So you thought we canceled? (A Sept. PTR) - Page 5 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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The only tip I have for you and traveling w/ the ADORABLE Briana is initially set your regular pace and then go w/ the flow. You will have to gauge how she handles everything. Always make sure to have a small light weight blanket (receiving blanket worked best for us) available for us it was a life saver. It is somewhere to hide under if things get scary, it is shade without being overly heavy, wipes down tears if needed and it smells like home. When I first traveled w/ my DS at 11 mths we never went back to the hotel for naps or taking a break. Our lifestyle is such that we were always on the move so he could nap anywhere and he did. That being said do what works for you and your family.
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I love it when you call Disney about an upcoming trip and the CMs on the phone seem so genuinely excited for you I hope you have a great time at the Barbershop, take lots of pictures for us! Good luck getting your touring plans done!
So I am trying to remember all my tips from bringing a 9 month old...who is now 9 years old.
So, here we go...
- Bring a small umbrella type stroller that somewhat reclines with a tray. Attach a few small toys via shoelace to stroller -short enough she can't hurt herself, but long enough that she can "play". If she drops a toy...you don't lose it! This helped out BIG time. It gave her a tray for snacks and she could play with her little toys anytime she chose.
- When riding in the plane, have a bottle ready for her to drink during take off and landing to help with her ears. The sucking motion is the same as chewing gum. Have some small toys and snacks for her.
- I agree you can't predict how Bri is going to handle touring. I have known people who stick to a tight, slow paced schedule including nap times and bed times when they brought their babies or kids, but others more easily adapt. You kind of have to go with the flow and let her be your guide. My DD was on the easy side of the scale. She was content to play with her toys and look at things, she loved the rides we took her on, if she was tired she went to sleep in her stroller. We stayed in the parks all day and a good part of the evening most days. There were a couple where we had to go back early and rest up, bc we were all tired...not just bc of her. But for the most part we did everything we wanted, as long as we wanted and she was fine.
Boy this is hard, this is all I can think of for now, but if/when I come up with more I will come back.
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Good luck planning with the little one! I know that you guys can go with the flow--it's the easiest way to plan! I would definitely think about early mornings and mid day naps!
Congrats on being so close to the trip! And scheduling Bri's haircut. How far in advance can you book the haircuts? I've got to make Mallory's appointment. I know my ADRs are early August, but I'm not sure about the barbershop.
As for traveling with a 10 month old... I have never flown with a 10 month old as Cameron was 18 months when we flew, but I have taken several longish car rides with the kids (3-4 hours). What I have found works well is to bring lots of little snacks. For some reason my kids do very well if you just constantly feed them. Mallory will happily munch on Cheerio's for an hour or so. Of course the flight crew might not appreciate all the dropped snacks, but it helps keep my kids from screaming.
Is your flight close to nap time at all? I would say try to get her to sleep on the plane. I personally would rather deal with a tired crabby baby before getting onto the plane than a rambunctious well rested baby on a plane. So delay nap time a bit if you need to. The hum of the plane put Cameron right out and he never slept in new places very well.
At 10 months old things like portable electronics probably won't work well. I know that even at 18 months the DVD player only kept Cam's interest for a short amount of time. And he couldn't really play games on the iPhone or anything. We did bring a few little Duplos and helped him build towers with them. I think we had like 10 total and we just kept taking them apart and putting them back together. Mallory likes to play with the Duplos even now so I'm probably going to bring them for her in Jan.
In the car we mostly sing songs and stuff to keep the kids calm. Snacks, songs and naps. In the car we can stop and take little breaks. On the plane not so much. I will say that I fought taking Cameron out of the seat on the plane, but when I finally did give in we were all much happier. He ended up getting cranky and tried to escape (which I'm assuming your diaper change escape artist would also do) so I took him to the bathroom for a diaper change and then walked down the aisle of the plane once and sat back down. It really helped him calm down a bit. I think maybe it gave him a little bit of reassurance that the containment wouldn't last forever.
I will say let her drink during takeoff and landing. And note that the air pressure changes in the cabin so if you have bottles that are full (or sippies for that matter) they will leak! We had that happen with Cameron's straw sippies last trip. Right now we have 9 ounce bottles, but Mallory only eats 6 oz at a time so I think we'd be ok filling those as the water has room to expand, but if you have bottles that you fill completely you might have issues.
As for touring I don't believe you can ever know what to expect with a small child. The strangest things can set them off and cause the crabbies to come out. I would make sure she gets a nap (or 2) each day. I know we stressed about Cameron taking a nap as he was all off his schedule and didn't take naps when we tried to put him down. I think he was so excited. The first part of the trip I was so stressed that he was refusing to take a nap. By the end of the trip I took the approach that he will nap when tired and it was so much easier. He conked out in the stroller when he needed to rest and I quit stressing about it. We were all happier. I had thought we would need to slow down a TON, but we really didn't on park days. We did add a rest day that we've never done before. I will make sure to do this with kids because I think it's important for them to have a recharge day, but as for days we went to the park I found I was able to keep up with about what I had done on past trips. As long as you make sure Bri is fed and changed her tagging along might not slow you down as much as you think. At that age she won't really be able to pull you off track by begging to look at something or buy something or go on a ride one more time. She just joins you so as fast as you're able to go she'll go.
