With experience from hundreds of visits to Disneyland with my daughter as an infant and toddler, it’s easy to forget the challenges we have faced to make park visits enjoyable over the years. We love visiting Disneyland and drive there from Arizona multiple times each year. I’ll openly admit going to the park with our daughter for the first time at just nine months old was scary. We were no longer the Disneyland navigating pros going to our favorite vacation destination. We were terrified first time parents with a baby in a giant wonderful place full of an overwhelming amount of magic. I’m sharing our travel tips for Disneyland with infants and toddlers because planning a vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth should include a few easy tricks to make it fun for everyone.
My daughter is now almost tall enough to go on all the attractions at Disneyland and California Adventure and going to the parks feels easy. Currently, at five years old, my daughter’s favorite attraction at Disneyland is Thunder Mountain. But up to this point, we’ve spent the last five years learning tricks and tips to make Disneyland with infants and toddlers easy and fun.
My daughter’s first time riding Thunder Mountain
Friends ask me a lot for my best travel tips for Disneyland with infants and toddles. They want to know about where we stay, how we pack, and surviving the road trip. Once you’ve survived getting there, friends want tips about Disneyland rides, naps and breaks, balloons, candy, Tinker Bell and the Princesses, dining, and a few more must sees. With so much information to share, this tip list is long but it well worth your time to plan well. I grew up going to Disneyland every summer and my husband’s family went to Disney World often when he was a child. We visit frequently and always miss the parks the day we leave.
Growing up near Disney World, my husband wasn’t convince Disneyland would be any fun. He was sure because of its small size (compared to Disney World) the park would be boring. After dating for a couple of years, I finally convinced him to go for a weekend with me July 2004. He was hooked! By 2005 we had annual passes and were going on frequent road trips to California. Each year it made financial sense for us to renew our passes because of the many weekends we spent at the park. We didn’t renew our annual passes the year I was pregnant with our daughter. We honestly thought we would wait several years before taking her to Disneyland. I remember a conversation in which we recalled all the miserable looking parents we had seen together over the years we had been visiting Disneyland. We could probably write a book quoting all the funny things we’ve heard parents say to their children! Before having children of our own we decided it didn’t look like any fun to bring a baby or toddler to Disneyland. That decision didn’t last very long. We talked ourselves into our daughter’s first Disneyland experience when she was only nine months old.I’m not convinced all those exhausted looking parents simply aren’t planning well for their visit to Disneyland with infants and toddlers.
Adding the final touch, a Tinkerbell hair clip, before my daughter’s first magical visit to Disneyland
The short trip definitely brought challenges but we had more good memories than bad from that weekend. We bought our annual tickets again and going to Disneyland quickly turned back into a regular road trip for us. By now, I definitely consider myself a professional at road tripping and going to Disneyland with a small child.
Most friends are completely surprised when I list all the attractions suitable for infants and toddlers. Most are curious about where we stay, where we eat, and our favorite activities. I really enjoy sharing our years of experience and am excited to hear about their successful trips too. This post shares all my best tips and information about how we survive six hours in the car to and from California with a toddler.
Where to stay
We’ve stayed at many different hotels in the Anaheim area. Some really good, some decent, and some bad. With a short list of favorites, each hotel has pros and cons but I’m only including the things that stand out most to me.
Hilton Anaheim
Pros: Starbucks in the lobby, walking distance to Disney
Cons: expensive room service with limited options for children, standard room is a studio
With a great view of Disneyland during most of our stays we are able to watch the fireworks from our room. They have a great water play area for kids and we’ve spent many afternoons at the pool. Sometimes we walk to Disneyland from here when the weather is nice.
Embassy Suites Anaheim – South
Pros: multiple room suites are standard, complimentary cooked to order breakfast, nightly Manager’s Reception with complimentary beverages and snacks
Cons: not realistic walking distance to Disneyland
The dining area is located in the center of the hotel. The area features a large mountain lion on top of rocks with water falls. The lion moves his head and occasionally roars. My daughter was extremely amused by the lions each time we stayed at this hotel! It definitely kept her in a high chair during breakfast when she was smaller! I should also add that breakfast is wonderful here! My daughter is an extremely picky eater and this hotel is a great option to avoid purchasing a large breakfast when you’re not sure if you’re kid will eat.
