New mom flying with infant to Disney

[CLASSICPOOH2002]

My family and I will be flying out the last week of January to Disney. I am a little concerned with how to handle the stoller at the airport. I wonder how we can keep the baby in the stroller till we get on the plane. I am going to hold our son on the flight. Do the flight attendents stow the strollers? Can we take the stroller to the gate?
Also the stroller has the carseat to it. How can we do all this. I don't want to be unprepared; so any advice is helpful.

Another thing..... I am planning on taking 2 outfits per day for the baby. Does that seem good enough. I am wondering if I need to do that since we are staying in a villa that will have a washer and dryer. What are any of your thoughts?

Thanks for your help. I am looking forward to introducing our little one to Mickey. Will the characters hold infants? My little one is going to be about 4 months by then and will probably weigh about 15 lbs or slightly under. (He was 5lbs. at birth so he is on the small side)

 

[DisneyPhD]

When we flew last Dec (my frist time with an infant). We used the stroller right up to the plane and the fight attendents checked it under the plane for us. It was waiting for us when we got off. This was a smaller stroller and we plan to do the same thing this year (DD will be 23 months old). It was very easy. I don't know about the car seat, but I don't see why not, after all if it is a travel system then it is part of the stroller.

Be sure to nurse (or bottle) on the way up or down, helps with the presure on the ears.

When Winnie the pooh got ahold of our DD he didn't want to put her down. It was cute because our DD didn't want to look at the camera, just pooh.

Outfits would depend on how much your baby spits (or has blow out dipars, I don't miss that.) Also how much you want to do lundry. Two a day sounds fine and do a load half way through the week if you need it.

Have a great trip.

 

[cinjam]

You can gate check the stroller (turn the stroller in to be stowed at the boarding gate). you can also gate check the car seat. Call the airline directly to put your mind at ease.

Also, when you chekc in at the gate you may want to ask if the flight is full or not. If it's not some airlines allow you to put the car seat in an empty seat (even though you didn't purchase the seat) that is beside you or DH.

2 outfits a day should be more than enough and if it's not remember that you have the washer & dryer at your disposal. Does the villa come with laundry detergent? We bring Tide Tablets with us to save on the cost of laundry soap.

Have a wonderful time. We are going in February and I can feel the excitement building around our house!!!

 

[disneymom3]

One thing you may not be aware of, but might want to allow a bit of extra time for is that to go through security, you will have to fold up your stroller and send it through the machine. Don't worry, it will fit--our double does, so you'll be okay. Just thought you might want to be ready for that.

With the two outfits a day, just make sure you have some cooler and some warmer things. Sometimes you can swim in Jan and sometimes you need a parka.

I would also strongly suggest a baby frontpack. If you can swing it, the Baby Bjorn is the way to go! (You can often find them on Ebay for around $40) It's so nice to not have to get baby in and out for each ride and they can sleep anytime they want in the pack on your chest.

I love travelling with a baby to WDW--sure beats taking them when they've just learned to walk! Have a wonderful time!

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

We just got back from Disney World with our 8 month daughter. I was so worried about how things would go. All I can say is RELAX Thats what everyone told me and everyone was right.

You will have to fold up your stroller and put it and the car seat on the x-ray belt. Check your stroller in at the desk by the terminal and you can keep your son in it until you board. You fold it up and leave it at the end of the terminal right before you actually step on the plane, and thats were it will be when you get off the plane. Oh, at check in we asked if there was an empty seat for her car seat. There was, so they assigned us to A and C seat leaving B open for her. We ended up having a seat for her both ways. Let me tell you that was WONDERFUL!!! IF you can't get him a seat then you check the car seat with the stroller. They do let you take any food you need for the baby on the plane with you. We feed our dd on the way up in the plane and she slept the rest of the way. Our flight home was late and she slept the entire way. We tried to wake her up to eat on the take off but she was to tired.

Make sure you pan for the unexpected. Our flight was canceled after we had checked in so what ever food we had for her in her diaper bag was it. We were stuck at the airport for 7 hours before the next flight. I gave her the last bit of formula on the plane so I lucked out but I will plan for the unexpected next time.

If you have a nice big stroller than I say take it. My dh and I went back and forth about which stroller to bring. I wanted the big one because it held more underneath and it lays back all the way so she could nap...that was a god send! She napped just fine in the parks while we kept moving. It was a bit of a pain to get on the busses with it at first but we got used to it and by the end of the trip it wasn't so bad.

Most of the characters will hold an infant. Some of the oversized masked ones will not. All of the "face" characters will, Mickey and Minnie will....the only ones who didn't for me were the Pooh characters, Balloo, and King Louis. We had her pictures with 50 characters so that was a lot of them that will. Most of them wanted to sit on the ground to hold her. At first I thought that was maybe the "rule" there but then I had many that didn't sit so who knows.

If you don't know about the baby centers you might want to find out about them. I think the official Disney World site might tell you about them. Cast members everywhere would stop us to tell us about it. It was wonderful how many people wanted to help. Even some of the Princesses and the Fairy Godmother asked us if we knew where it was.

You can take him on any ride without height restrictions. We took our Dd on just about everything. We used a carrier while we were in the lines. It was nice to have that because we just sat down on the ride and got off the ride and she just came along, we didn't have to worry about trying to juggle her while getting on a moving ride.

We always took a change of clothes to the parks, you never know when something might happen! I think that is a good idea. I don't know what the temperature is forecasted for your trip but bring warm clothes for him. Our forecast was high 70's and low 50's....I think it was in the high 50's-60's during the day we only say the 70's once. It was so cold. We had our dd in a fleece snowsuit during the day and her heavy snowsuit at night. The only reason we even took those was because we were going to the MVMCP we didn't plan on going anywhere at night except that, and she ended up wearing them everyday during the day except one.

