Talk to Me About Taking a Toddler (infant info included!)

SRUAlmn

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 19, 2004
We took our then 7.5 month old baby boy to WDW in April and are planning to go again in a couple weeks when he’s 16.5 months old.

During the last trip we did very little. It was more about just being there. He was on full milk and was napping a lot. We used the baby care centers but weren’t huge fans (except for the fact that diaper changes were more comfortable than the restroom areas.) We spent very little time in the parks because the new Disney resort room refrigerators do not have freezers. We had no way to refreeze our ice packs at night, and therefore, could not keep his milk cold for very long during our park time. Guest Services kindly offered for Bell Services to freeze them for us but when we picked them up each day they were barely frozen ‍♀️

This time around I’m expecting to be in the parks more and since we didn’t have much experience in the parks last time, I’m now full of questions.

1. Will our stroller have to stay outside of all dining establishments?
2. How hard is it to find high chairs at counter service locations?
3. Do the parks/resorts offer organic whole milk options like Horizon?
*we’d bring our own, but the ice pack freezer issue would be the problem
4. Are there toddler snacks/pouches available at any of the resort counter service/grab n go/gift shop locations? Trying to decide how much to bring or Garden Grocer
5. Any suggestions for places his dad and I can chill/explore that are a little quieter if he falls asleep in the stroller while we’re touring the parks? He’s a light sleeper so last time we found it was too loud/bright/hot for him to nap much in the stroller. Not sure if it’ll be different this time.

What else do I need to know that I haven’t thought of? Tips?

Thanks so much!!

Update from our Jan 2019 trip with him at 17 months old on Page 4!
 
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Hi. Ive travelled with my kids at ages 3 years and 11 months, 4 years and 1 1/2 years, and 4 1/2 years and 2 years. Little ones definitely make the parks more challenging but our kids absolutely love it there.

1. Most but not all will require the stroller to stay outside. For restaurants where they aren't allowed, we have asked before when one or the other was napping if we could bring them in and sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes no. QS areas with outside seating tend to let you keep you stroller.

2. High chairs are everywhere. Never an issue.

3. We havent looked specifically, we do buy organic at home, but havent searched for it in the parks. But I dont think so.

4. Yes apple sauce pouches. Yogurts. Fresh fruits. Even when the pickings are slim there are usually at least sliced apples or grapes in a bag, sometimes carrots.

5. a. MK - They just closed the best spot in MK to build the Tron coaster, the path between tomorrow land and Petes silly side show. Sad to see it go. The area around the exit of Splash Mountain is shady and very quiet.

5. b. Epcot - Inside the "play area" of journey into imagination. Parts of innovations west. Many of the ares in the countries, such as the ones that have museums. American Adventure area is huge, air conditioned and usually quiet. Definitely easiest park to nap a kid in! Also walk to Beach Club and find a quiet area (Check DVC wing).

5. c. HS - The area inside Star Wars launch bay is good when not too crowded. The outside area near ABC Commissary. Walk to Swan/Dolphin for a quiet lobby.

5. d. AK - We like the area near Dinosaur or the area BEHIND the Tree of Life, right under it. There are quiet paths back there and benches "under" the tree if you're lucky enough to find one open. Also the Gorilla Falls trails are nice but you have to go through a couple of "chain curtains" to get in there, team work required. Rafiki area was perfect(after the train ride) but is sadly closed now. Potentially the wooden bridge from Africa to Pandora depending on crowds.
 
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We took our then 7.5 month old baby boy to WDW in April and are planning to go again in a couple weeks when he’s 16.5 months old.

During the last trip we did very little. It was more about just being there. He was on full milk and was napping a lot. We used the baby care centers but weren’t huge fans (except for the fact that diaper changes were more comfortable than the restroom areas.) We spent very little time in the parks because the new Disney resort room refrigerators do not have freezers. We had no way to refreeze our ice packs at night, and therefore, could not keep his milk cold for very long during our park time. Guest Services kindly offered for Bell Services to freeze them for us but when we picked them up each day they were barely frozen ‍♀️

This time around I’m expecting to be in the parks more and since we didn’t have much experience in the parks last time, I’m now full of questions.