Doubletree Suites by Hilton Hotel Anaheim Resort – Convention Center
Cons: not realistic walking distance to Disneyland, standard room is a studio (suites are available for higher nightly rate)
Disney Properties: Paradise Pier Hotel, Grand Californian Hotel, and Disneyland Hotel
Pros: magic morning early entry (on select days guests are eligible to enter the park before it opens to the general public), all three hotels open directly to Downtown Disney or California Adventure (SHORT walk to parks), magic of Disney extends to hotels (rooms, restaurants, etc), on site character dining
Cons: $$$ (remember that you don’t have to pay for theme park parking when you can walk into the parks from your hotel – savings of $15/day), parking (long walk from your car to the hotel if you’re not using the valet), standard rooms are studios
We are big fans of all the Disney hotels! My very favorite place to stay is the Grand Californian Hotel because you can walk directly into California Adventure. I have endless nice things to say about the times we’ve spent at all three hotels. I’ll spare you all the details but I would definitely suggest checking out the sites and deciding what is important to your family when you think of planning your Disneyland vacation. Now that my daughter is older, getting on and off the tram to get to Disneyland from the parking garages isn’t such a hassle. It seemed we had so much more to carry when she was smaller (diapers, wipes, bottles, formula, baby food, etc.). Staying at the Disney hotels allows you to avoid carrying everything with you into the parks because you can easily leave and walk back to your room.
What to pack
It’s so easy to forget things when you’re packing. I start a word document on my computer and add to it as I think of things to pack. Don’t leave the simple things off your list. We once had to stop to purchase pacifiers. How on earth could I forget such a necessity? That list will save you time and money!
We always go overboard on buying snacks and drinks before we leave. I generally have a small bag of dry snacks that I keep in front of me on the floor board while we drive. This bag typically has granola bars, some candy, jerky, goldfish, and cheerios. All these food items are out of their cardboard boxes and placed in Ziploc freezer bags to save space. I always add a stash of plastic grocery bags here to serve as trash bags while we drive. Don’t forget your sippy cups, baby spoons, plastic bowls, straws, and wipes! The bag I keep in the front with me is a great place for these items. Our cold food items are on the back seat in an ice chest. We use a big rolling ice chest that later gets moved into our hotel room. We always bring plenty of water and Gatorade. You’ll want those to throw in the bottom of your stroller when you go into the Disney parks. Don’t waste your vacation money on bottled water! The items in our ice chest have changed drastically from the time my daughter was an infant. Obviously this will be different for all of you. Baby carrots and cut celery in Ziploc bags and cheese sticks were a staple for my daughter when she was small. Remember that most of the hotel rooms mentioned above have small refrigerators in the rooms so you can easily move all your cold items to the refrigerator during your stay and bring home the items you don’t use.
If you’re driving, you might want to throw in an umbrella. You might not need it, but you don’t want to have to purchase one when it starts raining.
If you are bringing pacifiers, bring along a pacifier clip. I remember losing pacifiers or dropping them and not being able to get to a sink quickly enough!
Another helpful thing I’ve found is having a blanket with stroller ties. This really isn’t necessary for the summer months but as it gets colder, it’s no fun picking up a blanket that has fallen off your cold baby in the stroller! I made my own by sewing ribbons to the corners of a fleece blanket . You also might want to consider a hat with ties. I know my daughter never wanted anything on her head and I had a really hard time keeping her warm when we visited Disneyland in the winter. Just like the DIY blanket, you can easily add a few ribbon straps to the bottom edge of a hat.
While we are on the subject of making your trip easier with babies, don’t forget a carrier! It might sound like a good idea to simply carry your child around Disneyland or let her sit in the stroller. Until she decides she hates her stroller and you are exhausted from carrying her all day! Bring a carrier!
If you will be using a stroller, it’s a good idea to bring a bag that will fit in the bottom (in addition to your primary diaper bag). You will likely be bringing a lot of stuff into the parks and it will all end up in the bottom of your stroller for storage. Getting on and off the tram, monorail, and Disneyland train usually require you to remove all your items and fold your stroller. This is so much easier when all of your stuff is in one bag. We learned this the hard way. The first and last car on the trams allow you to bring your unfolded stroller on the tram. It’s a great option but there is usually a longer wait if there is a big crowd.
Also remember to bring shoes suitable to play in the water. California Adventure has a great water play area for kids. Regardless of age, they must be wearing shoes at all times. Our first visit resulted in my daughter ruining her little leather shoes.
Road trip tips
Like any other baby, my daughter thought it was hilarious to throw food everywhere. An art bib was a great addition on our road trips. A toddler size vinyl art bib has sleeves and a couple of pockets on the front. The pockets catch most of the food dropped and the front completely covers clothes avoiding any big baby food spills in the car seat.
