People often tell me they are waiting to go to Disneyland/Walt Disney World until their kids are older. That way the kids will remember the trip and they all will have more fun. Well, I am here to tell you those people are missing out on lots of fun and tons of memories. I have been going to Disneyland for as long as I can remember. But even when I was 8, 10, even 13 years old my memory is not that great, I remember going and a few details, but not every moment. What I do remember is the atmosphere, the feeling of being someplace familiar, yet new. A place where my family went to have fun, spend time together and make memories. I am so glad my parents took me from a young age so I can look at the pictures now and know I have always loved Disney, even before I could remember.
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| Here I am (on the right) with my sister in front of the White Rabbits door. We have a picture in front of this door from every trip we've ever taken. |
I have also taken my own kids to Disney at 6 months, 13 months and 18 months, so I know what it is like going with little babies. I have listed some tips below in the hopes that you can see how taking your baby(ies) to Disney is a memory you wont want to miss out on.
Realize you will not go on every ride in the park
The first time we went with the kids, we realized how different our trip would be. Before, when we'd go to the parks, the first thing we would do upon entering was get fast passes for all the big rides, then wait in line at the other big rides while we waited for our time on our fast pass to come. This time was nothing like that. We went alone, without any grandparents or friends, it was just my husband, me and the two kids (who were 6 months old), which meant if we wanted to ride any "big" rides it would be by ourselves. We did do a couple, but soon discovered it is just not as much fun without someone to share the experience with. Instead we spent the day seeing Disney through our kids eyes. We took our time walking around the parks and enjoyed the atmosphere more than the thrills.
Keep in mind, if you do want to ride some rides (especially if you go with more than just you and your significant other) you can get a parent swap ticket. Basically part of your party waits through the line and goes on the ride while the rest of your party is with the kids. While in line ask for a parent swap and you will be given a ticket for up to four people to go on the ride through the fast pass line, so the waiting party can skip the line when they go on the ride.
Realize that infants can actually go on a lot of rides
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| My son's face the first time he rode in the Tea Cups |
I was shocked when I found out that our 6 month old babies could not only go on Pirates of the Caribbean, but also Toy Story Mania! It was a little hard pulling on the chord to get the most points possible with my baby on my lap, but it was still super fun. Almost all of the Fantasy land rides are infant friendly and of course all the shows allow infants as well. You can see a complete list of height requirements and suggestions for Disneyland here and Walt Disney World here. Besides rides however, there are a lot more fun things to do with your baby. When my kids were 18 months old we went to Thunder Ranch at the back of Disneyland and had a blast. They had a petting zoo, lots of characters, dancing and crafts for kids. We could have spent the whole day in just that one area. So be aware of activities other than rides. The maps give a good description of where everything is in the park, so take one with you and look it over.
As far as a diaper bag....
Some people suggest packing light so you are not weighed down with a stroller, huge diaper bag and all that goes in it, but we always bring a medium back pack with us and that just about does the trick. I recommend bringing at least one, if not more changes of clothes. It is hot, the baby may spit up or heaven forbid poop on their cute outfit and the last thing you want in your precious photo with Mickey is a soiled outfit. I also brought lots of diapers, but in every bathroom they have a diaper dispenser where you can buy one for $1 in case you run out. My babies drank formula, so I also brought plenty of that and water so I could mix it. When they were a bit older I stuffed the back pack with all sorts of snacks and even a full lunch. You can bring food and drinks into the parks as long as they are not in a glass container. You can also rent lockers in the park if you do not want to carry everything around with you. I found if I kept my kids clean and fed, they were a lot happier.
Strollers
We always bring our double wide City Mini stroller with us for two reasons. First the seats lay flat so my kids can take naps when they need to with a huge shade to keep them cool. And second I did not want to pay to rent a stroller. It cost $15 for one stroller and $25 for two strollers per day. It was just more cost effective to bring our own. I do not recommend leaving anything valuable in your stroller if you park it in the stroller parking area, they are not watched that closely. We tied a big Disney balloon to ours so we could easily identify it among the sea of strollers. I have to say the best part about renting a Disney stroller is, if someone walks off with it, they will give you a new one no questions asked, and often times replace any items that might have been in it. If your own stroller is taken, there is no guarantee they will let you use one of theirs for no charge, but you can always ask!
Nursing moms
Each park has a baby station that is different than a regular restroom. The baby station has a room where cartoons are playing and little ones can rest (as well as parents) and nurse. There is a whole room full of changing tables so you don't have to wait in line at the restroom. The baby station is air conditioned and a bit more peaceful than the park and both men and women are welcomed.
What about nap time?
Honestly our kids are pretty good at taking a nap in their stroller. We never left the park for nap time. I felt it would take way too long to leave the park, go to the hotel, let the kids unwind and fall asleep then go all the way back to the park. If you are staying on property (in a Disney hotel) it is a bit easier to do that, but we never have and my kids didn't seem to mind sleeping in their stroller vs a crib. Were their naps at their usual time? No. Were they for as long as they usually sleep? No. Were they exhausted at the end of the day? Yes. But that is part of what going to Disney is all about.
Learn what your kids do and don't like
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| One child getting a hug from Mickey, one child running away |
My kids usually LOVE to take pictures with characters, and that was one of the best parts of going with them even when they were super little, but some kids are terrified of the characters. If your kids scream and run away at the first sight of Mickey Mouse, it may not be worth standing in a long line to do. Some kids do not like rides, so that may be something you wait until they're older to do. My kids seriously liked everything, rides, characters, fireworks, parades, you name it, but not all kids are that way and your trip will be a whole lot easier if you learn quickly that they are scared of the dark or get fussy if they have to wait in long lines.
Take TONS of pictures
Your child will not remember this trip at all, but you will. And you will want to share your memories with your child as they grow, and what better way to do that then with pictures? We have tons of precious "firsts" with our kids and of course pictures to go with it. Keep in mind that Disney photographers (part of the photo pass system) will take pictures with your camera as well as with their own for no extra cost. I always had my photo pass card scanned as well, because you never know if they capture something precious on their camera that they did not get on yours.
Take your time
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| Not something we'd usually do, but the kids loved beating the drums |
The thing that saved us on our first trip with our kids was taking it slow. I felt like I did 100 more diaper changes than I usually do in a given day, but that might have been because usually when I go to a Disney park I take a maximum of 3 bathroom breaks, so changing diapers every couple hours seemed like a lot! I also felt like we stopped to eat a lot, but again, I'm use to eating while waiting in line for an awesome ride and just sitting down for one big meal during the day. Once I got used to the idea of lots more stops than usual, I was okay with it. I had to mentally make sure my babies stayed hydrated and wore lots of sunscreen. When you put safety and the babies comforts first, your trip will be a whole lot better.
Don't forget a huge bonus about taking your babies to Disney is they are free until they are 3 years old.
Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about going to Disney with an Infant in the comments section.
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