10 Helpful Tips for Disneyland with a Baby

I love Disney! Disneyland! Disney movies! Disney+! The Disney Store! If it’s Disney, chances are I love it. When I describe myself to others I always mention how much I love Disney. Living in sunny Southern California makes it practically a must to have a Disneyland Annual Pass.

Disneyland is a great place for families no doubt, but the thought of crowds & lines can be a little scary for parents especially when you have a baby. Zoey & Lia’s first Disneyland trips were at the age of…3 WEEKS OLD!

I am here to help & give you my Top 10 Disneyland With a Baby Travel Tips!

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10 Tips for Going to Disneyland with a Baby

1. Buy Your Disneyland Tickets Ahead of Time

The customer service lines to purchase tickets in-person at Disneyland are always long. Save yourself a lot of time and aggravation by purchasing your single day or multi-day Park Hopper passes online.

2. Buy Disney T-Shirts or Character Attire Outside the Disney Parks

You know your kids will want a Disney T-shirt, or maybe even you will. Whether it be a Disney T-shirt or a hat or a mug, there are much more inexpensive locations to purchase Disney clothing than inside the park.

If you know where to look, you can often purchase Disney character attire for everyone in the family for under $20 a piece…about 1/2 the cost inside the theme parks.

3. Walk to Downtown Disney

Disneyland has changed the position of metal detectors and security making the wait for the tram to ride into the parks longer than it used to be. Right when you get off the escalator, you have a security checkpoint and then another line to wait for the tram. Unless both lines are relatively short, we make our way across to Downtown Disney.

There is a walkway for you to walk across to the Downtown Disney. The security checkpoint at Downtown Disney is much faster and you don’t need to wait for the stroller designated parts of the tram either.

4. Use the Monorail Entrance into Disneyland

I am all about saving time & money! This is a super local tip and one of my favorite tips for visiting Disneyland with a baby!

When you enter Downtown Disney (after you have walked instead of using the tram) to your left, right past the Star Wars Trading Post (formerly the Rainforest Café), you will find the Disneyland Monorail station.

With your pre-purchased Disneyland tickets in hand, all you need to do is walk in and have your ticket scanned! Voila! You have avoided the long lines at the entrance gates.

You will then need to walk up to the platform, fold your stroller, pick any of the Monorail carts and sit down for a quick ride into Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. 

A fun tip: ask to be seated in the front of the Monorail for a beautiful view.

5. Make the Most out of Baby Swap Passes

Waiting in long lines with a baby is no fun! A couple of months ago I learned about the Baby Swap Passes which parents can use (also called Rider Switch, Rider Swap or Child Swap).

The way the baby swap program works: Someone stays behind with the baby while your group goes on the Disney ride. When you get to the front of the line you ask for a Baby Swap Pass, they hand you a pass and then the person who was waiting can ride with 2 other people. The Baby Swap Pass has become our go-to to make sure no one misses a fun ride.

6. What to Pack for Disneyland with a Baby

My packing list for Disneyland with a baby can seem extensive so feel free to take out what you won’t need in your diaper bag: 

• feeding accessories (bottles, formula, nursing cover, etc.)
• snacks (plenty of them)
• water (we bring in enough water bottles for the whole family)
• diapers
• wipes
• pacifiers
• hand sanitizer
• bibs
• a sunhat
• sunscreen
• extra clothes (if it’s hot, I recommend bringing an extra outfit plus leggings of pjs for when it gets cool at night)
• a jacket for everyone (it can get chilly at night)
• and a travel-size picnic blanket (perfect for saving your spots and sitting during the parades).

7. Make Use of Disney Baby Care Centers

Let’s say you forgot or ran out of wipes or diapers, maybe formula, or even a pacifier… there is NO need to panic! The Disneyland Baby Care Center has diapers, formula, pacifiers, baby food, wipes, and even baby medicine for sale. The Disneyland Baby Center also has various changing tables, high chairs you can use to feed your little one, and pumping stations for your convenience. 

My favorite amenity at the Baby Care Center is the access to a quiet and private nursing station. Many times while I am on the go I just feed out, but it is so nice to have a quiet and peaceful place to get away from the theme park noise and crowds to feed your baby calmly.

8. A Baby Carrier is a Must

We love to wear Lia whenever we can. It is so much easier to get around and provides us with so much comfort to know she is right there with us.

For this tip on how to get around Disneyland with a baby, all I can say is – Baby Wear! Baby Wear! Baby Wear! I love my ErgoBaby 360 with mesh baby carrier because she can be facing outwards looking around and leaves me a free hand for Zoey or some delicious Dole Whip (don’t forget to try Dole Whip at the entrance of Adventure Land).

9. The Best Baby-Friendly Rides at Disneyland

• Pirates of the Caribbean (It depends on your babe – it is very dark.)
• It’s a Small World
• The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
• The Jungle Cruise
• Haunted Mansion (It depends on your babe – it is very dark.)
• Dumbo The Flying Elephant
• Snow White’s Scary Adventures (It depends on your babe – it is very dark.)
• Peter Pan’s Flight (A favorite & always a fast line. I recommend it first if you get to the park early.)
• Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
• King Arthur Carousel
• Casey Jr. Circus Train
• Story Book Land Boats
• Alice in Wonderland
• Disneyland Railroad
• Goofy’s Playhouse
• Mickey/Minnie/Donald/Chip ‘n Dale’s Homes in Toon Town
• Finding Nemo Submarine
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
• Tarzan’s Treehouse
• Mark Twain Riverboat
• Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island

10. Tips for Watching Parades and Fireworks at Disney

Believe it or not, most people begin to hold their spots for the Disneyland parade and the fireworks about 1.5 hours before the show. I find this to be a perfect time to sit down and eat or for you to stay with your baby while your hubby takes your older kids on some rides.

Remember that picnic blanket I told you to pack earlier? Well, take it out and lay it out so you save up enough space for your whole party. If you want to get some food you can have your own picnic at Disneyland while you wait.

If you are watching the late Disneyland parade right before the fireworks, I recommend finding a spot that works to watch both. I found that in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle and all the way down to the end of Main Street are the best to catch both shows.

Final Thoughts for Disneyland with a Baby

Whether it is your first time on a Disney vacation or you have an annual pass, enjoy yourself. Disneyland is a place you can be even sillier with your kids and where no one will think anything of it when you get nervous to meet your childhood hero Mickey Mouse. Take your kid’s hands and skip down Main Street.

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