DLR with a 9-month-old

[jstylzz]

Hello all!

I started a couple of threads last year about going to Disneyland with a new baby in November. The trip didn't end up happening, but I believe we will be on our way in April with our little princess. I can't seem to find the previous threads, so I wanted to pose a couple of questions:

1. Baby carrier; which is best? I seem to remember a fairly good debate over the snugli, or baby bjorn. I am 6'1", very broad shouldered, etc. Which one would be best?

2. I think that we'll take her nice stroller down; she's comfy in it, and will nap in it just fine. Thoughts?

3. Rides: which ones? Obviously the Mountains are out, but will she do something like Haunted Mansion? She's very outgoing, loves to look at lights, but I wonder how she will react to these rides. My wife and I are going with my parents, so we can take turns, I just wondered about your experiences.

Thanks in advance for all your input! :D

[Wendi]

1 - My vote is the Maya Wrap Pouch. You can wear baby in front, on your hip, or on your back... and she can sit or lay in many positions in it to get comfy. You also don't have to take her out for feeding her like you would with a bjorn or snugli, and it folds up very small - takes up as much room as a receiving blanket in your diaper bag.

2 - Definitely take the nice stroller!

3 - It will totally depend on her. I took my son for the first time at 8 months... he liked some rides, and didn't like others. Haunted Mansion was a dislike for him at the start because we got into an elevator full of extreme screamers... it scared the crap out of him and he cried a lot (so did a few other kids). After that the ride itself wasn't bad for him, but he seemed apprehensive after the elevator ride. I would start out with the very tame rides and work your way up to Pirates & HM depending on how she likes the others... you should be able to get a feel for what she likes, and if you find she doesn't like something, just hold her close and whisper in her ear to try to keep her feeling safe until the ride is over, then don't take her again until you feel like she's ready for it.

[disneyjunkie]

Find something to attach or tie on to your stroller handle thats very bright and noticable so you can easily spot it in stroller parking, or even one of those small flags for the back of bikes maybe cut down to a shorter level so it sits right above the stroller handle. It will make finding your stroller much quicker and deter others from accidently grabbing the wrong stroller.

[Malcon10t]

1 - My vote is the Maya Wrap Pouch. You can wear baby in front, on your hip, or on your back... and she can sit or lay in many positions in it to get comfy. You also don't have to take her out for feeding her like you would with a bjorn or snugli, and it folds up very small - takes up as much room as a receiving blanket in your diaper bag.

2 - Definitely take the nice stroller!

3 - It will totally depend on her. I took my son for the first time at 8 months... he liked some rides, and didn't like others. Haunted Mansion was a dislike for him at the start because we got into an elevator full of extreme screamers... it scared the crap out of him and he cried a lot (so did a few other kids). After that the ride itself wasn't bad for him, but he seemed apprehensive after the elevator ride. I would start out with the very tame rides and work your way up to Pirates & HM depending on how she likes the others... you should be able to get a feel for what she likes, and if you find she doesn't like something, just hold her close and whisper in her ear to try to keep her feeling safe until the ride is over, then don't take her again until you feel like she's ready for it.I agree. And every child is different. My younger son was ready for the "hard stuff" as soon as he was born, and my older son was much more timid. My younger son would have joined the screamers. Just pay attention to her little changes to see what she is handling well, and what she isn't and just avoid the ones that you can tell she really doesn't like.

[jstylzz]

1 - My vote is the Maya Wrap Pouch. You can wear baby in front, on your hip, or on your back... and she can sit or lay in many positions in it to get comfy. You also don't have to take her out for feeding her like you would with a bjorn or snugli, and it folds up very small - takes up as much room as a receiving blanket in your diaper bag.

Our little one loves when I put her back against my chest and sit her in my hands, facing out. This is why I thought some of the more rigid carriers might be best. She's very busy, and loves to be looking around at things. She's also in the 90th percentile in height and weight, so I wonder if a little more support around her wouldn't be a good idea.

I'm sure this will be a much more "organic" trip than I usually experience. I like to plan things down to the nanosecond, and I realize that a lot of it will be dictated by her. Can't wait!

[lauramaynot]

definately choose a carrier your child doesn't mind being in for long periods of time.

