Disneyland with a Toddler: Top Tips for a Magical Visit
My husband and I have been wanting to take our toddler to Disneyland for a while now, especially since she is absolutely obsessed with the Fab Five characters and Princesses. We took her to Goofy’s Kitchen on her birthday and, when she had no fear of the characters, we knew she would absolutely love the parks.
After tons of research, recommendations from friends and our own experience, here are my top tips for visiting Disneyland with a toddler!
Prepare Your Toddler
I always prepare my toddler for big events or changes, so it was a no-brainer for me to prepare her for her first visit to Disneyland! We watched a few ride POVs and parades on YouTube a few weeks beforehand. Then, the day before our visit, I told her where we were going the next day with a few highlights of what to expect. Giving your toddler a little age-appropriate overview can be so helpful, especially if your toddler has a slow-to-warm temperament like mine.
Go Early
This tip is on all of the Disneyland guides for a reason! I highly recommend getting to Disneyland either at rope drop or within the first hour of opening. Rope drop is when Disneyland guests enter the park 30 minutes prior to the official opening time and wait towards the end of Main Street, facing the castle. When the park officially “opens”, cast members will drop the rope to allow guests to proceed to wherever they want to go in the park. The rides that typically have long wait times were less than 15 minutes long. This will also help you avoid crowds for parking, bag check, the tram and entry at the turnstiles. Plus, if you don’t know how your toddler will do around nap time, going early will help you maximize your time there. (For reference, we were able to go on 8 rides, do 4 meet & greets/photo ops, 5 stops for food/drinks, watch the parade and Taps ceremony, stop for a nap, go into stores and visit every “land” between 8:45am-3:30pm.)
Take a Stroller
Even if your toddler prefers to walk, you will definitely need to bring a stroller with the amount of walking at Disneyland. If you feel worried about something happening to it, place an AirTag in it to keep eyes on it! We had no issues with ours, and it was so helpful to have a space for my toddler to sit and for holding our gear. We also parked our stroller once per “land” (i.e., keep it parked in one area of Fantasyland while you go on rides and only move it when you are ready to go to a different area of the park, like Toontown).
Make a (Flexible) Plan
Can you tell that I like to prepare and plan? (hehe!) But really, there’s no harm in creating a flexible plan for your day at Disney. Make a list of your priorities, your alternatives if you have extra time or if one of your priorities goes awry and add any additional plans to a note in your phone. For example, my note included our priority rides (i.e., Dumbo, Carrousel, Runaway Railway), other priorities (i.e., parade, Minnie’s house/meet and greet, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge), alternatives (i.e., Astro Blasters, Pirates, Princess meet and greet), and shops/food spots to check out.
This helped organize our plans for the day, while still remaining flexible to the *slight* chaos of Disneyland.
Download the App!
Downloading the Disneyland app will give you immediate access to your tickets, ride and restaurant wait times, the ability to place mobile orders, check where the characters are, secure Lightning Lane passes if you have Genie+, see photos taken at the park, mobile checkout merchandise and more. It really streamlines the entire day for you. You can make reservations for restaurants 60 days in advance through the app as well.
Learn about Genie+
All of the articles made Genie+ seem WAY more complicated than it actually was to me. Genie+ starts at $30 per day, per ticket. I would purchase Genie+ when you buy your tickets, as it can sell out (although that is rare).
If you purchased Genie+, it will activate when you scan your ticket upon entry. You do not have to stay in the park to keep Genie+ reservations. My husband and I made 3 reservations throughout the day and came back after we put our toddler to bed (thanks, in-laws!) to go on those rides.
Utilize the “Tip Board” section in the app to see what Lightning Lane options are available. I suggest only using it on rides that typically have longer waiting times. It would be a waste to use it on a ride that only has a 15 minute waiting time.
