I Went To Disney World As A First-Time Mom And Here Are 18 Things I Wish Other Disney Parents Told Me Before I Went
I used to be a cast member, and I'm currently a Disney passholder. I love Disney world for the vibe. It's nice to go a place where everything is manicured and I can enjoy time with the people I love. Things have changed, though. I was a cast member when I was 19 years old. Now, almost a decade later, I have a one-year-old, and boy-oh-boy do I do Disney completely differently. Here are 18 tips I've learned from taking my kiddo to the parks.
1.Invest in a stroller cover.
Disney has strollers for rent for $15 a day, but we opted to take our little umbrella stroller from home (strollers fly free on most airlines). What I really should've brought is the rain slicker for the stroller. I hated putting my baby back in the wet stroller after it rained and wished I had a cover for it.
2.Splash pads + change of clothes = 😃
I HATE being wet and in regular clothes, so I kind of assumed my kid would hate that too. That's probably the wrongest I've ever been in my entire life. My toddler LOVES splash pads, and they're honestly a lifesaver in Florida heat. I bring a plastic bag and a change of clothes and let him run around and hit himself in the face with water. He thinks it's amazing. Disney with kids is simultaneously easier and more complex than Disney as an adult. It doesn't take much to impress them, but it's hard to switch my brain into baby mode to determine what he will find fun.
3.The Skyliner and monorail are basically free amusement rides.
We met up with my cousin and his kids (who are 2 and 4), and they were enthralled with the Skyliner. The Skyliner is a sky bucket system connecting Epcot and Hollywood Studios with four resorts on the property. Riding is totally free and fun. All three kids loved the view, spotting characters on the Skyliner and being up high.
4.Bring enough wipes.
I never pack enough diapers and wipes. Typically, I shove them in the bag with the car seat (car seats fly free on most airlines). We didn't bring the car seat since we have family that lives nearby, and Disney has many transportation methods. I just needed to buy an extra pack of diapers, which, of course, were more expensive (c'est la vie), but I also had to buy more wipes. Disney property only sold packs of 16 wipes, so I had to buy wipes on three separate occasions. I wish I would've just brought an extra regular pack in my suitcase because buying the travel-sized wipes on three separate occasions was a huge time suck.
5.Viva la snackle box.
Snackle box: a tackle-like box reinvented for snacks. Bribing my kid with snacks to keep them in their stroller is, quite frankly, the only thing that works for me. I've also noticed that a child's taste buds seemingly change every 30 seconds because I can get my something I know he loves; he won't eat it, be hungry 20 minutes later, then eat a snack. Anyway, I've learned parenting is always being ready with a snack, so a snackle box is crucial for a day at the parks.
6.Skip Genie+.
Genie+ is Disney World's service where you can book times to get on a ride so you don't have to wait in the standby line. While Genie+ is good because kids under 3 don't need the service to ride when an adult has a Genie+ booking, we found ourselves going on lower-intensity rides and spending more time walking around, so we didn't utilize Genie+ as much as we wanted.
7.Splurge on a character breakfast instead.
I always like saying that character dining is worth it if you want to meet characters. You tend to meet at least four characters while eating; they come to you, and you don't have to wait in line. I am an even bigger fan of this tip WITH kids. Kids love to meet the characters, but lines for princesses are long, and inevitably, the kids will hit you with "I wanted to meet [insert Disney character here]" at 8:55 when the park closes at 9. Therefore, it's fantastic to go to breakfast when everyone is fresh-faced; there's no threat of a nap missing a character moment, and you can meet all the characters in the A/C without waiting.
8.Epcot is the best park for toddlers.
My family will read this and snicker because whenever I suggest a plan, it's Epcot. It's also my favorite park. However, Epcot has a splash pad, Moana: The Journey of Water, an aquarium, an indoor playground, an outdoor playground, and two boat rides. You can get to it by monorail or Skyliner. It's optimal for little ones. I don't think any other park has that many places for toddlers to run around and play.
9.Take a pool day.
We were so hot at the Magic Kingdom that we decided to call it at 3 p.m. to go back to the pool. It was the right decision. Typically, I would have been angry that we weren't at the parks getting our money's worth. However, I think keeping the kiddos happy is getting our money's worth. It's worth skipping out of the parks for a few hours to hang out at the hotel, get a quality non-stroller nap, and recharge.
10.Find the launderette.
Laundry at the hotel is something I didn't do until I had kids. Some days, though, mine would burn through three outfits. Between the sweat and him trying to feed himself, even though he isn't particularly good at it, most of our clothes got dirty. The laundry rooms at our Disney hotel were an amenity I didn't know I needed.
11.Split up.
Being with a tot at Disney inevitably means you can't do everything there because of wait times, height requirements, or logistics. I think the most successful trips are when groups are OK with splitting up and doing different things. A lot of times, we'd have almost all of the adults go on one ride while one or two stayed behind watching the kids on the playground. It's better that way than always trying to do everything together.
12.Rider swap is nice, but sometimes inconvenient.
Disney has a rider swap service where, if your whole party can't ride, Disney will issue a Lightning Lane entry (their version of a priority pass) to the adults staying behind with the kids, so they can, in essence, skip the wait and ride the ride after the first party is done riding. However, cast members at the front of the line must see the kids to issue one. While I understand this is in place so nobody can cheat the system, if the kids are occupied somewhere, we didn't want to load them in their car seats to take them to the front of a ride and then turn around and walk away. While it's a good idea if you're right in front of the ride, don't feel it's necessary if the kids are already occupied.
13.Don't underestimate how magical hotel rooms are.
By far, my kiddo's favorite part of our trip was running around the hotel room. It was clean, relatively non-hazardous, and the perfect size where he could have some independence but he was easy to have eyes on. In the future, I would rather go less time at the parks and use that money for a nicer, closer hotel than get park tickets every day.
14.Opt for a place with a boat, monorail, or Skyliner connection so you don't have to collapse a stroller.
If you're staying on property (which is by far the easiest), I can think of 13 hotels off of the top of my head that you don't have to use the bus from if you want to get to the parks. If you ride a boat, monorail, or Skyliner, you can keep the strollers up and don't have to empty them and fold them up to ride (unless you have a side-by-side double stroller on the Skyliner, which you do have to collapse).
15.Forget the nighttime shows, and opt for a final ride instead.
I LOVE Disney World's nighttime spectaculars, but the tots were all scared of fireworks. Instead, we used that time (when people all flock to the front of the park to watch) to meet characters or go on a popular ride without having to wait in its usually hefty line.
16.Utilize baby care.
There is a baby care at every park, which has rocking chairs and baby items for sale (including food, snacks, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, and other baby things). It also has a sink, changing tables, and a microwave, which is good because you inevitably need a small appliance or two to get you through your day.
17.Pin trading is great for littles.
I used to pin trade when I was a kid at the parks, and I've seen it's actually very fun for the kids to do when we visit now. It's pretty low stakes, and they get some experience introducing themselves to friendly strangers. The first few trades, my niece needed some help, but after that, she asked us all to go with her up to pin boards to look for new ones.
18.Finally, beware of squirrels!
They're relentless! I watched squirrels go into strollers in stroller parking to snipe snacks. Make sure your snackle box has a lid and your items are secured. They'll find the food!
Do you have any tips for Disney with toddlers? Share with the rest of us in the comments below.
