5 Tips for Taking a Baby to Disney Parks

Often I hear from parents, "I don't want to take my kids to Disney until _____." I understand many reasons, such as kids who won't sleep away from home, not wanting to deal with naps, and not wanting to deal with a stroller, but one thing I never understand is "waiting until they're old enough to remember". Ugh, what a lot of pressure for your kid! How long do they have to remember to make it worth it? First thing you need to do when you think about a Disney vacation is to throw that minimum age out the window. Now, consider the fact that your child can fly free as a lap passenger until age two and doesn't need a Disneyland or WDW ticket until age three. Now are you considering it?  Let me share some tips on how to make Disneyland and Walt Disney World FUN with a baby!

Here are 5 things that we found essential for a six month old:
1. As mentioned in part 1, you'll have a much easier time if your baby is accustomed to sleeping in a portable crib, in a car, in a stroller, in a baby carrier, etc. If you have a good sleeper, you're golden. Lilly went a lot of places in her first 6 months and I like to think that contributed to her being a great sleeper, but who knows, we could just be lucky.

2. A buckle baby carrier like the Boba Air. We love the Boba Air because it folds up into a little pouch that can be stuffed in a backpack, and it's very lightweight and comfortable. You can actually bring your baby on any ride that doesn't have a height requirement, in any style of carrier, with the exception of Toy Story Midway Mania, where you are required to use a buckle carrier. We used a ring sling up until this trip but have used the Boba Air almost exclusively since Disneyland. It's just that good!

3. Know your baby care centers. There is one in each park (check a park map for locations), and they have nursing areas, a small kitchen with a microwave, several changing tables so you're not waiting in line in the regular restrooms, and small tables and high chairs. I will report back on all the ones at Walt Disney World in November, but I can tell you that the one in Disneyland Park is vaguely creepy like a turn of the century maternity hospital (that may have been the ancient bossy gatekeeper who was working the first night I stopped in to nurse Lilly) and the California Adventure Park one is a more pleasant daycare/preschool atmosphere.

4. Stay at a Deluxe Resort! I know, I know, before you had a baby you saw your hotel as a bed to sleep in and want to be in the park from dawn to dusk. Well, now you have a baby. You might need to go back to your room for any number of reasons, and I am tired just thinking about walking to bus stops. We stayed at Grand Californian at Disneyland in January and are staying at Wilderness Lodge in November. I'm already thinking about Contemporary next year.

5. Be flexible! Trust me, I love making as many dining reservations as I can fit into the day, but with a baby we scaled back. We had a reservation at Blue Bayou at Disneyland because I've always wanted to eat there, but other than that we mostly ate at Storytellers Cafe at Grand Californian. For our trip in November, I have limited dining reservations to one per day and I'll limit Fastpasses to the most important things (like the fact that I STILL have not been able to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train).

At the airport on the way home. Don't we look like we've been on an honest to goodness vacation?

Ready to plan your Disney Vacation? Email me at beth@francethtravels.com!

Grand Californian Resort & Spa

As soon as Jewelscent announced their annual convention would be in Irvine in January, I knew Francis and Lilly were coming with me and we were going to Disneyland! I am working on a Disney Land & Sea vacation for a group right now, and one of the times I called to change a reservation, I asked to talk to Disneyland on a whim just to see what the military discount is like for the Grand Californian in January. They quoted me a price for 2 nights that was equal to one night in peak season, and Francis said, "oh, this is a once in a life time opportunity. We have to." Well... this was our second time staying in a Deluxe Disney resort, and I'm afraid now there is no going back.

Staying in a Disney Deluxe resort is an endorphin rush with no comparison. The more of them I stay at or visit, the more I am sure there is some kind of psychological trick to the grandiose scale and forced perspective of the lobbies. I asked on Facebook and a brainstorming session revealed that all Disney Deluxe hotel lobbies are built like cathedrals, where a vast, open space 8-10 stories tall says to your brain, "I belong here." The lobby has many intimate seating groups in a large space, there is huge fireplace, and there is also a seating area with tiny chairs for wee ones to watch cartoons. A cocktail bar completes the swanky but comfortable atmosphere. As soon as I walk in I know this is the lifestyle to which I am accustomed (it's not).

At the Grand Californian, you have several restaurants to choose from. We ate at Storyteller Cafe for lunch, which is off a menu, and dinner, which is both menu and buffet. They also have a Character Breakfast buffet. The food here was delicious! Before baby, our dinner choice would have been Napa Rose, the Signature Dining option, and maybe we will have the opportunity to check it out on a future visit. For all your Mickey Waffle and quick service breakfast and lunch needs, check out White Water Snacks.

The rooms at Grand Californian are spacious and clean, and our room had a balcony, and a shower that was like a full body massage. The H20 toiletries included a foot scrub and solar relief, and we had turndown service with chocolates in the evening. They even laid out Lilly's blanket every night, which melted my heart. One thing I always notice at Disney hotels: Housekeeping staff always smiles and says, "Hello, how are you today?" and when you need to call them for something, they greet you by name and know what room you are in.

The real key to staying in two different hotels two time zones away from home: Lilly slept in the Pack n Play in our room at home from the minute I learned about this trip. Voila! She slept "in her own bed" on vacation. We also brought our white noise machine/projector along. Our room connected to the neighboring room, which created a convenient spot to dump our luggage, and I do mean dump since we did a haphazard job of packing when we switched hotels. The room also had a table & chairs next to an outlet, which was nice for me since I was still pumping to supplement. If you need to pump or bottle feed while traveling, I cannot recommend this OXO Travel Bottle Drying Rack enough! The brush is so much better than the one we had at home that we are using it all the time now.

Whether you are at Disneyland or Walt Disney World, the proximity of Deluxe resorts to the Parks cannot be beat when you have a baby. I highly recommend treating yourself! Stay tuned for some baby tips inside the parks, and email me or join my Facebook group if you'd like help planning your next Disney Vacation!