Mom:s review: Our visit to Disney World with a baby and toddler

So many times, I’ve heard people say that they would never imagine taking their child to Disney World until they were five or six. So, when my husband’s parents offered free lodging for us to join them at Disney World, I was very hesitant, anxious and excited. My children were 10 months old and 2.5 years at the time. We decided to go and I will always remember that trip.

The rides our baby loved

Let me just say that Disney World is set up for kids of all ages, but they rock when it comes to babies. As far as things to do for a baby, there were tons of things for him to ride, see and experience. Although all he could do was crawl at the time, my little boy took delight in riding Dumbo and all of the rides in Toon Town. He loved the carousel, Peter Pan ride, and the Magic Carpet ride too.

All of the characters everywhere made him squeal and he didn’t want to leave the Daisy Duck water playground, where he could wear his bathing suit and catch water as it jumped across the ground.

The Comfort Stations were great

We took a lightweight umbrella stroller for each child and took the bare necessities in order to travel lightly.

To our absolute delight, we found that they had several Comfort Stations geared especially for babies. This wasn’t just a Family Bathroom. Inside the Comfort Stations, there were televisions, rocking chairs, high chairs, changing tables, private nursing rooms, bathrooms, a microwave, sink and all kinds of necessities available for purchase if you ran out or forgot something. They had the paper liners like they use at the doctor’s office to cover surfaces and sanitizers everywhere.

After a couple of hours out in the heat, it was great to go inside and feed our little man a bottle and put him in a high chair for a little baby snack. By the time we got done, he was ready for napping in the stroller!

The cast members were very helpful and considerate of us having two small children.

Our experience was so great that we took the children back when they were almost three and almost six and are taking them back again next month at four and seven.

A little planning tip

In the months of September and October this year, Disney has free dining if you stay in one of their resorts. We were able to get a fabulous deal on our room, tickets, and lodging by going in the offseason. Additionally, to help plan our first trip with babies, we used, the book The Unofficial Guide to Disney World. It was well worth the $18 or so.

So, if you’re hesitant about taking babies or small children to Disney World, I recommend you cast your worries aside and just enjoy. Based on our experience, Disney World is one of the most family friendly places on earth and we keep going back.

More Baby Friendly Vacation Spots In Florida

Have you been to or are you planning a trip to Disney World with a baby or toddler? Join the conversation below!

Comments

Disney

by: Amberlina Nikohle

Hi, I have a seven month old… We were planning on waiting till he was older but from your story I was thinking of talking to his dad about going next summer perhaps or waiting till next fall. I was wondering which Disney world you went to, the one in Florida or a different one… Please let me know.

Re: Disney World-Florida

by: Debra Hadley

Hi Amberlina Yes, it was Disney World in Orlando, FL. We have had so much fun on our trips. Each trip is a different experience when your kids are different ages.

I truly think that Disney World (I have never been to Disney Land) is a fabulous place to visit for “kids” of all ages. Just consider your tolerance for heat and crowds. If your schedule offers flexibility, I would suggest going in the fall during the off-season period. The crowds are lighter, the weather is typically still warm, but not as hot as summer/spring. They have also been offering a lot of free dining promotions for the fall.

I hope that helps! We went last year at this time and loved it. I wish I could be there right now! :0)

Have a blessed day!

–Debra Hadley-

Disney does it right!

by: Anonymous

I went with my granddaughter (10 months) and daughter to Wild Kingdom, Disney Studios, and Epcot. The baby care centers were absolutely a blessing and needed facility while visiting the parks. We sought them out immediately on the map and were pleasantly pleased. We could heat up food, change, and rest when we needed and the rooms allowed us to move at the baby’s pace. We actually did 4 parks in 4 days (+ SeaWorld) and even though she was 10 months, we had a great time.
Don’t hesitate to go any of them with babies. So what if they don’t remember it? You can always go again because there is no way to cover everything in one trip anyway!
Have fun!

Thanks. I needed to read this.

by: Anonymous

Thanks so much. I needed to see this. We were considering taking our twin babies to Disney World. I think this has made up our mind for us.

A Baby-Friendly Disney Vacation

by: Patricia Kershaw

My husband and his parents went to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida many times when he was young. He loved every minute of every vacation he spent there with his family and thus when our son was born he insisted on taking him there. I was able to hold out until my daughter was born… then we went to Disney with a baby and a preschooler.

I was terrified but to my amazement, Disney is not only the most family friendly place, but it is also the most baby-friendly place around.

I found the “family bathrooms” to be easy to use for diaper changing and clean. I was able to get wait staff at restaurants to heat up my bottles. I was even able to carry my sleeping baby in a Baby Bjorn on several rides like Pirates of the Carribean and It’s a Small World.

When we got to our hotel we were able to reserve a crib for our room. We brought our own baby linens but I believe they had them available if we needed them.

Having a baby in tow at Disney was really fun. I think my baby actually had fun too!

Our trip to Disneyworld – loved it too!

by: Kim

We took our children to Disneyworld about 3 years ago, when our youngest was 13 months old. I thought I would normally never go there until all the children were older, but we had a relative living there for a short time and it really cut down the costs, so off we went.

I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy it was! They, of course, have strollers, but many of the restaurants and attractions don’t let them in and have you leave them outside. I thought for sure it wouldn’t be there when we got back, but after 3 days in the park, we never once “lost” it by leaving it out.

Also, because there are so many sights, so much fun music, and the characters walking around, he had a great time, even when we just walked him through the park. There was so much to take in, it kept him occupied and in a great mood all day!

And, with a couple of extra adults always willing to take turns with him as we went on the rides, we ended up having a great time.

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