DAS and infant, and a few other questions.

I imagine that we will make heavy use of first aid, for storing gtube feeds and meds, diaper changes, and stretching out on a cot. My thought is that DD8, baby and I will head there after a couple hours for a break while the other 3 plus teens or nanny take a different type of break that involves toilets, ice cream, and either cooling off on a spray ground or racing around a playground.

Can I use first aid for the baby too? Like if we go in there for a diaper change (because DD's too big for regular changing tables) and a break for her, they'll let me change his diaper and feed him a bottle while she stretches and chills. He is technically a kid with a disability too (all my kids came to me via special needs adoption) but his disability isn't relevant because he's so young.

Yes, you can use first aid to take care of the baby while your daughter is resting on the cot.

I'd have concerns about that for a few reasons. One is simply that she'd object strongly. She hates that people treat her like a baby when she's in the stroller. Also, that that spot will be taken by the 3 year old. I'm more comfortable with her in a parking lot without an adult's hand on her than I would be with the 3 year old.

There will be tons of older kids in strollers at WDW - people have posted that they have their 7-8 year olds in strollers. She will not be treated like a baby. A double stroller with a sit/standing board would carry 3 kids.

From all your posts on multiple threads, it just seems to me like you need at least one more adult in your group to make it all work. Do you have one more person who could come with you?
 
Yes, you can use first aid to take care of the baby while your daughter is resting on the cot.



There will be tons of older kids in strollers at WDW - people have posted that they have their 7-8 year olds in strollers. She will not be treated like a baby. A double stroller with a sit/standing board would carry 3 kids.

From all your posts on multiple threads, it just seems to me like you need at least one more adult in your group to make it all work. Do you have one more person who could come with you?

Being a 6 year old who takes breaks in a stroller, but so moves to a chair in a restaurant, and can get out to run around on a playground, or to walk up to the ice cream cart to choose what you want, or lean forward in your seat to give Mickey a hug or to through the stuffed animals in the store and find exactly what you want, is a different experience than being a being a six year old who is used to being able to do all those things and now can't because she's stuck in a seat that isn't designed for her.
 
Being a 6 year old who takes breaks in a stroller, but so moves to a chair in a restaurant, and can get out to run around on a playground, or to walk up to the ice cream cart to choose what you want, or lean forward in your seat to give Mickey a hug or to through the stuffed animals in the store and find exactly what you want, is a different experience than being a being a six year old who is used to being able to do all those things and now can't because she's stuck in a seat that isn't designed for her.

Yes, but you stated that she felt she'd be treated as a baby if in a stroller. I was just pointing out how many older children will be in strollers, so she needn't feel self-conscious. Of course she gets to be in her wheelchair if that's what makes her the most comfortable, but you seem to be stuck at some point with not being able to move through the parks and queues.

From both of your threads here on disAbilities, it just seems like you need one more adult in your group at all times. Disney cannot provide that support.
 
Yes, but you stated that she felt she'd be treated as a baby if in a stroller. I was just pointing out how many older children will be in strollers, so she needn't feel self-conscious. Of course she gets to be in her wheelchair if that's what makes her the most comfortable, but you seem to be stuck at some point with not being able to move through the parks and queues.

From both of your threads here on disAbilities, it just seems like you need one more adult in your group at all times. Disney cannot provide that support.

But there won't be 6 year olds in stroll
Yes, but you stated that she felt she'd be treated as a baby if in a stroller. I was just pointing out how many older children will be in strollers, so she needn't feel self-conscious. Of course she gets to be in her wheelchair if that's what makes her the most comfortable, but you seem to be stuck at some point with not being able to move through the parks and queues.

From both of your threads here on disAbilities, it just seems like you need one more adult in your group at all times. Disney cannot provide that support.

I feel as though people here are trying to solve the problem of DD6 and her wheelchair, but I don't anticipate a problem there. I've spent time at Disney, albeit not with her, and with her at local amusement parks, and other crowded places, so I've got a good sense of what she can do.

If I was taking just her and DS5 to Disney, then yes, I'd need to push her at some point. Because we'd be walking from handicapped parking to the entrance, and we'd be staying all day, and we'd be going multiple days in a row, and we'd be running from ride to ride, and we'd be staying in the park past bedtime, and we'd be using mainstream queues. She'd run out of steam. But, because we're bringing DD8, and a toddler and a baby, none of those things are going to happen. She'll be dropped off at the drop off spot, which is a much shorter push, she'll be there 3 hours, maybe 4 if we take a longer break mid morning, and some of that will be at a character meal or some place like Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. And she'll be back at the condo in time to take a nap and to go to bed by 7, because that's what her siblings need. Plus, every other day she'll have someone to push her.

