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My husband and I have always enjoyed Disney as adults. So naturally, we weren’t going to shy away from taking a trip to Walt Disney World with our new baby, Parks!
I’d like to clear up any potential confusion in advance. Our son’s name is Parks. I’ll refer to him as P to avoid confusion between his name and the word “parks.”
In this blog, I’ll detail how we handled our trip to Disney World with a 5-month-old baby. I’ll also touch on what we learned and some tips for those of you planning a similar trip.
- Our itinerary
- How to handle baby’s naps
- Nursing on the go
- Rides for babies
- Navigating the parks with a baby
- Lessons learned
- FAQs
- Would I plan another trip to Walt Disney World with a baby?
A Quick History
My mom took me as a baby in the 80s and I was too little to remember it. So, when Clark’s family planned a family trip to WDW around the holidays in 2016, I was so excited that I learned everything I could to ensure we had a great trip. That’s when I officially became a “Disney Adult.” We’ve gone back every year since! I’m now one of those people who finds planning for Disney to be half the fun.
2023 Trip
This year, I planned our annual Disney World vacation to include my entire family, my brother’s family, my cousins, and their kids, and all of our parents. There were 15 of us, and it was a whirlwind. Just packing for Walt Disney World with a baby turned out to be a feat in and of itself! A few of us stayed with the older kids at a Disney resort because it was their first trip and we were more serious about going to every park and doing as many rides as we could. The rest of our family members stayed at a VRBO off property with the little kids.
Our Itinerary
To get into the Disney parks, you need a reservation for each one. We strategically planned which days we’d visit each park based on how busy we expected them to be, choosing to do the most popular parks on the weekdays and the least popular parks on Friday/Saturday. We decided not to park hop because we had littles with us and we knew we wouldn’t be able to cover as much ground as we used to when it was just us “big kids.”
- Day 1 (Wednesday): Magic Kingdom
- Day 2 (Thursday): Hollywood Studios
- Day 3 (Friday): Epcot
- Day 4 (Saturday): Animal Kingdom
How To Handle Baby’s Naps At Walt Disney World
At 5 months old, P didn’t have a set napping schedule yet, so making plans around his nap time wasn’t possible. We adhered to 2 to 3-hour wake windows, so we decided it would be easiest for him to nap in his stroller as we went about our day. We made sure to bring our portable sound machine and a coverup for the stroller to control his napping environment as much as possible. This worked great for us at some parks, and at others it was a little bit tricky.
Disney’s Magic Kingdom
We only encountered one issue that disrupted P’s stroller nap at Magic Kingdom Park. Every few hours, fireworks go off near the castle following a live show. On our way around the castle at the end of our day, P was startled awake. Fireworks are not something I’d want to wake up to either. Other than that, it did get a little warm at times throughout the day, but we were always able to find some shade or take him inside to an air conditioned restaurant or shop, if needed.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Naps on the go were easy at Hollywood Studios for the most part but beware of pop-up marching bands at Toy Story Land. That’s the only thing that disrupted P’s sleep. It was startling and unexpected because their parade started close to us. Later in the day, we could hear them coming so I was able to move off the main walking area so they wouldn’t wake P up again. I will say that the cobblestone walking paths in Galaxy’s Edge are a recipe for naps. It was impossible to keep P awake in his stroller as the “rough” terrain rocked him to sleep.
Disney’s Epcot
Several places at Epcot do not allow strollers, which led to two challenges.
- We had lunch reservations at San Angel Inn, which is inside the Mexico Pavilion. The cast member outside said we couldn’t bring P’s stroller inside, so we had to wake him up from his nap for lunch. Once we checked in for our meal, we learned our table could accommodate his stroller.
- The Land’s pavilion does not allow strollers. P wasn’t asleep yet when it came time for us to ride Soarin’, so we carried him inside. We accidentally left his pacifier in the stroller, and he started to get fussy for me while I waited on everyone else to come back from the ride. This became the first time P realized he could self-sooth with his own hand. He fell asleep in my arms sucking on his own pointer finger.
