but with a baby we thought it was worth it.

Wow, this got long and hopefully not more info than you needed - hope I was helpful.
Have a wonderful trip.
TJ

 

[cinjam]

I am glad you posted this. We too are taking our 14 month old to WDW (4/22-4/30). While in the past I've planned every day out methodically, for this trip the only thing I planned is a character breakfast every day, which is totally flexible too!! My husband & I agree that we just go with the flow & let our son set the pace & plan to go back to the room each afternoon & try to nap. While I haven't done the trip yet to give you 1st hand information this is what I've done so far to try to prepare:

We just bought a new stroller for the occassion. We did just what tjmw2727 said to do: went to BRU and tried them all. We chose the Graco Metro Lite: easy to close, light, reclines almost flat, has a sun shade, cup holders for us & son. But, when reclined it's hard to get to storage basket - we can live with that. I also like tjmw2727's suggestion to get the clip on fan - I will have to go get one.

For food - our son is still partially on formula as well as whole milk, so I bought a can of powered to take w/us. As for food I am packing his snacks (Gerber crackers & the like) and fruit cups, but he is mostly on table food at this point. We are getting a town car so we will stop at the grocery store because although I am packing some diapers if I pack as many as I think I'll need (60 or so) I'll have no room in the suitcases for our clothes!

I have packed tons of sunscreen specifically for my son, as well as a sun screen chap stick for babies. Also in my bag of tricks are bandaids, bacitracin, (my son walks but trips every now & then & I have visions of him, in shorts, tripping on the pavement...his 1st skinned knee!), teething gel & tylenol (teeth are coming in rapidly now), our own sheets for the pack N play, a few toys from home (I don't know how he's going to handle a strange room for a week, so I thought some items from home might make him more comfortable).

We too are very excited about taking him on his 1st trip to Disney!!! Just 9 more days to go!

I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[dcedwards]

We took our son at 13 months. Had a blast! My biggest suggestion is to go with the flow. We went back to the hotel room every afternoon. We had him in swimming lessons since 6 months so he absolutely love the pool. And, mom got to rest a big. Although, he never did napped in the room. He is great at sleeping in the stroller.

Be sure to buy a fan. In fact, we bought 2 fans and clipped one on each side of the stroller made a nice breeze. We also did the umbrella thing but he kept kicking it when he was up. Worked great when he was asleep. The other thing we did was go to a Lowe's and bought the sun shade material that you can use to shade your patio. I cut it to fit the front of the stroller and it made a good shade. Kinda hard to describe but you could see through it and it had UV protection. With the fans it worked great.

The other thing you might want to do is get a fan with a water bottle on it. My son loved getting wet that way. It helped when we were standing in line. They make really small ones and we would squirt him with it and he just giggled.

You might also want to find a smaller insulated bag. We used that with a ice pack cube to keep his drinks cooler. He wasn't using a bottle but loved his tippy cups.

The other thing to do is to use the babycare centers. They are great. They have high chairs you can use when feeding your child. Very clean changing areas. And, if nursing they have rocking chairs, etc. They also sell stuff like suntan oil, diapers, wipes, etc. Expensive but if you need it, you need it. We used the one at Epcot and MK. They are also air conditioned and quiet. If you just need a break you can take him in there and let him "rug" around for a bit. They also have a VCR with tapes running, if I remember right.

My son isn't big on loud sounds and the fireworks really startled him, at first. Then I started to put my hands over his ears and made a game out of it...he loved the fireworks lights, then. We also avoided Fantasmic...as it is pretty loud. The other ride you might want to avoid is Snow White, it can be scary.

The hotel gift shops do carry baby stuff but it is expensive. We rented a frig and that really helped after the grocery stop. We used Tiffany and they were great. However, if you have a late flight and get in after Publix closes then the store you are taken to is about as expensive as the Disney gift shops. So you might want to keep that in mind. On one trip we decided if we had to pay that much we might as well give it to Disney, so we left.