I do think that mainstream lines will get hard for her. It's understandable to feel claustrophobic when you're surrounded by people's butts and legs for an hour, and it's easy to be overwhelmed when people don't respect your space. She's not likely to meltdown, the way her sister would, because she can express her frustration verbally. I hadn't thought about a DAS for her, because I assume she'd be in the DAS line with her sister almost all the time, but I thinks she does qualify. I don't consider asking for one to be unfair, especially if my other options are separate my family, to have her have the experience of going through a ride line and not getting to ride, to pay thousands of dollars for airfare/park ticket/room/wages to bring someone, or to ask her to give up her independence by using a stroller.
 
There will be plenty of 6 year olds in strollers...you'll likely see 9-10 year olds in them!

I'm sure I will, but being in a stroller that you can get out of is different from being stuck in a stroller.

If she's in a stroller, then she'll need to eat in it, and greet characters in it, and play or not play on the playgrounds in it, because her wheelchair that lets her do things like chase her brothers, or give Mickey a hug won't be there.

A six year old choosing to spend some time in a stroller, because their legs are tired, just isn't the same as being stuck in a stroller because the wheelchair that gives you freedom isn't there.

I know that older kids can ride in a stroller. Her sister, who is older than she is, will be riding in a wheelchair that's essentially a souped up stroller, because it's the best choice for her, but not for DD6.
 
If you change your mind, you can get a "stroller as wheelchair" tag that will allow you to bring the stroller into the queues. Otherwise you will need to leave the stroller outside in stroller parking. Even if your DD6 won't ride in it, you might try to get the tag to make it easier to get your whole family through the queue, especially since the baby is also special needs.
 


If you change your mind, you can get a "stroller as wheelchair" tag that will allow you to bring the stroller into the queues. Otherwise you will need to leave the stroller outside in stroller parking. Even if your DD6 won't ride in it, you might try to get the tag to make it easier to get your whole family through the queue, especially since the baby is also special needs.

I think navigating with the

Baby has Down syndrome, but he'll be 5 months old on the trip if we go in late September. I think it would be hard to make a case that he "needs" a stroller more than any other 5 month old, since he'll be traveling the same way they would (in my arms, a baby carrier etc . . . ). I'd feel much better about asking for a DAS for DD6, then I would about asking for a stroller as wheelchair pass for him.

I'm really really hoping that he turns out to be the kind of 5 month old who likes carriers, unlike his oldest brother who hated them, which was fine since DS17 had the luxury of being an only child. I think that having him in one would actually be easier than having to push a stroller, but I'm guessing.
 
I think it is hard for most of us to imagine a 6 year old being able to wheel themselves around a Disney park in a wheelchair even for 4 hours, thus the stroller suggestion. We are just trying to come up with solutions in case it doesn't work. I'm also wondering how much help the nanny will be, since she has her own 3 year old to deal with. I do hope it all works out and you have a great time.
 
I think it is hard for most of us to imagine a 6 year old being able to wheel themselves around a Disney park in a wheelchair even for 4 hours, thus the stroller suggestion. We are just trying to come up with solutions in case it doesn't work. I'm also wondering how much help the nanny will be, since she has her own 3 year old to deal with. I do hope it all works out and you have a great time.

I just need you guys to trust that as DD6's mom I probably have a better sense of what she's capable of than someone who hasn't met her. I realize that her wheelchair skills are uncommon in a kid her age, but trust me that she has them. Part of that is because she has paraplegia, and not something like CP that impacts her arms in any way. Part of it is because we're a super active family, and so she's often out in public with an adult whose hands are occupied by a stroller or a wheelchair, so she's had to build up her skills.

As for my nanny's 3 year old, she's been coming to work with the nanny since she was tiny, so she's used to kind of folding into the mix, and making accommodations for wheelchairs. I understand what you're concerned about. I thought briefly about asking my sister and her kids to join us, but frankly they aren't used to sharing their mom, or adjusting their pace, so I think it would make things harder not easier.
 
I just need you guys to trust that as DD6's mom I probably have a better sense of what she's capable of than someone who hasn't met her. I realize that her wheelchair skills are uncommon in a kid her age, but trust me that she has them. Part of that is because she has paraplegia, and not something like CP that impacts her arms in any way. Part of it is because we're a super active family, and so she's often out in public with an adult whose hands are occupied by a stroller or a wheelchair, so she's had to build up her skills.

As for my nanny's 3 year old, she's been coming to work with the nanny since she was tiny, so she's used to kind of folding into the mix, and making accommodations for wheelchairs. I understand what you're concerned about. I thought briefly about asking my sister and her kids to join us, but frankly they aren't used to sharing their mom, or adjusting their pace, so I think it would make things harder not easier.

