In this post we’ll discuss everything you need to know about baby wearing at Disney World. With an 18 month old who has made several trips to Disney World on top of a few months spent living in Florida, we’ve got plenty of experience, so let’s get to it!
Basics of Baby Wearing at Disney World
Let’s start with the basics…
What is baby wearing?
Baby wearing is using a carrier to attach a baby (infant or toddler) to yourself rather than using a stroller, carrying them in some other way, or having them walk. (For more about traveling with a toddler, check out our Complete Guide to Visiting Disney World with a Toddler.)
Disclaimer: Like all things babies, none of this is meant to be health advice or to contradict the recommendations of your pediatrician. There are lots of reasonable concerns, ranging from temperature to overuse to hip health, that come into play when deciding whether or not to use a carrier, which carrier to use, and how much you’re comfortable using a carrier. Research those on your own (and while you’re at it, research stroller overuse, too).
Our sister site has a post on Baby Wearing While Traveling that covers things beyond the scope of this post (like airport security and cold weather baby wearing).
The biggest tip for baby wearing at Disney World
I’m putting this at the top because it is mostly all you need to know: practice makes perfect. If you’re coming from a cold climate having never baby worn with a baby who will only nap in a crib in a blackened room, your experience with baby wearing at Disney World will probably not go well.
If you’re coming from a hot swamp and you know how to safely baby wear for 10,000+ step days and three naps in unfavorable weather and noise, you’ll have an easier time.
Baby wearing, including with naps on long walks in pretty warm Chicago summers, was nothing new for us by the time of our first Disney World trip with an infant (that trip report is here).
Some improvised shade / cover for a nap in the carrier.
What are the best baby carriers for Disney World?
“Best” is too subjective, but we’ve had a few favorites. Before I get to those, I want to mention a few things you’ll specifically care about for Disney World when carrier shopping.
First, make sure the carrier is fit for warm weather. Disney World can be hot any day of the year, so you need to make sure the carrier is properly ventilated. Additionally, if possible, get one that comes with some sort of hood of head covering to additional sun protection (or light protection during naps).
Second, consider storage options. Some carriers have pockets or pouches that will be useful for holding your phone, which will get a lot of use in Disney World.
Third, if applicable, have a carrier that can (easily) be adjusted to fit multiple adults who can carry the baby. If you’re only intermittently carrying, one parent might be able to be the sole carrier. But if you’re replacing your stroller entirely, it will be hard for one parent to do all the carrying during the trip.
Now, onto carriers we like.
The Colugo carrier was an early favorite of ours.
When Zoe was a newborn, we used the Baby Bjorn Mini. We generally liked this carrier, but unfortunately it’s a rare member of the Baby Bjorn family that isn’t (at least not according to the website) certified as “Hip Healthy” by the International Hip Dysplasia Institute. We assume this is just due to the time it takes to get certified, and Baby Bjorn is obviously a reputable manufacturer of carriers, but I couldn’t mentally get past this.
We used and mostly loved the Colugo carrier for a long time. As it started to get worn out, around ten months, some of the snaps weakened (not any that at all had to do with safety/security, those were 100% sturdy) and it started to become a hassle to deal with.
Then we switched to the Nuna Cudl, which we’ve used for about eight months now with no issues. Overall I’d say it’s a tie between this carrier and the Colugo. I preferred the Colugo slightly—slightly—mostly because of its pocket and waist pouch. But running into trouble with those snaps was annoying. If I could only buy one carrier, I’d go with the Cudl.
Finally, since Zoe was a few months old, we’ve also used the Sakura Bloom Onbuhimo. This is a very lightweight carrier that we love for quick use, but it has a learning curve and its minimalism might not be fit for all purposes.
Using the Sakura Bloom Onbuhimo (not at Disney World)
Pros and Cons of Baby Wearing at Disney World
I’m not going to do this simply as a pro list and a cons list, but this section is going to cover all the pros and cons of baby wearing at Disney World. Let’s start with the positives…
Why baby wear at Disney World?
There’s two ways to look at this. The moderate approach is intermittent carrying—where you use the carrier every so often when it’s convenient, but your baby still spends a significant amount of time in a stroller. The more extreme approach is completely ditching the stroller, relying entirely on the carrier for getting around.