1. Will our stroller have to stay outside of all dining establishments?
2. How hard is it to find high chairs at counter service locations?
3. Do the parks/resorts offer organic whole milk options like Horizon?
*we’d bring our own, but the ice pack freezer issue would be the problem
4. Are there toddler snacks/pouches available at any of the resort counter service/grab n go/gift shop locations? Trying to decide how much to bring or Garden Grocer
5. Any suggestions for places his dad and I can chill/explore that are a little quieter if he falls asleep in the stroller while we’re touring the parks? He’s a light sleeper so last time we found it was too loud/bright/hot for him to nap much in the stroller. Not sure if it’ll be different this time.

What else do I need to know that I haven’t thought of? Tips?

Thanks so much!!
We brought our 7 month old this past Nov & plan to bring him again when he’ll about 17 mos. You can rent a fridge with a freezer from a 3rd party place for $42 for the week. And, we brought our stroller in everywhere this past trip b/c DS wasn’t quite able to sit in a high chairs.
 
And, we brought our stroller in everywhere this past trip b/c DS wasn’t quite able to sit in a high chairs.

Id love to know the trick there? Is it just because he/she was so young? We've been told no so many times.
 
Id love to know the trick there? Is it just because he/she was so young? We've been told no so many times.
Hollywood brown derby offered when they saw he was asleep in my arms. From then on I just said we need to bring it in. They asked is he asleep or unable to sit in a high chair & I said yes. That was it. This was just about a month ago so maybe they changed things.
 
Hi. Ive travelled with my kids at ages 3 years and 11 months, 4 years and 1 1/2 years, and 4 1/2 years and 2 years. Little ones definitely make the parks more challenging but our kids absolutely love it there.

1. Most but not all will require the stroller to stay outside. For restaurants where they aren't allowed, we have asked before when one or the other was napping if we could bring them in and sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes no. QS areas with outside seating tend to let you keep you stroller.

2. High chairs are everywhere. Never an issue.

3. We havent looked specifically, we do buy organic at home, but havent searched for it in the parks. But I dont think so.

4. Yes apple sauce pouches. Yogurts. Fresh fruits. Even when the pickings are slim there are usually at least sliced apples or grapes in a bag, sometimes carrots.

5. a. MK - They just closed the best spot in MK to build the Tron coaster, the path between tomorrow land and Petes silly side show. Sad to see it go. The area around the exit of Splash Mountain is shady and very quiet.

5. b. Epcot - Inside the "play area" of journey into imagination. Parts of innovations west. Many of the ares in the countries, such as the ones that have museums. American Adventure area is huge, air conditioned and usually quiet. Definitely easiest park to nap a kid in! Also walk to Beach Club and find a quiet area (Check DVC wing).

5. c. HS - The area inside Star Wars launch bay is good when not too crowded. The outside area near ABC Commissary. Walk to Swan/Dolphin for a quiet lobby.

5. d. AK - We like the area near Dinosaur or the area BEHIND the Tree of Life, right under it. There are quiet paths back there and benches "under" the tree if you're lucky enough to find one open. Also the Gorilla Falls trails are nice but you have to go through a couple of "chain curtains" to get in there, team work required. Rafiki area was perfect(after the train ride) but is sadly closed now. Potentially the wooden bridge from Africa to Pandora depending on crowds.


Thank you so much!! We were able to find a few quiet spots last time but it was so hot outside and we couldn’t just walk or sit while he napped. Hoping this trip will be a little cooler :)

Also good to know that finding a high chair won’t be an issue! Thanks again!!
 
We brought our 7 month old this past Nov & plan to bring him again when he’ll about 17 mos. You can rent a fridge with a freezer from a 3rd party place for $42 for the week. And, we brought our stroller in everywhere this past trip b/c DS wasn’t quite able to sit in a high chairs.

Thank you! Is it within DIS rules for you to post the name of a 3rd party place you’d recommend? Thanks!
 


Here are some milk options:

-Depending on the weather, you could bring your own shelf stable individual boxes of Organic Valley or Horizon whole milk. They can be consumed at room temperature and do not need to be refrigerated. If you go this route, double check how warm they can get, though. On milder days I wouldn’t hesitate, but if it’s hot I would double check to make sure how warm they can get and still be safe to drink. Also depends on if your child will only drink cold milk.

