Baby's First Disney Trip (Part 1)

Back in February my parents and I decided to take Brooklyn on her first trip to Walt Disney World in mid-April. I've been wanting to do a blog post that explained the why's and how's of the planning process for this trip, so I'll separate this topic into two parts: Part 1 is the planning process, Part 2 is the re-cap.

Why I chose mid-April:
The time of year: after the Spring Break crowds died down, after the chilly season, and before the Florida heat would be unbearable.
Brooklyn's age: 8.5 months seemed to me to be the perfect age for taking a baby to Disney. They are on a bit of a schedule (3 meals/day, nursing 3x/day, napping 3x/day, etc). Babies this age are more alert and aware of their surroundings. They are portable: although they are new crawlers, they are not independent enough yet to want to be "put down" and be independent just yet.

Length of Trip:
5 days. Thurs-Mon
Day 1 - Arrival Day
Day 2 - Magic Kingdom, Epcot
Day 3 - Rest (We planned to go to the pool and otherwise spend lots of time in the air conditioning, but it ended up being a heavy rain day so we hung out in the hotel room most of the day)
Day 4 - Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom
Day 5 - Departure Day

Where we Stayed:
On property! At Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort
We NEVER stay on property (my grandparents own a timeshare very close to the parks) but I insisted for a few reasons
-Magical Express = Disney transports all of our checked luggage directly to our hotel room
-Disney Busses/Transportation = No rental car (and therefore I didn't have to lug her new, bulky Britax Advocate OR consider a rental car seat)
-Extra Magic Hours at the parks. We were able to participate in late-evening hours with reduced crowds and cooler temps while Brooklyn happily slept

Travel Essentials:
-ERGO baby carrier
-Chicco Liteway stroller
-Backpack for carry-on/diaper bag
-Giant Suitcase that has 4 rollers

• Baby Food, Bibs, Spoons
• Baby Snacks - Tons! She was at the age where a hand-held snack would keep her busy for a very long time (airport, airplane, bus, waiting in line, etc)
• Lots and lots of bleach wipes (for tables, high chairs) and wet wipes for sticky hands and face
• Plenty of outfits for any temperatures (I brought about 15 for Brooklyn so that each day she would have a hot-weather option, a chilly-weather option (pants, jacket, socks), an emergency outfit for the backpack, and jammies) I also brought plenty of outfits for myself (9) because Brooklyn spits up so much that I wanted to be able to change my clothes if I started smelling sour!
• 5 diapers per day, tons of baby wipes, disposable changing pads
• Diaper cream, tylenol, benadryl (adult and baby versions), band aids, etc
• Changes of shoes
• Several sun hats
• Brooklyn's rain coat and a poncho for me
• Swim suits, baby float, baby cover up, swim diapers
• Camcorder, DLSR, phone, cords, chargers, extra batteries, etc
• Books for Brooklyn and a few baby toys

Up Next... Part 2!