BF'ing on plane, in Disney World, etc...vacation Q's

Yeah, buy her a seat. :-)

Nursing during takeoff and landing may help, but she may not fuss anyway, and
remember that those are the most dangerous parts of the flight, so it's really
better to leave her in her carseat, see what happens, and if she gets unhappy
try a pacifier or some other form of comfort first.

ok I don't know what us rules are, but we just flew from england to
cyprus, on a cypriot carrier, all under 2s had to be on an adults knee
with an infant belt (attaches to your belt and goes round the baby)
regardless of whether they had a seat or not. we didn't buy a seat as the
official line was we couldn't take the car seat on the plane at all, it
seemed silly to have a seat and not be able to use it, as it happened
neither flight was anywhere near full and the seat next to us was held and
when we got to the plane we just took the seat on, I nursed ds during take
off and landing and it went very well.

Kathy wrote:

Any general advice about what to pack, advice on flying, specific things
about Disney World with a baby, etc is very much welcome!

Hi, Kathy --

No specific advice about Disney World (except to have fun!), but we've
flown a ton with Sproutkin, usually the 6-7 hour cross-country flight.
Sproutkin loves to fly. She's as used to it as she is to riding in her
car seat, except that there are other people and babies to see, and she
can get in and out of her seat whenever she wants. I think that your
2.5-hour flight will be totally fine.

Sproutkin adores having her own little backpack -- she loads it up with
her treasures the morning that we leave (doing it the day before leads
to a very excited, chattery baby late into the night, so we've learned
not to talk too much about the trip too far in advance). I also travel
with a backpack, and we check everything else. My backpack has an extra
outfit, a couple diapers, a ziplock w/ several wipes, various toys and
books that couldn't be smashed into her backpack, a book for me, and
lots of snacks and sippy cups of water (those tiny Glad tupperware
containers work really well for snacks).

You can also buy a bunch of little dime-store toys for your
three-year-old, and stash them in her carry-on (or yours) -- you can
wrap them as presents if you like. New board books kept infant
Sproutkin entertained well (mini board books are great), as well as
"treat" snacks like potato chips (Pringles sells snack-packs; watch out
for stuff with caffeine, like chocolate).

If your 10-month-old gets bored, play "where is thumbkin," tell stories
about your family, sing nonsense songs, do the "I'm going to eat your
nose/knee/belly" game, etc. Go for walks (but briefly -- they don't
like people clogging up the aisles these days), and if the plane has a
space in the back, he can run around a bit.

I've always had good experiences with NIP; I usually wear a nursing
shirt just so I'm less exposed (especially now as there's more belly to
expose!), but I've never ever had a problem. On our last flight,
Sproutkin (25 months) was nursing, there was a 17-month-old right behind
us, who was nursing, and there was a 15-month-old a few rows away, also
nursing.

Mary S.
mom to the Sproutkin
and a new wee babysprout, due Oct. 1

Nina wrote:

I dont say this to be rude or ugly, I have
never been to Disney World so I dont
know.
Why would someone take a baby there?
Are there activities for such small
children? For some
reason I imagine it to be just a lot of
walking around.

Hi Nina...OP here. I didn't take your question as rude at all...

Disney World is one of those places you really have to see to believe.
It's a HUGE place, with 4 major theme parks, 2 water parks, professional
and mini-golf courses, a petting zoo, a big shopping area called
Downtown Disney and a nightclub area for adults called Pleasure Island.
There are many Disney resorts to stay at or tour, all with incredible
theming from tent camping all the way up to fancy hotels. There are many
different restaurants from casual to fancy, dinner shows and just about
every sort of activity you can imagine including swimming, watersports,
biking, horseback riding, spas, etc etc etc.

I know it sounds exhausting for an 8 month old...and really, no...there
is nothing specifically themed for an infant. BUT there are a lot of
things that an infant can enjoy...specifically walking around a
beautiful park-like setting, enjoying the sights and sounds.

We are going to Disney World for 2 reasons...#1 for us (mom and dad)
because we love it there and #2 to see DD's reaction to everything
including seeing Mickey Mouse for the first time.

