First Trip w/ Child -- many questions

[heatherfeather24]

Howdy --

I'm so excited! We are leaving for our first trip to DL with DS (1 year) in two weeks. I've only been to DL once before, sans baby, so I really have no idea what to expect. Looking for some advice on the following:

1) What to pack for a day in the park? Are there baby-changing stations? If so, is anything provided (like wipes or disposable changing pads)?

2) We are staying at Residence Inn Maingate and plan to take nap breaks each day. Are there any attractions that we should make sure to do either first thing or before our break due to crowds? I should add that we are big WDW vets, so if we miss some of the duplicate attractions (Space, Splash, Big Thunder), I don't really care. But we want to hit the ones that are either unique to DL or significantly different (POC).

3) Does DL have babyswap and how, exactly, does it work?

4) Character meals. DS does really well with clown/cartoon characters, so I think we're going to try a character meal. Anyone have a favorite?

Thanks so much in advance!
HF24

 

[kelmac284]

1) What to pack for a day in the park? Are there baby-changing stations? If so, is anything provided (like wipes or disposable changing pads)? Disney has a main changing area I believe on Main Street that might provide some things but I would definitely bring your own stuff. I always did. I do know that most restrooms have these large paper towel things you can lay down though if you don't have a changing pad. I never used the mom's station though on Main Street so I am not sure what all they have. I always had my own stuff.

2) We are staying at Residence Inn Maingate and plan to take nap breaks each day. Are there any attractions that we should make sure to do either first thing or before our break due to crowds? I should add that we are big WDW vets, so if we miss some of the duplicate attractions (Space, Splash, Big Thunder), I don't really care. But we want to hit the ones that are either unique to DL or significantly different (POC). My advice is always hit the big stuff first and get plenty of fast passes early and save them up to use later in the day. I would get splash, space mountain, Indy etc done early in the day AND get FP's for later. You can use child swap as well. Also do Matterhorn since it does NOT have fast pass. Pirates is hit or miss. It was really busy for a while but it may have calmed down now. It is a def MUST DO though. I would do it early though as you can get on it fairly quickly and DO NEMO FIRST!

3) Does DL have babyswap and how, exactly, does it work? You go to the castmember with both you AND your DH AND the baby and they will give you the switch pass. Then one of you rides while the other waits. If you have older kids who are tall enough they can ride and then when the first people get off you ride while your dh waits and you go with the older kids or friend or by yourself. 2 people can go again with the pass. You usually go through the exit.

4) Character meals. DS does really well with clown/cartoon characters, so I think we're going to try a character meal. Anyone have a favorite? If he likes the pooh characters I believe they have those at the Plaza Inn on Main Street. I haven't done that one here but I heard it is good. They have Chip and Dale and Such at Storytellers at the Grand Californian and Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel is Excellent and has a LOT of the characters. VERY good! Ariel's Grotto in DCA has all the princesses and is also excellent!

 

[DizneyMommy]

DL and DCA each have a Baby Care Center. DL's is located at the end of Main St, hiding behind the photo shop. The big red corndog car is in front of it. DCA's is behind the Tortilla Factory Tour. I LOVE the BCC's because they are so clean and cool inside, with nice big cushy padded changing tables with fresh paper liners on them and a nice hand washing sink within reach. They also have a microwave and CLEAN highchairs for feeding, a nursing area behind a curtain with rocking chairs, and toddler potties for the potty training crowd. They are staffed with lovely ladies who come along behind every person and clean and put down fresh paper. They have some necessities available to purchase if you run out like wipes, diapers, baby food, formula, and diaper cream. It is such a lovely place, I used to make excuses to go and change my daughter just for a little peaceful break from the noise and heat outdoors. In the winter it is nicely heated so the babies don't freeze their bums when you change them.

There are also changing tables in every restroom, some better than others, and they usually have disposable paper liners you can use also.

 

[IluvDISNEYLAND!]