Gosh I have babbled on....Have fun, I found it relaxing to take an infant. It stopped me from running from ride to ride like I normally do. It makes the trip more laid back.

Take lots of pictures so he can enjoy them when he is older! You'll have a great time!

 

[stacy6552]

Buy the baby a ticket!!!!!!! ITs far more dangerous than driving with your child on your lap and you'd never do that, would you?

take the carseat with you to the gate and if the plane isnt full they will let you put the baby in the seat on the plane. If you cant use it you can gate check it with the stroller.

 

[Gillian]

If you can, it is much easier to buy your baby a seat, then you know you can keep the car seat with you, and have a place to put it. But it's a personal decision. Friends of ours have used a device to attach the baby to themselves. http://www.babybair.com/

A baby Bjorn can be a lifesaver for places where you can't bring the stroller (lines, many pavillions at Epcot, more places than you'd think!!). 4 months is a great age for that too, because you should be able to turn the baby front facing so he can see the world while you are hands free!

Don't over pack. 2 outfits per day for half your trip is plenty. If the baby gets wet or has a blow out, you'll be washing the clothes pretty quickly anyway! Pack layers - onsies with short & long sleeves are great!

Have fun!!

 

[NotUrsula]

As you are travelling in January, be sure that you have enough food, clothing and diapers to last the little one for 24 hours, and keep those supplies on you in the airport, so as to be prepared for weather delays. Also, be sure to bring an extra shirt that both you or your spouse can wear; if baby spits up all over you, you'll need to be able to change. (Pack plenty of ziplocs in the carry on.) If you nurse, carry bottled water for yourself at all times.

Remove all loose items from your stroller before going to the airport. This includes toys as well as the stroller hood; pack them in your checked luggage. Loose items can often snag and get torn off coming in and out of the luggage hold. Also, lock the wheels and bungy your stroller shut when you leave it on the jetway; if it comes unfolded when the ramp personnel grab hold of it, they will jam it shut however they quickly can, and that is the most common reason that strollers get broken. Also, if there is a possibility that the carseat will have to be checked, carry a plastic bag to cover it, aircraft holds can be pretty greasy and grungy.

 

[Princess_Aurora]

I know everyone says to buy the baby a tickey, but if you're taking the first flight out in the morning chances are that the flight won't be booked. Make sure you let the airline know you're flying with an infant. We flew Delta and when we checked in they told us they would hold a seat for us. Our DS was 4 months old when we went. We had the stroller/carry seat combo too. It was a bit of a pain to get through security because we had to take him out of the seat, put the carry seat on the xray belt, fold up the stroller and put that on the belt too. But we took both all the way up to the door of the plane. They put a tag on it and we took the carry seat on the plane with us. The isle was really narrow though so we had to take him out of the seat and DH had to hold the carry seat over his head in order to get through. Delta also saved DS a seat on the flight home too.

 

[KrisRob]

1. I have tried about every baby carrier on the market and gave away about $200 worth of them after I found out about a baby sling! I was the first to think "there's no way!" but after I tried it I fell in love with it & if I was allowed only 1 piece of baby equipment in the world I would choose my sling!! I suggest that if you have never tried one that you do! Sling benefits: Cotton(more breatheable then conventional carriers), baby can be "worn" in the front or back and in a variety of positions without taking them out to change those positions. Can be used up to 40 lbs!! So at almost 4 yrs old I can STILL use my sling without having all his weight hurting my shoulders & lower back.

Note: If holding a child on your lap airlines WILL NOT let you have a child hooked to you by either the babyair device or sling during take off/landing, some FAA regulations I was told. I just would slip the sling back over my shoulder & tighten as soon as we took off. I think that a babyair device or sling are great choices though in case of turbulance! Believe me, this happened once & my son was positioned like a baby monkey hugging my belly. He never budged or even cried, unlike another child whose parent had a death grip on.

2. Take a baby first aid bag. Talk to your Dr about what RX's and the doseages your should give your child (especially if under 1 yr).
Suggestions:
Your Dr's phone #

Tyenol AND Motrin (My Dr. says for a high fever that I can give one then the other every 3 hours-but again ASK YOUR DR!)

Benedryl (With my Dr permission, I give my kids each a dose 1 hr before the flight. No ear popping problems and they even sleep during the flight)

Diarrhea Rx( ask Dr what is appropriate for your child)

Damp wash cloth (in ziplock) & dry wash cloth
Extra baby wipes
SEVERAL large ziplocks (for any soiled clothes, but also make great "air sickness" bags even when your NOT flying)

An extra SUBSTITUTE blankie/buddy (witnessed a poor little girl that was heartbroken after having to give up her blankie because she had gotten sick all over it.)

Hope these suggestion help out, have fun.

 

[ahutton]

On our recent trip we did everything possible to have as little luggage as possible. I only packed 4 shorts outfits and 4 pants outfits, plus one jacket and 5 pairs of socks for our DD's who are 8 months old and almost 3. We were there for 10 days. I did 3 or 4 loads of laundry but was able to do them while the kids were napping or watching TV in the villa. I will do this again, because even with as few things as I had there were still outfits that came home not being worn because we had plenty of stuff. Oh, and I color matched everything I took so the pieces could be interchanged.

I also suggest bringing lots of ziploc bags, in any and all sizes. We bought laundry detergent there, but I brought dryer sheets from home because I knew I would not need an entire box.