It's kind of like taking an infant to a (very expensive) zoo or
park...it is like you said a lot of walking around, but very enjoyable
walking around (in my opinion of course).

Gee, now I really want to go after all of this description!

Kathy

Holly wrote:

I'd think unopened jars carried around for
a few hours would be okay, but if it were
me I would carry non-perishables like
crackers and Cheerios, plus perhaps
some fresh fruit. At 8 months my DS was
eating enough finger foods that I never
bothered to carry food with me other than
snacks; I could always find *something*
he could eat in a restaurant.

Good ideas about the Cheerios, etc...I just have to wait until a little
closer to the trip to see what DD will be able to eat by then. Right
now she only eats mushy stuff...no finger foods or anything. Hopefully
by then she'll be onto them though

Thanks for all of your advice...very helpful...
Kathy

Alpha wrote:

We took our sons to Disney World in early
Dec. last year -- our baby Quinn was
about 7 1/2 mos. old. He went on Small
World, the train (and nursed him on that
one :-), Winnie the Pooh, the Riverboat,
and we took him through Mickey's Toon
Town. He was fine with all of it. We took
him to see the characters at Toon Town
and also the ones that were stationed
around the front of the castle. I know
some kids and babies are afraid of the
characters, but he got a kick out of it and
the characters were amazing with him.

This is just what I wanted to hear...thanks Alpha. The rides you are
describing are just the ones I was thinking of trying with DD. I can't
wait to see her reaction to the characters, but I definitely plan to
take everything very slow and easy so she doesn't get frightened.

We would have taken him on
Tomorrowland Transit Authority but it was
down. There are a couple of other
attractions a baby could likely experience
without problems, like Tom Sawyer's
Island, the carousel, Peter Pan, Dumbo,
Aladdin's Magic Carpets, and the
Carousel of Progress. Besides motion, the
thing to be careful of is sound -- many of
the attractions are surprisingly loud.

We will definitely keep the sound levels in mind when we go...and I was
thinking that the Tomorrowland Transit would be great to nurse on. DH
and I love that one for just riding and relaxing.

Keep in mind the Baby Care station near
Main St. -- it has a dark, quiet room for
nursing, and they sell supplies like baby
food jars, juices, diapers, and I believe
Tylenol too. Plus, it's a comfortable place
to let baby crawl around, get out of the
heat, and just take a little break.

I've heard great things about these baby care stations...we will be sure
to take advantage of them.

We also took our sons to Chef Mickey's,
which is a character dinner at the
Contemporary. Big, big hit! And the video
and pictures we have of Quinn interacting
with the characters is priceless. He
started nursing on Mickey's nose. :-D

Awww...that is so cute!! Chef Mickey's is one of our favorites...great
parmesan mashed potatoes. We were thinking of doing a couple of buffet
meals, figuring they would be good for DD. We can get in and out
without waiting for a server, etc and she would (hopefully) enjoy the
characters coming around to greet her (if not we can signal Mickey to
pass on by).

At one point we were waiting to meet
Pluto in front of the castle, and a man
passing by loudly said to his
girlfriend/wife, "I don't know why anyone
would take a baby to Disney World!" Well,
his mom and dad and older brother enjoy
Disney World, and he goes where we go.
:-) Both of our sons have been to Disney
World when they were infants, and both
really enjoyed the experience. They may
only be little folks, but they get amazed
when they see all the crazy sights and
out-of-the-ordinary things there. We had a
ton of fun and only wish we could have
stayed a little longer.

I am VERY ashamed to admit that DH and I were a part of that group of
people that felt it was silly to bring a baby to Disney. Now I would
NEVER comment on it out loud in such an ignorant fashion as the man
you're describing...but DH and I did have conversations about how we
felt it was not worth it to bring a baby, that it cost too much to not
be able to do everything because of a baby, etc. Needless to say, we
changed our tune FAST once we became parents! Disney World is for
families, our baby is part of our family...of course we want to bring
her.

If you haven't seen it already, this site
http://allearsnet.com/pl/infant.htm should
be helpful. It's the Infant and Toddler FAQ
of the Unofficial Walt Disney World
Information Guide.

