In my opinion, the best destination to travel with toddlers is Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. In this post we're going to be discussing everything about traveling with toddlers to Disney World, from the challenges, avoiding major toddler meltdowns to best places to eat with you family. I know what some of you are thinking, "My toddler will never remember this trip they are only 2." Well I'm here to tell you, they may not remember everything from their first trip but YOU will for the rest of your life. There is no other feeling than seeing Disney through your child's eyes. The first time I took my son to Disney he was barely 2 years old and it was my favorite visit to Disney World (until I took my younger son this past year). I am not ashamed to admit when my son saw Cinderella's Castle for the first time with his bugged out eyes and said to me "Mama WOW" I cried. My heart was as big as the ocean that I could the magic reflected in his eyes, which only made my love for Disney Magic greater.
ABOUT THIS POST
This post is certainly not a complete planning guide to your trip to Disney World. Rather, this post is a general guide to specifically a trip to Disney World with toddlers or small children. We will touch on many factors that could impact your trip while traveling with small children. We will not really touch much on the overall budget aspect of planning the trip, but we will touch on some budget friendly concepts like purchasing a souvenir cups. The unfortunate thing about this post is we can't answer everyone's specific questions to their trip. However, please contact me here if you have specific questions about planning a vacation to Disney World.
Every child and family is different. The following tips are what we have found to ensure that a trip with our toddlers was as worry free as possible.
Avoid Meltdowns: Take Breaks From the Action
You can't expect toddlers to go to Disney World and be on the continuous move from sun up to sun down without having a meltdown. Not to say that you won't be able to make the best of your trip with a toddler but it is OKAY to take breaks from the parks. When planning a family vacation, there should be at least one full day of rest no matter where you are visiting and with or without a toddler, this is especially true for a vacation to Disney World. There is so much to see and do, but it doesn't have to be done all in a single day.
Some toddlers are prone to overstimulation. In my personal experience, my son was very quiet and reserved the first few days of his first trip to Disney World. The moment we saw that he was starting to retreat into his shell, we knew it was time to take a break from the action. The more we did this for him the more he came out of his shell and before we knew it he was strolling down Hollywood Boulevard at Disney's Hollywood Studios waving to everyone like he was the Mayor. We also noticed that we needed to take less breaks in the parks since he wasn't as overstimulated, which meant fewer meltdowns. A win win if you ask me! It truly pays off to have this strategy in place in the very beginning of your trip.
Disney can be overwhelming for adults, so don't be surprised that it can both excite and overwhelm your toddler. There is so much going on all at once, but to mitigate the BIG FEELINGS there is nothing wrong with removing the stimulation and replacing it with some wind-down time. Sometimes during this time, you get the best memories with your children, I definitely did.
Taking frequent breaks allows everyone not just your child to regroup and ultimately enjoy the trip even more. Taking breaks doesn't necessarily mean leaving a park and going back to your room. A break could be as simple as heading over to Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom to let your toddler run amok at the Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station, or Dumbo the Flying Elephant Queue Playground or grab a snack and head over to the West Plaza Garden area for a little picnic while people watching.
I can tell you from experience my children who NEVER nap at home or in a stroller were conked out cold by 1pm almost every day of our trip in their strollers. It is always a good idea to head back to the room for a well deserved family nap in the afternoon at Disney. You will miss the afternoon Florida heat and the busiest time in the parks. Plus your family will be recharged and less likely to have meltdowns. If adults or older children in your party don't want to take a nap, no problem, its the perfect opportunity to take a dip in the resort pool, partake in some resort activities or some retail therapy.
Dinning Out With Your Toddler
Dinning out with toddlers can be stressful in any setting not just at Disney World. The way I personally approached this hurdle was to take my kids out to local restaurants to see exactly how they would act, how I could mitigate any meltdowns and how to overall entertain them while they were waiting for their food. This was certainly geared towards my youngest son since he was born during the pandemic and wasn't as used to going out to restaurants as his older brother was when he was his age. This isn't to say to go out to eat all the time, this is really just to show you that it isn't so bad dinning out with toddlers.
Dinning in Disney World is so much easier than back home, there's less stress because there are toddlers and children all over Disney World property and trust me every parent understands the toddler meltdown that you couldn't stop before it happens I've found the easiest way to entertain my kids while they wait for a sit-down meal is mess free coloring books or fun packs from Target which had coloring pages, crayons, and stickers. These are small enough to throw into the park bag and entertain the kids long enough before their food comes.
The vast majority of dinning establishments at Disney World are toddler and child friendly. The happiest place of earth has some of the best food options for everyone in your family from the pickiest of eaters to those who has extensive pallets to those who want to try out of the ordinary food options. Dinning options in Disney World are broken down into the following categories: Snacks, Quick Service, Table Service, Character Dinning, Signature Dinning and Event Dinning. Whether you are looking for something to hold the family over in-between meals or a character dinning experience Disney World has you covered. Character Dinning in Walt Disney World may be slightly more expensive than the regular table service meal, but the memories you will get truly lasts a lifetime. My oldest son is constantly telling his friends and family about the time he ate breakfast with Vamparina, Doc McStuffins, Fancy Nancy and Roadster Racer Goofy at Prime Time Café in Disney Hollywood Studios. Well worth the splurge to have some incredible photos, autographs and memories. In another post I will go into full details with regards to dinning with toddlers, where the best places are and overall top favorite food options.
