Babies and Disney World Guide
It’s something I hear all the time, “People tell me not to bring babies and toddlers to Disney World because they won’t remember it.” I can understand why some people say that, but the reality is you are never going to ever fully remember your trips to Disney World (or anywhere else, for that matter), that’s why we take pictures.
Our daughter was six months old for her first trip to Disney World and our son was four months old for his first trip. Neither one of them remembers anything about their first trip, but we do. Plus, we have some of the cutest pictures from those trips. The cast members and characters are always great with the little ones.
One of my favorite pictures is from the old Epcot Character Spot. We had worked our way down the line, taking pictures with Mickey and Goofy and were about to meet Minnie when she walked away from her area and over to our son in the stroller. He had been a little fussy in the other pictures, so we put him back in the stroller for the last picture session. Minnie decided to take all the pictures with us surrounding the stroller and our little guy just lit up when he saw her. It’s one of my favorite pictures.
If you are bringing a baby to Disney World there are some things you should keep in mind when going to the parks:
They Have Very Nice Baby Centers
The Baby Centers are located in each of the four theme parks. It’s definitely helpful to know where these centers are located when traveling with a baby, because they offer some useful things.
- They have private nursing rooms that come with rocking chairs
- Each facility has changing rooms with tables
- They have unisex bathrooms
- Highchairs are available in the feeding areas
- There is a kitchen with a microwave, oven, and sink in each Baby Center
- Each facility has a main room that comes equipped with a TV, table, chairs, and a sofa
- There is also an on-site shop where guests can purchase formula, baby food, juice diapers, wipes, sunscreen, over-the-counter medications, and clothes.
Here are the locations for each Baby Center in the parks:
At Magic Kingdom you can find the Baby Center by Crystal Palace
In Epcot you can find the Baby Center in the same building as Odyssey Center.
At Hollywood Studios you can find the Baby Center behind The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure.
In Animal Kingdom the Baby Center is located on Discovery Island by Creature Comforts.
You Can Rent Strollers from Disney and Other Companies
It can be a pain to pack up a stroller and bring it on vacation, especially if you are flying. So if you don’t mind spending a little extra money, you can rent one with you are in Disney World and you have lots of options. Disney World rents strollers and you can get them at each of the parks, but be aware that they are a hard plastic stroller; they are not lined with fabric.
Other companies you can contact:
Prices will vary depending on your length of stay and what type of stroller you want to rent.
Just an FYI, most of these companies offer crib rentals too.
You Will Not Need Your Car Seat for the Disney World Buses
If you are traveling on the Disney World buses with a baby you will be holding the child on your lap and strollers need to be folded up in order for you to bring them on the buses.
Strollers can be left open, with the child in them, on the Monorail, the boats, and the Disney Skyliner.
Look for Stroller Parking in the Parks
Near all the rides and restaurants there are usually areas for parking your stroller. Some areas will be officially marked with a sign and others will be an area that has been designated a stroller parking section for the time being. If you park your stroller in one of these areas and cannot find the stroller when you return, don’t panic. A lot of times Cast Members have to move the strollers around for traffic purposes and things like that. Just keep looking for it and if you still don’t see your stroller ask a Cast Member.
A note about leaving strollers in these areas: Yes, it is Disney and it’s magical, but unfortunately not-so-magical things do happen in Disney World sometimes. So, please, don’t leave any valuables or anything that your child is attached to in the strollers. Always bring your belongings with you when you leave your stroller.
You Don’t Have to Miss Out on Rides
Love Space Mountain, but don’t want to have to wait in line twice so each adult can ride it? I don’t blame you. That’s why Disney offers the Rider Switch Pass. This pass allows on adult to wait in line to ride the attraction while the other adult stays with the child. Then when they are done, the second adult can go on the ride without having to wait in the Standby line. It works like a Lightning Lane Pass, but the point is so families with little ones can still ride the thrill rides without having to spend hours in line. It won’t bring you to the front of the line, but it will get you on the ride faster.
Little Ones and Characters
If you are not sure how your child will react to the characters, try booking a character dining experience. The lines to meet characters in the parks can get quite long, especially for the more popular characters. It’s a bummer to wait in line just to find out your child is afraid of the character. This usually doesn’t happen with the characters that don’t have to wear heads with the costume. So kids are usually fine with the princesses and the princes. Characters like Mickey, Donald, Minnie, Daisy, etc. that have the big costume heads can be scary for kids sometimes.
Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort is a good one to book. Daisy, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy are in their beach outfits and visit with guests at the restaurant. We booked this restaurant years ago when we traveled with friends. The were not sure how one of their kids would react to the characters, so this was a good way to test the waters. There was some apprehension at first, but Minnie sat next to them and held their hand gently an eventually all the apprehension went away. It was the perfect way to start the trip. For a full list of character dining options visit the Character Dining Guide.
As you can see, Disney is pretty accommodating to those that are traveling with babies and little ones. In my opinion, it’s worth it. If you want to go while you child is that little that’s your decision, don’t listen to anyone else. You will get some great memories and pictures that you can share with your child as they grow.
Hope this helps! Thanks for reading!
Liz
Contact me today to help book and plan your trip.
