Places for a baby to crawl/walk around

[emilyrachael]

I'm going to Disney in a few weeks with my 9 month old who's crawling and almost walking (might be by then!) I'm hoping to give him some stroller breaks to get out and move around, so I'm trying to think of good places to do this. The ones I've thought of so far are:
MK HUB 'grassy' areas (obviously not close to fireworks times)
MK Dumbo toddler area in the play area
MK play area under Splash Mountain (if it's not busy!)
AK Boneyard (over by the toddler slide - away from the main walkways)

What are some more ideas? Even if it's just a quiet corner somewhere, that's enough for him to explore a bit. I'm going during a not too busy time (end of Jan) so I'm hoping crowds aren't too bad. Thanks!

 

[gwynne]

There is a beautiful green space near the Boardwalk Inn. You can see it straight ahead as you are leaving the Boardwalk boat dock. I often see people with littles there.

 

[Quellman]

EPCOT should have some areas as part of the arts festival going on where there is artificial turf. I haven't been to Mission Space in ages, but they too had a play area, though designed I think for kids older than 1. There is often free carpet space inside the exit of Test Track in the car showroom. There is a small little play area inside The Seas as well.

Hollywood Studios is a wasteland for kids. The new Disney Dance Party is probably about it. You can also do some 'exploring' down near the new Galaxy's Edge entrance, but there may be smokers in the area.

 

[yesdnil]

We used all of the ones you mentioned with my 7-month-old who was crawling and standing but not yet walking. The toddler-specific area of the Dumbo play place was actually jam-packed with adults on their phones and kids who were definitely not toddlers, but we found a relatively empty area on the edge of the play area (actually right next to the emergency exit) and my LO was perfectly happy to just stand next to the benches and stretch for a bit. The outdoor options, like the plaza gardens at MK, the festival-related playgrounds at Epcot, and the AK Boneyard, are nice if the weather's good, but the ground can be hot for little crawlers and obviously wet if it's been raining.

The baby care stations in each park can be really nice and clean, but they get super-packed around lunchtime, so just plan for that.

One of the best solutions we found was to go to the resorts for some of our meals and let her crawl around the lobbies. They're almost guaranteed to be less crowded than the parks, and quite a bit cleaner.

 

[unrequited23]

There is a walkway along the water in Frontierland that was surprisingly empty when we were there and could be a good place to do the walking while holding on to both hands of the grown up thing. (My back hurts just remembering that phase.)

 

[emilyrachael]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! We're skipping HS (haven't gone there in a few years actually...) Thanks for the tip about the baby stations getting crowded at lunch time - I'm sure we'll be making several stops there. I like the idea of exploring resorts, too, for meals.

 

[MooseBucks]

The inside exit area of test track is great for moving around!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! We're skipping HS (haven't gone there in a few years actually...) Thanks for the tip about the baby stations getting crowded at lunch time - I'm sure we'll be making several stops there. I like the idea of exploring resorts, too, for meals.

just watch for older more active kids running your little one over