It’s the happiest place on Earth, so you can be sure that Disneyland has plenty of fun for all ages. But as we’ve been witness to a few too many terrified toddlers in our days as theme park parents, we know it’s worth it to put a little bit of thought in what to take your little one on. In this post, we breakdown the best rides for toddlers at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, and we throw in the other “must do” activities at the parks too. Read on to start planning your Disneyland day with your little one!
About this Post and Related Posts
This post covers rides and non-ride attractions fit for toddlers, typically kids about 18 months to 3 years. If you have a little one under 18 months, this post should also be great for you because we are covering all the rides without height requirements and nothing in our analysis assumes a kid is close to 3 years old.
In this post we’re going to mostly focus on rides with no height requirements. I’ll also cover three with height requirements under 40 inches with those rides. I have a separate section at the end where I quickly cover the ten rides kids unlock at 40 inches. We also have comprehensive coverage of height requirements and rider swap at Disneyland.
This post doesn’t cover every ride or details like basic strategy for riding them. For that, consider our Guide to All the Rides at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Rides Guide. For planning a full day at these parks, check out the One Day Disneyland Plan and a One Day Disney California Adventure Plan.
Best Disneyland Rides For toddlers
There are 27 rides at Disneyland park with height requirements under 40 inches. 24 have no height requirement, and there’s one each at 32, 35, and 38 inches. I’m going to break these into categories from “best for toddlers” to “worst for toddlers”.
As always, your family may vary. I’m basing these groupings on common sense and my experience with my kid who has spent a lot of time in and (conceptually) around theme parks. I’ll add specific commentary to some rides where I feel like my personal experiences are noteworthy.
The Easy Wins (11 rides)
There are 11 rides that I count as “easy wins.” These are rides that Zoe has almost always enjoyed and that I’ve never had any real concerns about.
These rides are: Astro Orbitor, Casey Jr. Circus Train, Disneyland Railroad, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Autopia (32 inches), Storybook Land Canal Boats, King Arthur Carrousel, Mad Tea Party, “it’s a small world”, Jungle Cruise, and Main Street Vehicles.
The Fun Dark Rides (4 rides)
Next up are the “fun” dark rides. These are dark rides (you’ll be in a small vehicle moving through dark rooms telling a story) that are a little more lighthearted and that Zoe has mostly always enjoyed.
These are: Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Peter Pan’s Flight, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
I’ll specifically note that Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin has a spinning car and is definitely more intense than the other three. It’s never given us as much grief as some of the below rides, though, hence its placement here.
The Dark Dark Rides (6 Rides)
It’s easy to forget that some of the classic dark rides are, well, pretty dark. Some of this has gotten cleaned up over the years, but it’s still worth mentioning these.
These are dark rides that Zoe has not fully enjoyed because of some of the more aggressive or dark moments: Alice in Wonderland, Haunted Mansion, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Pinocchio’s Daring Journey.
There’s some overlap between these last two groups. Is Alice in Wonderland really more dark than Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin? Eh. But y’know, you go through the fiery underworld on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Pirates of the Caribbean has a lot of skeletons.
The Intense Ones (3 Rides)
There are three rides—two with height requirements—that are simply more intense than the others on this list. They are: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster (35 inches), Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (38 inches)
My line about Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway has been the same since the first time we rode it with Zoe—this is an intense ride for small kids, but if they can take comfort in Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Daisy, and Donald then it’s usually worth it.
Smugglers Run is going to be too intense for most small kids, and even as Zoe hits 42 inches and is now okay with Tower of Terror and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, we still don’t force Smugglers Run into our day.
Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster is a short kiddie coaster, but I’m sure there are even adults who swear off all coasters. It’s outdoors, so you’ll be able to peek at it beforehand and judge if its appropriate for your little one.
The Rest (3 Rides)
This leaves three rides. Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes has limited hours, takes a while, and consists of rowing around the Rivers of America. Not bad for kids, but probably not worth it.
The Disneyland Monorail connects Tomorrowland to Downtown Disney. It’s 100% fine for kids, maybe they’ll even love it, but it’s just not a “ride” in the same sense as the rest of this list.
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is a dark ride where you sit in a dark submarine for over 13 minutes going through the story of Finding Nemo. Many kids will have a perfectly fine time. But if they don’t, you’re in a submarine with 40 other guests for over 13 minutes.
Other Things at Disneyland for Toddlers
Disneyland has a lot of other great things for kids of all ages, and I probably couldn’t cover everything in a single post. Here are some highlights though:
There are tons of character greetings throughout Disneyland. At the top of your character bucket list is probably meeting Mickey himself, and we’ve got a guide for that. Primarily, he and Minnie have greetings in their houses in Toontown. You might also plan to Meet Disney Princesses at Royal Hall. You’ll usually meet three princesses here. As it often opens later than the rest of the park, we recommend checking its opening time and arriving a little early.
