31 Days of Disney World: Taking Babies

I'm excited to share this post with you today not only because I love this Disney World discussion, but also because I'm comfortable posting pictures of my toddlers as babies here because they don't look much like this any more and now you can see sweet little faces.  :)

The next two pictures are E at WDW at 3 months and the last picture is J at Disney World at 5 months. Both of these trips were taken in January (2011 & 2012).

Just like taking toddlers to Disney World requires adjusted expectations, so does taking a baby.  In many ways taking your little one is easier than taking a toddler.  When we took J at 5 months old we didn't come back for naps.  He napped very well in his stroller and we'd find a quiet place for him to rest and just sit there parked while we enjoyed snacks or while the other went off to ride a ride.  Even at 5 months J loved looking around at all the people and enjoyed bright colors and the ride, "It's a Small World."  The only really difficult part of taking J was that he had started baby food and was a formula fed baby.  We hadn't yet discovered the beauty of bringing a backpack and our bag was so heavy with food, spoons, diapers, bottles with water, and his formula (it was a special kind we couldn't buy convenient packs of - bummer).

With E being 3 months old, there was a lot less to pack (except now we had two to carry around diapers for).  He also nursed so there was no bottles or formula.  Taking a 5 month old isn't all that hard, but taking a 3 month old is very easy.  They mostly sleep and nurse and look around and take it all in when they're awake.  At home E nursed every 3 hours before we went, but at WDW he upped his  need for milk and started nursing every 1.5-2 hours.  This made me feel a little like a cow many days, but it was good for him and the time we spent at the nursing stations in the dark and quiet was an excellent break from stimulus.

Fun fact? Both of my babies cut their first teeth at Disney World!  I wised up after our trip with J and brought Tylenol on our next trip.  I never expected E would cut his first tooth at 3 months, but he did and I was so thankful to have that with us!

So here are my tips for Disney World with bitty babies...

1. Overpack diapers and food.  If you're like us and rely on Disney transportation, you don't really have a way to leave WDW property without paying steeply for it and of course Disney charges way, way too much for diapers and food and formula there (but they DO carry these things).  I always pack a full suitcase of just baby things which is always nice coming back because it's an empty suitcase to stuff with all your souvenirs! ;)
2. Bring Tylenol/Advil/Benadryl... Most Mom's have a "first aid" kit of sorts as their kids get older, but it's a good idea to take these things even with babies.  You never know if they'll suddenly get sick, have an allergy, or cut teeth and it's so nice to have these things on hand!
3. Each park has a baby center and they're amazing.  FIND THE BABY CENTERS first!  There's NEVER a line there for changing diapers and the tables have fresh paper and staff changing the paper between babies/tots.  The centers also have high chairs and microwaves for easily feeding your baby and best of all they have nursing rooms!  I LOVE these rooms.  They're dimly lit, free of stimulus and full of cozy rocking chairs.  I've used them the last 3 trips to nurse E and the first trip even to just rock J to sleep for awhile.  The nursing stations also have good set ups for toddlers.  They either have a room with a TV playing Disney Junior, tables with crayons and paper and books or a room full of toddler toys.  Our last trip we popped in just to quickly change diapers at the Epcot baby center and on the way out my boys spotted a room full of toddler toys and J ran in.  We ended up spending 30 minutes there playing and it was good because sometimes babies/toddlers just need some time to crawl around and play just like they would at home.
4. Baby wear.  If you're not into it, I understand, but if you can do it!  It makes life SO much easier!  J was pretty good about being in a stroller, but E was much littler and craved that closeness.  He was heavy to always hold so I was very, very thankful to have my Moby wrap.  I literally wore him almost all day every day we were at parks and he did so great!  He'd fall asleep there and he felt safe.  J spent sometime in our baby backpack we had, but we hadn't used that a lot outside of WDW prior to vacation so he wasn't as comfortable with it.  If you can, break in baby wearing before your trip and you'll be happy to have it there!  Sure, the babies get heavy and your hips are sore like you're pregnant, but despite eating TONS that trip E was 3 months, I didn't gain a pound!  I contribute that to lots of walking and the extra 13lbs I was carrying around!  ;)
5. You don't always have to park your stroller.  A lot of places at WDW (not gift shops) want you to park your stroller outside.  An example of this is The Seas at Epcot.  I asked a cast member if I could bring E in in the stroller because he was sleeping in it.  They didn't mind at all so I brought him in and met Josh and J who were getting off of the Finding Nemo ride and we all enjoyed the aquarium without E having to wake up.  If a baby is awake, they're less likely to let you in, but if your little one is sleeping it never hurts to ask.  :)
6. Disney has pack and plays available for you complimentary in the resorts.  We never used them because our babies co-slept when they were that young, but if you need it, it's there!  You can also rent cribs from Kingdom Strollers but I've never done that.
7. Be aware that EVERYONE will swoon over your baby.  Lots of people talk to you because you have a little one.  Especially cast members.  It's sweet and the little ones (especially J at 5 months) like the attention.  This is another reason baby wearing can be nice though... it keeps people from touching since the baby is so close to you.

Hopefully these tips help!  If you have any other questions about Disney with babies, don't hesitate to ask me!  :)