You can book a Lightning Lane pass either after you have scanned in a pass, or two hours after you booked your last pass. For example, if at 9am you book a Lightning Lane pass for a 10am slot for Runaway Railway, you cannot book another pass until you have scanned that pass and are in line to ride it OR you have waited until 11am (two hours after you booked the Lightning Lane).
This is why it’s SO important to book Lightning Lane passes closest to your current time. You do not want to book a 12pm Lightning Lane pass at 8am, because you will miss out on two hours of rides that you could have used your Genie+ with!
Keep in mind that you can only book one Lightning Lane per ride per day (you can’t use it to go on the same ride more than once). Two rides require individual Lightning Lane passes: Rise of the Resistance ($26-$35 per ticket) and Radiator Springs Racers ($18-$21 per ticket).
Lightning Lanes can sell out. Both Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain were sold out of all times by mid-afternoon.
Most of the rides on Genie+ are thrill rides, so it might not be in your best interest to buy it if you have little ones. However, we purchased it and it worked really well in our favor.
Disneyland attractions that are included in Genie+:
Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones Adventure, “it’s a small world”, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Star Tours – The Adventure Continue, Space Mountain
California Adventure attractions that are included in Genie+:
Goofy’s Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout!, Incredicoaster, Monster’s Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue!, Soarin’ Around the World, Toy Story Midway Mania!, Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure
Pack a Backpack
A backpack is a convenient way to carry all that your toddler needs for a trip to Disneyland. We took a Jeep diaper bag backpack (a random baby shower gift) and packed it with: LOTS of snacks, two extra outfits for my toddler, an extra shirt for me, our filled Hydro Flasks, a few toys/books for waiting, sunscreen, first aid kit, earmuffs, diapers/wipes and a changing mat. We took our backpack with us on rides and then would stow it in the stroller basket when we were back at the stroller.
Order Food Ahead
The wait times for food can be long for kiddos, so utilize the mobile order option in the Disneyland app. We ordered food at Jolly Holiday, walked around a bit and then were able to sit at a table to eat, while everyone else waited in a long line out the door.
Visit the Baby Care Center
So many parents recommended visiting the Baby Care Center! The center is at the end of Main Street on the right, next to the Plaza Inn and the Little Red Wagon corndog cart. The First Aid building is next to it as well. The Baby Care Center offers many amenities, including a space for nursing mothers to feed their LOs in private, seats for bottle-feeding mothers, clean changing tables with supplies, small toilets for potty-trained toddlers and preschoolers, feeding area with highchairs, kitchen sink, bottle warmers and a microwave.
We used the changing tables, which were great for my toddler who hates being changed in the open at other public bathrooms.
Take Ear Protection (Earmuffs)
It was a while since I visited Disneyland before my toddler’s first trip, but one of the things I remembered was how LOUD the rides can be. Disneyland is already overstimulating as it is, so I took my daughter’s Baby Banz earmuffs with us. They were great for rides like Runaway Railway, which was a loud ride. It protected her ears and helped limit the amount of overstimulation- win win!
Use Rider Switch
If you want to ride thrill rides and are going to the parks with another adult, rider switch can be a helpful tool. You will want to let the greeting cast member know that you would like to use rider switch. The group will be split into two- one adult will board the ride first, while the other adult waits with the non-rider(s) (aka your toddler). The cast member will scan the tickets of the next adult to ride the attraction then, once the other adult is off the ride, will be directed to a faster queue instead of waiting in the normal line.
BONUS Tip!
Looking for a place for your toddler to nap? We took our toddler on Pirates of the Caribbean close to nap time and I had her sit on my lap turned towards me so she could lay her head on my chest if she felt nervous. She ended up falling asleep on the ride! I carried her from the ride to New Orleans Square and we sat on the benches next to Haunted Mansion and the train station. She napped for over an hour there- the music outside of Haunted Mansion was like a lullaby! P.S. Have your spouse order you a mint julep and some beignets while your baby naps!
I hope these tips are helpful to you as your plan your next Disneyland trip! Be sure to tag on Instagram if you use any of these tips.