When booking rides at Epcot, we had to be mindful of travel time and plan for extra time between each ride. You’ll do a lot of walking at Epcot, making it the perfect place to get your steps in, but not a place you’ll be able to do lots of rides without a strategy.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Naps were easy and long at Animal Kingdom! The bumpy sidewalks served as the perfect way to rock Baby P to sleep and keep him asleep!
Nursing On The Go
Before we even left for Florida, I committed to breastfeeding P on the go. We decided we didn’t want to fuss with pump parts, bottles, and coolers. Obviously, this may not be an option for everyone and that’s totally OK. To read about how I did it, check out my blog, “Nursing on the go: How I breastfed my baby at Walt Disney World.”
If you’re not comfortable nursing in public, Disney World does have baby care centers that provide a private place for moms to feed their babies. If the baby care center is further than you’d like to walk, you’ll be able to find less-traveled, relatively private areas in each park where you’ll feel more comfortable. Continue to the FAQs below to read more about the care centers and what’s offered there.
Rides For Babies At Disney World
When it came to rides for babies at Walt Disney World, I was especially interested in what P would be allowed to ride and whether he would enjoy it. What I learned is that a baby’s ability to ride isn’t a guarantee that it will be a good idea. There was at least one ride that I regretted bringing P on (Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in Epcot) because it was intense at times and surprised riders by spritzing water in the face. For a list of rides that allow babies, and details about what it was like for P to ride them, check out my blog, “What rides can babies do at Walt Disney World?”
Disney World offers a ‘rider switch’ option for parents with babies who can’t ride. Rider Switch is a huge time saver that allows parents to take turns without being required to stand in line all over again.
Before getting in line for the ride, talk to a cast member and tell them you’d like to do a Rider Switch. They will scan both your Magicbands and basically give the second rider a Lightning Lane pass, which allows them to skip the line when it’s their turn. If there are only two of you swapping, you won’t be able to do the ride together, but it sure beats skipping the ride altogether.
Navigating Disney World With A Baby
We brought P’s Doona car seat/stroller combo, our Baby Bjorn, and a TushBaby hip carrier to the parks with us. And yes, we used them all! Having options made it easy and fun to carry P when he was awake, and to stroll him when he was asleep.
The Doona was convenient because it serves as P’s car seat and stroller, but it’s all in one! It’s very easy to fold into itself to become a car seat, which is approved for use in a car and airplane without a base. This saved us from traveling with so much stuff. In the parks, we used the stroller when it was time for P to take a nap, and to carry our diapers, burp clothes, backup outfits, etc. When we weren’t using them, we strapped the Baby Bjorn and Tushbaby to the stroller handles.
The Baby Bjorn came in handy when we knew we’d be doing a lot of walking or wanted to carry him hands-free.
We used the TushBaby when we weren’t going far and knew that we’d be handing him off to get on a ride or run to the bathroom. We ended up using the TushBaby the most often because it’s the fastest and easiest to put on and take off.
Lessons Learned Planning A Trip To Walt Disney World With A Baby
Strollers aren’t allowed everywhere, but they might be able to accommodate your stroller at restaurants depending on where they seat you.
Always check with the cast member *inside* the restaurant before leaving your stroller outside. For example, strollers aren’t typically allowed inside Oga’s Cantina, but because he was asleep when it was time for our reservation, they allowed us to bring ours in. It never hurts to ask.
Go through a morning checklist before heading out the door.
Confirm you have everything in your day pack before leaving for the park. Don’t count on Disney World’s baby care centers to have what you need. Clark and I both assumed the other did the inventory check of the day pack before we left for our first day. Neither of us did and it turns out, we forgot to pack the wipes. We didn’t realize it until the first time we needed to change P’s diaper at Magic Kingdom. We went into a nearby gift shop to ask if they sold any baby essentials and they directed us to the Baby Care Center. The baby care center was completely out of wipes and it wasn’t even 10 a.m. yet.
