Starting to panic.... taking the baby

[Mermaid]

Okay. Our trip is a little over two weeks away and I am starting to panic. I know in my head it will be fine, but I am starting to worry that this is a huge mistake! I am totally prepared to slow down and do the trip at his pace and I know DL inside and out, why am I so freaked out?

My big fear is naps. He has never ever fallen asleep in his stroller, but going back to the hotel (Embassy Suites) twice is just not really feasible. Our plan is to let him nap in the stroller for his am nap (as this nap is often 40 minutes anyway) and go back to the hotel in the afternoon. My contingency plan is if he does not fall asleep in the stroller eventually, just go back a little earlier than planned for the afternoon one. He's also crawling, so I am going to go dig up that thread to remind myself of all the crawling friendly places!

Anyway, I guess I am stressing over what is probably nothing, but I am not one who loves the unknown!

[Drince88]

Deep Breath
Repeat

I think your nap plan is about perfect. Don't forget a shade for the stroller!
Are there any places you can bring the stroller inside where he might be able to fall asleep? GC Lobby, maybe? (I was thinking innoventions would be good, but I doubt you can bring a stroller there.

You know this is going to be a different trip (maybe you can show him where Bess and Jess like to stay?) - you know this isn't going to be your only trip - you know the parks. You'll be fine.

One more breath.

[currence]

Deep breaths, the whole having a baby turns your life upside down is true, but if your cutie's picture is any indication, you've already had 8 months to get used to the idea that things are different now (plus approx nine months while you were pregnant).

I don't know how big you/your baby are, but one thing that I really took advantage of with my second born was a baby sling. She would sleep in her stroller, but I preferred her to sleep in her sling at Disneyland because then I could keep going on (gentle) rides rather than have to sit out until she woke up. Even if yours does not normally sleep in strollers, the extra warmth and snuggle of a parent may be enough to put him over the edge?

You will not be storming the park from opening until closing like perhaps you used to, but you know the parks and now you get to experience areas like the Baby Center that unless your friends have little kids you may not have seen before (I was so excited the first time I nursed at the Baby Center in DL - it was a new experience on par to being walked off a ride).

[currence]

I think your nap plan is about perfect. Don't forget a shade for the stroller!
Are there any places you can bring the stroller inside where he might be able to fall asleep? GC Lobby, maybe? (I was thinking innoventions would be good, but I doubt you can bring a stroller there.

You can bring the stroller into Innoventions

[Mermaid]

Thanks! I do have an Ergo carrier and he has fallen asleep a couple of times in there. He hasn't been in it in a while though so maybe I'll take some walks with him in it before we go! Generally as soon as I sit down, he wakes up, but if he is tired enough maybe he will stay asleep. You know those kids who will sleep anywhere, at anytime? No? Me neither. I do plan on keeping bedtime as close as possible to normal. I am hoping this will help if his naps are less than ideal.

Bringing the stroller inside once he is asleep is a good idea too. He is generally a movement sleeper, in the car once it stops, he wakes up unless he is really tired, but he will likely be really tired.

He is not one if those super easy babies- but we say it makes him more interesting! He is usually really good in public though, so I am hopeful. He is a watcher- he watches everything and everyone so I am looking forward to his reactions.

[MammaSilva]

Crawling places....the inside of the animation building (just keep the wet wipes handy to wipe him down so he doesn't chew on his hands after being on the floor ewww LOL) the little play area in toontown if it's not too warm. The floor of the Main Street cinema, it's rarely got more than a few people in there and it's kind of dark and while there's sounds it's not really loud. Good motion nap rides, the train is perfect cuz you don't have to get off until you want to...you can lap the park for an hour if you need/want if he's in a carrier, they won't let you take the stroller on the train 'open' but you can fold it and take it or park it and just come back to the same station. Cool rides to entertain him...small world, we took Adriennes youngest on that one every trip and he LOVED the music and the lights and colors. The lobby of the Grand is another crawl option, Mike and Sully is another easy dark ride. It will be amazing and he will have the best time and you'll have the photos to show him when he's older.

