Taking a Newborn and Toddler to Disneyland? 10 Essential Tips
My toddler’s birthday was on December 6th, which happened to be a Saturday, so we decided to take advantage and go to Disneyland to celebrate her turning 3. It was a bit daunting to think of bringing a 3-month-old and a 3-year-old to the Happiest Place on Earth, but I figured why not? Lately, because of the baby, I have been staying home a lot more and have been itching to go out and do something fun as a family. Plus, Skye is at the age where she will really start to appreciate seeing all of her Disney Jr. characters come to life! Here are my tips to tackling a Disney trip with both a newborn AND toddler in tow.
1. Get there early! Back in the day, I would show up to Disneyland around Noon and stay until closing. Well, those days are definitely over! The trick is to get there right when the park opens at 9AM and get a few of the rides early when the lines are the shortest. Plus, kids are at their freshest in the morning, and the later the day gets, the more likelihood tantrums will ensue. Tip: Take a head-to-toe picture of your child on your phone (or some other device that you’ll have with you) the morning of your visit. That way you’ll have the most up-to-date picture of your child to show cast members in case they get lost. Knowing what clothes they have on can really help in spotting them.
2. If you park at the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure, be sure to wait in line for the trams at the FRONT of each car since they have a space for large families, and families with strollers. This is extremely handy so you don’t have to unpack your stroller and fold it up to ride the tram to the entrance of the park. We made the mistake of folding it up, and it was a real pain with all of the stuff we had to unpack, plus hold the baby and toddler while squeezing into one row. On the way back we made sure to ride in the very front, and all my husband had to do was lift the entire stroller as-is onto the tram. Phew!!!
3. If it’s someone’s birthday in the group, be sure and stop at the Disneyland City Hall and get a badge that they can wear that alerts all of the cast members it is their birthday. The birthday boy or girl will be told “Happy Birthday” all day long and will get special treatment in restaurants, shops, rides, etc.
4. While at City Hall, get a Lost & Found sticker and put your name and cell phone number on it, place it somewhere safely on the child’s clothing that won’t be taken off during the day (for example, not on a jacket). You can also do this before you leave the house.
5. What to bring: Stroller, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, cameras, and phones with a charger. Snacks like fruit, raisins, goldfish, and bottled waters will save a ton of time (in lines) and money! A Sprite costs $4.00, so it’s good if you can bring water bottles filled with water, and then refill them at certain points at the park (filtered water spigots are available in the Baby Care Center, as well as at Rancho del Zocalo, the French Market, and Tomorrowland Terrace restaurants). Blankets and jackets for each child, basically warmer clothes like sweaters, hats/mittens, for later when it gets dark. Be sure to include at least TWO extra outfits for the newborn in case of blowouts. My daughter ended up having two blowouts while there, so she went through three outfits total the entire day! I brought one extra outfit for my toddler, which she didn’t need, but at least I was covered just in case. If you are visiting during warm weather, bring water shoes for the toddler. Don’t forget a Baby Bjorn or some type of carrier for the baby, since they do get sick of being in a car seat all day and need to get out occasionally. Plus, I used the baby carrier when I took her on the few rides she was allowed on. Also, bring some type of kiddie leash for the toddler if you have one. It came in handy when Skye wanted out of the stroller to walk, but we were in a really high traffic area, so I didn’t have to worry about her getting separated from us.
6. Download an app called MouseWait to find rides with the shortest wait times. It also informs you of which rides are closed as well as wait times for food and restaurants. Extremely handy so you don’t have to trek across the park only to discover the line is 90 minutes long!
7. Take advantage of the Ride Swap! Found an attraction both adults would like to ride, but it isn’t suitable for the young ones? Just ask the cast member at the entrance if you can use Ride Swap and they will give you directions suited to that particular attraction. Normally, one adult waits in the normal line whilst the other is allowed through to a waiting area in the exit of the ride, on the other side of the loading station. The first adult rides, and then you do the switch. The adult then taking care of the child or baby is free to leave and wait nearby whilst the second rides with no wait. That way you do not have to wait in the line twice for each adult, and the kid can ride with the adult each time!
8. Visit the Baby Care Center. Disneyland has an area off of Main Street called the Baby Care Center that has 5 extra large changing tables, 5 comfy chairs for breastfeeding, 1 expressing room, and miniature toilets for toddlers. So if you are like me and traveling to Disneyland with a baby whom is breastfeeding, it’s worth stopping in to feed. I ended up there 3 times during our 10 hour stay in the park, and each time I only had to wait a few minutes (surprisingly) to use each room. I also would change Skye there since she is still wearing diapers. They also have a shop to buy diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, etc in case you run out of anything, or forget any necessities. Bonus, it happens to be near the only Starbuck’s in the park, how convenient! Tip: If you need to charge your phone, bring in your charger when you go in to breastfeed, there is one plug next to all of the chairs and I would use the downtime to charge my iPhone.
9. Fast Passes are a great way to save some time! You can save your place in line for some of your favorite attractions while you enjoy the rest of the park. Look for the FASTPASS Distribution sign near the entrance of an attraction. Check the Return Time displayed on this sign. If the return time works for you, insert your valid Disneyland Resort admission ticket, readmission ticket or Annual Passport into the FASTPASS machine. The machine will generate a FASTPASS ticket printed with your return time. Return to the FASTPASS Return entrance at your Return Time, show your FASTPASS ticket to the Cast Member and enjoy the attraction with a minimal wait.
10. Keep expectations in check! Be sure to not have too high of expectations going into your visit to the mouse park. You won’t get on as many rides as you used to with a baby and toddler in tow, mainly because there is a lot of stopping! Stop to change diaper, stop to feed baby, stop to get a snack, stop to eat lunch, stop to deal with a crying episode or tantrum, stop to find that thing in your diaper bag that will appease said tantrum, stop to take a picture, stop to buy a souvenir, the list goes on and on. So go at an easy pace for everyone, and just be thankful that you are out of the house for once and enjoying time with your family you worked so hard to create!