Yes, we brought our baby to Disney World. Some people told me I was crazy others thought it wasn’t such a bad idea to do Disney with a baby. I thought we might as well give it a try! I’m glad we did. Bringing a baby to Disney is a breeze! Disney is so accommodating to the family and baby! Here are my recommendations of what to do when planning your Disney vacation with your baby!
- Plan Ahead: Know which park(s) you are planning to go too. Before you go look up where the Baby Care Centers are located, know what transportation you will be using to get to the park, and get a general feeling for what kind of rides are at the park. We planned our day to be at the Magic Kingdom. I knew where the baby care center was located before we got there. I also knew that we had the option of taking the monorail or ferry over to the park from the parking lot. We opted to take the ferry over since we were bringing our little guy in a stroller. On the monorail you are required to take baby out of the stroller and fold it up. The ferry was probably a bit longer of a journey but it was nice we enjoyed the ride!
- How To Transport Baby: If your baby is willing to go in a baby carrier I would highly recommend a baby carrier. This gives you the option to walk freely throughout the park and wait in line while your baby is snug in their carrier. Some rides you may have to take baby out and put him/her on your lap but it really is the most convenient way to go. A stroller is another option. This is actually the option that we used since our little guy just doesn’t like carriers of any variety. It was nice in that we could cruise around the park with the stroller and when he ate he just sat in the stroller content. He also napped well in the stroller. The problem we ran into was when we wanted to wait in line for the rides. You have to park your stroller outside the rides. That meant we had to carry him while in line and that gets heavy! Bring Both- This would be a nice option too! I tried to put him in the carrier I brought along. It was the only time he cried all day! If you want to push your baby in the stroller but not have to worry about carrying him/her while in line this may be the way to go for you.
- Baby Care Centers: These things are the best! They provide a nice quiet and clean environment for you to change and feed your baby or just give your baby a break from the park. If you are nursing there is a nice nursing area. There is a kitchen area to warm up any food or mix any formula. The changing area is nice and large. There are cast members available to assist you with any questions you may have.
- The Rides: Believe it or not your baby can go on a lot of rides at the Disney parks. We took our little guy on every ride that did not have a height requirement. He did well on all of them. I know every baby is different but it was literally no problem for us. For those rides that the baby can’t go on Disney offers an option for adults to wait with the baby and then once the other adult is done on the ride the waiting adult can get right on without having to wait in line again.
- Feeding Your Baby: Like I previously mentioned the baby care centers are an excellent option for this especially if your baby needs a little quiet when it comes to feeding. If you are nursing you can also find a nice quiet area of the park (if you are there at a time when there is a quiet area) or even hop on one of the longer rides and nurse! I was nursing and was able to find a quiet area. There are also great rides at the Magic Kingdom like the Hall of Presidents or Wheel or Progress. This would work the same for bottle fed babies.
- Nap Time: Since we were not staying at a Disney resort we had to have nap time in the stroller. It worked surprisingly well. Nap time would also be great in the baby carrier. If you are fortunate enough to be staying at the resort Disney offers transportation to and from the parks. I know plenty of people who have left mid-day so there little one could sleep. I actually think with a younger baby such as mine was at the time (5 months) it’s a little easier since they aren’t quite as much of a schedule as toddlers or older babies.
- What To Pack: Make sure you have layers of clothes. It can be cool in the morning and warm up fast. A hat to protect babies head. Formula, bottles, food or whatever you use to feed your baby. Sunscreen is important along with diapers and wipes. Most of this stuff can be purchased at Disney, so don’t fret if you forget something. Just remember you are going to pay a little more at Disney!
If you need to fly to get to your Disney vacation be sure to check out my Flying With A Baby post for ideas on making your flight a little easier!
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Iv never had to fold my stroller up on a monorail or seen anyone fold theirs up. We’ve been going with and infant (now toddler) since 2012.
Interesting! Thanks for the feedback! We were told we were going to have too but good to know!
Yea we’ve never had a problem with it! We always avoid the buses for that reason but if you stay on property you can park for free at the parks and that’s so much nicer when you have kids.
My baby only tolerates the baby carriers for a short while. The one he tolerates the best is the Boba Carrier, which I didn’t even realize they made until a friend posted a pic on Facebook. I’d love to take baby to Disney World, but sometimes a trip to just the grocery store is nerve wrecking lol.