In this post, we provide a quick list of more than ten tips specific to the littlest travelers—infants and newborns. If you’ve decided to make the leap and take a Disney World trip with your new baby, we’re happy to share what we learned doing the same with ours. Read on to learn about visiting Disney World with an infant or newborn!
About this Post and Related Posts
Since the newborn and infant periods are so short, the bulk of our “small kids” content focuses on toddlers. That said, basically all of the toddler content is relevant for parents of infants and newborns. Kids’ needs / behaviors / desires as they age move along a spectrum, so even younger infants and older toddlers have a lot in common.
As a result, this post supplements the rest of our little kid content to highlight some issues particularly relevant to the littlest travelers. Some advice here is repeated elsewhere, some is modified here, and some is completely new. But if you’re looking for more (and more structured information) head to the Toddlers and Infants page, or go to the Complete Guide to Visiting Disney World with a Toddler.
Before Your Trip
Consider a Suite or Room with a Balcony
Okay, so we spent about 30 seconds on the balcony at Grand Floridian our first stay before we heard Zoe screaming inside and went back in, but the point stands. Newborns and infants can be more finicky sleepers, and either way you’re less likely to find a bedtime that works for the entire family at that age.
A family suite at Art of Animation (or All Star Music), any other suite, or a DVC villa are options that afford you the most space, but they come at a cost. Somewhat more reasonable might be a room at a deluxe hotel that has a balcony.
Bring a Hat and Handheld Fan
This is more “google ways to keep your infant cool in the heat and pick the best option for you.” We went with hat and fan along with lightweight hoodies. Some families swear by the cooling towel. Whatever season you go in, you need to be prepared for the heat.
Understand Your Transportation Options
It’s more important to have a transportation plan going into travel with an infant or newborn because you have to be prepared to deal with a car seat or lack thereof.
You can visit Disney World without a car seat. If you fly with a lap infant, take a shuttle bus (or car service with a car seat) between the airport and Disney World, and stick to Disney’s free transportation at the resort—none of which requires a car seat—you won’t need a car seat.
If you need to get around Disney World in a hurry, Minnie Vans come equipped with Graco 4Ever seats. Of course, if you decide you want to go off-site, or if the Minnie Van prices don’t appeal to you, or you miss your bus to the airport, you’ve got a problem to solve. (Uber Car Seat is only acceptable for ages 2 and up.)
If you bring a car seat, just keep in mind you’re still not going to want to take an Uber to the parks because there might not be a good place to store the car seat once at the park (the lockers probably aren’t big enough). (When traveling, we use the WAYB Pico car seat.)
Consider Baby Wearing
As we’ve written, baby wearing was our favorite way to get Zoe around Disney World as an infant. As they get bigger, it gets more difficult, but newborns and infants are easy to carry around, and many can even learn to nap in the carrier pretty much regardless of their surroundings. We started baby wearing Zoe from the first day we left the hospital (we walked home!) and it has been incredibly valuable to use both in and outside Disney World.
If you’re a stroller family, check out this resource from WDW Prep School on strollers at Disney World.
Once You Land…
Ask Housekeeping to Skip Nap Time
You’ll want to visit your hotel’s front desk and ask housekeeping to avoid coming to your room during nap time. While you should also put your “do not disturb” sign out, just putting out the “do not disturb” sign is not enough and may actually make things worse.
If a guest leaves a “do not disturb” sign on perpetually, Disney staff will enter the room as part of a safety check. They’ll knock, but the knock and ensuing conversation aren’t good for nap time. Or they’ll call, which is even worse. So make sure to:
Ask housekeeping to avoid servicing during nap time
Use the Do Not Disturb sign during nap time
Remove the Do Not Disturb sign when it isn’t necessary
Feel Free to Focus on What You Want to Do
I can’t count the number of times on that first Disney trip we showed Zoe something amazing—PeopleMover! Mickey Mouse! Country Bear Jamboree!—and they just Did Not Care. You’ll get some smiles and maybe a few scares on some rides, but for the most part the smallest kids are pretty unfazed by a lot of what Disney World has to offer.
