Before I left, I got some great advice from a childhood friend who is now a Disney Vacation Club member herself. She has 3 kids so she knows what she's talking about. I also got advice from other Mom friends and fellow DVC members and Disney enthusiasts. So here is some of their wisdom that I used and want to share:
What to pack?
Baby Carrier (not a Bjorn): I was told to get a baby carrier and that my friend and her sister(s) agree not to use a Bjorn at Disney. I think I told you I bought a K'Tan carrier. I ended up really liking it. For one, it is made of fabric and comes in a little pouch so you can squish it into your backpack. Also it is not confusing or intimidating to use. I did pack the Bjorn because Joey rather likes it. But we did not use it during the trip.
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| Wearing sleeping Abby in the K'Tan |
Coverplay: As seen on Shark Tank. I totally fell into the advertising trap but with all the crazy stuff going around (flu, measles) I didn't want to take any chances. This is a slip cover that goes over most play yards. Disney hotels provide a play yard (pack and play) so you don't have to bring your own. Super convenient. They also provide a sheet but I brought our own sheets in addition to the Coverplay.
Wet Ones: Antibacterial wipes. These were REALLY useful. They are gentle enough to use on baby's hands/face but strong enough to kill bacteria. I used them on the airplane to wipe down the arm rests/tray table (Abby was obsessed with the buttons on the arm rests), at every restaurant to wipe down the table/walls, and in various other scenarios throughout the trip.
Stroller rain cover: Self explanatory. It's Florida. It rains. You do not want to sit your child in a wet stroller all day.
Bicycle Air Pump for stroller tires: We only used this once but it was nice to have. I'm sure Disney sells them for $700 in the event of an emergency...
Wide brim hat: The sunglasses were a cute idea but Abby was not interested in wearing them. Even on days when it wasn't that warm, it was still very sunny. The wide brim hat came in handy (although looked silly). I also used baby sunblock (the lotion kind) to make sure she didn't get a sunburn.
Portable changing station: This isn't the one we have, but it's something like it. It has diapers, a small thing of wipes (buy a bunch of travel size wipes), diaper baggies, and a changing pad all rolled up. I kept ours in the side pocket of the diaper bag so I could just grab it and not have to schlep the entire diaper bag into the bathroom and root through it looking for things. Disney is very baby-friendly but airports are not as much (although MCO is right up there with Disney).
Paci Clip and/or Pouch: Normally I do not think twice about these things but once a pacifier has fallen on the ground in a public place it is pretty much trash. I don't like how it looks but I kept the pacifier clipped to her shirt so if/when it fell out it wouldn't land on the floor. Abby doesn't usually rely on the paci too much at home, but it was soothing for her to have during the over stimulation of the trip and you can see she used it quite a bit from our pictures.
Where to stay?
Quick Disney Vacation Club 101: Each year we get XXX points (the amount we paid for). We can use those points to stay at any Walt Disney World DVC resort. Depending on how nice the resort is, how big the room is, and how long we want to stay, it costs more points. Make sense?? Great. There are more details obvi but that was the basics.
So for this trip we decided to get a 1 bedroom villa. And we will probably never go back to a studio again. The villas are great because they include things like a full kitchen (dishwasher to wash bottles), a washer and dryer (multiple loads of laundry) and 2 doors to the bathroom (so you don't have to walk through the bedroom and wake sleeping beauty). It was really nice to be able to do laundry when someone peed on her changing pad. And to be able to wash bottles in the dishwasher. And to close the door when she was napping and still be able to watch TV or sit on the balcony.
Also there is something to be said for choosing a location that will meet your needs. For example, I hate taking the bus at Disney. It's crowded, the waits are sometimes long, and with a stroller, diaper bag, and baby it can get complicated. We stayed at the BoardWalk which was in walking distance to two parks. There is also access to the monorail and boat system. When choosing a place to stay, try to find one that gives you options! We enjoyed being able to grab a bus back to Epcot and walk back to the resort instead of taking multiple buses.
What to eat?
This kind of goes with packing and staying but a great thing you can do at Disney is order from a grocery delivery service. You can also send things to yourself in the mail or via Amazon, but with delivery fees the grocery services usually end up being cheaper. We ordered baby food, formula, diapers and wipes so that we didn't have to pack those things. We also ordered food for ourselves such as coffee creamer, beer, snacks, bagels/cream cheese, etc. If you stay in a villa with a full kitchen, you can literally eat all of your meals there. It's a great way to save money. That said, though, we totally ate out several times and Abby did great in the high chair. I bought a high chair cover that folds into itself which was nice to have but not necessary.
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| High Chair Cover |
Disney offers infant size mouse ears, however be warned that they are really sized for a toddler's head. I bought them anyway. Actually, my sister did. And she had Abby's name embroidered on them and they were waiting for us at the hotel when we arrived.
Etsy. Just browse around. There are tons of really cute Disney outfits that can be personalized. I love it.
That's all for now, but maybe later I'll write about the actual trip and how it went. Til then, Have a Magical Day!
~SG
Please note that none of the products I discussed compensated me in any way for my post!!
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