For so many, a Disney trip is a once in a decade, or once in a lifetime, experience! With the pressure you might be feeling from that, it can be hard to know exactly when is the right time to take your kid on a Disney adventure. I’m here to hopefully help clear some of this up, and let me start with this: there’s truly no bad time to take your kid to Disney.
Growing up in South Florida, I was exposed to Disney at every age. And now, I’ve loved having the pleasure of introducing Isla to the magic of Disney in the same way. And that started early!
Although Disney has long been a destination for us, bringing a baby definitely changes things! So, before you go, take a look at some tips for making the best of your experience when bringing a baby to Disney.
If you’re staying at a Disney resort, they have free cribs and Pack & Plays. You can ask for one once you get there, but it feels even better to just show up and already have it waiting in your room for you! Just call your resort before you go, request a baby bed, and then travel without your Pack & Play worry free.
For safety, some rides have a minimum height requirement. You can see the full list of height requirements here. Get your child excited for the rides they’ll be able to experience!
Child swap is the greatest invention of all time for adults traveling with kids. If there’s a ride your child is too small to experience, approach the Cast Member at the entrance to the line. One adult will wait in the regular line to experience the attraction. The Cast Member will then issue a FastPass to the rest of the party, so that once the first parent is done, you can swap kid duties, and the rest of the group gets to walk right on! Here’s the list of rides that offer rider swap.
There are a number of restaurants throughout Walt Disney World that offer Character Dining! This experience is so fun. While you’re eating, characters walk around and interact with you and your family! You can take pictures, ask for autographs, and get some really great face time with your favorite friends. Different restaurants have different themes for their characters, so make sure to check out the list of Character Dining locations and choose the one that’s best for your baby.
With Character Dining or Character Meet and Greets, some babies definitely react differently to costumes and new people than others. We’ve found that waiting on this experience until later in the trip was really helpful for making sure that Isla was comfortable with the characters already!
If you’re breastfeeding or pumping during your trip, Disney has some really great, and really comfortable Baby Care Centers in all four theme parks. With private nursing rooms, baby changing tables, and even a kitchen for preparing baby food if needed, these rooms are super helpful, and are also a great break from the Florida heat.
Isla was always comfortable napping in the stroller, but that often left us looking around like, “Uhh...what do we do now?”
Remember talking about Rider Swap? The Fastpass that you get is good for one use the rest of the day, meaning you can save the ride for later! During nap times is a great opportunity to loop back to those rides and make use of your Fastpasses.
During nap time is ideal for grabbing some food or drink from a counter service restaurant and just hanging out! One of my favorite spots to do this is Baseline Taphouse in Hollywood Studios. One person grabs a table with the stroller, and the other goes in to grab a couple drinks and a charcuterie board. Then, relax while watching people walk in and out of Galaxy’s Edge for a little while! Or, maybe you’re in Epcot during a festival! Go grab a couple quick bites from the food booths that you don’t feel like sharing with a prying toddler.
While Walt Disney World is headlined by the rides, these theme parks are filled with some absolutely beautiful architecture and landscape. One of my favorite areas on Animal Kingdom is the trail that leads up around the Tree of Life, and is almost empty of guests. If you walk to the Starbucks just past the Otter Grotto, turn right down the couple paths you see, and wind your way up through the tree’s roots, spying all the animals that are carved into its branches. It’s something your baby may not have the attention for, but is definitely worth taking in!