[foolishmortal]

We had a back pack for Grr when he was super little he Loved that thing and often just napped on Dad's back.

The back side of BTMR area is often quite and peaceful for nap.

I feel asleep with Grr on the Pooh ride once. LOL the cm asked Grr if he wanted to go again and let mom have a short nap. Imgaine the freak fest I had when I snapped back awake. 1/2 way back around!

I second the GC lobby oh and the little garden area at the back gate. The hiking trail by GRR is a nice place to sit too. It's nosiy but Grr loved to nap there in my lap.

That a deep breath, go slow and you'll do perfect!

[GusMan]

One thing that I can add is that the more flexible you are with your touring plans and schedule, the better you will be. You say that he doesn't sleep in the stroller. You may find that may be different at the parks. If so, roll with it. If not, then just remain flexible and make sure that you have an idea where you can go for him to get a change of pace.

Touring with a baby changes a lot of things but you do get used to it quickly. You may find that the slower pace will allow you to see many things that you never saw before.

[adriennek]

My eldest was one of those "interesting" babies of which you speak. And when he was a baby, we went to DL a LOT.

One trick that I loved for all my babies but ESPECIALLY for my interesting child was our Baby Bjorn sling. He LOVED sleeping when he was being held and when he was moving, and with the Bjorn, it was SO much easier to carry him around the parks. I have pictures of AVP holding him in it, too - we took turns passing the Baby Bjorn! Definitely something to consider. If you don't have one already, it would be WELL worth the investment - and you can check consignment stores for them, too.

[Malcon10t]

One trick that I loved for all my babies but ESPECIALLY for my interesting child was our Baby Bjorn sling. He LOVED sleeping when he was being held and when he was moving, and with the Bjorn, it was SO much easier to carry him around the parks. I have pictures of AVP holding him in it, too - we took turns passing the Baby Bjorn! Definitely something to consider. If you don't have one already, it would be WELL worth the investment - and you can check consignment stores for them, too.

We have one of those! Its really great. We used it with Gen and Wei. It has a neat little clip you can put on their collar to keep them from jumping out, and they usually fell asleep in it too.... ohhh, but ours wasn't a Bjorn, it was an Outward Hound brand...

[THpoohbear]

One of our favorite crawling places when my little one was at that stage was inside the Opera House. Usually not a lot of people, lots of floor space, too. I have very fond memories of sitting on the floor with him in there. He would just light up when he got a cool place to crawl around for a while.

My little guy doesn't like to nap in his stroller, either. DL has always been a tough napping spot. Even the "quiet" spots ... there usually is some sort of abrupt sound going off once in a while. You have the train whistle, odd sound effects, bands marching through back stage doors, etc. I once thought I found the perfect napping spot besides the first aid station just to find out bands marched right through there.

We used to recline the stroller all the way and put a blanket over the open area, closing him in, but making sure he wasn't too hot. He is such a good sleeper at home, but at DL would just stay awake in his stroller, for an hour plus sometimes. There have been some stressful moments. I finially realized if we just reclined him a little, gave him his blanket to hold, and then walked around he would fall a sleep a lot faster. He still doesn't sleep more than 30 minutes or so, but it is enough usually to get him through the evening.

Just last weekend we took a spin on the monorail and he promptly fell a sleep. Policy is to have everyone exit after arriving in tomorrowland, but we asked and because it wasn't busy, we were able to go around 4 times straight. Definitely not the norm for the monorail, but I think something like the train might work too. I really really wish we had the peoplemover here... that worked like a charm at WDW!

I'm still surprised at how few attractions we make it to on some days, just because tends not to be too much ride time in between naps, meals, diaper changes, and milk. I say list your top three attractions for each day, do those, and treat the rest a sugar on top!

