I have often encountered guests nervous about bringing a baby along on a Walt Disney World vacation. While any trip with a little one can be challenging, a trip to Walt Disney World is about as easy as travel gets. Disney is totally used to having infants among their guest population and have systems and supplies on hand to make a visit with a baby as easy as possible. To make things even more smoothly for mom and dad, here are some things you should consider when planning a Disney trip with a baby.

Air travel can be tough on little ears

It's easy to have a great time at Walt Disney World, even with several small children in tow.

It’s difficult to predict how an infant will react to his first air travel. Feeding a baby, or offering a pacifier, may make it easier for the child to equalize ear pressure. If you’ve had a bad experience flying in the past, you may want to discuss with your pediatrician the possibility of using a pain reliever such as children’s Tylenol.

Your baby can go with you on any ride for which there is no height requirement

This gives you dozens of options at Walt Disney World. At the Magic Kingdom alone, babies can go on Buzz Lightyear, the Peoplemover, the teacups, the carousel, Small World, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. And that doesn’t include shows, parades, or character greeting experiences. You won’t lack for things to do at the parks. If there are more intense rides that you’d like to go on, but which don’t allow tots, then you can take advantage of Disney’s Rider Swap option.

Your baby will likely be more comfortable in your own stroller

The Disney rental strollers are hard plastic with no padding or support. Additionally, the Disney strollers must stay in the theme parks. They are really most appropriate for toddlers or preschoolers. For a smaller child, you’ll want something softer that reclines. You’ll also want to make sure that you have a stroller than can be used throughout your vacation: at the airport, at your resort, at Downtown Disney, etc. If bringing your own stroller doesn’t make sense, you’re likely to be better off with an independent rental than with the Disney strollers.

Strollers are not allowed in ride lines. Have a plan for how you’re going to carry your baby while you’re waiting for rides

Having a comfortable stroller will make the whole family more comfortable.

If you have a good touring plan, you won’t be spending tons of time in line, but even in the best of circumstances you’ll be spending at least a bit of your day hanging out in a queue. A fifteen or twenty pound baby can feel like a lead weight when you’re holding her in line on day six of your vacation. Consider bringing a Baby Bijorn or similar front carrier or sling to use in lines. In many cases, you can continue to wear your baby while you’re on the attraction itself.

If you’re using only Disney transportation, you won’t need a car seat during your vacation

Car seats are neither required nor permitted on any form of Disney transportation. This includes the Magical Express buses from the airport, as well as the resort-to-park buses, boats, and monorails. You can hold your baby in your lap on any of these vehicles. Of course if you’re riding in a car, your baby will need a car seat. Most auto rental agencies will also rent car seats. Of course you will also want to check with your airline about what their child restraint recommendations or requirements are.

Practice with the Pack n’ Play

The standard Disney crib is a Graco Pack n’ Play play yard. These are readily available outside Walt Disney World, perhaps you have one already or have a neighbor from whom you can borrow one. It may be worth it to have your child practice sleeping in a Pack n’ Play at home for a while so that it’s familiar before your trip. There may be a VERY limited number of standard cribs available to borrow at Walt Disney World. If you child won’t sleep in a Pack n’ Play, you may want to inquire about getting a real crib in your room. Or if you don’t want to take your chances on crib availability, there are a number of independent companies who rent baby supplies, such as cribs, in the Orlando area.

Naps

In my experience, the closer I kept to my daughter’s regular nap schedule, the better time we had in the parks. Naps give everyone a much needed break from the hyper-stimulating theme park environment. Be sure to put some down time into your schedule.

Modify your expectations

Sometimes the best vacation fun isn't found in the parks.

While you may have been a theme park commando in your pre-parent days, your baby doesn’t (yet) understand the allure of the Ultimate Touring Plan. To an infant, a duck swimming in the Castle moat and Donald Duck’s fuzzy wings may be equally, or even more, entertaining than a stage show or ride. It’s OK to have a loose plan, but give yourself permission to abandon it if circumstances warrant.