-Not organic, but all the Starbucks in the parks have whole milk to make coffee drinks. You can pay for just a cup of whole milk. I have done this many times. Whole milk is tough to find in the parks but Starbucks will always pour a cup for you to purchase if you ask.
 
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Thank you! Is it within DIS rules for you to post the name of a 3rd party place you’d recommend? Thanks!
Oh ok. I wasn’t sure :). It was called a baby’s best friend. We rented the fridge with freezer & a full sized crib & regular mattress. They were great! DS won’t sleep in a pack n play. He’s a big boy!
 
Disney has free full size cribs and mattresses on a first come first basis. It makes it a bit of dice role as you can’t request one until check in, but they’ve always had one when we asked. Our youngest sleeps much better in a full size crib.
 
Here are some milk options:

-Depending on the weather, you could bring your own shelf stable individual boxes of Organic Valley or Horizon whole milk. They can be consumed at room temperature and do not need to be refrigerated. If you go this route, double check how warm they can get, though. On milder days I wouldn’t hesitate, but if it’s hot I would double check to make sure how warm they can get and still be safe to drink. Also depends on if your child will only drink cold milk.

-Not organic, but all the Starbucks in the parks have whole milk to make coffee drinks. You can pay for just a cup of whole milk. I have done this many times. Whole milk is tough to find in the parks but Starbucks will always pour a cup for you to purchase if you ask.

Thank you!! That’s great info. I was scanning through YouTube videos and shopping vlogs and didn’t seem like I saw whole milk anywhere. I’ll check into the shelf stable option, but honestly, a few days of non organic will be fine! Haha So it’s good to know Starbucks is an option!

Oh ok. I wasn’t sure :). It was called a baby’s best friend. We rented the fridge with freezer & a full sized crib & regular mattress. They were great! DS won’t sleep in a pack n play. He’s a big boy!

Thank you! We drive from SC so we’ll probably bring our P&P (we use it with our DockATot and he sleeps in it every night so I think he’ll be most comfy that way.) We just used a rental company in NC for Christmas and it’s so nice to have that option for beds and high chairs and all the bulky things no one wants to have to haul! Thanks for the info! Our little guy is so tall so I’m thinking the P&P option isn’t going to last much longer. Good to have this info in my back pocket!
 
Disney has free full size cribs and mattresses on a first come first basis. It makes it a bit of dice role as you can’t request one until check in, but they’ve always had one when we asked. Our youngest sleeps much better in a full size crib.

Thanks for the info! I never knew!
 
Thanks for the info! I never knew!
Disney’s cribs’ mattresses were kinda thin (at least at Wilderness lodge). The place we rented from had the exact mattress DS has at home. I rented it b/c I was extra nervous b/c he sleeps over 12 straight hours at home so I didn’t want to mess up anything with that! But, if yours is ok with a pack n play, their cribs should be fine. When do you plan to visit again?
 
Disney’s cribs’ mattresses were kinda thin (at least at Wilderness lodge). The place we rented from had the exact mattress DS has at home. I rented it b/c I was extra nervous b/c he sleeps over 12 straight hours at home so I didn’t want to mess up anything with that! But, if yours is ok with a pack n play, their cribs should be fine. When do you plan to visit again?

For real!! Don’t mess up that blessing of 12 hour sleep! My little guy normally sleeps 8-10 max! He can’t handle the P&P mattresses without the DockATot in there, too. We actually have a thicker, nicer mattress under the Dock in ours at home but when we just traveled for Christmas he did ok (not great) with the thinner mattress under it so I’m debating what our best bet will be. We’re going in a couple weeks!!
 
This is what you get when you specify “full size crib”, when available of course.

Audrey+2010+3820.jpg
 
We went with our 15 month old last year. It was great. Such great memories. You can request a crib. We got one at the GF, but I also rented one in case we did not get one. Best thing I did for our trip. 15 month old slept great and was safe while inside.

No organic milk but I did get a small Hood milk 2 times a day for baby from our QS.
 