My vote for baby carrier is also a sling type since they are versitle (sp??) baby can sit up on your hip or lay down for a nap - The one we use is called the Nojo available at babies r us:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000096L4F/qid=1138322382/br=1-8/ref=br_lf_ba_8//104-8643435-8447112?v=glance&s=baby&n=548070

I like this one because it is adjustable I wore it and I am plus size, my best friend wore it and she is a size 10, her husband wore it and he is 6'3, my husband wore it and he is 5'11. Nobody complained. Not once. Baby slept and prefered the sling to the stroller.

A word of caution: whatever you choose, buy it well in advance and practice with your baby...there is a learning curve with carriers and then you will know if your baby likes it or hates it, if you can get in and out without assistance, what is the most comfortable way for both the baby and for you.

Also I agree to bring your own stroller, it is always worth it. If you find you are using your sling more then leave it at the hotel.

As for attractions, you can do alot with a baby. What is nice is that you will probably see a lot of things you haven't slowed down enough to enjoy before. Stop in the mainstreet cinema for mickey cartoons and a quiet feeding or nap, ride the mainstreet vehicles, find all the quiet little corners and people watch, it also is a great excuse to ride the train and never get off.

[jstylzz]

definately choose a carrier your child doesn't mind being in for long periods of time.

My vote for baby carrier is also a sling type since they are versitle (sp??) baby can sit up on your hip or lay down for a nap - The one we use is called the Nojo available at babies r us:

As for attractions, you can do alot with a baby. What is nice is that you will probably see a lot of things you haven't slowed down enough to enjoy before. Stop in the mainstreet cinema for mickey cartoons and a quiet feeding or nap, ride the mainstreet vehicles, find all the quiet little corners and people watch, it also is a great excuse to ride the train and never get off.

We'll have to go to Babies-R-Us and try a few of them. One question for you lauramaynot: will this sling work with a very active baby? Our little one has learned to rock back and forth, she wiggles everywhere...the picture that you linked to shows the person supporting the sling and seemingly holding the baby. To my unexperienced eye, it looks like the sling would favor a more sedentary baby.

Anyway, I am a complete novice with these carriers, so I GREATLY appreciate all of your input!

[lauramaynot]

All carriers take practice so definately try some of them out before buying one, but my experiance with this particular carrier is that it was great even when elizabeth was twisting and turning. The picture is goofy and we only laid her down in it when she was asleep. One time she was asleep in it, and I actually had her in it hands free with another kid on my shoulders so he could see the parade. As long as you fully spread open the fabric to cradle the baby it works wonderfully - no worries. I think the best position is to put the baby on your hip facing you. The fabric is wider in the middle and so you spread it out under the baby's bottom and then up his/her back as high as it is needed to support him/her. My sister still uses hers with her two year old who still loves it.

[jstylzz]

All carriers take practice so definately try some of them out before buying one, but my experiance with this particular carrier is that it was great even when elizabeth was twisting and turning. The picture is goofy and we only laid her down in it when she was asleep. One time she was asleep in it, and I actually had her in it hands free with another kid on my shoulders so he could see the parade. As long as you fully spread open the fabric to cradle the baby it works wonderfully - no worries. I think the best position is to put the baby on your hip facing you. The fabric is wider in the middle and so you spread it out under the baby's bottom and then up his/her back as high as it is needed to support him/her. My sister still uses hers with her two year old who still loves it.

That's a great explanation. The picture looks pretty dopey (pun intended), and it looks way uncomfortable. But my daughter also loves to lay on her back, and this would allow her to do just that. As you said, trying several on in the store is going to be a must.

[lauramaynot]

I'm going to try to post a link for some pics of us using the sling. in one the baby is sleeping the other baby is sitting up.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lauramaynot/album?.dir=/4ca6

hopefully it will work *crossing fingers*

[jstylzz]

Thanks for the pictures! That makes it easier to picture, for sure :)

[Malcon10t]

All carriers take practice so definately try some of them out before buying one, but my experiance with this particular carrier is that it was great even when elizabeth was twisting and turning. The picture is goofy and we only laid her down in it when she was asleep. One time she was asleep in it, and I actually had her in it hands free with another kid on my shoulders so he could see the parade. As long as you fully spread open the fabric to cradle the baby it works wonderfully - no worries. I think the best position is to put the baby on your hip facing you. The fabric is wider in the middle and so you spread it out under the baby's bottom and then up his/her back as high as it is needed to support him/her. My sister still uses hers with her two year old who still loves it.The right one for your child is the most important. Some do well in a sling, some like my son would never have allowed it.