The Baby Care Centers are your friend

Each of the Disney theme parks has a Baby Care Center. Locations are noted on the park maps. The Baby Care centers are quiet and air-conditioned, a real haven during the warmer months. They have multiple changing tables, a darkened seating area, electric outlets for breast pumps, kitchen equipment for warming food or bottles, and a supply of baby food, formula, and diapers for sale.

It’s OK to breastfeed your baby anywhere at Walt Disney World

The Baby Care Centers are a great place to cool off.

Florida law allows breastfeeding anywhere in public. However, if you’re looking for a quiet or private place to nurse, you can use the Baby Care Centers. Other good spots are longer or show-type attractions including Carousel of Progress, Country Bear Jamboree, or Hall of Presidents in the Magic Kingdom; American Adventure, Circle of Life, or Ellen’s Energy Adventure in Epcot; Voyage of the Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; or Finding Nemo or Flights of Wonder at the Animal Kingdom.

Figure out your diaper strategy ahead of time

The Disney shops carry only a very small selection of diapers and wipes, at a hefty price premium. Check out our suggestions about ways to have your diaper supply at Walt Disney World more economically than that.

Figure out your baby food strategy ahead of time

The baby food situation is similar to the diaper situation. The selection is small and prices are high. Plan to shop in Orlando, get a grocery delivery, or bring your own feeding supplies from home.

Take lots of photos

Your baby may not remember a trip as an infant, but when she’s a bit older you can use photos to remind her of the trip. This can help set the stage for a positive future visit.

Don’t be afraid to bring reinforcements

The Country Bear Jamboree can be a nice place to take a breastfeeding break.

If the number of babies is equal to or greater than the number of adults in your party, having an extra pair of hands can be a real sanity saver for all. My family made several Walt Disney World visits when we had three children under the age of five. It’s certainly possible to do this with two adults, but we had a better time when we brought along the grandparents, or even a babysitter.

So parents of teeny tots, what have been your best strategies for traveling to Walt Disney World with a baby? What do you wish someone had told you when you first visited as a parent? Let us know in the comments below.

Tips for Bringing an Infant to Walt Disney World is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

If you bring small children to the Disney parks, you’re going need the poop on the diaper situation. (Sorry, I had to. )

On the plus side, finding a place to change junior is no problem at all. Disney knows its clientele well and has outfitted nearly every public restroom in the parks and resorts with a changing table. Even most of the men’s rooms are equipped with changing facilities. All the restroom locations are noted on the park maps, or just ask a cast member to point you in the right direction.

Buying Diapers

While finding a convenient spot to change the baby is easy, finding fresh diapers to change your baby into can be more of a challenge. Diapers and wipes are sold in all of the resort gift shops, in vending machines in select restrooms, and at the in-park baby care centers (locations are noted on the park maps). However, the brand and size selections available here are extremely limited. Generally, you will only find Huggies brand size 3 or 4 sold in the parks and resorts, generally at a premium price. If you’ve got a newborn or an older toddler, or are price sensitive (and aren’t we all), you’re out of luck. Similarly, pull-ups and other specialty diapers are in short supply.

Typical WDW resort gift shop baby care supply section.

This means that you’ll need to acquire your diaper supply in one of the following ways:

• Bring a box from home. Easy if you’re traveling by car, somewhat more difficult if you’re flying.
• Stop at a local Orlando-area supermarket, drugstore, or discount store. Works if you are using a towncar service or rental car.
• Arrange for a delivery to your hotel from a local grocery service such as gardengrocer.com. A good choice if you also need baby food, snacks, water, and other items delivered.
• Arrange for a delivery to your hotel from a local drugstore such as turnerdrug.com. A good choice if you also need prescription or non-prescription medications.
• Mail a box of supplies to yourself at your hotel. You can do this directly or through a mail order retailer such as Amazon.com. A good choice if your have mulitiple children in diapers or will be subject to substantial airline baggage fees. Call the hotel to get the exact mailing address.