[Mermaid]

My eldest was one of those "interesting" babies of which you speak. And when he was a baby, we went to DL a LOT.

It must be the name! You should have warned me. We have an Ergo Carrier that is similar to the Bjorn. I used it this weekend for errands since I hadn't used it in a while and he did great in it. I have a real bjorn too, but he never took to it.

We used to recline the stroller all the way and put a blanket over the open area, closing him in, but making sure he wasn't too hot. He is such a good sleeper at home, but at DL would just stay awake in his stroller, for an hour plus sometimes. There have been some stressful moments. I finially realized if we just reclined him a little, gave him his blanket to hold, and then walked around he would fall a sleep a lot faster. He still doesn't sleep more than 30 minutes or so, but it is enough usually to get him through the evening.

!

Thanks, that is our plan with the stroller. He has never slept more than 10 minutes on his back since 12 hours after he was born, so I know reclining it all the way would never work. I think if I recline it sort of like the car seat is, that should be a good angle. I did this at the zoo though and he put his feet up on the bar in front of him and looked really funny, like he was just chilling at the beach. Like I said.... interesting....

That is a good idea about the train and that might work. He will sleep in the car. I HATE that Grand Canyon diorama thing, but I could suffer through it a few times if he will sleep!

[samski]

We took our daughter last May when she was 10 months old and I was panicking about the exact same things as you. We ended up having a truly great time! My daughter was never a stroller napper and was still on two naps a day so we planned to do the same thing as you: nap #1 in the park in the stroller and nap #2 at the hotel. It worked out really well. We had to put her shade down and cover the stroller with a blanket to block out the visual stimulation and then walk with the stroller for 10-15 minutes, but she did fall asleep and slept for 20-45 minutes.
Hope that helps you feel a little bit better. Good luck!

[Mermaid]

Thanks! That makes me feel like it is possible. Naps have been super tough this week.

[Mermaid]

T minus one week! When you see Mickey in his house, does he hold the babies ala Santa Claus?

[adriennek]

Mickey's not allowed to hold them. But he'll definitely ooh and ahh. Most definitely. And he'll pose very closely.

[katiesue]

We took mine a ton when she was a baby. She would sleep slouched forward with her head on the tray. It looked horribly uncomfortable but if you tried to lay her back she'd wake up and be pissed. So we just left her there. She was also one who had to keep moving or she'd wake up. But there are lots of places to stroll.

The baby center is awesome for changing and just a quiet break if you need one.

[*Nala*]

We have taken our cub to DL at 5 months and 15 months, and to WDW at 9 months. He did great every time and it has been awesome to see him progress and get more interested in things every time. It's a different kind of trip but it can be a lot of fun. At 9 months he spent a lot of time in the backpack and slept in the stroller. He wasn't quite on his normal "schedule" but when he got tired he would just crash. Don't know if white noise helps your baby get to sleep, but we found the path back by Grizzly Rapids in DCA great with the noise of the waterfalls to get him to sleep.

I definitely second the baby care center. It is great for changing and feeding (high chairs for feeding baby food and a separate area for nursing / pumping).

[Mermaid]

Thanks! I knew about the baby center, but I never even really thought about it for changing him. Great idea about GRR. He does do well with white noise.

[THpoohbear]

At the breakfast at PPH, Mickey sat on the floor and held my little one on his lap on his first birthday. It was so adorable! I don't know if that was against the rules or not, but we sure savored up that moment.

We love the baby care center for changing especially at night if we are changing him into pjs. We can warm up some milk and it's a much nicer changing environment than the bathrooms.

[Barberella]

I once saw Cinderella explain to parents (who wanted a photo of Cinderella with their very young baby) - that she had to be sitting to hold a baby.

And then Cinderella plopped herself down on the curb of Main Street and held up her arms for the baby!

[Mermaid]

Awwww that is so sweet!

We leave in the morning. I want to do a mini trip report for other Moms. We'll see if that happens, but that is my plan. Thanks for all the advice!