Everything You Need to Know to Visit Walt Disney World with a Baby
When we found out we were expecting, the thought of future Disney trips was so exciting, but we declared early on that we’d wait until our daughter was two to visit for the first time. We figured having a walking child who recognized characters and could really experience the magic would give us the most bang for our buck and family memories. But an opportunity for us to go a bit earlier than planned presented itself, so we abandoned plans and seized it.
Would we make the same decision again? I think yes. But without grandparent help, a unique accomodation decision, and a handful of must-have items, I’m willing to bet the trip wouldn’t have gone as smoothly. In an effort to help out other overzealous parents looking to get their Disney fix, I’ve put together a list of lessons we learned, our most-used items, and quick tips for the parks.
Lessons Learned & Tips
Traveling with a 10-month old requires a lot of stuff — think car seats, cribs, bottles, feeding supplies, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, bibs, straw cups, snacks, etc.
Tips
Groceries: We scheduled an Amazon Fresh delivery to our hotel that included diapers, jugs of water for bottles, and snacks (teething crackers, fig bars, pedialyte powder packs, yogurt bites, and pouches.)
Crib: We called the hotel to request a crib/pack-n-play right after we booked our rooms, so that was one less big thing we had to schelp around.
Car seat: Car seats are not required on Disney transportation, but if you need to take a car around property Minnie vans can be booked through Lyft. All are equipped with two car seats that accommodate both infants and kids. For transportation to and from the airport, you can order a car via Uber or Lyft with a car seat or book a car and car seat in advance through a service like Mears.
If you have the option to bring along extra hands, do it! — My parents joined us, and it made the plane ride, holding, strolling, packing, everything so much easier.
Tip: Ask for adjoining hotel rooms! Baby can nap in one room while everyone else hangs out in the other during nap time and before bed. We opted for an Executive Suite at The Swan Hotel. There were two bedrooms and a common area, and it was <chef’s kiss.> We had a full table to eat to-go meals, a wet bar where we washed bottles and straw cups, and an area big enough to keep the stroller upright and loaded down with park things. Plus, lots of crawling space for Brooks! This ended up being cheaper than two adjoining rooms at a Disney Moderate hotel! While The Swan isn’t technically a Disney hotel (even though it’s called Walt Disney World’s Swan…so confusing), you get all the perks of Deluxe resorts like extra morning and evening hours, you can book with Marriott points, and their proximity to the parks is awesome. Win, win, win!
Mid-day breaks are essential — We visited in July, so Orlando was absolutely scorching. Taking a midday break to cool off and let Brooks nap made our evenings run more smoothly. This was the biggest change from our past Disney visits when we’d be in the parks from open to close.
Tip: If you plan to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disney World, and your goal is to maximize the amount of time spent experiencing the parks and riding rides, I would probably wait until your child is a little older. That way you can either take a midday break and return to the parks in the evening, or you have the option to go, go, go all day.
Go light on restaurant reservations — We started with lunch and dinner reservations for every day, and we ended up rearranging our plans depending on how the day was going. As long as you’re flexible, this should be the least of your worries! There are so many quick service restaurants that don’t require reservations.
What to Pack for the Parks
Load it with diapers, wipes, antibacterial wipes, an extra outfit, as many bottles as necessary for your child’s feeding schedule, pacifiers, pacifier clip, snacks, silicone bib, silicone placemat, silicone spoon, straw cup.
Our travel stroller is the Ergobaby Metro+, and we adore it. It fits into the overhead bin on airplanes, opens and closes in seconds, has a great sun shade, a roomy basket, an adjustable handle, a lie-flat seat, and a smooth ride. I ordered the support bar right before our trip, and I’m glad I did. Thanks to that bar we didn’t have to strap her in every time, which was great when she started getting wiggly!
We attached the flexible arms of this misting fan to the support bar to keep Brooks cool throughout the day. It’s substantially sized, rechargable, and has three speeds.
Bryan declared this caddy his favorite pre-trip purchase! It technically has three cup holders, but we used the middle pocket to hold snacks. We kept hand sanitizer in the zip pouch, and there’s a slot for your phone, too. This was 10 times better than our plastic cup holder and can stay on the stroller when you fold it down.