We started using a portable DVD player with my daughter when she was pretty young. Now that she is a little older I let her pick out the DVDs she wants to bring with us. Then when we are in the car and she requests something we don’t have, I gently remind her that she chose to leave that DVD at home. No tears and she is learning about making choices. The DVD player has been great in the car! Don’t be shy about bringing it into restaurants with you too. We have been able to enjoy quite a few dinners simply because we had the extra entertainment on our table.
Now that my daughter is able to use crayons and markers with out making a big mess I always bring a pad of paper and markers. She loves to draw and it passes a lot of time while driving.
Having a potty trained toddler caused us to make a lot of stops. She usually has to pee the second we drive away from a convenience store. When you plan your trip, if you’re driving, be sure to incorporate a couple of hours for unexpected delays and stops.
The last tip I have in planning your trip is to get your kids excited about Disney attractions and parades with YouTube videos. We have found a video online for almost every ride. Remember that these videos are uploaded from YouTube users so you you should watch the video clip prior to viewing with your child. My daughter can tell you about every attraction at Disneyland just because she has seen them all online. We’ve also found that she isn’t hesitant or scared to try most rides as she has already seen what to expect.
Disneyland Attractions
The Disneyland website has a very long list of attractions with out height restrictions. My daughter has been going on most of the attractions in that list since her very first visit. Through our many visits she has made her own list of favorites.
Fantasyland is where you’ll find many attractions suitable for infants and toddlers. The very first attraction my daughter rode was Peter Pan’s Flight.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant has always been a family favorite.
Don’t miss the King Arthur Carrousel!
You will find my daughter’s absolute favorite attraction at The Mad Tea Party. She loves spinning on the Teacups with her daddy! I don’t like to spin so I watch from a shaded spot nearby. She is now old enough to spin the Teacups herself and makes sure she lets my husband know when she will be taking charge.
We usually end up spending a lot of time in Mickey’s Toontown! Minnie is usually always waiting on her front steps to greet guests and take pictures. There is normally a long line but don’t let that discourage you because the line usually moves pretty quickly. Minnie’s House offers a great little area to step inside and take a quick break. My daughter loves touching everything in the house just as much now as she did when she was smaller.
Goofy’s Playhouse is a great shaded play area for small children. It’s the perfect place to get out of the stroller to run around in a safe and enclosed space.
Mickey’s house is a lot of fun to explore. Toward the end of the house tour you can choose to either exit back into Toontown or wait in line to meet Mickey. I agree that spending some time with Mickey is definitely important if this is your first visit to Disneyland or don’t get to visit that often. With that being said, the line is usually always very long to see Mickey at his house. Instead we usually wait in the shorter lines at the park’s entrance to see the characters. Mickey is usually always waiting to greet guests in the morning. My daughter doesn’t know the difference and we are happier with the shorter wait times.
New Orleans Square is home to The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. Both attractions do not have height restrictions. My daughter absolutely loves seeing the Pirates. The best part – there is usually a very short wait time for the attraction.
You’ll find The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Critter Country. The ride is fun and afterwards you can stop nearby for pictures with the characters!
The Disneyland site allows you to search for attractions by the height requirement. There is only one attraction with a 32″ requirement – Autopia. My daughter had fun the first time she experienced the attraction as the passenger between my husband and I. Our next visit to Disneyland she insisted on driving the car while I sat next to her. I let her steer and used my foot to push the gas pedal.
The next height requirement category is 35″ and only has two attractions – Gadget’s Go Coaster and the Matterhorn Bobsleds. The coaster is located in Toontown and my daughter loves it! She was familiar with the attraction because she watched a video online before she was ever tall enough to ride. Unfortunately the line is sometimes long. The Bobsleds are known to my daughter as the “Yeti Ride.” She asks to ride it and then closes her eyes from start to finish. I would recommend riding it with your adventurous toddlers!
As I previously mentioned, YouTube has an extensive library of Disneyland attraction videos. Watching the videos prior to your vacation is a great way to get your toddler familiar with the attractions. My daughter knows what to expect before she ever tries something new.
Nap and Break Time
The excitement of Disney with children definitely wears you out. If you are staying at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels, you have the convenience of simply returning to your room for a quick break during nap times. But if you’re staying somewhere else, taking the tram back to your car and then driving to your hotel with a sleeping child might not be ideal. I know each time we tried to go back to our hotel after our daughter had fallen asleep, she was wide awake by the time we arrived back in our room. We now have a few preferred locations we go to when she gets sleepy if we don’t want to leave the parks.
The Enchanted Tiki Room is a nice place to sit and cool off or stay out of the rain. There is noise but never enough to wake up my daughter while she was napping. You are able to sit while you wait for the doors to open before each show. The show room is dark and temperature controlled. Be sure to sit on the exit side at the end of a row in case your little one wakes up and you need to leave before the show ends.
