Sara and I love Disney. We grew up with the influence of Disney by proximity to the parks and through movies and cartoons. Well, I was more influenced by the cartoons and Sara was becoming interested in Disney just as the renaissance of the 90’s was beginning. We both worked in the Anaheim parks, which is where we met. We both have an admiration and respect for Mr. Disney himself and have been to Walt Disney World in Orlando many times.
Frequent Disney travels
We are very fond of the weekend getaway. We like to vacation, but usually have to confine our play time to the weekend. So, we have become very good at planning our trips. We got a lot of practice in with Las Vegas, but our intimate knowledge of Disney parks has made us uniquely qualified to plan amazing Disney trips on both coasts. Whether it making the most of a short duration or a tight budget we’ve done it all. We’ve made some pretty gutsy decisions, such as take a red eye flight, check bags at the resort and immediately head to one of the parks. Only recommended for advanced travelers. We are always looking for the next challenge to get more out of the Disney experience and two years ago we were at the top of our game when we wen’t to Walt Disney World for our 5 year anniversary. That was the trip when we decided together we wanted to have children.
So now a new challenge has been accepted. We still have WDW to conquer with our twins but after our recent Disneyland success and some lessons learned I have put together a list of five tips for taking an infant on a Disney trip.
5. Know their schedule
A day at a Disney Park is going to be a definite break in routine and it will provide your little ones with plenty of stimuli. The concerted efforts of Imagineers to create the most positively reinforced environments using all sensory perception is the main reason a Disney park is such a great place to take babies, but it will mess with their routine, It will be engaging for them and at times overwhelming or tiring.
If they have any sort of a regular feeding schedule, or a nap time, adhering to it will provide stability to an exciting day and keep them from going of the rails. Keep these schedules in mind when you are planning your day, so you are not caught off guard.
4. Be prepared
Just like uncle Scar says. We planned to feed the babies in only twice on our Disneyland day and feed them again back at the hotel. As it turns out we were able to stay a bit longer than we planned for and luckily we had brought along that extra milk and formula just in case.
We brought along a Joovy double stroller that just rocks and a back pack containing the days meals for the twins, plenty of diapers, wipes, spare clothes in case of a blow-out, a fold out changing mat, and a muslin blanket to help protect them from the sun while they were in their stroller.
If you want the added option of being hands free when carrying your baby(which comes in handy with some restaurants and long lines), I recommend keeping an Ergobaby in a locker that somebody can run to when needed. You can keep it in your stroller too, but things do get stolen, even at the happiest place on Earth.
3. Expect Delays
If you frequent the Parks without kids it is going to be a major shift. you will not get to do nearly as much as you normally would. Whether you are a first timer or a seasoned annual pass holder you should set your expectations at what your baby will be able to handle and go into it with the understanding that they will inhibit some of your access to parts of the experience you may take for granted. We approached the park like a training level with access primarily to Main Street USA and Fantasyland.
When we thought about attractions we wanted to experience on the trip, we focused only on the ones that the babies would be able to go on and prioritized the ones that they would get the most out of, such as The Disneyland Railroad, The Mark Twain, and It’s a Small World. We chose thes attractions because of the slow pace and scenery. You can use rider switch for some attractions and take turns with your infant, but we opted to stay together and only do rides we could experience as a family, which helped make the day go very smoothly.
2. Focus on Food
Much like The babies feeding schedule, food stops will be an essential aspect to how you enjoy your visit to the park. Not only should you plan places you want to eat just as you would plan your attractions, but you should actually emphasize the food experience so that dining takes priority over attractions. One reason is because Disney dining has really made strides over the last year or so to make the dining locations attractions in themselves. They also have a tendency to provide plenty of ambiance, and there are typically no lines to wait through.
You will be faced with the dilemma for every attraction you choose to ride of whether it is worth the wait. pass to many times and the day is lost. Wait in too many lines and your time is gone. It’s a tough balancing act when you make rides the priority. If you do encounter a line at a food location you can usually have one person wait and order while you stake out a table. Taking advantage of the many great dining locations with their various themes is a great way to introduce infants to Disney while relaxing. If you schedule your eating times around theirs it is a real time saver.
We ate at Bengal Barbeque and It was the most I’ve ever been able to take in the jungle atmosphere of Adventureland. Next time you are in a land you really enjoy, think about stopping for a bite rather than just passing through, or hopping from queue to queue.
1. Take a map
Disneyland is super easy to navigate, but a map will help you to be sure of how to get where your going and at the same time provide loads of information. Take note of the restroom locations as well as where the Baby Care Center is located so you can get there in a hurry if you need to. The Baby Care Center provides anything you need from changing stations to a place to pump and all kinds of supplies if you forgot anything or ran out. Knowing where the nearest bathroom is will help immensely in diaper changing emergencies.
I hope you enjoyed this list. If you’ve taken your infants to any Disney Park please share your experience and any tips I didn’t cover. Thanks!
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