This universal sunshade was our secret weapon for stroller naps. It has an elastic edge that easily wraps around the stroller’s sunshade and seat in about three seconds, and it did a fantastic job of keeping the intense sun off Brooks while still being breathable.
Brooks liked chewing on the tethers almost as much as the toys that were attached. If your baby tends to throw things, these are essential. They can attach to strollers, high chairs, arm rests, etc. and make it to where no toys or cups hit the ground when baby turns them loose.
Waiting in lines is unavoidable, so I sought out this sling to take some of the weight off our arms while holding Brooks in line. It worked great, and it folded down super flat for diaper bag or stroller basket storage, unlike the similar contraptions with padded seats for baby. This was also especially useful for when she got antsy in her stroller and asked to be held.
What can babies do at each park?
While babies can’t ride all attractions at Walt Disney World, that doesn’t mean that you have to sit out of all thrill rides! Many headliners offer Rider Switch for adults, and Disney does a great job describing how this works: “With Rider Switch, one adult can wait with the non-rider (or riders) while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When the other adult returns, they can supervise the non-riding Guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again!” You can find a comprehensive list of rides that offer the service here.
Below I’ve outlined a list of all attractions in all four parks that are baby friendly, but just being in the hustle and bustle of the parks with fun things to look at and hear is fun! If you reach a point in the day where a little less stimulation would be welcomed, there are baby care centers in every park. These are air conditioned, dedicated spaces to change diapers, buy essentials you may have run out of, warm a bottle, feed the baby, etc.
Magic Kingdom
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Prince Charming’s Royal Carousel
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Mad Tea Party
Jungle Cruise
The Haunted Mansion
Astro Orbiter
The Peoplemover
Liberty Square Riverboat
WDW Railroad
Enchanted Tiki Room
Country Bear Jamboree
Enchanted Tales with Belle
Tomorrowland Speedway
Hall of Presidents
Epcot
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Frozen Ever After
Moana Way of Water Walkthrough Exhibit - This was a big hit!
Journey into Imagination with Figment - This scared Brooks right at the end with a big sound and flash, so I’d recommend skipping this one even though there is no height requirement.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
Living with the Land
Spaceship Earth
Gran Fiesta Tour
Hollywood Studios
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Toy Story Mania
Disney Junior Dance Party
Frozen Sing Along
Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
Animal Kingdom
Feathered Friends in Flight! (Show)
Festival of the Lion King (Show)
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! (Show)
Kilimanjaro Safaris
Na’vi River Journey
TriceraTop Spin
Wildlife Express Train
Affection Section (Rafiki’s Planet Watch)
Conservation Station (Rafiki’s Planet Watch)
What did your schedule look like?
6:30 am - Wake up
7:30 am - Head to the parks
We were staying at Walt Disney World’s Swan Hotel which allowed us early entry to the parks like Disney Deluxe resort guests, and it was easily walkable to both Epcot (10-15 minutes) and Hollywood Studios (15-20 minutes). You could also ride the Friendship boats to and from those parks. They start running an hour before the park opens. Buses to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, and Typoon Lagoon pick up at the front of the hotel every 20 minutes.
10:30 - 11:00 am - Stroller Nap
Around this time(ish), Brooks’s eyelids started getting really heavy. We’d recline the stroller all the way back, add the sunshade, and wheel her around for as long as she would sleep. We’d trade off riding rides with my parents during this time, so she could get a decent nap. These usually lasted no longer than 30 to 45 minutes, but it was better than nothing.
11:30 - Lunch
We made lunch reservations everyday to ensure that we had an air conditioned place to enjoy our food and rest. She was a little squirmy during some of the meals, but she did great overall.
1:00ish - Head back to the hotel to avoid the mid-day sun and nap
5:30pm - Early dinner & Sightseeing
7:30pm - Head back to the hotel to get her bathed and asleep
Hopefully this helps make your Disney experience with a baby even a fraction more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise!