Making the Most of a Disney World Vacation with Your Baby

You're taking a baby to Walt Disney World? Are you crazy? That's most likely what you've been hearing from friends and family when you've talked about your vacation idea. But, with a little planning and these tips, you'll find taking your infant to the happiest place on earth can be relaxing, enjoyable, and dare I say it? Even fun.

The key to any successful Disney vacation is to plan, plan and plan some more. Start by visiting websites like allears.net to familiarize yourself with Disney's numerous baby friendly services. Find and memorize the locations of the baby stations in all four of the theme parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Studios and Animal Kingdom. The baby stations offer changing rooms, high chairs, rocking chairs, breastfeeding rooms, child sized potties, Disney videos for older children and best of all, some air conditioning and a break from the sun. Make a list of three or four attractions, prioritized, that each member of the family must see while you're there. Make a basic itinerary, but don't be too worried to throw it out once you get there as we all know how babies can be with schedules. The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed your baby will be as well.

Where to stay: Walt Disney World can be a hectic, tiring place, even for adults, so having a comfortable retreat for baby to take a nap each day is a must. To make your life that much easier, stay on the Disney property itself. There are lots of great resorts to choose from, but to get the most out of your money look into renting a vacation home from a Disney Vacation Club member. You can find them on line at various message boards, even selling their points on Internet auction sites, at a very competitive price. The DVC resorts offer studio, one, two and three bedroom homes with indispensable features like patios, balconies, full kitchens and in room laundry. My family and I stayed in a two bedroom condominium for the same price it would have cost us for the three value resort hotel rooms we would have required. As a bonus, the money you will save fixing your meals in the kitchen as opposed to eating in the restaurants will pay for itself. The added comfort of having a home type atmosphere instead of a hotel also helps keep your family relaxed and at ease.

How to get around: If you can rent a car for your trip, this is an easy one. If you stay on Disney property your parking is free, and it makes for a fast exit during those emergency nap times. Be sure to familiarize yourself with Florida's car seat and child restraint laws before you go to ensure there are no surprises. You can also utilize the Disney transportation system of buses, boats and monorails if you'd like to save yourself the expense of a car. Sometimes the bus rides can get long, so allow plenty of time for waiting and riding to avoid fussy times. Bring a lightweight stroller or an infant sling or carrier, as strollers will have to be folded when you get on the bus. Also try to avoid park openings and closings when the buses are crowded. It is well worth that hour to have space to spread out all your baby gear.

What to bring: You can rent strollers at each Disney park, but that's not much help if you're touring the resorts or shopping at Downtown Disney. Bring a lightweight umbrella stroller that is easy to fold down and has a sun shade. If your baby is still in an infant carrier, look at purchasing a stroller frame to hold the car seat rather than the bulky travel system strollers, especially if you're going to be riding the buses. Pack your diaper bag lightly, with enough diapers to get you through the day, wipes, and a change of clothing for emergencies. Sunblock is a must if your baby is old enough to use it, apply it frequently as the Florida sun can burn even on a cloudy day. Disney's official policy is that no food or drink is permitted inside the parks, but generally they won't enforce that when small children are involved. Easy to eat snacks like crackers and cereals in zip lock baggies are great, and juice boxes and sippy cups are a must as juice can be hard to come by at the parks. Fresh fruit can get sticky and worse, attract bees, so bring raisins and dried fruits instead. If you're planning on eating a meal in the park, bring disposable child utensils for the restaurant. Keep in mind that all bags must be searched before entering the parks, so have your diaper bag organized and ready to go to save yourself a long time at the entrance.

Riding the rides: The queues for most of the attractions at Disney World are in air conditioned buildings, and what a relief that is! But even air conditioned lines can get long when little ones are involved, so make good use of the Disney Fast Pass system. You insert your park ticket card into the kiosk, and you will get back a slip of paper with a time to arrive back at the attraction and ride without waiting in the line, cutting some waits down from an hour to ten minutes. Very few rides at Disney have height requirements, and I have taken babies on most of them. However, if both you and your spouse want to ride a non-baby friendly attraction, like Space Mountain, you can use the baby swap. You both wait in line together and one of you will ride the ride while the other waits with baby. Then, once the ride is over, you switch places and you don't have to wait in line all over again. Inform the Disney Cast Member in the ride area that you are planning to do the baby swap and they'll get you set up.

The costumed characters: This is one of the best things about Disney with a small child, they haven't abandoned the illusion of the costumed characters yet. Be prepared for some wonderful photo opportunities! While some children warm up immediately to Mickey and his friends, other children will need some time to adjust to the sight of a six foot tall character. Let them see the characters around the park before you approach one. The lines for pictures with characters can be longer than the rides, so if you're really keen on your children meeting their cartoon friends, try to fit a character meal into your itinerary. The characters will make a special effort to visit each table during the meal, and you get more one on one time with them then you do when meeting them in the parks. Reservations for character meals can be made 90 days in advance by calling Disney, and many of them fill up fast.

A Walt Disney World vacation can be fun for families of all ages, from babies to adults. Come prepared, relax, and have fun on your trip!