You asked 3 questions in your original post- one of which was about the safety/maneuverability for your 6yo. People aren't questioning your knowledge of your child - they're answering your question.

Their answers are based on their experiences in/with mobility devices not just in general but at Disney specifically. If there is a problem they are trying to solve it isn't about your daughter - it's about your shorthandedness given the young ages and needs of your party at a place that can be as crowded and hectic as Disney.

Everyone responding to this post wants all of you to have a truly wonderful trip. DAS for either/both daughters will certainly help and you obviously know the abilities and limits of your family. Just don't underestimate that you may run into further limits should your party's needs and Disney's crowds be mismatched.

All that said, I hope you bring a double stroller with a standing section so you have a back up option. If you get to Disney and think it may help your family tour the park easier, you can discuss it with your 6yo then. If you find you don't need it, all the better. In any case, your children are lucky to have a great mom taking them to Disney.
 
I do think that mainstream lines will get hard for her. It's understandable to feel claustrophobic when you're surrounded by people's butts and legs for an hour, and it's easy to be overwhelmed when people don't respect your space. She's not likely to meltdown, the way her sister would, because she can express her frustration verbally. I hadn't thought about a DAS for her, because I assume she'd be in the DAS line with her sister almost all the time, but I thinks she does qualify. I don't consider asking for one to be unfair, especially if my other options are separate my family, to have her have the experience of going through a ride line and not getting to ride, to pay thousands of dollars for airfare/park ticket/room/wages to bring someone, or to ask her to give up her independence by using a stroller.

What you've described is a mobility issue, and mobility is not covered by DAS. Most queues are wheelchair accessible, and those that are not (or only partially) have a protocol that will have you diverted from the standby queue.

When you are in the queue, have your daughter in the middle of the group - that way the butts and space are controlled by the family.

ADA states that guests have to be allowed the opportunity for access. Every small child standing in the queue gets the adult butt view. My daughters were tiny for the longest time (5% in height for age) and got the butt view for 3-4 years, at least.
 
Folks are trying to share information and experience that will be helpful to you.

I reread one of your earlier posts and noticed you referred to being dropped off a "the drop off spot." There really isnt one next to the Magic Kingdom (the closest is the Contemporary Resort). You might choose to valet park, assuming it's available, but there's still some distance to go before getting to the park.

If you take your own vehicle and don't valet, you will need to park, for the MK, at the ticket and transportation center and take the ferry or the monorail to the MK. The ramp up the (corrected a spell-check replacement) monorail is well known as being very tough on folks with chairs- the monorail station at the MK also has ramps instead of an elevator and, while not as bad as the TTC, can be tiring at the end of the day.

Many of us have been walked into multiple times by people not paying attention at Disney. On a crowded day, it's easy to get separated from a group.
 
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I've read about the parking issues at MK. I am thinking that we will do the MK on days with the boys, and save the other parks for days with my nanny. With the boys we have somewhere to push her up and down the ramp. Also, I think there are more rides she would like at MK.

Are there similar issues at the other parking lots?
 
You have mentioned more than once that you want to do some charecter dining, if that is important to you you might need to consider going in January or February. The charecter meals are popular and hard to get especially in the parks and dining reservations open 180 days in advance, the reservation window opened in March for September. There might be scattered reservations available but not at ideal times if and since you have to plan around the medical needs and feelings of your 8 year old the chances of getting a reservation are not good.

I know you said you need 4 bedrooms but you might want to consider renting DVC points and staying in a 3 bedroom villa. The cost is a lot less by renting points than it is booking through Disney and if you don't need your nanny during the night that might be a better option. You would be able to use Disney transportation eliminating the need for a rental car, you could possibly get more park time since you could go back to the resort rest and go to back to the parks later in the day or you can go back to the hotel with the baby and your 8 year old on a day or 2 and leave the 2 younger kids at the park with your 17 year old and his friend and possibly your nanny for a few more hours
 
You have mentioned more than once that you want to do some charecter dining, if that is important to you you might need to consider going in January or February. The charecter meals are popular and hard to get especially in the parks and dining reservations open 180 days in advance, the reservation window opened in March for September. There might be scattered reservations available but not at ideal times if and since you have to plan around the medical needs and feelings of your 8 year old the chances of getting a reservation are not good.

I know you said you need 4 bedrooms but you might want to consider renting DVC points and staying in a 3 bedroom villa. The cost is a lot less by renting points than it is booking through Disney and if you don't need your nanny during the night that might be a better option. You would be able to use Disney transportation eliminating the need for a rental car, you could possibly get more park time since you could go back to the resort rest and go to back to the parks later in the day or you can go back to the hotel with the baby and your 8 year old on a day or 2 and leave the 2 younger kids at the park with your 17 year old and his friend and possibly your nanny for a few more hours

That's a good point about character meals. If we decide on Sept., I'll have to see what we can get before we confirm our trip. Any thoughts on temperature in January and pools?

