Right now I’m in the middle of planning a trip to Disneyland with my Cars obsessed toddler twins (I know, I am insane). Last time we travelled the (now) middle child had just turned two and we made so many toddler travel mistakes. So here you go, learn from my failures and master taking your toddler (or toddlers) on a successful Disney vacation.
Bring your stroller
This is one area I actually didn’t mess up, but it could have been disastrous. I flip flopped on the idea of actually bringing the stroller at all since we typically wore our toddler at the time. She was tiny and effortless to carry in the Ergo so it seemed like a great way to avoid the burden of a stroller. In the end we did end up wearing the toddler in the airport, but not necessarily out of choice. A family member that travelled with us didn’t bring her stroller (opting instead to rent in the park) and found there was no easy way to contain her heavy 18 month old. The stroller was a huge lifesaver not just as a way to contain the toddler and lighten the physical load of carrying her, but it was also super useful to carry all the toddler crap. Win-win. Click here for more reasons why you should bring your stroller.
Pack snacks
With the exception of candy and ice cream, my toddler didn’t much care for the food options in the Disney park. In fact, all of my kids struggled to find something that was a decent balance of healthy and tastey while we were there. Plus snacks at the parks are ridiciously, budget blowingly expensive.
Toddlers need to eat more often than adults do and when they they’re hungry, watch out. Ward off a few meltdowns by packing toddler-friendly snacks each morning. You should aim to bring about double what you think you’ll need for to recover from an inevitable spill or you needing a snack too. Don’t forget to stay hydrated too.
Dress for the weather
Toddlers are especially prone to temperatures and sunlight so make sure to keep them in mind when you’re spending all day in the park. Something we weren’t prepared for was how chilly it got in the evenings when the sun went down since we travelled in the winter time. We ended up needing to pick up a fleece oneise from the gift shop for the littlest one to stay warm. Make sure you bring everything you need for the varied weather when you head to the park or be ready to return to your hotel to retrieve needed items. Some lightweight and verstile ideas for toddlers are legwarmers and small blankets for cool weather and a portable fan when it’s warm. If you’re using a stroller take special consideration of how it’s being affected by the weather. In the heat use a light weight sun shade but never drape a heavier blanket over top because it can get dangerously warm. Be careful not to park it in direct sunlight when you’re taking a break and stick to shady areas during the hotter parts of the day. When it’s cool don’t forget that the toddler’s going to be cooler than you in the stroller because they’re not moving around.
Cater to the toddler’s nap schedule
This one is going to vary a lot depending on your toddler’s personality. My kids adapted well to being dragged around during naps and past bedtime because they were so excited to be at the park. The toddler napped well in the stroller and it worked out great. Not all toddlers are going to be that way, though! If you think your toddler’s going to need some extra quiet time to nap (and will be a monster if they skip) seriously consider either staying on site or at a place that’s only a very short distance away. Walking distance or somewhere with free transportation is ideal or else you’ll need to budget for those extra travel costs. Also consider how long you’re willing to wait going back and forth and how much time will be lost due to naps. When booking airfare, consider how your toddler naps. If you think they’ll sleep on the plane try and schedule a flight during naptime but if they won’t aim for first thing in the morning.
Go with the flow
Toddlers are unpredicatable and no amount of forward planning can possible prepare you for all the things these tots can throw your way. At some points during your Disney trip you’re going to need to just go with the flow and follow your toddler’s lead. That might mean adapting your schedule a bit to suit their needs or spending a bit of time at the pool instead of in the park. Something to keep in mind when you’re toddler is doing one of those classic toddler meltdowns is that even if you feel judged no one at the park is going to see you again. You and your toddler are part of the everyone that’s welcome at the Disney parks and it’s just as much the toddler’s vacation as it is someone else’s. Do what you can but don’t let a few bad moments ruin your day or trip.
Some bonus tips:
Pack a few treats alongside snacks to help pacify a toddler who saw something they want or needs a small bribe
Bring small toys or activities to play with while waiting in line
Let your toddler have periods of unstructured time to recharge
Make sure if you’re using a stroller that your toddler gets time to run around too
Avoid gift shops when possible
From personal experience adorable toddlers, especially in costume, get special treatment from the cast
The park is loud and overwhelming, keep that in mind and manage your expectations
If your toddler is a runner a baby carrier, stroller, or even backpack harness is a great option
This is a question that comes up a lot for families embarking on their first ever Disney vacation with young children. If you’re a babywearing or family of preschoolers you’re probably questioning bringing a stroller at all. Even if you think you need one, what are the logistics of bringing a stroller into the Disney parks?