Oh yes, we also bought a Graco stroller cover for rain. It was a lifesaver. In June we got caught in a couple rainstorms. We were soaked. Walking in water up to our ankles. But, our son was nice a dry along with our things in the bottom of the stroller. It has panels for air circulation and is clear so he could see out of it the whole time. We don't travel that time of the year to Disney without it. I'm not sure if rainstorms are common when you are going. A regular umbrella is nice to have, also.

 

[Jennifoofoo]

We took our DS tp WDW for his first birthday and again at 15 months. I bought the Graco Breeze lite-weight stroller. It has a sun shade, fully reclines and has cupholders for both child and adult and also a nice sized storage bin underneath. It folded pretty flat and weighs about 10 pounds. We were surprised how much our son fell asleep in it!

At his first birthday, he was still on formula. I bought the powdered individual servings and used that along with bottled water. Florida water has a different taste and I wanted to avoid any "tummy" issues on our trip. We used Tiffany Towncar with the 30 minute grocery stop at Publix to buy soda, water, diapers, wipes and snacks. Also, I bought Clorox wipes to wipe the stroller tray, changing tables, hotel room phone etc.

He absolutely loved the characters so we schedule many Character meals throughout our trips. Also remember, your little one eats free at these meals. The Baby Care Centers were wonderful. We've been to all four at the parks. MGM's is very small and the one we liked the least. AK is by far the nicest with MK and Epcot next. It gave DS time to crawl, walk, play and cool off.

Definately try to get back to the room for those afternoon naps. On our first trip, he would nap for 2-3 hours and we would hit the parks til evening. We'd bring his pajamas and then change him and give him his bottle. He usually fell asleep in his stroller. At the YC, we had a full sized crib and a pnp. At the CSR, it was only a pnp.

Go at your child's pace and have a wonderful time. You will discover Disney through your child's eyes. Nothing is better than that!

 

[Naisy68]

I just want to say thank you for all the helpful tips, my DD already makes us go at her pace so I am sure that won't change at WDW. I will definately look for a couple of those fans and the water bottle. Does anyone know what kind of crib they have at CBR?I think it's a pnp which is what she's used to when we go to Grandma and Papa's house. Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[toystorymom]

We are also going with a 1 year old this June. I just bought the fans with the water bottles at WalMart for $5. I know the older 2 will have a great time with those. Thanks for all the other great tips, I know he'll enjoy this vacation almost as much as the rest of us.

dcedwards - I've never seen the Graco stroller covers, where did you get that? You can just cover the stroller with the baby in it? I'm sure we'll be getting some rain too and I want to be prepared. Thanks!

 

[dcedwards]

I think we got ours at Toys R Us. But, I've seen them at Baby R Us and also Wal Mart. They are back with the "mosquito type netting" that graco makes for strollers. Sometimes you have to search for them. They are clear plastic and are a bit different from the netting ones since they don't "hug" the stroller. Instead they just fall flat around it. They are wonderful. Great for the rain. We never leave for DisneyWorld without one. Sometimes we bring two as it gives one a chance to "dry" out.

 

[Ali]

Someone along the way in this thred mentioned bringing powdered milk because her son was still transitioning from formula - My son is now drinking all milk but I know we are supposed to do whole milk, and I can only find non-fat powdered milk. Is there such a thing as whole milk in a powder?

I am bringing the little whole milk 8 ounce boxes on Saturday when we go, since the whole refrigeration issue is not worth the hassle for a one day trip. BUt when we go for longer I would like the powder option if available. Thanks.

 

[cinjam]

Hi Ali,
I think it was my post you are refering to. After I re-read what I originally wrote I realized that I was not clear. I am bringing powered formula (not milk). I am bringing whole milk boxes (the kind that do not need to be refrigerated). But, now that you mention it, I am headed to the store this afternoon to see if I can find powered whole milk. I know I've seen powered skim milk - but we need whole. If I find it I will post again!
Cindy

 

[cinjam]

Edited so you do not have to read the same post twice - somehow my reponse was posted two times!