I just don't think we can afford the Grand Villa.
 
You have mentioned more than once that you want to do some charecter dining, if that is important to you you might need to consider going in January or February. The charecter meals are popular and hard to get especially in the parks and dining reservations open 180 days in advance, the reservation window opened in March for September. There might be scattered reservations available but not at ideal times if and since you have to plan around the medical needs and feelings of your 8 year old the chances of getting a reservation are not good.

I know you said you need 4 bedrooms but you might want to consider renting DVC points and staying in a 3 bedroom villa. The cost is a lot less by renting points than it is booking through Disney and if you don't need your nanny during the night that might be a better option. You would be able to use Disney transportation eliminating the need for a rental car, you could possibly get more park time since you could go back to the resort rest and go to back to the parks later in the day or you can go back to the hotel with the baby and your 8 year old on a day or 2 and leave the 2 younger kids at the park with your 17 year old and his friend and possibly your nanny for a few more hours

I think staying onsite- or maybe @ Disney Springs- would be a good idea. One challenge for her with Disney transportation is how many wheelchair spaces are open. Have all buses been replaced?
 
[QUOTE="Mom2FiveKidz, post: 57761330, memberAny thoughts on temperature in January and pools? .[/QUOTE]

Disney does a pretty good job on heating their pools. That being said, the weather in January can be highly variable. It could just as easily by 80 or 65, with nighttime temperatures possibly dropping to the high 30s or 40s.

I grew up in Florida, so don't deal with cold water well. Family from Minnesota will swimming anytime they visit.
 
Last Jan wasn't that cold. I live an hour north of Orlando and I think I wore long pants maybe 3 times all winter. We keep our backyard pool at 86 and could swim everyday.

But do check with the resort you are considering. Some might not have heated pools, as they are warm enough without heat most the year.
 
I've read about the parking issues at MK. I am thinking that we will do the MK on days with the boys, and save the other parks for days with my nanny. With the boys we have somewhere to push her up and down the ramp. Also, I think there are more rides she would like at MK.

Are there similar issues at the other parking lots?

Parking at AK, EPCOT, and DHS are much easier than MK. It is still a ways to walk to the front, but relatively flat with no extra transfers so very doable from the handicap parking.

When we went in September it was hot. I don't mean kind of warm. I mean drenched in sweat, almost as bad as July, sweltering. I'd go in January. You'll need a good swaddling wrap or baby carrier for the many, many times you have to park the stroller (unless you get a stroller as wheelchair tag) which will make it feel even hotter!

I would definitely stay off site. We love the villas at Windsor Hills. The drive from your front door to most park entrances is faster than most buses from the resorts (which would be a pain with multiple wheelchairs and strollers). We can usually get a 3 bedroom 2 bath condo for $60-$75/nt, or a 5-6 bedroom house with private pool and hot tub for less than $200/nt. The grand villa's are ridiculously expensive even when you can find availability on DVC points.

One thing you might do for the kids' wheelchairs is add something big and flashy to the back/top to help with visibility. People are distracted and moving quickly, so some will certainly bump into her. Do what you can to prepare her for that and think if there is anything you could do to reduce the likelihood. Increasing visibility and using the rest of your party as a buffer are the usual recommendations.

No one can guarantee that your family will qualify for a DAS, but the cast members have always been incredibly supportive and helpful with our family. We travel with large and shifting parties and have never had a problem getting the DAS updated for the family members touring any given day. The first day takes a while to explain to Guest Services the need for the DAS and get it all set up. Make sure everyone is present to have their bands added to the DAS (some report that you only need their bands, but we have had to retrieve all guests in person, so we keep everyone close by). The DAS will be good for the whole trip, but you will need to return to guest services each time new friends/family need to be added to the party.

Based on the ages of your party, you will definitely have issues getting everyone on some rides. The 8yo could ride alone, but each of the younger ones will have to be accompanied by and adult 14+. Many rides allow 3 per row or one adult per car, but two wheel chairs might result in additional seating restrictions as well. Because of safety issues, there is no flexibility on this. You will need to research each ride individually or just wing it knowing that you will face some disappointments.

Honestly though, there is a lot more to experience at Disney than rides. Embrace the atmosphere and character experiences. It sounds like you are trying to make it perfect for everyone else, but be sure to choose a couple experiences that YOU want. One of mine is always getting the Photopass--the memories and pictures are priceless!
 

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