We recently took our first trip to Disneyland with a baby and toddler and it was amazing! Husband and I have been multiple times without kids, but going with our children and seeing everything from their eyes was like visiting an entirely different park altogether. We’ve done several small-scale family outings, but nothing compares to the amazement in their eyes at Disneyland. It was such a special day that we’ll all remember for a long time!

Although it was a ton of fun, there are a lot more considerations to take when you bring small children to a Disney park. In my tips for Surviving Family Outings, I talk about my general rules for adventures with little people. Go read that really fast to see how we plan for a fun family day and then come back.  All of those rules apply here, but this post has details to help you prepare specifically for your Disneyland visit.

Without further ado, here’s what you can expect at Disneyland with a baby and toddler:

Long Lines

So we actually only live 9 miles from Disneyland, but we hadn’t taken the kids because I absolutely loathe dealing with long lines and crowds. Weekends and holidays are certainly the worst, but you can pretty much expect significant waits at any of the major Disney attractions any time of the year.

For us, getting through security and entering the park ended up being the longest wait of the entire day. I am totally for security and keeping park guests safe, but we waited almost an hour just to get in!

Once you’re in the park, the MouseWait app is useful for finding the shortest wait times. Rides depend on a lot of factors: time of year, time of day, ride popularity, ride capacity. You’ll quickly see that some waits are 10 minutes while others are over an hour.

 

Disney also offers Fast Passes for their more well-known rides. These are special passes that you redeem within a specific time frame to bypass most of the line. With Fast Passes, we didn’t have to wait more than 5 minutes for any popular rides (which is CRAZY)! We did, however, wait 30 minutes to meet Minnie Mouse so there’s that…

Keep in mind that Disneyland has dozens of fun attractions and shows. Do not feel guilty if you only head to the shorter lines. Everything is new to your kids and they will think it’s all fantastic.

In case you get stuck in a long line, have lots of snacks on hand. Disney will let you bring in any food you want! I carried a crossbody bag filled with snacks ready to hand out at all times.

A LOT of Walking

Disneyland is massive! You need to wear comfortable shoes (function over fashion) and I highly recommend buying shoe inserts to keep your feet feeling good all day. And although most of the rides are covered, you’ll be walking in the sun quite a bit so don’t forget sunscreen.

You’ll also need a reliable stroller. That place is too big and the day is too long to babywear or have young kids walk. We have this Baby Trend double stroller (along with about 200 other park guests) and it is fantastic. Plus, we had somewhere to store all of our snacks and “stuff”.

Sidenote about strollers: There’s stroller parking outside every attraction so you can take the kids out and leave it there. I was not at all concerned about theft, but I kept my wallet on me just out of habit. If you come out from a ride and can’t find your stroller, don’t panic! Cast Members will move them if they’re parked in the wrong place or if the rows need to be tidied up. Try to make sure you always park in the designated area and attach something large and distinct to your stroller, like a balloon or ribbon, so you can find it quickly.

Pressure to Buy

There are approximately 1,526 strategically placed gift shops throughout Disneyland with every toy, shirt, and souvenir that was ever created in the history of the world. Not to mention, thousands of walking billboards kids all over the place with super special outfits and flashy toys. Disney is not shy about taking your money.

Naturally, my toddler wanted every princess gown and light-up bubble wand she saw. We managed to only purchase one set of bedazzled ears, one plush Minnie, and one plush Daisy, but they were so unnecessary and ridiculously overpriced.

My advice is to purchase your Disney gear and garb prior to your visit. The prices will be much more reasonable at the Disney Store or through Amazon and you won’t have to waste time in another line purchasing items in the park.

And if you want to score a FREE keepsake, Disney gives pins to guests celebrating special occasions. A lot of people think you can only get them at City Hall, but almost any shop or restaurant has them. Just ask! We went to get the toddler a “Happy Birthday” pin at a gift shop and the sweet cashier gave the baby one that said “I’m Celebrating”. The toddler loved her pin because literally everyone was wishing her a happy birthday the entire day! They also have pins to commemorate your first visit, graduations, anniversaries, and honeymoons.

Kodak Moments

You will be tempted to take pictures of everything! Disney has done an amazing job bringing all of these different lands to life and it’s hard not to whip out your phone every two seconds to capture the preciousness and fun.

In our case, both of our phones had almost no battery life. Mine was quickly being drained by the Disneyland App and Husband never fully charged his before we left (rookie!). Needless to say, we weren’t able to take many pictures ourselves.

We decided to take advantage of the Disney photographers and their PhotoPass. The photographers are conveniently located at major landmarks throughout the park and will take multiple shots to make sure they get a good one. You can access the proofs immediately on your phone or wait until you get home and pull them up on your computer. Yes, they are overpriced, but you can preview them before you pay.

I loved that we were able to get nice pictures of all four of us throughout the park without being fixated on our devices all day. It honestly felt really good to leave my phone in my pocket, not take awkward selfies, and be present with my family.

The Unexpected

If you want to make the most of your time at Disneyland, you have to be willing to adjust your plans and schedule. For kids, this means that meal times and nap times are bound to be disrupted. We had multiple occasions during the day when we had to change course quickly and devise new plans to make sure everyone’s needs were met.

One example for us was nap time. Our plan was to head to Disneyland’s Baby Care Center in the middle of the day to feed our little ones and let them wind down a bit. But then our baby ended up falling asleep in the stroller as we walked around and we had to rethink things. It worked out perfectly because we were able to pick up some Fast Passes, wait in line with the toddler to meet Moana, and find somewhere to eat lunch while she slept.

Just be prepared to go with the flow and don’t get upset if your schedule doesn’t work out as expected. Also, try to explain to your kids what the plan is as it changes so that they can adjust appropriately. There’s a lot of sensory overload at Disneyland and a little communication goes a long way. We survived the entire day with zero meltdowns and I believe it was because we stayed calm and made the effort to tend to both girls incessantly.

FUN, FUN, FUN!

Regardless of what happens, you can expect to have a magical time! So much thought has gone into creating the Disneyland experience. You could honestly just walk around all day admiring the creativity and architecture and you will still leave feeling fulfilled.

In past visits, we always focused on their bigger rides, like Space Mountain or Splash Mountain. I never realized how many family attractions Disneyland has, but there were so many things that we could all do together.

During the course of our day, we made it to The Haunted Mansion, Mad Tea Party, Disneyland Railroad, It’s a Small World, Enchanted Tiki Room, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Astro Orbitor, pictures with Minnie and Moana, made new friends in Goofy’s Playhouse, and saw the Pixar Parade. There’s still plenty more to see on our next trip, but I feel extremely accomplished with that list.

Are you going soon? You’re going to have the best time!

Have you already been? Do you have any additional tips for navigating Disneyland with a baby and toddler? Let me know in the comments!

Make sure your bag is stocked with my Essentials for the Germophobe Mom. And if you’re traveling from afar, you need to see my tips for Road Tripping with a Baby and a Toddler!

Talk to you soon!