Disneyland with a 6 month old

[laniebee]

Hi all!!

Call us crazy but we have booked a trip for September, our daughter will be 6 months old at the time. Does anyone have any advice or tips on navigating the park with a little one. Are there any must have items we should bring with us? We are staying at the Disneyland hotel and expect to go back for long breaks during the day. Does anyone know if the Mad Hatter sells infant mickey ears?

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

It’s not crazy, I started bringing my younger son when he was 4 weeks old. September can be hot so bring a stroller fan and make sure you have good shade. I always used a carrier with my little one, which made rides easy. You and your SO can use the rider switch option if you want to ride the thrill rides.

At that age my LO just enjoyed taking in all the sights and sounds and did what we did. He loved DL (still does).

The Baby Care Centers are great for diaper changing, nursing, bottle feeding or pumping. So clean and quiet and air conditioned! One on Main Street in DL and one next door to Ghirardelli in DCA.

Bring lots of diapers, wipes and several changes of clothes for baby for blowouts, etc. so you don’t have to go back to the hotel for something small. Also bring an extra shirt or two for you for spit up and other messes.

Baby might nap in the stroller and then you and SO can stroll around and shop or eat or whatever!

Have a great time!

 

[Littlebitofsunshine]

I think 6 months is a good age too! Imo better to go before they are crawling and want to be put down more… or in my case a toddler that just runs away Enjoy!

 

[Jobelle]

When I traveled with my babies I always packed a few ziplocks with a diaper, a full change of clothes for the baby, and a clean shirt for me. If there was a blow-out I could grab that ziploc, which already had what was needed without rifling through the diaper bag to find various items, and then the soiled items could go into the empty ziploc after. Sometimes I'd do one bag with a change of shorts or leggings for me if that was needed instead.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

Definitely agree with what previous posters have said. We've done DLR with a 6 month old twice and it was a great experience. We were there in June both times, which is a bit cooler than September usually, but it worked well to do a combination of stroller and baby carriers for us. LOs napped well in the stroller or carrier, and we actually didn't do any mid-day breaks out of the park, just did relaxing attractions like railroad and the ships. DH and I didn't even know about rider swap at the time, but we had a great time anyway! The Baby Care centers are excellent, and we also took breaks there as well. We did use some regular bathrooms for diaper changes, but it was always more comfortable to use the baby care centers.

We bought a tiny Tigger cap for DS when he was an infant, and small pink 'regular' ears for our DD when she was an infant, but they didn't quite fit her. The resizeable cap was a better fit, but even it was a bit big. I think they have a better selection now though! (This was 2012 and 2014)

 

[GatorChris]

We did this back in 2006 with a 7 month old. She was just at the age where she could crawl and be very mobile and she definitely wanted to be. It made keeping her in the stoller a struggle at times. Also, the usual two naps a day they're supposed to get are also difficult. Go into that prepared so that you did get all mad about it like I did. DL is no place for an infant. But I certainly get you wanting to go there. Go expecting it to be very different than pre-baby. VERY!

 

[Chemist]

I was into baby wearing in general, but I found it convenient in the parks.
The baby tagged along with his big brother on a whole bunch of rides, both awake and asleep.

(When he was asleep in the stroller, one parent had to stay behind.)
On the down-side, if he was in the stroller we could do parent switch for roller coasters, which wouldn't work if I was wearing him.

 

[Critter3]

I would recommend getting a set of infant ear muffs. The dark rides can be fairly loud, so if you plan to do those I would suggest it. Not only will they may not like it, I think that volume isn’t good for infants. Every kid is different though.

When we were there, as we were getting on at Alice there was a couple getting on the ride with a baby-baby. Like days old. I was very surprised that the cast member even allowed it because they were even having a hard time bringing the lap holder down. And with all the twists and turns I’m sure it can’t be good for them.

 

[laniebee]

It’s not crazy, I started bringing my younger son when he was 4 weeks old. September can be hot so bring a stroller fan and make sure you have good shade. I always used a carrier with my little one, which made rides easy. You and your SO can use the rider switch option if you want to ride the thrill rides.

At that age my LO just enjoyed taking in all the sights and sounds and did what we did. He loved DL (still does).

The Baby Care Centers are great for diaper changing, nursing, bottle feeding or pumping. So clean and quiet and air conditioned! One on Main Street in DL and one next door to Ghirardelli in DCA.

Bring lots of diapers, wipes and several changes of clothes for baby for blowouts, etc. so you don’t have to go back to the hotel for something small. Also bring an extra shirt or two for you for spit up and other messes.

Baby might nap in the stroller and then you and SO can stroll around and shop or eat or whatever!

Have a great time!

Thank you for sharing your experience!! I can't wait to take our little LO, this was was all very helpful.