7 tips on visiting Disney World with young children

Planning a Walt Disney World vacation can be stressful, especially if it is your first visit. Planning a Disney World vacation and bringing along your children can make it seem even more overwhelming. 

I went on Disney vacations with my husband for years before we decided to have kids. I will admit, I was that person that said “I will never do Disney with diapers and strollers.  I will wait to bring my kids until they are old enough to remember it.” 

Ten years later, we have taken our daughters (now 2 and 6) to Disney World seven times. My 6-year old daughter has stayed in 11 different Disney resorts. I have taken my kids when they were as young as 7 months old. 

Traveling with small children can definitely be a challenge, but I’m here to give you just a few tips on how to prepare to visit Disney World with kids:

1. You’re on the kids’ schedule now.  Lower your expectations and know that you most likely will not be able to see everything that you want to see. You know your kids best. Don’t push them beyond their limits and try to cram too much in (I am guilty of this too!). When they get tired and crabby, head back to the hotel for a mid-day break.

2. Bring your stroller to ease tired feet. You can also rent one at the parks or from an outside vendor if you would like to use it outside of the theme parks.  Put something on your stroller to identify it quickly, as it will get parked with the millions of other strollers brought to the parks.  Cast members do often have to move strollers around to make space so sometimes it may not be parked in the same spot you left it in.  We tie a bright orange bandanna to our stroller.

Another tip about strollers. You do need to fold them to board the Disney bus and boat transportation. If you stay at a Disney resort that offers Disney Skyliner transportation (Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, Riviera), single strollers can roll right on to the skyliner.  Double strollers depending on size may need to be folded.  If you stay at a Disney resort that offers monorail transportation (Grand Floridian, Polynesian Village, Contemporary / Bay Lake Tower), strollers can be taken on without having to fold up.  For the most convenience, consider staying at a skyliner or monorail resort if traveling with small children.  Trust me, there is nothing better than not having to disturb a sleeping child from their stroller!

3. Utilize the baby care centers.  Each park has one, and they are the BEST.  They offer a quiet space for older kids to cool off and watch cartoons. They have nursing rooms, changing tables, restrooms and baby items to purchase, such as diapers, wipes, sunscreen, medication and baby food.  There is a small kitchen, with a microwave to warm bottles and a small sink. 

Magic Kingdom’s baby care center is located between Casey’s and the Crystal Palace.  EPCOT’s baby care center is located just before you get to the Mexico pavilion in the World Showcase in the Odyssey building.  Hollywood Studios’ baby care center is located right at the front of the park, and Animal Kingdom’s baby care center is located to the left of the Tree of Life when you enter the park, behind the Starbucks.

4. Prepare smaller kids for Disney characters. If you have smaller kids, prepare them for the Disney characters by showing them YouTube videos and getting them familiar so that they are not scared when they see them in person.  You’d be surprised at how scary Mickey Mouse can be to a 2-year-old who’s never seen him before!

5. Use the Rider Switch service. Stop by the cast member at the front of select popular Disney attractions at each of the four theme parks and let them know you would like a rider switch pass. They will need to see your entire group present.  One adult can stay with the child that is too small to ride (or too scared to ride!) while the other family members will enter in the regular line and ride the attraction. The waiting adult will be given a return time, similar to a Fastpass, so that the adult that rode first will now wait with the child unable or unwilling to ride, while the second adult that waited plus one other guest will now get to ride with little to no wait and enter through the Fastpass line.

6. Go during the less busy time of year. If your kids may not be good with standing in lines, you may want to consider visiting at less busy times of the year, typically whenever the kids are in school.  Summer vacation and holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to be the busiest weeks at Walt Disney World.  

7. Take those vacations.  Don’t wait until your kids are older. Big plus – they are free before they turn 3!  Younger children may not remember it, but YOU will always have those memories!!!  I will never forget my daughter walking hand in hand with Sleeping Beauty, or the smiles on their faces when they saw the castle for the first time.  

These are just a few ideas to make your vacation a little less stressful. And here is my biggest tip of all – use a travel agent, preferably one from MousePros! Our services are always free, and include booking your dining reservations, setting up Fastpasses (temporarily unavailable due to the pandemic), booking airport shuttles and stroller rentals, as well as guiding you through the My Disney Experience app and new park reservations system. Our MousePros agents will take care of everything for you, including applying any discounts that should come out even after you book, and you can just sit back, relax and enjoy your vacation.

(Jenna Augustine can be reached at jenna@mousepros.com.)

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