We got to use a sling last trip with our new "baby"! It did work with him. (See avatar for son wearing sling with baby in it waiting for Remember.)

[jstylzz]

The right one for your child is the most important. Some do well in a sling, some like my son would never have allowed it.

We got to use a sling last trip with our new "baby"! It did work with him. (See avatar for son wearing sling with baby in it waiting for Remember.)

That's a good point; our little one is very good natured, but she isn't afraid to let you know if she doesn't like something. I would imagine that we could tell right away if it's something that she would enjoy or not.

[adriennek]

I'm a Baby Bjorn Fan, big time. When ours were little, they faced inward, but at 9-months they faced out as you described. It was great. I know people who love their slings but the Bjorn worked well for us. My husband is about 6' tall and padded nicely. We got the extra-large straps for our Bjorn and they worked well. It was comfortable for many of our friends to wear the babies in it, too.

I can't say enough about the Bjorn. My "baby" is on the 'too big' now edge of life and he's my last so I'm grieving that I won't be able to Bjorn him anymore :(

Adrienne

[jstylzz]

I'm a Baby Bjorn Fan, big time. When ours were little, they faced inward, but at 9-months they faced out as you described. It was great. I know people who love their slings but the Bjorn worked well for us. My husband is about 6' tall and padded nicely. We got the extra-large straps for our Bjorn and they worked well. It was comfortable for many of our friends to wear the babies in it, too.

I can't say enough about the Bjorn. My "baby" is on the 'too big' now edge of life and he's my last so I'm grieving that I won't be able to Bjorn him anymore :(

Adrienne

We'll probably give the Bjorn and sling-style carriers a test run at the store. I don't know how she'll respond to the slings, but I do know that sometimes when I hold her chest to chest, she squawks until I hold her facing out. She's very inquisitive and loves to be able to see things. That's my only reason for thinking that the Bjorn-type carrier would be what we go with. But I've got an open mind about it!

[JeffG]

If you have never used a carrier before, you should also keep in mind the possibility that you will end up not using it. We had a Snugli that I think I used exactly once, probably not for more than 30 minutes or so. We looked at other brands in the stores (including Baby Bjorn) and saw no reason why any others would work better for us.

The main problem that I had with it was simply that I found it >way< too warm to use it here in Southern California. I was very uncomfortably warm within a very short time after putting it on. Since you are going in April, this could be an issue for you as well. It gets very hot at Disneyland that time of year. I also generally found that the carrier distributed weight in pretty uncomfortable places as well. My wife has back problems, so she never even considered trying it at all.

I know that many people swear by these things, but be prepared that they don't work for everyone.

-Jeff

[adriennek]

My wife has back problems, so she never even considered trying it at all.

And for me, when I don't use a carrier, I find my back and arms really start to hurt but the carrier distributes the baby's weight so nicely that it's much more comfortable. LOL. Go figure.

Adrienne

[jstylzz]

I think that we're going to go to Babies-R-Us this weekend and see what we think. My wife started looking online, and she likes the look of the Baby Bjorn-type carrier. Maybe it just looks like what would suit our little one to us. But we'll try all types, and probably get one very soon, so that we have time to experiment with it. And yes, it may not get used a lot, but if we take her on some rides (i.e. Peter Pan, Small World), I think that she'll like being in a carrier like this.

[losaitkens]

Regarding the carrier, I add another vote for baby bjorn. We have taken my now 14 month daughter 4 times now (@5mos, 8 mos, 9mos & 12 mos) and found the baby bjorn carrier very useful on all but the last trip. It just felt better for me and my baby. I agree also with the pp who said the summertime makes the carrier a little more uncomfortable as those carriers seem to make everyone a lot warmer and during the heat of a summer day, my daughter preffered the shade and comfort of her stroller.

Regarding strollers, we took our big old combo stroller and found it very useful. We could store all our gear in the bottom basket, recline it for naps, and create a lot of much needed shade for Sophie. Yes, it was bulky and sometimes hard to negotiate through crowds but a lot of time we would just leave it at a central location, load the baby in the Baby bjorn and come back for it later. On our last trip, I brought two strollers, the big one and the umbrella type one and found I liked both. The umbrella is great if you want to ride the monorail or trains because it folds easily. With the big stroller, we always ended up walking everywhere because folding that thing was a big hassle. Walking everywhere is not a big deal and you can take those big stroller on as long as you collapse them but just something to consider if you were planning on using the monorail or trains.

