{Hoosier Momma Moment} Walt Disney World with a Baby

When Justin and I told family and friends we were bringing Maisy to Walt Disney World at only 4 and a half months old, we got more than crazy looks… We had people telling us we were beyond crazy!

Justin and were lucky on this first trip with Maisy to WDW because my parents were with us, but we braved the parks on our own several days and more than survived–we had the time of our lives!

Thinking of toting your little one along on a trip to Disney? Here are some tips, one Momma to another.

Let’s start with admission. The number one comment Justin and I got when we mentioned taking Maisy to Disney was “You’re going to spend all that money for her to never remember it?”. Everyone seemed to be under the impression that we were paying for Maisy to have a ticket!

As current ticket standards go, all infants two and under are welcome into any Disney Parks without a ticket. That’s right, FOR FREE! After that, they qualify for a Children’s ticket between the ages of 3 and 9 and 10 and over are considered adults.

If you travel to Disney as frequently as we do, taking advantage of those first free years are not only convenient, they are necessary!

The second question we were always asked was “What is she going to do?”. While there’s no baby-labeled area specifically for infants at Walt Disney World, there are plenty of attractions and shows infants can ride on and enjoy with their parents. These include, but are not limited to those listed below. Be advised; attractions listed in bold allow infants but are not necessarily baby-centered due to anything from scary situations, to loud noises.

Magic Kingdom: Dumbo, The Walt Disney World Railroad, Peter Pan’s Flight, It’s a Small World, People Mover, Cinderella’s Carousel, Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor, The Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear, Winnie the Pooh, Dream Along with Mickey, Town Square Theater, Haunted Mansion, Stories with Belle, Casey Junior, Pete’s Silly Sideshow, Philharmagic, Flying Carpets, Hall of Presidents, Country Bear Jamboree, Pirates of the Caribbean, Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

EPCOT: Mexico ride, Norway Ride, France Movie, China Movie, Canada Movie, American Adventure, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, Innovations, Captain EO, Imagination with Figment

Hollywood Studios: Beauty and the Beast Show, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Toy Story Mania, Disney Junior Show, Backlot Tour, Little Mermaid Show, Great Movie Ride.

Animal Kingdom: It’s Tough to be a Bug, Finding Nemo the Musical, Kilimanjaro Safari, Festival of the Lion King

Please note, these are just some of the attractions at Disney. Keep in mind, any attraction that does not have a height requirement or harness will allow infants to ride.

Want a free memento to remind you of your little one’s amazing first visit to Disney? Stop by any Guest Relations location at any park and pick up a first visit button!

Rider Swap is one of Disney’s best kept secrets. If you and your partner both want to go on Rockin’ Rollar Coaster but you don’t have anyone to watch your little one, Rider Swap is simply amazing. Go up to a Cast Member at an attraction with a height requirement and say you are interested in a Rider Swap.

These work like Fast Passes, allowing one person and up to three guests get on the attraction while someone else stays with the infant. When the attraction is over, the person waiting with the baby is allowed to go on the attraction, again with three guests, while someone else sits with the baby.

When it comes to attractions, however, the best form of entertainment for your little one is faces! Take your infant to Meet-and-Greets like the ones at Town Square Theater with the Princesses, (Maisy loved meeting Cinderella) or check out the Merida meet-and-greet at the fairytale gardens.

The most important thing about taking a baby anywhere is to keep them on their schedule. So it’s necessary to make sure you’re packing the tools you need to make it as easy on you as possible to keep baby happy and keep your vacation a vacation. Below you’ll find some of my favorite tools to have on hand for any long days out:

– Munchkin Food Pouch Spoon Attachments: These little babies attach to those nifty baby food pouches, making it much easier to feed baby on the go.
– Munchkin Formula Powder Divider: perfect for carrying several feeding’s worth of formula powder so you don’t need to return home in the middle of the day for a feeding, or carry around
– Rubbermaid Water Bottles: I use these to hold up to twenty ounces of water for formula so I don’t need to search the parks for a water fountain or, even worse, spend four dollars for a bottle of water every three hours!
– Charlie Banana Wet Bag: Any wet bags are really excellent. We use them for Maisy’s wet (or poopy) clothes from blow outs and leaks, or wet clothes for rainy days. We never leave home without one
– Babyganics Wipes: These are great because they are free of any parabens, sulfates, chlorine, toxins, or fragrance. Perfectly safe for hands, face, and bums.
– Babyganics Stain Eraser: I keep this stuff in the wet bag for emergencies. Again, no parabens, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, or toxins. Perfect to treat the collar of that onesie your baby was chewing on all day.
– California Baby Super Sensitive Broad Spectrum SPF 30+ Sunscreen Stick: I love this thing, it’s perfect for fast application and no streaky, stinky, messes. Plus it has full UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection and contains organic and sustainably grown ingrediants.
– Aden and Anais muslin blankets: I have raved about these blankets before. Not only are these blankets amazing, they are such a comfort item for Maisy because she’s been wrapped in them since the day she was born! The light fabric breathes easily but kept the sun off her legs. We adore them!

This is Florida so absolutely do not forget a sunhat and a cover for the stroller when it rains. Both will likely happen each day!

We also never left the hotel without some sort of carrier–whether my Moby Wrap or Justin’s Baby Bjorn. It gets exhausting for a baby to sit in a stroller all day. Carrying them allows them to stretch their legs (and give you a great work out too) It’s also a perfect opportunity for grandparents to get involved!

So say you packed your diaper bag full of everything you thought you need (and then some) and you get to the parks and it’s time for lunch. You reach into your bag and realize–ut oh– that adorable formula pod you packed up is sitting on the counter in the hotel and it’s too perfect a day to spend an hour going back and forth to the hotel to retrieve it.

(Yes, this happened to us….)

Enter Baby Care. They have everything baby needs including formula, pacis, diapers, wipes, fans, bottles, teethers. EVERYTHING. They also have a quiet place to nurse or feed the baby, and a quiet sanitized place to change a diaper too. First thing you need to do as a mom in Disney World is locate the baby care.

The most important tip I can give you, RELAX. Things will not always go according to plan. Your child may cry when they see Mickey. They may scream during fireworks. They may fall asleep during that character breakfast. Let them enjoy what they can, meanwhile take a walk around EPCOT and stop and have a margarita in Mexico–you’re on vacation too!

So there you have it, some little tips to help make your Disney vacation with your little one a bit smoother.

Have any other favorite Disney tips? Share them with me in comments.

Thanks for looking!