If you are looking for a more permanent place to sit for a couple of hours, try the Rancho del Zocalo Restaurant in Disneyland. I love Mexican food and I will be honest, I’m not in love with the food here. But it offers a great shaded place to sit while you let your infant or toddler sleep in the stroller. We usually have a light blanket with us to put over the stroller while my daughter naps. Occasionally we have sat next to very noisy guests and this didn’t work out for my daughter’s nap. But for the most part we have always been able to find seating in an isolated corner where we could chat and my daughter could rest up for more fun.
Short Lines
There are plenty of attractions with short wait times but we have found The Pirates of the Caribbean to be our best option consistently when we are looking for a short line.
Disney’s FASTPASS Service is complimentary to all guests and allows you to get a pass to return to attractions at designated times and avoid long lines. I would suggest looking online and determining which attractions you plan to FASTPASS before running around the park with out a plan.
I added Mouse Wait, a great app, to my iPhone before our last visit to Disneyland. We love it! It’s a free app that covers Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney. It shows you updated and accurate wait times for nearly all of the attractions. In addition to the most accurate wait times, you have other wonderful resources available including a list of attractions by height and where to find important things like first aid and phone charging stations. I also recently read their Top 10 Disneyland Tips. I suggest you go and do that too.
Balloons
Disneyland has several ATMs but I would strongly suggest having cash on hand before you enter the park. My daughter’s attention as an infant always turned to the hundreds of kids carrying balloons. There are so many different types to choose from so make sure you make a good choice the first time.
A couple of years ago my daughter was sitting in her stroller happily gazing at her balloon when an older kid ran up to us, punched her balloon, and then ran off as the balloon flew away. Really, that happened to us. I remember my husband and I standing there in complete disbelief. As we were walking away, a cast member stopped us and shared information everyone should be told upon purchasing a balloon. The balloons are meant to last at least one full week. If you are at the park and your balloon is “dying,” simply take it back to a balloon vendor and they will replace it for free. Secondly, if your balloon pops or comes untied from the string, bring your string to a balloon vendor and they will replace your balloon for free. I love how the Disneyland cast members add to the magic with kindness.
Candy
You will also probably notice all the kids with giant Disney suckers as you walk around the park. If you don’t, your sugar loving toddler definitely will! We caved in a few times and bought one for my daughter. We have found that it’s much better to buy a package containing a few small lollipops instead of buying a giant sucker. Common sense will tell you a lollipop that big is going to have your small child bouncing off the walls for days.
Tinker Bell and the Princesses
If you have a little girl that loves Tinker Bell and the Disney Princesses, expect to wait in really long lines! Or just be smart about when you choose to visit them. The Disney Princess Fantasy Faire is where you will get to spend some time with a few princesses and have your picture taken. There is a long list of potential princesses that will be present but only three Disney Princesses are guaranteed to be present when you get your turn to walk the greeting pathway. Be sure you set appropriate expectations! Instead of asking your daughter if she wants to meet Cinderella, simply ask her if she wants to meet princesses. Trust me, this will go over much better if Cinderella isn’t there!
If you want the opportunity to meet Tinker Bell, make sure you visit Pixie Hollow – Tinker Bell & Her Fairy Friends!
I have never seen either of these attractions with short wait times as we’ve strolled by. The best advice I have is to go here immediately when the park opens to hopefully avoid an incredibly long wait time (seriously, sometimes the wait for the princesses is hours).
The recent addition of the Frozen character experience at Disneyand is a great place to meet Anna and Elsa.
If you are staying at Disneyland Resort Hotels and have magic morning early entry, be sure to make it over to these attractions at least 15 minutes prior to the park opening to the general public. The attractions open at that time and usually a huge crowd forms before you can even start to get in line!
Dining
We usually don’t eat meals in the park because my daughter is extremely picky and we don’t want to spend our vacation fund on pricey food she won’t eat. Don’t be shy about bringing your own snacks into the park. I’ve seen plenty of families eating from lunch bags on park benches! Most times we end up stopping somewhere in Downtown Disney to eat dinner. Our favorite restaurant there with our daughter is The Rainforest Cafe. Unfortunately there is usually a very long wait around dinner time. You can’t call ahead to make reservations so you end up having to wait. The other con is that there is no guarantee you will be seated next to the aquariums or moving animals. We recently discovered something that will make every experience there so much better! For only $10, you can become a member of the restaurant’s Safari Club. As a member you will receive 10% off entrees or a free appetizer EVERY time you visit. You also receive priority seating. No more long wait times! Best $10 we ever spent last month! We were told our table would be ready in approximately 45 minutes. We joined the club on site and were called to our table in less than 10 minutes! Additionally, we were seated directly in front of a large aquarium! If you plan to eat here, join the club!
