The title of this post is enough to scare any sane person but I'm here to tell you that YOU CAN GO TO DISNEY WITH A BABY and have a damn good time! My family is WDW spoiled. They have never had to plan an itinerary, book a dining reservation, look at a park map, or question where the closest ice cream cart is and it's 100% my fault and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Working at The Most Magical Place on Earth (not the Happiest...that's DisneyLAND people!) for five years made me a professional Disney tourist. I mean how cool is it that I get to tell Brynn that her bae, Mickey Mouse, was my boss?! So let me share with you some of my tips for conquering Walt Disney World with a baby.
The pace of the park is going to be much different for you now
The sooner you come to grips with the fact that you're not going to be sprinting from attraction to attraction the better. Getting through the crowds in the parks is hard enough so when you add a stroller it becomes a bit more challenging. Enjoy the things that other wise you might blaze past like street performances, parades, and the general beauty that the parks offer. My brother-in-law, Jay, noticed so many more details on our most recent trip because we were taking our time getting around and he loved it.
Plan out what attractions are most important to you
Obviously babies can't go on all the attractions but they can go on more than you think. You can see what they can and can't go on in your park map or My Disney Experience app. If there is a height requirement it's a no go for your little prince or princess. The great thing is Disney offers something called a rider switch pass that you can get the details on HERE. Pretty much one person waits with the baby while the other goes on the ride and when they are finished the other person gets to go through the Fastpass line and experience the attraction too. We did this with a couple rides and it worked out wonderfully, instead of just waiting on a bench I used my time waiting to feed Brynn.
Speaking of feeding...
It's so easy to feed your baby at Disney. There are a ton of tucked away and quiet spaces for feeding that are great for both nursing and bottle feeding. In the state of Florida you can nurse anywhere you please but I'm not one that likes to do that out in the open. Each park has a Baby Care Center that offers a wonderful spot for you and your baby. I used the centers for pumping (when I was on a girls trip without Brynn) and for nursing when I had her. They are insanely clean and have rooms for feeding, changing, and relaxing equipped with Disney movies! Are you terrified that you are going to forget a baby essential?! Don't worry! The Baby Care Centers have everything you need for sale (at VERY reasonable prices) from pacifiers to bottles, diapers to formula, bibs to baby food. I can't say enough good things about the Baby Care Centers....use them!
Bring your own stroller
Disney does offer rental strollers but they are suited more for toddlers than babies. You want your little one to be comfy so having the stroller they are used to will help more than you know. Keep in mind that you can't take your stroller into every building and you'll have to park it in a designated area so I highly suggest investing in a stroller cover just in case of rain because those areas are not covered, we have one like THIS. Another thing I did was order an outdoor decal with our last name to put on our stroller. You won't believe how many times as a tour guide I struggled to find my guests strollers because they do get moved around in the stroller parking area sometimes...so relax no one stole your stroller. Balloons don't help because everyone puts balloons on their stroller so if the decal isn't your style try my tour guide trick and tie a distinctive ribbon on your stroller handle to make it easy to spot.
Stock the bag
I'm not telling you to over pack your diaper bag but make sure you're prepared. I made sure to pack a couple more diapers than I thought I'd need, same with with pacifiers, and had an extra outfit just in case of a disaster. When the sun goes down it might feel great for you but chilly for the baby so make sure to bring a blanket just in case so you don't have to buy one.
Capture all the memories
People will say you are crazy for going to Disney with a baby but it's pure magic in my opinion. Your baby won't remember a thing but guess what...you will! We were lucky enough to have our friend Kathleen on Brynn's first trip to snap a bunch of wonderful pictures but you don't have to have a pro to get good pics. Disney's Photo Pass has you covered with high quality pictures throughout the entire Walt Disney World Resort. We also brought along our GoPro and it's our favorite video to date. You can watch it HERE {Brynn's First Trip to WDW}.
Working at The Most Magical Place on Earth (not the Happiest...that's DisneyLAND people!) for five years made me a professional Disney tourist. I mean how cool is it that I get to tell Brynn that her bae, Mickey Mouse, was my boss?! So let me share with you some of my tips for conquering Walt Disney World with a baby.
The pace of the park is going to be much different for you now
The sooner you come to grips with the fact that you're not going to be sprinting from attraction to attraction the better. Getting through the crowds in the parks is hard enough so when you add a stroller it becomes a bit more challenging. Enjoy the things that other wise you might blaze past like street performances, parades, and the general beauty that the parks offer. My brother-in-law, Jay, noticed so many more details on our most recent trip because we were taking our time getting around and he loved it.
Plan out what attractions are most important to you
Obviously babies can't go on all the attractions but they can go on more than you think. You can see what they can and can't go on in your park map or My Disney Experience app. If there is a height requirement it's a no go for your little prince or princess. The great thing is Disney offers something called a rider switch pass that you can get the details on HERE. Pretty much one person waits with the baby while the other goes on the ride and when they are finished the other person gets to go through the Fastpass line and experience the attraction too. We did this with a couple rides and it worked out wonderfully, instead of just waiting on a bench I used my time waiting to feed Brynn.
Speaking of feeding...
It's so easy to feed your baby at Disney. There are a ton of tucked away and quiet spaces for feeding that are great for both nursing and bottle feeding. In the state of Florida you can nurse anywhere you please but I'm not one that likes to do that out in the open. Each park has a Baby Care Center that offers a wonderful spot for you and your baby. I used the centers for pumping (when I was on a girls trip without Brynn) and for nursing when I had her. They are insanely clean and have rooms for feeding, changing, and relaxing equipped with Disney movies! Are you terrified that you are going to forget a baby essential?! Don't worry! The Baby Care Centers have everything you need for sale (at VERY reasonable prices) from pacifiers to bottles, diapers to formula, bibs to baby food. I can't say enough good things about the Baby Care Centers....use them!
Bring your own stroller
Disney does offer rental strollers but they are suited more for toddlers than babies. You want your little one to be comfy so having the stroller they are used to will help more than you know. Keep in mind that you can't take your stroller into every building and you'll have to park it in a designated area so I highly suggest investing in a stroller cover just in case of rain because those areas are not covered, we have one like THIS. Another thing I did was order an outdoor decal with our last name to put on our stroller. You won't believe how many times as a tour guide I struggled to find my guests strollers because they do get moved around in the stroller parking area sometimes...so relax no one stole your stroller. Balloons don't help because everyone puts balloons on their stroller so if the decal isn't your style try my tour guide trick and tie a distinctive ribbon on your stroller handle to make it easy to spot.
Stock the bag
I'm not telling you to over pack your diaper bag but make sure you're prepared. I made sure to pack a couple more diapers than I thought I'd need, same with with pacifiers, and had an extra outfit just in case of a disaster. When the sun goes down it might feel great for you but chilly for the baby so make sure to bring a blanket just in case so you don't have to buy one.
Capture all the memories
People will say you are crazy for going to Disney with a baby but it's pure magic in my opinion. Your baby won't remember a thing but guess what...you will! We were lucky enough to have our friend Kathleen on Brynn's first trip to snap a bunch of wonderful pictures but you don't have to have a pro to get good pics. Disney's Photo Pass has you covered with high quality pictures throughout the entire Walt Disney World Resort. We also brought along our GoPro and it's our favorite video to date. You can watch it HERE {Brynn's First Trip to WDW}.
Have another question or have another tip? Comment below!