Budget Friendly Souvenir Ideas
Let's face it, our kids will see so many gifts while they are at Disney World. How do choose the best options for our kids and our budgets? We can tackle this issue in 3 ways in a different full post: did we preplan for souvenirs for our family members, do we need to buy a souvenir during our trip that may be less expensive if bought elsewhere prior to our trip and more budget friendly on property options. Touching on this subject briefly, I always suggest to my friends, family and client to preplan souvenirs into the vacation budget. This is the best way to ensure that you will be bringing something home to commemorate your trip but also have a budget to stick to without going overboard.
There are always budget friendly and free options while at Walt Disney World, like celebration buttons that can be personalize. Another great option is souvenir cups at Disney restaurants or popcorn buckets that can be refilled for a much lower price at all the parks for your entire trip as well as future trips. A huge budget friendly souvenir in my family is pressed pennies, machines can be found throughout the property including at resort hotels. There are so many options throughout the property but there are also options that you can purchase before you even leave for your trip, like buying light up toys from Amazon. The options are truly endless and we can discuss these in more depth in a future post.
Best Disney Theme Parks for Toddlers
All 4 of the Walt Disney World Theme Parks are great for toddlers and small children. Each park has a designated Baby Care Center that is fully stocked with anything you may need for your toddler or small child. The Baby Care Centers are a great place to take a break from the action to regroup with your child. Each center has family bathrooms, individual bathrooms, changing tables, microwaves, extra clothes for purchase, diapers and wipes for purchase as well as formula, and more. Another post has full details of each park and their toddler friendly attractions.
Magic Kingdom is by far the best park for toddlers and small children. The park has the most rides for toddlers. It is worth it to note that since this is the best park for toddlers and small children expect lines to be longer in Magic Kingdom. With that being said, Magic Kingdom may have the most rides for toddlers, Animal Kingdom is also the least intense of all 4 Disney Theme Parks and perfect for toddlers and small children.
Animal Kingdom is the largest of the 4 theme parks within the Walt Disney World Resort. The park has a less intense vibe and experiences and tends to be the least overwhelming park for toddlers and small children. Animal Kingdom may be the best place to begin your toddler's first Disney trip to ease them into the Magic if they tend to become overwhelmed easily.
EPCOT has a smaller amount of rides for toddlers BUT the park has many gardens and areas where your toddler can just be themselves and run amok. EPCOT offers a wide variety of character interactions as well as interactive kid crafts around the many pavilions. EPCOT is full of imagination and my favorite FOOOD. Be sure to step outside of your comfort zone and try new dishes from around the world. You can also visit the aquarium inside EPCOT at the Nemo and Friends attraction.
Disney Hollywood Studios has potentially the fewest rides for toddlers and small children among all the theme parks of the resort. However, it may have the fewest rides for toddlers, it does have an incredible amount of toddler friendly shows and character interactions. Your toddlers can see their favorite Disney Jr. Character live and even participate in a dance party with some of their favorite characters.
There is truly so much for your toddler to see and do while visiting the parks that make up Walt Disney world Resort.
Memories Made Will Last Forever
The memories that you will create with your family will truly last forever. Especially if you purchase the Memory Maker during or before your trip. There is no need to purchase the Memory Maker, but I can say it was worth the money because I didn't have to worry about making sure to find someone to take pictures of me with my family. I could easily see the hundreds of photographers around all 4 theme park and have them take special pictures of my family with me in them that wasn't a selfie.
My sons were closer to the age of 2 when we first took them (2019 and 2022) to Disney for their first haircut. The special experience that is a first haircut for any mom was intensified tenfold at Disney. They of course both had difference experiences since they are 2 totally different children, but they overall outcome was the same. At Harmony Barber Ship in Magic Kingdom, you can book an appointment in advance of your trip for the First Haircut Experience where you child receives their first haircut, certificate commemorating the milestone, special embroidered Mickey Ears and a pouch with their cut hair. This experience is something I tend to recommend often to my parent friends because it was a very special experience.
I cherish the memories I was able to create with my toddlers while at Walt Disney World more than they will ever comprehend. Your child will never be as young as they are now and the Disney Magic is so real through their eye that it truly creates a deeper love for the magic for you as the adult.
Book the Trip and Take the Vacation
Visiting Walt Disney World with your toddler is well worth it! Not only will you have some amazing memories with your children when they were young but the magic is real for them. They may not remember everything from their trip to Disney but they will remember through the memories you have via pictures of how happy you all are when you are together. Be sure to check back for more on this series of traveling with toddlers to Disney World.
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