A family favorite with good food and a nice view is Disneyland’s Hungry Bear Restaurant.
If you’re looking for more than just a quick meal, the Cafe Orleans is an excellent option with two unique Monte Cristo sandwiches.
Parades
Don’t forget about the Disney parades! Watching a parade here is the best way to see all your favorite characters! You typically have to arrive early to find decent seats. Sometimes there are opportunities to take tours that will give you premium seats for the parades. A few years ago we went on the holiday walking tour and then sat in the front row where the parade started with complimentary fudge and hot chocolate. It was an awesome experience!
Fireworks
There are a few ways to view the Disneyland fireworks. You can sit on the ground close to an hour before the show starts in front of the castle for the best view. We have done this a few times and it was absolutely worth the wait. We bought corn dogs and popcorn before we sat down. My daughter loved seeing Tinker Bell and Dumbo fly over the castle!
You can see fireworks and hear the music at most locations in the park but you won’t be able to see Tinker Bell or Dumbo. We normally sit directly in front of the Small World ride for a pretty decent view. Currently the fireworks show has lights that dance on the front of Small World.
Parking
The last, and in my opinion, most important tip I have is have cash when you enter the parking structure! You don’t want to be the family with the big “no parking” sticker under your windshield wiper as you follow the turn around route out of the structure (yes, we’ve experienced that). The only form of payment accepted in the parking structure is cash.
Do you have any great travel tips for Disneyland with infants and toddlers?
WOW! What an awesome & SUPER comprehensive post!!! 🙂 We’re going for the opening of CarsLand in two weeks and can’t wait!!
Oh–and they’ve completely redone the Matterhorn. It reopens on the 15th, but with a taller height requirement! 🙁 I think like 40 or 42 inches.
Awesome, awesome, post! I will be referencing this for sure before we make our annual trip to Disneyland next month!
Great tips!! Pinned!
Wow! What a great list you put together. Can’t wait to put some of these tips to use, we’re already looking at making our first trip.
Great info!!!!
Love your ideas…We have been taking out little ones to Disneyland since one ws 21 days old and the other was 5 months old. Since were seasoned fans as well we just went along for the fun. No stress no lines we walked around, ate and just did what we wanted to. People think I am crazy for taking my little ones. I got criticized for it saying “I would never take a diaper bag or stroller” I respond with “hey they are free, when I have to pay for them then we won’t go” 😉
Hi my little one will be 9months when we go, can he ride anything with us? Thank you
Thanks for these tips. Looks like you really did had a lot of fun. Disney Biggest Attraction is the greates.
Great tips! We travel from AZ every year as well, and the hotels we’ve loved are Disneyland hotel (of course) Portafino inn (great kids suites) and Castle Inn. One thing we learned from our first trip was that we did not like the idea of a shuttle when dealing with a stroller. Twice either my husband or I had to wait behind because while one was loading the kids, the other was loading the stroller, and the shuttle filled up. Walking is definitely the way for us, so we look for something close. Also, if taking crushable snacks into the park, a larger tupperware type container holds a lot of snacks in ziplocs (and protects them from smashing). And if you can get a cooler that hangs on the back of the stroller, even better.. Oh yeah, and free water at any service counter! So we take in the little flavor packets to have what drinks we want.
Some money savers for us.. we buy souveniers at the local disney outlet store. My daughter and I make hair bows and accessories, so she doesn’t even want most of the ones she sees at the park (thank god!). And we stock our gladlock container with snacks we’ve bought either at home or the local target.
And even if you think you have the most unique stroller, you don’t, there will be at least 10 identical… we make BIG bows to put on ours.
Thanks a lot for your wonderful post. We are going to Disney for the first time with our nine months old boy and thanks to your experience now we know what to expect. Thanks for all your tips
Grettings from Mexico
this is an amazing post! thank you so much for sharing! I cant wait to put all these great tips to use!
We are going for the first time with all 3 of our kids this Christmas, (10yo, 3yo, and 18mo). Thanks for all the incredible tips!!
I am very happy to see this type article. It is very useful and exciting. The best blessings of this article is giving properly idea to each and every readers and also it’s giving correct impressions. Looking forward to new article.
Thank for share some valuable tips. Next time I’ll try to follow your tips before travel.
Some great tips here! We loved the Rainforest Café on our last trip so much we ate there almost every day! We lucked out and always were seated by the aquarium. I heard that they shut it down though last year, which is a huge bummer.