As far as rides go, It's a small world was my daughter's favorite, especially on our last visit at 12 months. I get teary eyed just thinking about the look of wonder in her eyes as she took it all in. Pooh, Casey Jr, the caroseul, and dumbo are also good choices. The "dark" rides can be tricky. At 9 mos, you might still be okay as Sophie has done alright with all of them (Snow White, Peter Pan, Mr. Toads, Pirates, Haunted Mansion) untill our last trip at 12 months. On our last trip, she tolerated these rides, but just barely. Every baby is different though so you'll get an idea pretty quick what yours will like.

[Disneynerd]

Baby Carrier: I have bad back, so neither the sling nor the Bjorn last more than an hour on me. I'm also tall and lanky, and always felt like the carriers were too high or too low. My husband had broad shoulders, is about 5'9 and has a sturdy build (I'm really making us sound attractive aren't I?) and the Bjorn was great for him.

Stroller: Go with your own.

Rides: My eight month old loved them all especially IASW. She's a skiddish kind of gal too. I covered her ears during the elevator scream in HM and the rest was a breeze.

Your baby will LOVE all the lights, the activity and the fresh air. Have a great time and be flexible!:)

[jstylzz]

We're getting excited; our little one just turned six months yesterday, and I just KNOW that she's going to have an amazing time.

We took a look at the carriers at Babies-R-Us over the weekend, and I had another question: how big and how old were your babies when you used these? All of the Snugli and Baby Bjorn type carriers only listed to 18 lbs, and the slings were just above that. We had Lexie's six month dr. appointment today, and she weighed almost 19 lbs. She'll probably be under 25 in April, although with her current weight gains, she'll be pretty close. I'm hesitant to buy one if we can't use it after the trip.

[adriennek]

All of the Snugli and Baby Bjorn type carriers only listed to 18 lbs, and the slings were just above that. We had Lexie's six month dr. appointment today, and she weighed almost 19 lbs. She'll probably be under 25 in April, although with her current weight gains, she'll be pretty close. I'm hesitant to buy one if we can't use it after the trip.

Really? Hmm. I know we used our Bjorn when my M was a year old plus because I have the pictures to prove it. So he had to have been around 20 lbs by then.

Man, a 19 lb 6-monther! Does she have rollie-pollie leggers? :)

Adrienne

[jstylzz]

Really? Hmm. I know we used our Bjorn when my M was a year old plus because I have the pictures to prove it. So he had to have been around 20 lbs by then.

Man, a 19 lb 6-monther! Does she have rollie-pollie leggers? :)

Adrienne

She's definitely got some rolls on her legs. She's in the 90th percentile in height, so she's pretty long (9-month or 12-month clothing), and so her weight is spread out pretty well. She's about ready to start crawling, so she'll crawl some of it away, I think.

[Disneynerd]

We used the Bjorn from 2 weeks old to 1 year old. My dd is average weight but 75% height. We carried her around Disney when she was 8 months old in the carrier - perfect fit! You will have a great time!!!

[Matt Hamand]

1. Baby carrier; which is best? I seem to remember a fairly good debate over the snugli, or baby bjorn. I am 6'1", very broad shouldered, etc. Which one would be best?
I use a Snugli. The basic $20 one. It compacts nicely and is comfortable to wear. It is also 1/4 the cost of the Baby Bjorn, so if you are only going to use it for the trip that might be a factor. And for what its worth I don't even pack it anymore. It's just easier to stroller and carry. For me that is.

3. Rides: which ones? Obviously the Mountains are out, but will she do something like Haunted Mansion? She's very outgoing, loves to look at lights, but I wonder how she will react to these rides. My wife and I are going with my parents, so we can take turns, I just wondered about your experiences.
It really depends on the baby. We took Adam on Pirates and Mansion when he was 2 or 3 months. He was just fine. The screaming on the Mansion startled him the first time, but after that no problem. It just depends on your baby.


Thanks in advance for all your input! :D[/QUOTE]