There are lots of reasons to intermittently carry. For starters, it’s a lot easier to bring your baby on rides in a carrier. A newborn might be docile, but once they get more mobile, rides can be a fight if they aren’t strapped to you. We’ll discuss baby wearing on rides a bit more below.
Baby wearing also allows you to park your stroller and leave it for a significant amount of time. Heading around the World Showcase on a busy day? Park your stroller in France, strap the baby on, and take a lap. Forget navigating the stroller through crowds and in and out of stores.
But we’re extremists on this issue. Baby wearing is, for us, an alternative to using a stroller. Basically every planning site other than us has stroller content to guide you if you pick that route (here’s some stroller info over at WDW Prep School), but we think on balance they’re too much of a hassle.
We’ve never used a stroller, so I’m 100% positive some stroller pros will scoff at the idea that strollers can be problematic, but there are a few issues. Crowds are the biggest—a packed park, particularly at rope drop when guests are rushing, is stressful with a stroller.
Then there’s stroller parking. You can only park your stroller in designated areas, which can result in unnecessary delays which, again, is most problematic at rope drop.
Disney obviously allows strollers on buses, but they have to be folded up. This is also a pain and can cause lengthy delays for both you and other guests. It’s also easy to let your stroller block the aisle of the bus, reducing its capacity.
The list probably goes on, and like I said—proficient stroller users may feel like these are a minor nuisance to maintain their way of life. If that’s you, we still recommend getting at least a lightweight carrier to use when it’s convenient.
Can you baby wear on Disney rides?
Yes, with exceptions. You can only baby wear on rides without a height requirement because babies (up to 32 inches) can only go on those rides. You cannot baby wear as a way to get babies onto rides they don’t meet the height requirements for.
I honestly don’t know if you can baby wear on rides with height requirements provided the baby meets those (Alien Swirling Saucers has a 32” requirement, for example), but I doubt it, and it will probably make less sense in those cases anyways.
The other exception that immediately comes to mind is the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel at Magic Kingdom. There is a bench seat on that ride that you can baby wear on, but if you’re using the horses then you put the baby on the horse, buckle them in, and stand next to them.
Downsides to Baby Wearing at Disney World
There are one and a half big downsides to baby wearing at Disney World. The first is naps. Zoe has always napped well in the carrier—and early on would only nap in the carrier—so it’s been convenient for us.
Now, at 18 months, the single midday nap can be very long—longer than we’re comfortable keeping Zoe in the carrier, sometimes. This presents a challenge for us, though it’s only become an issue now that we’re down to one sometimes long nap.
I’ll say that if we were stroller users and I knew Zoe could nap in the stroller, I’d probably bring a stroller exclusively for that purpose. I know many parents opt to do the midday nap back at their hotel in any case (and we do this, sometimes) so this might not even be a factor in your case.
The other problem with napping in the carrier is that it limits one parent’s ability to do rides while the baby naps. With a stroller, two parents can alternate going on rides separately while the baby naps in a stroller. When baby wearing, one parent is attached to the baby for the duration of the nap.
This isn’t a huge loss because, of course, one parents can ride X, Y, and Z while the baby naps and then the other can ride X, Y, and Z after the baby wakes up. It takes the same amount of time for two people to ride the rides in any case.
But strategically, it can be annoying to have to make two visits to X, Y, and Z. If you have a Lightning Lane—with only a one hour window—during the nap you might have issues, or you’ll at least want to see about getting rider switch set up (something that can be confusing for CMs when a Lightning Lane is involved).
The converse, though, is that you theoretically could take a napping child in line with you for a ride without a height requirement. If, say, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway has an hour wait and your little one takes 37-minute naps, this could be a good option.
The “half” downside is that stroller are good for carrying stuff. Now, if you like acquiring and having lots of stuff with you, this is a downside. If you don’t want to be overloaded with stuff, you’ll do better without the stroller. We’re in the latter group—though a baby requires at least a backpack of basic supplies.
There are a few other small downsides.
Disney World can be physically taxing, and carrying a baby on top of your usual 20,000+ steps is definitely a challenge. As I write this I’ve been advised by my doctor to pull back on physical stressors, so I’m not baby wearing at all for a few weeks. If you baby wear from early on, though, you build up strength and tolerance in this regard.
