Taking your toddler to Walt Disney World
A fun fact about the two of us is that we’ve done adults-only Disney trips waaaaay more than we’ve visited the parks with children. In fact, nearly my only experience at Disney World with a child was carrying (with a vice grip) our friend Andrea’s niece at her bachelorette party. Please see photographic evidence for vice grip.
So when we were planning to take my toddler, who was 2.5 at the time, to Disney World for the first time, I had a lot of research to do. There are so many incredible resources already out there we will share, but here are my top tips and takeaways:
Plan to take breaks. Allison and I are usually rope-drop-to-fireworks kind of people, and with a toddler, that’s just not possible. So I came into our trip with a different attitude and planned to keep it chill and take breaks. We also chose to stay at the Ft. Wilderness Cabins for ease of transport to and from the Magic Kingdom, our top priority park. This made it super easy to hop on the boat back to the resort for nap time!
Utilize other resorts and resort dining! Planning character dining and other outings on your non-park days is a great way to maximize the magic and fun for your toddler. Might we suggest a character breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace and then hopping on the Skyliner to check out a few other resorts? My little man is and was obsessed with Lightning McQueen so we made sure to make a pit stop at Art of Animation to hang with the Radiator Springs gang! Truly some of my favorite pics from the trip! It’s true that children under three are free to enter the Disney Parks, and they are also free at family style meals like Ohana!
Speaking of pics, book a Capture Your Moment session at one of the Parks to document your babe’s first trip! For $99, you can book a private 20-minute photo shoot with a Disney Photo Pass photographer and get so many amazing family photos and #proofofmom pics! You can pay by photo or get a Memory Maker added to your vacation package, which we’d recommend because when you are juggling a million toddler things, it’s harder to snap pics. We love our photos from the Magic Kingdom, and Jackson still loves to look at them!
Take Disney transportation for fun! Honestly Jackson’s favorite part of our trip was riding Disney buses. This is a great activity to break up the day so hop on the Skyliner, Monorail, boat or bus!
As Scar would say, “Be Prepared,” but know if you’re not, Disney has got you. Every park has a Baby Care room with changing tables, diapers, wipes, nursing spaces, etc. in case you forget anything in the diaper bag. And if like me, you find yourself at Disney Springs without any wipes, I would almost guarantee a kind mom walking by with a stroller will be happy to give you one.
Finally, meltdowns are going to happen, even at the Most Magical Place on Earth. You are not alone so just do your best to get through it and keep making memories!
A few accounts to check out for Disney toddler and travel tips: Where Is Briggs?, Mouse Hacking and Magic Dreaming Mama are three great accounts to check out!
No, your toddler will probably not remember your trip to Disney World when they were two, but you absolutely will remember seeing the magic in a new way through their eyes!