I'm so happy you booked the haircut!!! It's a great experience! (Which Missy you can do180 days in advance too - just like ADRs.)
The boys both went when they were a year and we brought lots of snacks, a blanket (or whatever comfort item she has) for the plane ride, little toys or things they were playing with at the time.
As far as in the parks when they were that young we didn't go back and have scheduled nap times - they just fell asleep when thy were tired. I would bring a clip on fan (or get a Mickey one at the parks) for the stroller to help keep her cool and bring pj's for evening - so when they fall asleep on the way back all you have to do is lay them down. I did bring my own pack n play sheet for the room as well. They did have then, but I felt better about them laying on theirs.
This will be such a precious visit for all of you! I have photos of my children from age 2 weeks (I know...but my DH had a seminar, the company offered to pay for ALL of us, and the hotel was onsite, so it worked!) - I truly believe that the memories you will make will be shared with Bri, and they become hers..it's just the Disney magic at work
A bit ago you asked about getting a window/aquarium-side seat at Coral Reef. You simply have to ask when you check in. It CAN take a little longer to get those, but I HIGHLY recommend doing it. As a mom of 4, I can attest to the fact that being "near" the window is not nearly as perfect as being actually NEXT TO the window. We met many brand new friends when we had to chase squiggly children down to the aquarium when we were on the second tier!
I always tried to find a little out of the way place in our airport, and let them wander a bit. Since she may not be walking yet (?), I would put a blanket down, but I tend to be anal about cleanliness...the more she can explore and move around freely BEFORE you get on the plane, the easier it will be to help her relax and even possibly sleep once you board. If she stays awake, be sure to bring a bottle with her favorite drink...the last thing you want to do is have her refuse to sip because she isn't overly fond of your selection It's vacation, so you can let her have a special treat (apple juice, perhaps?)!
On the plane, we had a window seat , so I took little vinyl characters, and we happily stuck those on and peeled those off for a LONG time I brought cheerios and Kix, and also several small containers. Another fun game was "Put the Cheerios in the box, and then take them out...repeat...for what might seem like forever We also played with bristle blocks...they stick no matter what angle they are put together in, and they tend to not fall apart when they are dropped. They also feel really nice on little gums if any new teeth might be making an appearance
Finally, I took a small ice chest with me as one of my carry ons, with frozen sponges in them. They feel so good in little mouths, they are perfect if you get a bump, and my kids loved to gnaw on them, and suck the water as they thawed. Plus, once we got to Disney, it was nice to have small sponges that I could carry with me into the park for the expected little messes that occur Double Duty!
For inside the parks, you KNOW what works for Bri. If she is a little person who has to have silence when she sleeps, you have two choices...get back to the resort, OR USE THOSE BABY CARE CENTERS!!! You can go in, sit in air conditioning, bundle her up in a blankie, and give her a bottle, in a private cubicle, or just in a corner of the playroom. Once she falls asleep, she might do fine in her stroller unless she is easily startled. If so, find one of those little out of the way gems, and take a break yourself. Then you and David can switch off and one of you would like to peek in a shop, or grab a quick ride on Buzz Lightyear. Bri will set your pace, and you just go with that . The fewer expectations you have, the better. Children always change up the plans, in a good way, so just be prepared to grab every little tiny Disney miracle that occurs (even if it is just wiggling toes in cool grass in England
Remember, the best memories are not necessarily the ones that involve a character, ride or parade. They can involve a dandelion or a duck, too
Have a truly magical time, and RELAX!!! It's all going to be wonderful!!
I have to agree with almost all the comments that Bri won’t change your plans TOO much. Yes you will need to take more breaks but she will nap in the stroller and won't be pulling you in a million directions. For the plane , drinks and lots of little toys for a distraction (books, blocks, rattles) and a few snacks. Keep her occupied and she will do fine.
For touring the parks, a small clip on fan and be sure to bring extra diapers/wipes and outfits. If she normally goes thru 2 outfits a day pack 3. Nothing ruins the plans faster than having to go back to the hotel or buy a new outfit. I usually just threw a complete change of clothes and diaper into a ziplock bag and just left it in a pocket of the stroller as a backup.
Don’t stress about it. I'm sure you know her well enough to read her signs and just go with the flow.
For touring the parks, a small clip on fan and be sure to bring extra diapers/wipes and outfits. If she normally goes thru 2 outfits a day pack 3. Nothing ruins the plans faster than having to go back to the hotel or buy a new outfit. I usually just threw a complete change of clothes and diaper into a ziplock bag and just left it in a pocket of the stroller as a backup.
Agree completely! An extra outfit is good for any reason. Even if it's damp or she is playing in the water fountains and what not, good to have a fresh dry change of clothes...besides the obvious diaper blow out that sometimes happens.
love the mousekeeping ideas so cute! Sadly I have no tips on traveling with babies but I'm sure you will get plenty of good tips and ideas on here I'm actually trying to think of how to do my own countdown this year and I usually try to copy some of the good ideas I see on here. I think the barbershop is such a perfect idea and I agree calling disney always makes me smile because they do get so exicted for you and its that disney service that always keeps me going back!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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Love the envelope! 
I hope you have a great time at the Barbershop, take lots of pictures for us! Good luck getting your touring plans done!
"Sparky"(My first trip.)
figuring out your touring plan! I love the Mousekeeping envelope design. 
Disney Magic - Oct 2015
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