Before deciding which route to take, it pays to do a bit of math. There may be delivery fees with any of the services noted above. Be sure to factor those costs in when making your budget projections.

While each family will develop their own strategy about how to manage diaper supplies, because of the possible lack of availability of the right size/style while touring, you’ll want to bring several more diapers that you think you’ll need into the park each day. What worked for us was stocking a large diaper bag with two full days worth of supplies. We left the bag in the stroller while we enjoyed the rides and attractions. However, each time we left the stroller, we were sure to bring at least two diapers (as well as our valuables) with us in a small purse or backpack. This way we were not weighed down in lines, but felt safe that we had enough baby care supplies on hand for emergencies.

Potty Training Strategies

Once you have your supply situation sorted out, changing diapers at the parks is a breeze. A more difficult problem is taking a child to the Disney parks (or to any new place) while he or she potty training or newly potty trained. The hyper-stimulating theme park environment can make even the most skilled preschooler forget firmly established bathroom habits. With many guests booking vacation travel months or even years in advance, it can be difficult to predict exactly where your child will be on the potty training spectrum at the time of your trip. With one of my children, I actually delayed fully training one of my daughters, keeping her in pull-ups until after a WDW trip, because I wanted to avoid potentially messy accidents.

Look for restroom and baby care center locations on the park maps.

If you are going to bring a training or newly trained youngster to the parks, you should be aware of the following:

• Each theme park has a baby care center with a toddler-sized flush toilet. However, there is only one per park. Planning to use this as your main toilet is not a realistic option.
• Your child may be too distracted to tell you when he needs to go. Try taking him to the restroom before every ride or two. Be sure to factor in wait times as well as the length of the actual ride when estimating how long you’ll be away from toilet facilities.
• Use tools like touringplans.com and Lines to minimize time in lines. However, if you do find yourself in a lengthy queue and a bathroom emergency arises, you might be able to return to your spot in line without additional wait time. For attractions with Fastpasses, cast member attendants have the discretion to issue you a special pass to use the Fastpass line. While this is not guaranteed, speak to the cast member at the queue entrance if you find yourself in this situation.
• Most of the in-park restrooms have automatic flush toilets. These are motion sensitive and are prone to mid-business activation by squirmy toddlers, thus terrifying them. A common solution is to bring a roll of painter’s tape or a pad of Post-Its into the restroom to cover and temporarily disable the motion sensor. Just remember to throw out the tape or paper when you’re done.
• There are no mini porta-potties for sale at Walt Disney World. If that’s the only way your child can go, you’ll need to bring one from home.
• Our personal lifesaver was a portable folding toddler toilet seat. This item compacts to about the size of a hardcover novel (not tiny, but easy enough to fit in a backpack), costs less than $20, and can be found at retailers like Babys-R-Us and Amazon.com. This converts any regular toilet seat into just the right size for a training tush, eliminating fears of “falling in.”

Swimming

Disney posts signs near each of its many pools which state: “For your safety, diaper-age children must wear plastic pants or swim diapers…” The lifeguards do not police this policy and leaves the use of swim diapers to the discretion of the parents. If you feel that your child is not “diaper-age” any more, then you can skip the swim diaper.

Pool rules for diaper-age children.

While Disney leaves a lot up to individual families, you may want to consider that WDW is a new and challenging environment for some toddlers. They’re tired, or they’re preoccupied with having fun in a place they’ve never been, or spending all day in the water is a new experience, etc. And the child might forget some recently learned skills. When in doubt err on the side of caution. There are swim diapers for sale in the gift shops at the water parks and most of the resorts. Again, sizes are limited and prices are high, so bringing some from home can make things easier.

Have you brought a diaper-aged child to Walt Disney World? What were your challenges? What solutions did you devise? Let us know in the comments.

Disney and the Diaper: Managing Diaper and Potty-Training Issues at Walt Disney World is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.