Then there’s the weather. You need to make sure you use a carrier that keeps warm weather in mind. This is also a good opportunity to make sure you pack a portable fan. I’ve never strapped one of these onto a carrier, though I’ve dreamed of such a feat, but I’ve never had any problem holding it to keep Zoe cool. Similarly, you need to plan for sun. Make sure you have sunscreen and bucket hats or protective layers.
And the worst weather? Rain. Rain is (almost) every guest’s biggest nemesis, but it’s a real challenge for the baby wearer. There’s no perfect solution, and it will largely depend on your baby’s age and the carrier you use (i.e. can your baby safely wear a rain layer in the carrier). In a pinch, we’ve done fine with a Disney poncho over the adult and baby, with the bottom sort of bunched up to expose the baby’s face because duh they have to breathe.
Finally, a carrier is one more piece of equipment to bring with. Most carriers are easily worn even when you’re not wearing the baby, and some (like the Sakura Bloom carriers) are a relatively small addition to your haul.
We had to awkwardly use a poncho our first day baby wearing at Disney World!
Naps While Baby Wearing at Disney World
The final thing I want to touch on is having your baby nap in the carrier while you’re at Disney World. One last time—I’m not a substitute for the advice of your pediatrician when it comes to whether that’s a good idea or how long you should allow these naps to last.
Zoe has napped in the carrier nearly since birth, so the general idea was never a problem for us and not really the focus of this section. Whether your baby can / should nap in the carrier at all is something you need to decide separately. If you’re fine with that, let’s talk about Disney World naps in particular.
There are two big factors here—noise and weather.
Disney World is not a particularly quiet place. If your baby needs silence to sleep, well there just aren’t real options besides your room. If your baby needs a peaceful environment to sleep, you’ll have a few options, but you need to remember that if you can be in a space at Disney World, a screaming four-year-old can run in at any moment, too.
I’ll discuss places for naps more next, but I want to say Emily and I have completely opposite approaches to this. She favors finding a quiet place where Zoe will more easily fall asleep and mostly hanging out there for the duration of the nap. I prefer to get Zoe positioned for the nap, walk around amongst the crowds while Zoe tosses / turns / screams, eventually falls asleep, and then sleeps through the background noise no problem.
On sunny / hot days, you’ll need to be more concerned about shade, fans, and possibly indoor spaces. Of course, on a sunny / hot day, everyone loves shade / fans / indoor spaces, so you won’t find perfect peace in most of these areas. I’ve always found naps to be a good time to browse stores.
If you have a carrier with some sort of hood (or you have your own solution for the sun) and you bring a portable fan, you’ll be under less stress finding the perfect napping spot.
Now, here are some ideas of where to take (or start, if you choose to walk around once the baby is asleep) carrier naps in the four parks…
At Magic Kingdom:
the street between Main Street Bakery and Uptown Jewelers
Tomorrowland near the Carousel of Progress
near Tomorrowland Terrace
the area by the exit of Splash Mountain (has big overhead fans) (area may or may not be accessible during construction)
the Liberty Square Riverboat
Tom Sawyer Island
(outside the park) the walkway to Grand Floridian / Poly, along with those lobbies / grounds
(outside the park) the monorail
At Hollywood Studios:
outside the Lightning McQueen show building
by the Tower of Terror exit
“One Man’s Dream” exhibit
the mostly unused space next to the Joffrey’s entering Toy Story Land (former Incredibles Courtyard)
At Epcot:
The Seas pavilion (staring at the fish while in the carrier is a quick snoozer for our baby)
secluded spots in the Morocco, Japan, China, UK, and Canada pavilions
(outside the park) the Boardwalk
At Animal Kingdom:
the paths around the Tree of Life (close to the tree, not the main walkways)
Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail and Maharajah Jungle Trek
the seating around the Discovery River theater (opposite Everest and the Finding Nemo show)
Conclusions
Baby wearing isn’t for everyone, but it can be a great resource at Disney World. If a stroller is a part of your life, I’m not sure I’d recommend ditching it entirely for the carrier when you come to Disney World. A Disney trip with a baby is going to be very stressful already—you don’t need to overdo it.
But if you’re thinking about adding a carrier for some intermittent carrier, or if you exclusively carry at home and you were wondering if that could work in Disney World, fear not! Baby wearing has been an essential part of our Disney World trips, and you can make it a part of yours too.
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