This is an excellent site...I have used it before for trip planning but
will have to take a look at the Infant FAQ.

Thank you very much for all of your advice and help!

Kathy

"Kathy" wrote in message
...
Nina wrote:

I dont say this to be rude or ugly, I have
never been to Disney World so I dont
know.
Why would someone take a baby there?
Are there activities for such small
children? For some
reason I imagine it to be just a lot of
walking around.

Hi Nina...OP here. I didn't take your question as rude at all...

Disney World is one of those places you really have to see to believe.
It's a HUGE place, with 4 major theme parks, 2 water parks, professional
and mini-golf courses, a petting zoo, a big shopping area called
Downtown Disney and a nightclub area for adults called Pleasure Island.
There are many Disney resorts to stay at or tour, all with incredible
theming from tent camping all the way up to fancy hotels. There are many
different restaurants from casual to fancy, dinner shows and just about
every sort of activity you can imagine including swimming, watersports,
biking, horseback riding, spas, etc etc etc.

I know it sounds exhausting for an 8 month old...and really, no...there
is nothing specifically themed for an infant. BUT there are a lot of
things that an infant can enjoy...specifically walking around a
beautiful park-like setting, enjoying the sights and sounds.

Thanks for the info. As I mentioned in another post, I have 2 stepkids in
Orlando, so
we may make a trip to Disney, but with the baby being about 8 months, I
wasnt sure if
it would be doable or just a helluva lotta walking with a bored baby.
Nina

Kathy says:

We will definitely keep the sound levels in mind when we go...and I was
thinking that the Tomorrowland Transit would be great to nurse on.

Yeah, me too! I was so bummed when I found out it was down that day. :-(

I am VERY ashamed to admit that DH and I were a part of that group of
people that felt it was silly to bring a baby to Disney. Now I would
NEVER comment on it out loud in such an ignorant fashion as the man
you're describing...but DH and I did have conversations about how we
felt it was not worth it to bring a baby, that it cost too much to not
be able to do everything because of a baby, etc. Needless to say, we
changed our tune FAST once we became parents!

:-) There's a lot you learn once you become a parent. If the trip is going
to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing, it probably isn't ideal to have an infant
with you... but if you make it there with any regularity and pretty much know
the lay of the land, it's no problem to bring a baby.

Thank you very much for all of your advice and help!

My pleasure!

-- Alpha
mom to Eamon and Quinn

Well, after all of your thoughtful responses and advice, looks like we
are not going to Disney World this May after all.

After taking a look at finances we realized we just couldn't swing it so
soon...so we are planning a trip for September. This will be right
around DD's 1st birthday, and our wedding anniversary...so we can look
forward to celebrating those things at Disney.

Now, any advice for traveling with a 1 year old?? JUST kidding!

Thanks everyone,
Kathy

It will just be DH, DD and me on a 5 day trip. We will be flying ATA
(which has cramped seating) with DD sitting on our laps...any advice on
making the flight more pleasant for all 3 of us? Should I nurse her
during takeoff and landing to help her ears?

Any chance of getting her a seat? I wouldn't want to fly for 2 1/2 hours with a
baby on my lap.... (Even if she doesn't stay in her seat the whole time, having
a place to put her down will be a help.)

DD is eating solids 2 times a day and nurses about 8 times a day. The
weather in Florida will most likely be hot...should I nurse her more
often to prevent dehydration? Should I offer her water?

Nurse as often as she seems to want it. You can offer water as well, if you
like.

And about solids, if I carry around unopened jars of baby food do I need
to keep them in some kind of cooler, or will they be fine in the diaper

Sure, sealed jars are fine. That's the whole point of canning things -- to
prevent spoilage. (Once you open the jar, you'll need to feed it or throw it
out though.)

We realize
we can't take her on most of the rides, but does anyone have any
experience with taking a baby on things like the Flying Dumbos or

Sure you can take her on most of the rides. THere are a few big rides (the
roller coasters, a couple of others) which you will have to either 'baby swap'
or skip, but virtually every other ride and attraction is fine. Baby won't get
much out of it herself, but you'll enjoy it.


Naomi
CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator

(either remove spamblock or change address to to e-mail
reply.)