I have traveled to Disney 3 times with an infant (6mo, 3mo, and 4mo). Each time I learned new things that makes traveling with an infant to Disney easier. Here are my tips.
On the airplane – Flying with little kids can be hard because of all the new regulations about what you can bring on the plane. I have brought formula on the plane and also brought water. I purchased small bottles of infant water (sold in the baby isle at the grocery store). I just brought enough for the flight.When I got to security I took it out of the bag with the bottles and asked if it was ok to bring this to make my baby a bottle on the plane. One airport said it was fine and another had to verify the contents with a device. You can buy water after you get through security also. Sometimes that water is refrigerated and then you need to get hot water and mix. That can get a little crazy if you have older children as well. Be prepared to surrender your water though if they will not allow it through security. It is at their discretion and they don’t have to let you bring it on.
If you have a baby over one drinking milk you may have trouble warming the bottle. I was told by the flight attendant they had no way of warming it. I did discover that they can give you hot water on the flight. You can either bring a cup bigger than your bottle and put the hot water in the cup and put your bottle in it to warm or pour some of the hot water into your milk (if you don’t mind diluting it). I would practice this at home to see if you baby will take it that way. As always check the temperature before giving it to your baby since the water you are putting in is very hot. Try filling the bottle to about 6 oz with milk and then you should have enough room to put some water in to warm it up, a little at a time.
Also, I always offered the baby something to suck on or drink during take offs and landings. It helps to regulate their ears when they drink something so have a bottle or your nursing cover ready for those times.
At your resort – Disney will give you a pack and play for free at any of its resorts, just request it with your reservation. All the rooms now have at least a mini fridge. You can purchase milk from the gift shop or food court and keep it in your room. The food courts have microwaves if you need to heat food or bottles. You can always pack an electric bottle warmer for your room too. You can purchase baby food, diapers, and other baby items at your resort gift shop as well for a premium. If you can’t find something you need just ask.
If you will be staying for a week or will need a lot consider ordering all your baby supplies including formula, bottled water, baby food, diapers, swim diapers, etc from Garden Grocer. You will save on baggage and you can order extras like snacks, bottled water, and fruit for yourself if you want.
At the theme parks – Each of the four theme parks have a Baby Care Center (BCC). These are not child care facilities but a place for you to care for your child. They have nursing rooms with rockers; changing rooms; a toddler area with tables, activities, and cartoons; a kitchen area to wash bottles and warm food; and they sell almost anything you would need for babies including food, changing supplies, pacifiers, bottles, etc. At the MK the BCC is between the end of Main Street USA and the Crystal Palace. In Epcot it is in the Odyssey Center between Test Track and Mexico. In Hollywood Studios it is at Guest Relations near the park entrance. At Animal Kingdom it is on Discover Island near Creature Comforts. There are changing facilities in all the bathrooms throughout the park also. Diapers and some other baby items can be purchased at most shops throughout the parks but these items are usually kept behind the counters so ask a cast member if you can’t find them. If you are nursing then a nursing cover is a must to pack. Since there is only one BCC at each park it can be hard to get there every time you need to feed the baby. They are air conditioned and comfortable so I try to time a feeding for when we will be near them anyway. Otherwise I can usually find a corner of a quick service eatery when its not peak meal times, a bench, cozy corner, or (long, dark, indoor) show to nurse through. Let me know if you need more information about that. To warm bottles I would suggest the same trick as for the airplane. Keep a cup that is bigger than your bottle and request hot water for it and soak the bottle or mix hot water with regular water until you get the right temp for formula. For milk you can use the cup and soak or add a little hot water to the milk. Always check the temp before feeding to baby.
Strollers – We always bring our stroller from home. You can rent one in the theme parks but they are not great for real little babies. Strollers can not be brought everywhere and there are stroller parking lots. If you park your stroller someplace else it will be moved to the nearest parking lot. As people leave there are openings so there are attendants that keep the strollers organized. Your stroller may not be in the exact place you left it but it will be somewhere in the lot. Putting something on the handle of your stroller to make it easily found can be helpful. A balloon can be cumbersome and you may need to get more than one throughout your trip but it does help. A hot pink hankie might help too. If you have a real little one some kind of baby pack can help when you have to park the stroller and go through a line and ride. I found it helpful to wear my infants a lot so it wasn’t so much in and out of the stroller, especially when it was nap time.
Sun Protection – For a majority of the year the sun is a concern. Be sure to check with your pediatrician before you purchase sunscreen since some types should not be used on babies under 6 months. You may want to purchase a stroller sunshade that will protect your child. One example is the RayShade® UV Protective Stroller Shade Improves Sun Protection for Strollers, Joggers and Prams Black
If you have any more questions about traveling with infants please leave me a comment or email me at [email protected] . I would be happy to give you my opinion.
