Hi there. I go to
Disneyland a LOT. Like, almost every week.
I have an autistic 4.5 year old son, as well as a 3 year old son. While my kids don't have the medical issues your daughter has, or the anxiety issues, I know a LOT about crowd patterns at DLR, as well as where you can go to get AWAY from them.
First of all, as soon as you enter DL, find the FIRST AID station. It is at the end of Main Street, on the Right hand side, around the corner from where the camera shop is, down a little sidewalk. You'll see a RED TRUCK that sells corn dogs. That is where you turn right, and First Aid is there. You can ALWAYS go to First Aid if you need a nice cool place for your DD to relax, lie down, or get checked out in the event that she has any issues related to her blood sugar that you cannot resolve. They are also really good about handling minor things...cuts and scrapes, headaches, overheating, etc. It should not be too hot next month, but we just had a REALLY major heatwave that lasted 3 days...temps were up to 99 degrees, which is unusual, and when it gets that hot, at DL it is unbearable. Know that you can always go to First aid for some ice water and a cool place to chill out if needed.
Now, if you will be at Disneyland over a weekend, be prepared! Disneyland is "intimate". That means that on weekends, it feels MOBBED towards late morning/afternoon. The WORST places to be are the following areas. Avoid these locations if possible, or your daughter might really freak out:
-ADVENTURELAND walkway (use the Frontierland "loop" to go around from Main Street to the back of the park, and vice versa if you need to access Main Street). Look at a Park Map...you'll see what I mean. Adventureland is a MAJOR bottleneck of people...all the time. If you want to do rides here, SKIP ALL THE ADVICE you read and do them FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. Save Fantasyland for after Adventureland. No one is in Adventureland in the morning.
-The walkway connecting Main Street to Tommorrowland is CHAOS in the evenings, near fireworks time. Avoid it at all costs. Go around the Matterhorn instead. It may take longer, but you won't be shoulder to shoulder with thousands of people.
When the park feels crowded go to:
-Toontown: there is a playground at Goofy's house where your DD can run around and have some "free space". It's not usually too crowded, plus there's only "one entrance/exit" so it's very hard to lose here here. There's also Donald's boat and the Chip & Dale treehouse to explore. Toontown in general has lots to do/explore. Lots of interactive stuff here. And, most people are occupied with the rides, so you'll oftentimes be the only one in any given area.
-Disneyland Railroad: Nice way to get away from crowds, plus it's a nice ride and a good way to rest.
-Innoventions in Tomorrowland: air conditioned, and they control how many people are in there at any given time, so it's never "crowded". There's some cool exhibits in there. At least, if your DD needs some time away from the "chaos", it's a good option. (Hint: from anywhere in the park, hop on the train and get off at the Tomorrowland station...Innoventions is practically right there)
-Big Thunder Mtn. Trail: is a nice relatively quiet walking path between Fantasyland and Frontierland. There's a nice little pond, lots of shade, benches, and it's very scenic and peaceful (although, you can hear Big Thunder going by and the screaming, but it's sort of in the background). This area of the park is usually pretty quiet. Nice place to retreat to if you need a "time out." Grab a snack and enjoy it on a bench here.
Critter County: This is where the Pooh ride is. This little corner of the park is seldom visited. You can often find Pooh and Friends character greetings here. There's a GREAT candy shop here with yummy treats! It's sort of a "courtyard" and it's nice and quiet. The only other thing here is the exit to Splash Mtn, so there's some foot traffic, but it's all outgoing. BONUS: Hungry Bear Restaurant is here. It's one of my favorite places in DL to eat. Find a table DOWNSTAIRS by the water, and there's usually no one around. You can watch the ducks in the rivers of America, and see the Sailing Ship Columbia or Mark Twain (whichever is sailing that day) going by. It's super peaceful and shaded and just wonderful.
My only other advice would be this:
Eat your meals at OFF hours:
Lunch at 11:00-11:30 am (NO LATER!)
Dinner at 5-5:30 pm (NO LATER).
If you try to eat later than these times, you will wait in lines at CS restaurants FOREVER, and then have to walk around FOREVER looking for a seat.
Unless you are going mid week, then you should be fine crowd wise. If there is a Saturday in your plans, you need to be prepared for crowds that rival a busy summer day at WDW...
Oh, and when all else fails, go over to DCA. That place N-E-V-E-R feels crowded. And there's actually a bunch of stuff there that your 5 year old will like.
