by Beauty & the Beast Diva
If I Could Only Take One Item: my survival item for traveling with an infant.
I will admit that on the last trip my family took to Disney we were completely overwhelmed with the amount of junk we packed for our eight month old daughter. Toys from home, diapers, formula, bottles, outfits, extra outfits, shoes, more shoes, hats, swim diapers… The list went on and on. Also, I am a notorious over packer. So imagine my surprise when packing up the car when my husband said “Hey, how about her infant carrier? She might want to be carried and it would probably be a lot easier in the carrier.” I almost said no and continued with my packing but decided that one more thing wasn’t that big of a deal. Well boy am I glad we had that!
The first morning we were packing up for the park and my Mom asked if I wanted the carrier in the basket under the stroller. I rolled my eyes and said sure. IT WAS A LIFE SAVER. My daughter was a great baby and sat in her stroller so nicely, BUT if you have ever taken a stroller to Disney you know it’s not the easiest thing to do. Collapsing them on the buses and sometimes the boats, parking them and having to get the little one in and out during a nap or to go eat. By the 2nd day we didn’t even bring the stroller, I strapped her into her carrier and off we went.
The best part of the carrier was that I didn’t have to hold her getting on and off the rides. Any ride that you can go on with an infant (any ride without a height restriction) you can wear the infant in the carrier. Now most of these rides move continuously for you to hop on from a conveyer belt so it was so easy to not have to worry about moving her from arm to arm to stabilize myself to get on, I just got on and she sat nicely in the carrier, which sat her essentially in my lap when I was seated.
She was able to nap on my chest giving her comfort from the overwhelming experience of Disney itself and if there was a loud or scary section of a ride she was reassured by literally being attached to me. During fireworks or if we were in the park late at night, she actually slept right in there. We didn’t worry about having to take her out of the stroller when she fell asleep before Fantasmic, because strollers are allowed in the amphitheater. Luckily, she slept through every firework show. Then I was able to hop on the bus, monorail, or boat without having to take a sleeping baby out of a stroller. I always had 2 hands available; it couldn’t have been any easier.
I am so happy we decided to bring the carrier and I highly recommend it to all of my family and friends going with an infant. I hope you take this simple item, it will make a world of a difference to you! Next time we go she will be 15 months, a little too big for the carrier… WHAT WILL I DO?!
What’s a necessity for you to pack with you? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
You can still use a carrier at 15 months, but get a weight appropriate one. We went to Disney when my baby was 19 months and I used my Tula Toddler carrier. It was a lifesaver. We still took the stroller because we brought lunches, the diaper bag etc. so when my daughter wasn’t in it, it was pretty much a catch all. She refused to sleep in the stroller and only slept in the carrier. She’s now almost 3 and I still use my toddler carrier for things like that over my stroller.