Always have an “escape route” in mind if your baby is down for a nap in the stroller.
At each park, there is bound to be something that could potentially startle them awake, whether it’s a parade, marching band, or fireworks. Always be listening and watching for potential nap breakers (yes, I made up this term. It’s like “dealbreaker” but with naps). When you know there is potential for a nap breaker, you’ll want to have a plan. Maybe you can take a different route around the castle where fireworks go off often if the baby is napping. Or maybe there’s an area off the main parade route you can duck into if you hear a parade coming.
Include your baby in your dining reservations.
When you make dining reservations, the cast members expect you to include your baby as a number in your party regardless of whether they eat or take up a seat. When I made all our reservations in advance, I didn’t include P in our count because he wasn’t using a high chair yet or eating real food. We ended up having to wait at most places because they insisted on updating our party count at each restaurant to add P to the reservation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some of the questions that I had as I was planning our trip to Disney World with a baby. Hopefully this saves you a few Google searches.
Are babies free at Disney World?
Yes! Babies under 2 years old are free.
Are stroller rentals available at Walt Disney World?
Yes. Single and double strollers are available for rent. Single stroller rentals are $15 per day or $13 if you rent them for multiple days or the entirety of your stay. Double strollers are $31 per day or $27 for the entirety of your stay.
Rented strollers cannot be taken out of the park or to your Walt Disney World Resort though, so plan for that. I recommend bringing a baby carrier to fill in the gap.
What rides can babies do at Disney theme parks?
Babies are allowed on all rides that do not have height restrictions, but that does not mean that it’s a good idea to bring them with you. Take a look at my blog where I detail what rides babies can and should do in the most magical place on Earth.
What services are offered in Disney World’s baby care centers?
There is one baby care center at each of the Disney parks. Since the parks are all huge, it’s not convenient to walk to the care center every time you need to change a diaper or feed your baby, so I wouldn’t count on them for that. With that said, here is a list of services they offer:
• Private nursing rooms with rocking chairs
• Changing room with tables
• Restroom facilities
• Feeding area with high chairs
• Kitchen with microwave and sink
• Main room with television, table, and seating
• On-site shop offering formula, baby food, juice, diapers, wipes*, sunscreen, over-the-counter medications, and clothing for purchase.
I put an asterisk by the wipes because they were completely sold out of wipes by 10 a.m. the day we needed to buy some at Magic Kingdom. Please refer to my “lessons learned” section for details.
Should I bring or rent a stroller at Disney World?
Yes. Bringing your own stroller or renting one will give you a lot of freedom. It will give your baby a place to nap throughout the day, and it’s the perfect way to carry things like diapers, back-up outfits, burp cloths, sound machine, and your own essentials like a rain jacket or snacks.
What is Rider Switch and how does it work at Disney World?
If your baby doesn’t meet the height requirements for a ride, you can opt to do a Rider Switch with someone else in your group. This means that one of you stands in line while the other rider waits with the baby. When the first rider is done, the rider who waited with the baby can skip the long lines since the rest of the party already waited in it.
Here is how it works: Your entire party needs to find a cast member working the ride. I recommend talking to the cast member at the Lightning Lane entrance. They will scan everyone’s Magicbands and give the second rider a “Lightning Lane.” When the first rider returns and takes over ‘baby watch,’ it’s the second rider’s turn. The cast member will scan their Magicband and allow them in at the Lightning Lane entrance while the rest of the party watches the baby. You’re basically just taking turns.
Would I plan another trip to Walt Disney World with a newborn baby?
Yes. Absolutely. A thousand times yes. We had an incredible trip, and I absolutely recommend planning a trip to Walt Disney World with a baby. I’ll even go as far as saying you should make plans to take your little one on some of the Disney World rides allowed for a baby. Sure, it requires research, advanced planning and some strategy, but bringing your baby to Disney can be done and it was a great time for the whole family. We created memories that will last a lifetime.