DL and DCA each have a Baby Care Center. DL's is located at the end of Main St, hiding behind the photo shop. The big red corndog car is in front of it. DCA's is behind the Tortilla Factory Tour. I LOVE the BCC's because they are so clean and cool inside, with nice big cushy padded changing tables with fresh paper liners on them and a nice hand washing sink within reach. They also have a microwave and CLEAN highchairs for feeding, a nursing area behind a curtain with rocking chairs, and toddler potties for the potty training crowd. They are staffed with lovely ladies who come along behind every person and clean and put down fresh paper. They have some necessities available to purchase if you run out like wipes, diapers, baby food, formula, and diaper cream. It is such a lovely place, I used to make excuses to go and change my daughter just for a little peaceful break from the noise and heat outdoors. In the winter it is nicely heated so the babies don't freeze their bums when you change them.

There are also changing tables in every restroom, some better than others, and they usually have disposable paper liners you can use also.

Thank you for this info! I never new about the bcc. I am going in Dec with my 4 yo and 1yo and this will be very helpful

 

[BC Disney Lover]

At Wal-mart I always buy disposable changing pads that really come in handy if there are no paper liners. They have rubber on the back if you have a messy diaper to change. I usually re-use them if they stay clean.

Have a great trip

This is my first post, ! This is a great website and have gotten so many tips and ideas. Thanks everyone!

 

[kuusimo]

Howdy --
1) What to pack for a day in the park? Are there baby-changing stations? If so, is anything provided (like wipes or disposable changing pads)?As the others have said, the Baby Changing Centers are a nice change from the rest of the park. It slows down there. They also have stickers for the kids if you ask them. Another thing is that they do have filtered water there for free. It is not cold, but it is filtered. My boys LOVE the baby care centers. I have also been in many other bathrooms around both parks and have never not had a changing pad. Bring your own diapers though and wipes.

2) We are staying at Residence Inn Maingate and plan to take nap breaks each day. Are there any attractions that we should make sure to do either first thing or before our break due to crowds? I should add that we are big WDW vets, so if we miss some of the duplicate attractions (Space, Splash, Big Thunder), I don't really care. But we want to hit the ones that are either unique to DL or significantly different (POC). The big rides you can do baby swap on as well as fast pass. If you are going for the one-year-old, you will be spending a lot of time in Fantasyland and Bug Land at CA.

4) Character meals. DS does really well with clown/cartoon characters, so I think we're going to try a character meal. Anyone have a favorite? We still have not done a character meal mainly because of the price and having my children sit down and eat. They are more counter-service boys. I think mine would be too excited seeing the characters to want to eat. From what has been said Minnie and Friends is a good one and then Goofy's kitchen after that.

DH and I had to switch our thinking when we started taking our children in a more laid back approach to doing the parks. We now let our boys each pick the rides they really want to go on and do those before we try anything new. Also bring snacks and fluids, along with sunscreen. Have a great time!

 

[heatherfeather24]

Thanks everyone!

 

[disney-super-mom]

At Wal-mart I always buy disposable changing pads that really come in handy if there are no paper liners. They have rubber on the back if you have a messy diaper to change. I usually re-use them if they stay clean.

Have a great trip

This is my first post, ! This is a great website and have gotten so many tips and ideas. Thanks everyone!

Welcome to the DisBoards!

 

[DLR29]

2) We are staying at Residence Inn Maingate and plan to take nap breaks each day. Are there any attractions that we should make sure to do either first thing or before our break due to crowds? I should add that we are big WDW vets, so if we miss some of the duplicate attractions (Space, Splash, Big Thunder), I don't really care. But we want to hit the ones that are either unique to DL or significantly different (POC).

Here is a list for WDW vets on what to do that's different at DLR:

Indiana Jones (like Dinosaur, much better themed)
Pirate's Lair (Tom Sawyer Island with a pirate theme)
Pinocchio (Fantasyland dark ride)
Alice in Wonderland (Fantasyland dark ride)
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Fantasyland dark ride)
Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin (Spinning Toontown dark ride)
Matterhorn (1st ever tubular steel coaster)
Casey Jr. Circus Train and Storybookland Canal Boats (gentle rides through Storybookland. Good for kids)
Everything at DCA except Soarin, ToT, Muppets and Bug movies, and Turtle Talk

Rides that are significantly different:
Jungle Cruise
PotC (much longer and better)
Pooh (no long lines at DL because it's tucked away in the corner)
Splash (different seating, shorter ride)
IASW (original version)
Tiki Room (original version)
Autopia vs. TIS (Autopia actually has scenery and stuff to look at, you even go off roading)
Buzz (removable guns make for easier aiming)
Space (completely dark, and smoother with music)
ToT (different scenes, no 4th dimension room)

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm at Paradise Pier right now, and we have our 3 year old with us. This is his third trip, but the other two trips were for just one day, AND he's done with dipes, so we haven't had THAT much experience with diaper changing.

