Until this last week, I had never been to Disneyland. And until last September, I had never even been to California. Who am I and how dare I consider myself someone who loves to ~travel. I personally don’t consider Disneyland to be that much of a travel destination, but it’s still pretty unbelievable that I’d never been. So when we decided to head to Southern California for our spring break trip, I was super excited! We would get to take Bastian to Disneyland! And then I stopped to think about how it might be hard to take a trip to disneyland with a baby.
Turns out, taking a trip to Disneyland with a baby wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. And Bastian actually had a lot of fun.
Don’t overwhelm them
We only went to Disneyland one day. We didn’t wake Bastian up early, and we went back to our hotel in time for his normal bedtime. In short, we tried to stick with a regular schedule as much as possible when being in a busy themepark all day. When he started getting really tired, we focused on getting him to take a nap. Which meant no more rides for a bit. We strapped him in his stroller and walked around the park until he fell asleep, and then we took turns going on the rides we wanted to while he napped.
Best rides for a baby
Before we left, I was worried that Bastian would be too young to ride any of the rides and would potentially be miserably. There are actually a lot of rides that you can take your baby or toddler on and they will LOVE it.
Dumbo The Flying Elephant – This one was actually closed for construction while we were there, which was a big bummer. But I’ve heard this one is great for little ones!
It’s a Small World – Annoying, maybe. But kids, unfortunately, love it.
Mad Tea Party – Bastian’s favorite ride! We just didn’t spin the teacup and we were golden.
Casey Jr’s Circus Train – He was antsy until the ride started, but then he loved it! We sat right behind the “engineer” and it was a little loud, so I’d suggest sitting a few cars back.
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage – Bastian is super fascinated with water, so he spent this entire ride with face staring out the window.
Storybook Land Canal – He got a tiny bit scared on this one, but we think it might’ve been because I wasn’t on the ride with them. Despite the few moments he was scared, he seemed to enjoy this one!
Mr Toad’s Wild Ride – We didn’t feel like waiting in line for this one, but I’ve heard it’s a great option for little ones!
Carousel – This one wasn’t as much of a hit as I’d hoped! Mainly due to the fact that he wanted to stand and was supposed to sit. He did enjoy the majority of it. Towards the end he seemed like he wanted to get off a little early.
Bring lots of snacks
This one is a no brainer, but we really didn’t feel like spending an arm and a leg on snacks in the park that my child may or may not throw on the ground. Applesauce pouches, chex mix, and lots and lots of water were our snacks of choice.
Don’t have too high of expectations at Disneyland with a baby
The reality of going to Disneyland with a baby, is that you may not be able to do all of the things you wanted to. Your baby might not be able to handle staying late to watch Fantasmic. They may also not have the tolerance to wait in line for an hour to meet Mickey Mouse. And we all know that at this age, is for you and not really for them. You know your baby better than anyone, so follow their cues.
