For the past few years we’ve taken a family (girls only) trip around Thanksgiving to the most magical place on earth, Walt Disney World. I’m one of those people who LOVES Disney world so as you can imagine, I was itching to take Alba Grace as soon as possible. In 2017 when I was about 12 weeks pregnant with AG, I remember sitting on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom with a 4 month old baby boy in front of me. He was watching the parade with his mom and dad. I’ll never forget how HAPPY that kid looked. He was a giggly mess, literally could not contain his excitement. He won’t remember that moment but his parents sure will. Fast forward a year and there I was, sitting across from Splash Mountain, watching the parade with my little girl. Pure joy y’all. Taking little ones (especially babies!) to Disney is NOT easy but OH.MY.GOODNESS. is it worth it!
I live within 4 hours of Orlando so it’s not much of a trek. If we didn’t live so close to the park we probably would have waited until she was 2 or 3 to take her for the first time. Probably age 2 because children’s tickets are free until they’re 3! Mama likes to save those dollars. But honestly, Disney is fun at any age! However, most would probably say that ages 4,5, and 6 are the “magic” ages for a big Disney trip.
The Stroller Situation
This is a hot topic so I figured we’d jump in here. Some mamas swear by bringing their own strollers, others rely on renting strollers in the park. And hold up – there’s a third option! You can now rent strollers from third party companies throughout Orlando. The stroller situation is a big deal. Of course if you’re flying to Disney and don’t want to pay to transport a huge stroller or deal with the hassle, renting is a great option. We decided to BYOS and have zero complaints about it. Toting our stroller on the Disney busses, monorail, and ferry was not terribly inconvenient. We really like our stroller so it was worth it to lug into the park! Also important to mention that AG is itty bitty so she’s still in her carrier. Having our own stroller helped Alba Grace get comfortable enough to take a nap during the day. Even when she’s older I think we’ll bring our own stroller but this one’s totally your personal preference. Pro tip: A clip on fan is a must if you’re visiting during the warmer months.
The Baby Care Center
Disney has an awesome Baby Care Center in each park. The Baby Care Center is a great spot for nursing mamas to feed and to pick up any baby gear you may be missing. The Baby Care Centers are also equipped with tons of changing tables and a quiet room. It’s a great place to recoup and catch your breath. If you’re not close to the Baby Care Center, there’s a changing table in EVERY restroom throughout the park so don’t fret! AG’s Wubanub, Ellie was trampled during the parade (RIP Ellie) so we picked up a new pacifier at the Baby Care Center. They have formula, snacks, diapers, etc. Need a microwave to warm your food or some air conditioning to beat the heat? Look no further than the baby care center! Such an awesome resource.
Take Things Slow
Disney pre-baby was about doing alllll the things and carefully scheduling fast passes to ensure that we rode all of the best rides! Disney with babies is much different. Instead of crafting the ideal strategy to get the most out of our day… Disney with baby was more about taking it all in, leisurely strolling around the park, and soaking up the little things! I went into our experience with no expectations. Well, I did have a few rides on my wish list (because riding Dumbo with your baby is a dream come true…) and I wanted to see the parade. That was about it. I let the other folks on our trip control the itinerary and AG and I kind of did our own thing at our own pace. My best advice for taking very young children to the parks is to let go of expectations and to take it all in at a child’s pace. While OF COURSE you want some sort of plan… it’s all too easy to get caught up in the specifics. I think you need to have a good balance between “let’s just see what the day brings” and “let’s be prepared with a plan.” Pro tip: download the My Disney Experience app and choose 2-3 “must do’s” then let the rest of your day flow a bit more organically.
Parades/Shows
While there are a ton of rides appropriate for babies, my favorite thing we did with AG was watching the parade.The Disney Cast Members were so interactive and gave her lots of attention during the parade! Disney offers TONS of shows and parades throughout the day, don’t miss out on those! Let me tell y’all, Disney knows how to put on a show! Any Disney crew member will be able to tell you showtimes and parade times for the day. You can also grab a park guide when you enter the park with all of these details. We managed to stay in the park from lunchtime until dark so we ended up watching the Nighttime Spectacular from our Ferry Boat en route to the parking lot. Pro tip: Make sure to request a “first visit” button when you enter the park – you’ll get extra attention from the cast members!
Appropriate Rides
I researched this one quite a bit before our trip. While we were in the park AG rode It’s a Small World, Dumbo, and Winnie The Pooh. Here’s a complete list of what babies can ride and what should be avoided. It’s a Small World and Dumbo were definitely her favorites! Winnie The Pooh was surprisingly a bit scary and kind of made us all a little dizzy!
Meeting The Characters
While we didn’t squeeze meeting characters into our day in the Magic Kingdom, it would have been fun! I totally regret not snapping any pictures with Alba Grace and some of the characters. She could care less now but it would have been sweet to show her these photos down the road! If you go, try to snap at least one character photo! Pro tip: you can fast pass some of the character meet & greets! In my experience Epcot is the easiest place to meet characters – so if you’re park hopping, consider knocking your character experiences out in Epcot first!
Ears & Attire
Selecting outfits for baby’s firs trip to Disney was so much fun! She wore a long sleeve bubble into the park in the am and towards the afternoon we changed her into a short sleeve bubble. The weather in Florida (even in November!) is a bit temperamental so be sure to pack a couple of different outfits. There’s also a good chance that it will rain or baby will get wet on a ride, so extra outfits are a must. I wore my comfiest leggings, a sweatshirt and my uashamama backpack. I was super disappointed when we started shopping for ears and were told that there wasn’t a store in the park with a small enough size! Pro tip: if your little one is under a year then I suggest purchasing Mickey ears online in advance! We’ll have to try again next time. We purchased an ornament to remember the trip instead.
Photography
I meant to bring my big camera but ended up forgetting it at the house. All of my photos were snapped on my handy dandy iPhone! If you forget your camera and prefer professional photos, WDW has an awesome program where cast member’s will take your photos throughout the park at designated locations and then you can access them all online and purchase if you love them. Learn more about the PhotoPass service, here.
WDW with babies is absolutely magical! I’m so thankful we were able to make this trip happen. If y’all have any questions while planning your trip, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email! Would love to help! My friend Sarah has loads of great Disney posts to check out if you have older kiddos!
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