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For real!! Don’t mess up that blessing of 12 hour sleep! My little guy normally sleeps 8-10 max! He can’t handle the P&P mattresses without the DockATot in there, too. We actually have a thicker, nicer mattress under the Dock in ours at home but when we just traveled for Christmas he did ok (not great) with the thinner mattress under it so I’m debating what our best bet will be. We’re going in a couple weeks!!
Have fun! Would love to hear your thoughts on what you thought about the differences in age when you get back. We took DS at 7 mos & plan to go again about the age of your DS now.
 
We went with our 15 month old last year. It was great. Such great memories. You can request a crib. We got one at the GF, but I also rented one in case we did not get one. Well luckily I rented one. Turns out the one the GF brought us had a DIRTY sheet on it when they brought it into our room! It was BROWN stuff, not sure if it was chocolate or. poop! I was so grossed out, at the GF no less! They clearly just brought me in a crib that came straight from someone's room. Even though I had clorox wipes with me, I was grossed out big time! Luckily I rented a crib which was delivered to my room at the same time, from Kingdom strollers (got the stroller from them too). I rented it because I am a germ freak and Kingdom hospital grade sanitizes the crib, sends it wrapped in a cover, sheets come in a clear plastic baggie. So clean!! Best thing I did for our trip. 15 month old slept great and was safe while inside.

No organic milk but I did get a small Hood milk 2 times a day for baby from our QS.


Yikes that’s gross. We haven’t had issue like that. All of our sheets have been clean and unused, but we are germ freaks too and spend twenty minutes wiping down the bars with clorox wipes. And we don’t use their sheets anyway. We travel we our own crib mattresses cover and sheet. But I like the idea of a company that santizes and guarantees it. Im pretty sure the disney ones only get cleaned when parent like us clean them.
 
This is what you get when you specify “full size crib”, when available of course.

Audrey+2010+3820.jpg

That helps to see it, thanks so much!!

We went with our 15 month old last year. It was great. Such great memories. You can request a crib. We got one at the GF, but I also rented one in case we did not get one. Well luckily I rented one. Turns out the one the GF brought us had a DIRTY sheet on it when they brought it into our room! It was BROWN stuff, not sure if it was chocolate or. poop! I was so grossed out, at the GF no less! They clearly just brought me in a crib that came straight from someone's room. Even though I had clorox wipes with me, I was grossed out big time! Luckily I rented a crib which was delivered to my room at the same time, from Kingdom strollers (got the stroller from them too). I rented it because I am a germ freak and Kingdom hospital grade sanitizes the crib, sends it wrapped in a cover, sheets come in a clear plastic baggie. So clean!! Best thing I did for our trip. 15 month old slept great and was safe while inside.

No organic milk but I did get a small Hood milk 2 times a day for baby from our QS.

Well, that’s enough for me! I’m a germ freak, too. Blech!!!! Thanks for the info!! So the QS area had whole milk available ?
 
Have fun! Would love to hear your thoughts on what you thought about the differences in age when you get back. We took DS at 7 mos & plan to go again about the age of your DS now.

I’m interested to see, too! I feel like there will be pros and cons. Last time he wasn’t super mobile and was content to just stroll around and watch the sights. Now he’s SO mobile and curious and energetic and I feel like it’s going to be harder to keep him “entertained,” but he also understands so much more and reacts to Mickey like nothing I’ve ever seen so I think it’s going to be more magical, too. We’re also doing his first haircut while we’re there!! Hope you have a great time, too! Sounds like we have boys about the same age, too bad we won’t be there at the same time!

Yikes that’s gross. We haven’t had issue like that. All of our sheets have been clean and unused, but we are germ freaks too and spend twenty minutes wiping down the bars with clorox wipes. And we don’t use their sheets anyway. We travel we our own crib mattresses cover and sheet. But I like the idea of a company that santizes and guarantees it. Im pretty sure the disney ones only get cleaned when parent like us clean them.
Same! We would totally bring our own bedding, but everything goes in his mouth so knowing that a company heavily sanitizes is huge! The bars/sides/mattress/everything needs to be cleaned after use, not just the sheets!
 

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