Should you bring a stroller to your Disney vacation to Disneyland or Walt Disney world?
Travelling to Disney With a Stroller
If you’re flying, strollers are handy to have in the airport in order to keep your kids safe and carry your stuff. They typically can be gate checked so they accompany you right to boarding. For those who like to travel light, though, a baby in a carrier and a backpack is much easier than pushing the stroller through the airport. It’s all about preference and age of the kids here.
Another thing to consider is if you have a long waiting period between connections or distance to travel inside the airport. A stroller with toddlers or preschoolers can be a lifesaver when rushing to the other side of the airport. It also is a handy place for naps.
Lastly, on our recent Disneyland trip with twins who just turned 4 our double stroller was a great way to contain rambunctious twins through customs.
Walking Around the Parks
A Disney vacation involves a lot of walking. Even the smaller parks are still quite large and you’ll spend a lot of time on your feet, not to mention travelling to and from each park. Babywearing is fine but can be tiring for some people to do all day. Plus most of the time you’ll be visiting in warm weather and that means extra discomfort.
Expecting a toddler to walk everywhere multiple days in the park is simply unrealistic. Not only is it too much physically for them, it’s also very crowded so they will need to stick by you. Strollers can help keep kids safe. Even if they just take turns riding, children under the age of 5 are probably going to need some kind of transportation or a LOT of breaks for your older preschoolers.
The parks themselves are pretty stroller friendly and there aren’t many places that you won’t be able to fit into. In fact, they’re expected. There are, however, certain places you’re not allowed to bring a stroller into.
Update for 2019: With Galaxy’s Edge opening, especially at Disneyland, it’s probably going to be more crowded in certain areas. Disneyland has a tendency to bottleneck and this is exacerbated by strollers. Stick to the right hand side when travelling through crowds.
Stroller Parking at Disney
Around the Disney parks there are stroller parking areas. These are located near attractions that you cannot bring your stroller into and outside of restaurants. Stroller parking is unsupervised but cast members do regularly reshuffle the parking to accommodate more people. The stroller parking is very convenient but sometimes you will have a bit of a hike to and from, which can be irritating. We also used our stroller as a meeting point for our 9 year year old on our most recent Disneyland vacation for any times he rode rides alone.
Shopping With a Stroller
Most places will let you bring in a stroller but it’s cumbersome. Most of the time you end up having one person stay outside with the stroller (and kids) and the other one enter for souvenir shopping. If not, then you’ll probably be ditching the stroller outside the door (like we did) while you shop together. There are some exceptions with the larger stores but any parent who has shopped with a stroller in a boutique knows how that usually works out.
One advantage to having the stroller though is if you’re not staying in a Disney resort (that allows your purchases to be forwarded to your room) you have a place to carry your stuff.
Carrying Your Stuff
When visiting a Disney Park you’re probably going to be going home with a lot of cool stuff, but you also bring a bunch into the park each day. To save on money you’re probably going to want a pack a cooler filled with lunch and snacks, some water bottles (although you can ask for free water in the parks it’s a pain to wait in line), and other practical things like sweaters or hats.
Without a stroller you end up carrying all this in your backpack which means trying to find a place for it when you go on rides and possibly sore shoulders. We left everything in our stroller basket and nothing was ever out of place when we retrieved it at the stroller parking after each ride. Plus no carrying heavy water bottles or food.
Naps and Rest on Vacation
If you have kids that are still napping age and will sleep in the stroller it can save you from having to head back to the hotel for a sleep. With kids of multiple ages this means that they can catch some toddler-unfriendly rides while the little one(s) nap or parents of one or two nappers can enjoy a meal or show with their sleeping children.
Older kids who don’t nap may still need longer rest periods. Again, if you’re willing to take a lot of breaks this isn’t a problem but families of multiple kids may end up with one child who needs to rest while the others are still ready to go. It’s hard to get multiple people on the same energy schedule. Our son, who was 5 at the time, ended up feeling unwell on our trip and took advantage of the stroller a few times.
Should You Take a Stroller on your Disney vacation? You know yourself and your kids
Some kids are easy to wear or have great stamina and behaviour for walking. If your toddler refuses to nap in the stroller for the entire day and only naps in the hotel room taking the stroller is now an extra burden. Other kids have lower energy and are very content to ride in the stroller so it might be a necessity for those families. Think about the last time you visited a local theme park, zoo, or other all-day, large scale event and how your children handled that.
Don’t forget to also include the logistics: how much gear you need to bring or what you’ll just buy in park, who you’ll be with and if you’ll split up, and what the weather is going to be like when you visit.