But up until one year old, or maybe even 18 months, it makes a lot more sense to carve out time for parents to rider swap and experience the things they really want to see while making sure the little one is entertained. It’s not selfish to acknowledge that peekaboo with one parent while the other rides Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is really what’s most fun for everyone.
Make Time for Your Usual Baby Activities
Wherever they’re at in their development, chances are something like tummy time or crawling or standing practice is a part of your routine. Find space and make time to do these things at Disney World, too. With a few exceptions, if a space at Disney World is (1) not gated off / locked off and (2) not in the middle of a walkway, you can sit down there and do whatever you need to do.
Looking through my photos from that first trip, there’s so many of us just sitting in random spots letting Zoe crawl around or stretch their legs. Here’s Zoe practicing standing outside the Soarin’ exit (we hit some new time records that day):
Use the Baby Care Centers
The Baby Care Centers are facilities at each park that cater to families with babies. They all include changing tables and nursing rooms. You’ll find a variety of essentials—diapers, baby food, baby medicine—but availability can vary. You’ll also find outlets for pumping, microwaves, and usually a bottle warmer.
I’d recommend scheduling an early visit to the baby care center for a quick change or feeding as part of your morning in any park. You might get there and find it’s not worth the walk, or you might decide to return every few hours, but a single visit will definitely be worth it.
Keep Your Bedtime Routine (and more Bedtime Tips)
This is definitely more “tips for your first trip with a baby” than something Disney-specific, but the more you can keep to your usual bedtime routine, the better. We bring our bedtime books, lullaby, white noise (highly recommended), and Zoe’s sleep-suit on every trip. Since we always planned to travel a lot we also used a Pack ‘n’ Play at home to get Zoe used to those. The more you can keep from home, the easier things will be.
A few other tips about bedtime. One thing you might change from your usual nighttime is using something like a blackout cover for the crib. We’ve always used one and felt it helped, but it does take up packing space.
You can get more darkness a few ways. Some people pack some form of blackout curtain. We’ve used those, but basically unless it perfectly fits the window it winds up being a lot of packing space and setup for little benefit. Instead, we usually use hangers with clips—available at probably every hotel we’ve stayed at—to close the curtains as tightly as possible.
Be sure to allow plenty of time for winding down. Virtually every bedtime meltdown Zoe has had while traveling was related to us trying to go straight from excitement to bed. Even just being in a new hotel room is incredibly stimulating for a kid. You need to let that pass, then wind down, then go to bed, if possible.
Consider Splitting Nights
Related to the suite / balcony point above, if your infant goes to bed at 7PM every night, you probably won’t want to. You can lie in bed together watching something on Netflix, or you can split the nights so that one of you can stay out later while the other is at the hotel with the baby.
We typically do a mix of these—some nights together, some apart—but we agree that our solo nights out are some of our favorite parts of trips these days. We’re probably particularly nostalgic for our years of frequent child-free visits, but I suspect someone completely new to Disney World would find their own magic in wandering a park solo at night.
Special evening events (Extended Evening Hours, After Hours, the holiday parties) can be special ways to utilize this time.
Understand they Might get Sick
Depending on your timing and life situation at your little one’s first Disney World trip, you might be an old pro with sick babies or completely initiated. Newborns in particular are less mobile and grabby, so least likely to get sick, but even infants who can get very far on their own still find a way to get exposed to the wide range of bugs floating around Walt Disney World.
Zoe was three-for-three on getting sick on their first three vacations, and we caught COVID at Disney World once (not even during a surge). The Baby Care Centers may carry medicine for little ones, or you might find it at the hotel store.
Bonus: Get a First Visit Button
This is by far the least clever but most important tip on this list. First Visit buttons are available at guest relations at every park, and if you check your hotel’s front desk you might be able to get one there, too.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.