Top 10 Tips For Disneyland With Babies | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Top 10 Tips For Disneyland With Babies

Slower pace, realistic expectations, and magical memories

35
Top 10 Tips For Disneyland With Babies
Kristin Engelking

Its not something I thought I would ever do. I remember thinking, before I had kids (famous last words), "I wouldn't take my baby to Disneyland. They won't even remember it."

But then my in-laws generously decided to take our whole family to Disneyland to celebrate my mother in law's 50th birthday, so obviously the conversation changed! There were eight grown-ups and three little ones, ages three and under. I wasn't sure what to expect, but overall it was an amazing trip and I learned a few things along the way.

So if you, or someone you know, have a Disney trip planned with little ones in the near future, these are my top ten tips on doing Disneyland and California Adventure with littles.

1. Bring help (if possible)

Travel with a few friends or family members if it sounds nice to have help with your kids while you're there. We only had three babies and eight adults, but that seemed like the perfect ratio to me. It allowed us to all take turns riding rides, carrying babies when they refused to ride one more minute in their stroller, gave us all a chance to sit down for a meal (at least for a little bit), and helped keep us parents from melting down when our kids were melting down because we could hand them off to the grandparents if we just needed a minute.


2. Adjust your expectations

I felt like I went in to our trip with fairly low/ realistic expectations about how many rides I'd be able to ride, or about doing things that I personally wanted to do. And yet by the end of day two I was surprised at how few things I had done so far, all because my kid needed a nap, or was sleeping when I wanted to take her on rides, or had a blowout right as we were about to meet Tigger and we had to forfeit our place in line. We had five day park hopper passes for Disneyland and California Adventure, which sounds like A LOT of days, and it is, but it really allowed us to take a slower pace with the babies and really fit everything in by the end of day five. *Sidenote: do what you can to help your kiddo get the sleep they need on their trip. They may not sleep the exact same hours at night or for their daytime naps, but do what you can to help them stay rested on the trip. Everyone will be happier. We stayed at a house within walking distance to the park, and that allowed us to take babies home in the afternoon or take them home early at night if we knew that they really needed good sleep.


3. Bring what you need to the park each day, but don't bring more than you need.

Our first day at the parks, we all brought SO MUCH STUFF. Our strollers were packed to the gills. We didn't even use/ eat a lot of what we brought that day (we packed tons of snacks but really wanted to eat in the park, so many fun options)! So the next few days we got smarter about it. We boiled it down to the essentials: a few snacks (for the grown ups and babies), water, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, a diaper bag, maybe a sweatshirt for the evening. If you do bring babies and strollers, you have to park your stroller outside of every ride, so you also don't want too many personal belongings just sitting out there without you (although we had a great experience and never had anything taken from our strollers; however, we also made sure we never left our wallets and phones in our strollers unattended).


4. Bring multiple methods of transportation for your babes.

A stroller is fantastic, until your baby decides they hate it. An Ergo carrier or Solly Baby Wrap is great to help your little babies nap (except for when it is already 90 degrees outside and you have a hot little human strapped to you). For toddlers, a child leash is a great option that allows them to walk without running away from you on Main Street. And again, bring grandparents or aunties and uncles who can carry your babies when none of the above options are cutting it anymore.


5. Take advantage of Rider Switch offered for guests of the park with babies

You can read more about the details of rider switch here, but here's the gist of it. When a ride offers rider switch, it means that your group can split up for a ride (so that a few people are watching the kids while the others ride) without everyone having to wait in long lines. In our case, four of us could approach a Cast Member as we got in line and tell them that we'd like to do rider switch. They would then give us four passes (or however many we needed) for the other half of our group. After we were done, the other four adults could go up to the ride with their rider switch passes and get on the ride without having to wait in a huge line. *Total perk of bringing babies to Disneyland!


6. Find quiet spots in the park to just let your babies play and relax.

On any given day, the main streets of Disneyland and California Adventure can seem really crowded and overwhelming. But Disneyland has plenty of quiet, less crowded areas that are really great for just letting your babies crawl around, or run around without being in a crowd. In most lands there are little quiet areas off to the side with benches and some shade. We found that Critter Country was pretty quiet first thing in the morning, as well as a little area toward the back of Cars Land to the left of Luigi's. We found that sometimes all our babies needed was just to be out of their strollers and free to "play" for a little bit.


7. Go to every air-conditioned show you can!

If you're there during a warm week, sometimes the best way to give your kiddos (and yourself) a break, is to spend some time indoors at a show. Disney Junior Live and Frozen Live are a couple of great shows at California Adventure, and the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland has a cute little show and is a great place to relax with a cup of Dole whip!


8. Follow Magic Kingdom Mamas on Instagram

This is probably one of THE most helpful things you can do! The Magic Kingdom Mamas are two sisters who go to Disneyland once or twice a week with their little ones, and they have made it their mission to help other mamas (and parents) navigate Disneyland and California Adventure with kids! They post pictures, helpful tips, food suggestions, holiday information, and pretty much anything else you would want or need to know it you're planning a trip to Disney with littles!


9. Take lots of pictures

Be THAT MOM. Be THAT DAD. Insist on photo ops. With characters. In front of the castle. On rides. Or literally anywhere. As stressful as parts of your trip might be with all the needs of a little one, there WILL be lots of fun moments and you'll want to remember them. At the same time, there will other moments where you're tempted to take a picture, but you know that simply pausing in the moment and taking a "mental snapshot" will be the thing that allows you to be truly present with your child and bottle up that moment in your heart forever.


10. Enjoy the magic

My daughter is not even one year old, so she won't remember anything. But there are so many moments from our trip that I hope I never forget. The noise that she made when we rode "The Little Mermaid" together. The way she danced during "Frozen" live. The way she lit up when she met "Sofia the First." The look in her eyes as she watched World of Color. The way that she kept trying to kiss Mickey Mouse's nose. And the way she laughed so hard when her daddy and her uncle were playing with her as they walked along Paradise Pier at night.

If you're taking a Disney trip with little ones soon, I salute you! I know how much work it is, and I also know that there will be plenty of sweet moments ahead of you.

To the mom whose toddler is melting down in Toon Town, I see you.

To the dad carrying your sleeping five-year-old over your shoulder out of the park at the end of the day, I see you.

To all the people who are staring at those of us with babies in Disneyland thinking, "Why? They won't even remember it", you don't have to get it. Just smile at us, maybe hold a door open for us if you see us struggling to get our stroller through, and tell us our kids are adorable and that the years fly by and we should soak up every moment.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

177777
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

4836
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

450944
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

22469
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments