8 Tips For Having The Best Disney Experience with Small Kids (even newborns)

If your’e following me on Instagram then you know we just got back from a little staycation to Disneyland. What made the trip so special is that this was the first time we took our newborn daughter Brielle. And you know what?- we actually had an easy and enjoyable experience- really! After Brielle got her first round of vaccinations we thought we’d continue the use of our annual passes to Disneyland. Initially, I thought I’d just dress her up (as the cutest Snow White you’d ever seen) and sit out on all the rides- what a sweet surprise to discover babies of all ages even newborns can get on ALL the rides in Fantasy Land! “It’s a Small World,” was Brielle’s favorite!

We really couldn’t believe how incredibly easy it was to do Disneyland with a baby- so I thought I’d round up the best hacks and tips I’ve learned through being a Disney Passholder for the last 9 months and share with any other folks that might be planning a trip to Disneyland with kids. The following hacks and tips are sure to help!

1. MAKE IT A STAYCATION …. I have found it literally impossible to do Disneyland in one day. We have been going to Disneyland and California Adventure consistently for the last 9 months and we are NEVER able to see it all in a day. When you take into account that most children 5 years and under still NEED nap- without the convenience of a hotel, you’re setting yourself up for whining, complaining and tantrums midway through your experience because, well, your kids are tired. There are plenty of hotels in walking distance to Disneyland of all price ranges. Hotels that are a bit farther will likely offer a shuttle to and from the park. What has worked for us is getting to the hotel at about 10am and seeing if our room might be available early as most hotels state check-in is at 3pm. You’d be surprised how many times the hotel allowed us to check in early. And if your room won’t be available till 3pm, you can still park at the hotel and enjoy Disneyland until 3, when your kids will be ready for a nap anyways. We prefer staying at the Embassy Suites because the rooms are exceptionally spacious, they offer complimentary wine, cocktails and snacks during happy hour as well as a cooked-to-order breakfast buffet daily.

2. FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE DISNEY AP…Downloading the Disneyland Ap well in advance will make your trip so much more enjoyable. If you want to have dinner at one of the nice retaurants at Disneyland- say Pirates of the Carribean for example- you will want to use the ap to make your dinner reservations MONTHS in advance because they’re often filled to capacity. Also the Disneyland Ap allows you to see ride wait times so you can plan accordingly as well as where all your favorite charatcers are in the park for photo ops. The ap allows you to have all the pictures the Disney photogrpahers took throughout the day in one spot. Finally you can purchase a FastPass which allows you to skip line waits through the ap as well.

3. BUY FAMILY SHIRTS AND MINNIE EARS IN ADVANCE… I’ll just go ahead and admit that I LOVE looking the part at Disneyland. We went to Disneyland for the first time since my grad night in high school when Bryce turned 2. I went ahead and bought us all matching shirts and some Minnie Mouse ears and hats from Amazon. I had no idea about how serious the Disney fashion scene could be LOL. Little girls dressed up like princesses in pageants, themed ears and 50s style dresses- I was so inspired. Although the park sells ears, you can buy them from ETSY and get cheaper prices as well as customize your ears. I’ve done everything from Buzz Light Year ears to Valentines Day ears in pink with hearts. For me dressing up is part of the fun! In addition to making great photos, matching family shirts – especially if they’re colorful and has your child’s name on it is very helpful should your little one get lost in the park.

4. BRING LOTS OF WATER AND SNACKS… Save yourself money and time and pack tons of snacks and water. All the walking will make you hungry, hot and thirsty so it’s best to be prepared. Our rule with the kids is we eat a big breakfast before we go, once we’re there we eat our own snacks and water outside of the churros which we will buy. We tend to eat dinner at our hotel, The Cheesecake Factory or my favorite place- the Anaheim Packing district before we head back by 8:30 for fireworks.

5. RESERVE YOUR SPOT FOR PARADES AND FIREWORKS… And speaking of fireworks- you will want to head over to Fronteirland once you get in the park and get reserved seating for the 8:30pm fireworks. If you’re going with small kids I would not recommend staying out till the next show at 10:30pm. If you don’t get reserved seating, you will be packed in like sardines and your little one won’t be able to see anything and that will totally suck – trust me- been there done that. Have a family member get to your reserved section t 7:30 and save spots for your little ones.

6. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BRINGING AN INFANT OR NEWBORN … Like I said, I really can’t believe how easy it was to take Brielle along. Here’s what I learned. The moving motion of a stroller or carrier will pretty much keep your newborn sleep most of the entire time. Brielle only woke up to nurse and for diaper changes outside of her paying attention to the singing dolls at “It’s a Small World.” Disneyland also had nursing stations with rooms that accommodate moms with small babies and children. All the bathrooms come with a few changing tables. And like I said, there’s no need to sit out on the sidelines you can take your baby onto every ride in Fantasyland. If you can bring grandma along, she might stay in the hotel with the baby and or small kids so you can get on some adult rides or ditch Disneyland altogether and go on a dinner date. My mom was kind enough to do that for us on our last trip. Finally babies are FREE. So take advantage and lots of pictures and enjoy these moments before you have to shell out the big cash for a day at the happiest place on earth.

7. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FASTPASSES… Like I said earlier you can purchase FASTPASSES on the Disney ap which allows you to skip long lines for an extra fee. Or you can get free Fastpasses to select rides that offer them. We get the free fastpass tickets to our children’s favorite rides which are Toy Story, Buzz Light Year and It’s A Small World. Why wait in line for popular ides if you don’t have to?

8. BEST TIMES AND DATES …. I have found the best time to go to Disneyland if you want to avoid long lines is during the off-season. Spring Break and summer vacations are exceptionally busy at Disneyland where people from all over the world are there for vacation. Going in late September after the kids from all over the world are back in school is a great time to go. Also going in January after Christmas break is over is a good time. We literally did not wait in the line for security or admission and had very small wait times for rides last week. I also find going on Monday will mean less people at Disneyland which will make it more accessible and enjoyable for you. My favorite time to go to Disneyland is during the holidays.

Disneyland smells like gingerbread, is decked out in holiday lights and don’t miss the nightly snowfall.

Do you have any good hacks or Disney tips to share? Please comment below if so!