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I’m a known procrastinator, so it should be no surprise that we visited Disney World back in November and I’m just now getting around to posting about it. I’m doing good to brush my teeth most days, so blogging with any regularity isn’t likely. The girls and I were just talking yesterday about how it’s been almost nine weeks since our trip — it doesn’t seem like that long ago, but I know the details are probably already getting fuzzy. I wanted to be sure I captured all of our feelings about that wonderful week before the sleepless nights scrambled my brain any further!
We had been “planning” this trip to Orlando for several years. This is going to sound ridiculous to anyone who isn’t a college football fan, but when Alabama released their 2018 schedule and Josh saw that our season opener would be in Orlando, he called me at work to see how I felt about a Labor Day excursion. We figured it would be a fun way to introduce the girls to a road game and we could squeeze a few days in for Disney World while we were at it. Who knew this little nugget would wind up being due that very week and we would need to push our trip off for a few months? Because we stayed in a time share, we needed to reschedule our accommodations before the end of the year. We opted for Thanksgiving instead of Christmas and it proved to be a great week to travel.
Today’s post isn’t so much an instruction manual on how to travel with a newborn, but more a list of things that did and didn’t work for us over the course of our trip. I’ll admit there are several things you might not can replicate exactly, but I hope our experiences can help you, even just a little bit. Spoiler alert: our travel system and the Dock-a-Tot were the real MVPs!
Limit Your Time in the Car | Orlando is an 8+ hour drive for us and even though we had never flown to Disney World before, we decided this was our year. We were fortunate in a lot of ways, but flying with three kids and no luggage (more on this later!) was the best decision we made. We booked very inexpensive flights from Atlanta to Orlando and spent the night in an airport hotel. Josh was worried about getting us all of the house on time that morning and I can admit that spending the night in Atlanta proved to make our morning very smooth. What we didn’t know before our trip (because it honestly hadn’t happened yet), is that Polly does not like riding in a car seat after dark. She’s fine in a car seat. She’s fine in the dark. She is not fine in a car seat after dark. Flying didn’t completely remove this obstacle, but it did ensure we weren’t in for hours of screaming on the interstate.
Pack the Bare Minimum | We were fortunate in that my parents did drive to Orlando. They decided to drive for many reasons, but it worked out so good for us in the long run. Instead of over-packing or cramming a week’s worth of clothes in a carry on suitcase, we sent our luggage down to Florida with Gran & Poppy. My mom gave each family enough room in her trunk for a blue IKEA tote, so I vacuum packed our clothes in space saving bags and still had room to spare. We had laundry facilities in our condo, so we each packed a capsule wardrobe for the week. We wore one pair of shoes and put a second pair in our backpacks for the flight. We traveled in the same outfit coming and going. Ella & I shared cardigans and t-shirts to maximize our selection. Basically, anything we could do to minimize what we traveled with, we did!
Wear Your Baby in the Airport | I did this process two different ways, going and coming, and wearing the baby was definitely the easiest. We put our bags in the stroller and let Josh navigate the airport, while I followed with Polly in the Solly baby wrap. I was able to walk through security without taking her out and getting settled on the plane was a breeze. You will have to take baby out once you’re on the plane, so be prepared for that. On our way home, I left Polly in her car seat and strolled her instead. I was under the impression that I wouldn’t have to remove her from the seat, but that didn’t prove to be true. Navigating security with her in my arms, the stroller in pieces, and my arms full of shoes, bags, and airline tickets wasn’t nearly as easy!
Order Your Groceries in Advance | While we planned to eat most of our meals in the parks, we still needed breakfast, snacks, drinks, and diapers. I also ended up ordering some of our toiletries, so we didn’t have to travel with them! Since there were three families, my mom, sister, and I sat down and made a huge list the week before. My mom placed the order and we picked it up the evening of our first day. It was so nice not to waste our time shopping or standing in line after a day of travel.
Maintain Baby’s Sleep Habits | I was so worried about how Polly would sleep on our trip and I didn’t want to do anything to mess with her amazing (at the time…) sleep routine. She had just started sleeping through the night — ten or eleven hours at a time — right before our trip and the last thing I wanted to do was derail that progress. We debated traveling with a play yard or requesting one in our room once we arrived, but since we hadn’t ever used one at home, I was worried she wouldn’t do as well in it on our trip. We ultimately decided to take the Dock-a-Tot and it was easily one of the best decisions we made regarding travel! We were lucky enough to send it down with my parents, but we could have easily added it to the stroller bag that we gate-checked at the airport.
On the off chance you live in a cave, let me tell you all about our new best friend. The Dock-a-Tot is a multi-functional lounger that comes in two different sizes. It’s designed as a co-sleeper or play lounger, but we use it almost any time we need to keep her still and safe. Polly sleeps in the Deluxe, which is designed for babies 0-8 months old, but there is a Grand version designed with older babies and toddlers in mind. We decided to order an extra cover (we have a solid white and the marble version pictured here), making it easy to transition on laundry day. Shes been sleeping in the Dock-a-Tot since we first came home from the hospital and I swear it’s made bedtime so much easier. The sides are just high enough to keep her snug as a bug, but still allow her to look around, and the bottom is perfectly firm. In addition to sleeping, it’s the perfect cozy spot to hang while I fold laundry or to enjoy playtime with her big sisters.
For our trip, Polly was able to sleep in the floor near our bed, but still feel just as comfy as she does at home. She was far enough away to keep us from disturbing her, but I could easily reach her, and I didn’t have to stress over how well she was sleeping. We didn’t have a single night of interrupted sleep in seven days!
Be Sure to Pack (or Rent) a Full-Size Stroller | I’ve only ever done Disney with toddlers or big kids, so an umbrella stroller is the most I’ve had to deal with in the parks. For this trip, we carried our car seat, stroller frame, and bassinet attachment and found it to be super easy to navigate. We could easily store our bags and purchases underneath and Polly could nap on the go.
Plan for Plenty of Snuggle Breaks | We knew that we wouldn’t be able to keep up our normal pace with a newborn, but we wanted to be sure that the big girls were getting the full experience. We planned to take turns riding and sitting out with Polly and that turned out to work so well. Josh sat with her when she was napping or during the bigger rides (he isn’t a fan) and I took over when it was time to nurse. This is where I tell you that I nursed my way around all four Disney parks and never once encountered anybody rude! We did utilize their nursing rooms, but we didn’t want to sit inside all day when we could enjoy the sunshine and beautiful views.
We had plenty of people ask why we took her on such a big trip and even had a few offer to keep her at home, but beyond the logistical nightmare of pumping for her while we traveled, I cant imagine not having her there. It was such a special year for us and this trip was the icing on the cake. I’ll never forget her first Disney experience, even if its not one she’ll ever remember. Full photo recaps will begin tomorrow!
