about taking a baby to Disney World

Well, we've been back home from Florida for six days now, and I'm just starting to feel settled back into normal. I don't know if it's because Disney is so other-worldly feeling or what...it's hard to come home from vacation anyway I guess.

Thankfully, we had Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday to relax too. Saturday, Graeme went to see his MiMi and Grandy for a few hours while Aaron and I put up the Christmas decorations. We love getting them up before Thanksgiving so we are free to enjoy our festive house for both upcoming holidays. And at our house, they come down as soon as Christmas Day is over, so earlier is better for us to get maximum enjoyment out of them. Sunday we did nothing except a little grocery shopping. Having Sunday off with Aaron home ALL day was especially rare and awesome. 

Well, assuming if you read my blog you most likely follow my Facebook and Instagram, I won't re-hash all of our vacation pictures again. You can find them, like I said, on those two sites.

But, I will post some thoughts on taking a baby on an airplane and to Disney World. Perhaps you could apply them to other vacations too. First, some things that made our trip nice and easy:


1. Baby Carrier:

 We chose to take our Baby Bjorn, although I'm sure whatever carrier you prefer would work just as well. The Baby Bjorn is nice for us because Graeme loves to face outward, but there was also the option to face him inward when he needed to sleep in it. The stroller couldn't come everywhere, and we used the carrier every day we were there. It's easy to strap on, and Aaron doesn't mind wearing it at all, which was also nice so we could trade off holding him. It's hands free as well, and that's always helpful.

2. Pouches of baby food, on-the-go bottles, and these million-dollar-idea spoons:

I love the person who invented these. They are awesome. There was no way I was taking homemade baby food to Disney World, so the pouches were great. They don't need to be refrigerated and they barely take up any room in a bag. The spoons just screw on a pouch and on-the-go feeding is a breeze. Since we aren't breastfeeding, we invested in on-the-go, ready-made bottles too. They also don't need to be refrigerated. You screw on a disposable nipple and they're ready. Everything Graeme ate from went in the trash when he was done except the little spoons that I just washed in the hotel room every night. Easy peasy.

3. These wipes:

No matter how hard we try to hook things with clips or those little toy rings, Graeme's toys and sippy cup and pacifier always seem to drop. I don't feel like I'm over-the-top insane about germs because honestly, they're everywhere and he's going to get exposed to stuff. But, I try to obviously keep him as clean and healthy as possible and these wipes were handy when a sink and soap weren't a lot of the time. They at least made me feel better about giving him something that he dropped but wanted back!

4. Something to snack on:

These are what we took, and they are often handy at home too. But, they were especially a life-saver several times on our trip. When we were eating in restaurants, waiting in lines, and on the plane ride home. Graeme isn't too good at eating them by himself yet, so I break off pieces and feed them to him. It keeps him happy for quite awhile normally!

Some other parting thoughts:

1. Obviously this isn't usually something you can control too much, but a flight at nap time was awesome. Not that the flight home wasn't good when he was awake, but a napping baby is clearly easier to take care of on a plane, ha!

2. We kept Graeme on his feeding schedule no problem, whereas naps and bedtime were a little more tricky. He's not used to falling asleep out and about for naps too much anymore. He did great though and never skipped a nap (even if he only took a short one!). It worked out well for us how we scheduled our trip:  We had a couple days being out and about, a couple of days that we were at the hotel for naps. A couple of late nights, and a couple nights with bedtime like normal. Graeme did great. Four nights away was just perfect for his age right now. It took him a couple days to get back on routine here at home, but it wasn't that bad. He had been used to a lot of snuggling, especially for naps, so he was a little distraught to be back in his crib at first. Anyway, I think we had a good compromise of making sure he got what he needed while still making sure we got to enjoy being out and about more than usual.

3. I know I've read and heard a lot that once you have kids, it's not really vacation when you take them on vacation. While I do agree that it's more work having another little tag-a-long with you, it is totally still vacation. I don't see taking care of Graeme as a chore whatsoever. Never. It is my joy to care for him. So, I loved doing it on vacation just as much as I do at home. Plus, I had constant help from Aaron (at home I'm on my own more), and who in their right mind can feel stressed at Disney World?!

4. "A baby can't enjoy Disney, won't remember Disney, will be a lot of work at Disney..." We heard all of that. Yes, we realize he won't remember it. We will, and I'm sure he will love looking at the pictures one day. He did enjoy it (minus the character meetings, ha!). He loved the lights and music and rides. He loved all of his time with his Daddy. I think he loved just being with us constantly. And he got a five-day break from his carseat! And, like I said up above, it is a little more work, but all you need is a little preparation beforehand and the right attitude.

We had a great time on our first family vacation and are itching to go back already! We kept saying, "Next time, just think how different he will be and how much more he will be able to do!"

Until next time, Disney World!