But today I used (a CM cleaning the bathroom handed them to me) the cloth changing pads to dry off a sopping wet DS, after he went crazy in one of the water-play areas at DCA. Those things are nice! Very soft. Very absorbent.

Besides using baby swap, we will split up when it's convenient. The crowds have been very light, and we saw the Space Mountain wait was only 5 minutes, just as DS was getting in line to see Buzz, and DH told me to go on SM while they got pictures with Buzz. When I was done with SM, I took DS to the bathroom while DH ran onto Space. We did the same with Indiana, because the lines were so short (it's been great!).

Our problem with this trip, that we haven't run into in past trips, is that DS has a major case of the I-wanna's. He would spent $200 each day, if we let him. And one of the few trust-the-government things we do is pay attention to age ranges for toys, and there have been a few toys that he has been desperate for, but it's "too old" for him, and that is frustrating for all of us. I wish I had spent more time figuring out a daily "stuff" budget, and working with DS to help him understand the concept of thinking about it all and buying at the end...

If you buy snacks, don't leave them in the car or hotel. Does no one any good, when you leave them.


We went to Lilo and Stitch this morning, and it was tasty and fun. They even had Mickey pancakes, which we had thought would be a no-go for this visit, since Riverbelle Terrace is closed for a few months. High energy, fun characters, lots of little kids.

 

[Rapunsel]

With taking nap breaks... Look at the park hours as the park is closing earlier.. So sometimes if the little one can sleep in the stroller you might get more out of your day. ALso the grown ups can take turns on all the big rides while the little ones sleep. That is what we usually do...

 

[JDel]

The baby changing center on main street is really nice and clean. They also have small toilets for toddlers, rocking chairs, and sell anything you may need from diapers, wipes, and formula. There is also a microwave if you have to heat anything up.
I am not sure of the baby swap. Dh and I usually just go on kid friendly rides with her.
As for character meals, we have been to all of them. My favorite for breakfast is lilo & stitch at paradise pier- the food is wonderful and the characters are fun. They interact alot with the children, play with them, dance and visit all the tables. For lunch and dinner I like goofy's kitchen. They have alot of variety and the kids love the characters that come to the table. They also do a dance every half hour or so.
Have a great time!

 

[abouley]

We always take some snacks/food, diapers, wipes, change of clothes, sunscreen, juice and milk/formula, blanket and warm clothes (sometimes jammies to change into so that when the kids are asleep by the time we get back they can go straight to bed). I always bring my own pad for diaper changes but the restrooms do usually have paper. I usually put my pad on top of it.

When my son was little, we never went back for naps as he would sleep in the stroller and we would use the time to take turn riding big rides while the other rested with him. Usually just a quick walk would get him to sleep!

As for rides....we typically try to hit the storybook rides first. My kids were not good at standing in line between the of 10 months and 2 years. We typically used FP for the adult rides and fit them in later in the day. Indiana is one though that makes since to do early one day if you want to ride it as well as Matterhorn. Pirates and haunted mansion seem hit and miss. I think baby swap was explained to you. Typically the CM at the entrance to the ride will give you the pass (you all have to go up though so they see you have a young child). Then, one person stands in line and when that person is done, the other person gets to use the FP line (typically). With Matterhorn, my husband came up the exit and went on when I was done.

My kids loved pooh and small world but both lines move pretty fast. At 1 they also weren't scared of anything so we did pirates, haunted mansion, etc with them. Be sure to take advantage of EE if you have it!

Have fun!

Alison

 

[mimichan]

Check out this link. Even though it might be a little outdated, it has some very helpful tips for touring the parks with a 1 year old.

http://www.mouseplanet.com/akrock/akrock26.htm