The Main Street Cinema is a small theater on Main Street that plays old Mickey cartoons continuously on multiple screens. It’s fun enough, but keep in mind these older cartoons have a lot of cartoon violence and ocassional use of weapons.
The Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island is a play area that you’ll have to take a raft to. Usually we much prefer the new and absolutely stellar Toontown Playground. Besides not requiring a separate boat to get to, this playground is also well-situated by three rides we covered above, plus some quick service food and character greetings.
If you’ve got the time and want to escape the crowds, consider a ride on the Sailing Ship Columbia / Mark Twain Riverboat. You might need slightly older kids to appreciate the novelty here, and the Sailing Ship Columbia offers a little more novelty than the Riverboat.
Storytelling at Royal Theatre occurs a few times throughout the day and is as simple as it sounds. The Royal Storyteller and performers tell the kids a Disney story. This is mostly a chance to relax a bit—it’s the sort of thing that feels too simple for what you’re paying for today, but Zoe always gets a kick out of it, which is what matters most.
Alphabetically last but not at all least, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room features famous animatronic birds in a fun musical performance. Don’t forget to grab a Dole Whip right outside!
Best Disney California Adventure Rides For toddlers
There are 10 rides at Disney California Adventure park with height requirements under 40 inches. Eight have no height requirement, and there’s two at 32 inches. With fewer rides my categories here are a little simpler.
Easy Wins (7 rides)
Here are the seven rides we find totally appropriate for toddlers: Golden Zephyr, Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, Jessie’s Critter Carousel, The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters (32 inches), and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree (32 inches).
I don’t really have any notes about these—Zoe’s favorite is Jessie’s Critter Carousel, and if often has no line, so we’ve spent a lot of time on that one.
Maybe Too Much (3 Rides)
Let’s just cover these three individually…
Toy Story Midway Mania! has never caused us any trouble, but as it has no height requirement it’s worth pointing out that the use of 3D glasses and pull-string game component are going to be lost on the tiniest travelers.
Pixar Pal-A-Round comes in two versions—swinging and not swinging. As you’d expect, Zoe was not thrilled about the swinging version. Keep in mind you’re just stuck in this one for the duration—about 10 minutes—too.
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure is pretty intense. Zoe put up an amazing fight, slinging slinging slinging webs the entire time, while also screaming in terror much of it. The scenes of this ride are intense, with lots of robot spiders, lasers, explosions, etc.
Other Things at Disney California Adventure for Toddlers
The Animation Theatre houses four attractions. Animation Academy is a drawing class that will be over the head of most small kids. Sorcerer’s Workshop is a small, interactive artistic exhibit. Turtle Talk with Crush is probably the real highlight for kids in here, as it offers them the chance to actually talk with Crush, the turtle from the movie. There’s also an Anna & Elsa character greeting.
There are plenty of character greetings around this park, too. You can meet Mickey near the park entrance most days.
Across the street from Animation Theatre is Mickey’s PhilharMagic at Sunset Showcase Theatre. This is a 3D show (glasses required) where that mischievous Donald Duck goes on an adventure through some classic Disney musical moments. It’s fun but can be a bit intense for the smallest kids.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is a large play area themed to a wilderness adventure. While the highlights—a small zip line and a small climbing wall—have height requirements, every kid should have some fun wandering around and exploring here.
The 40-Inch Height Requirement
At 40 inches—a height kids generally hit around 4 years old—kids will be able to ride ten more rides than when they were under 40 inches. These ten rides are
At Disneyland: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Star Tours — The Adventures Continue, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
At Disney California Adventure: Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT!, Jumpin’ Jellyfish, Radiator Springs Racers, Silly Symphony Swings, Soarin’
Most of these rides are outside “toddler” territory, but I want to highlight three that I think parents of taller kids, or who already have big kids, should have their eyes on.
Silly Symphony Swings and Jumpin’ Jellyfish are both great rides for young kids and our kid has an absolute blast on them.
Radiator Springs Racers is probably a bit much for young 40-inchers, but it’s definitely worth consdering taking a leap of faith on if you’ve got a Cars fan who just hits 40 inches (Zoe first rode it at 4 years, 2 months, and liked it enough to ride it 4 times that trip).
All Your Other Disneyland Planning Questions Answered
Don’t be overwhelmed by Disneyland 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 Disneyland Planning Guide. When it comes to hotels, we’ve got reviews of all three Disney hotels: Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and Disney’s Pixar Place Hotel. As for tickets, check out where to find discount Disneyland tickets.
Know what to ride with our: Disneyland Rides Guide and Disney California Adventure Rides Guide. And just as important, know how to get on the best rides without the wait with our Disneyland Lightning Lane Strategy! For the complete guides to a day at the park, we have a One Day Disneyland Itinerary and a One Day Disney California Adventure Itinerary.
We always recommend arriving at the parks early. If you can get access to Early Entry at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, you’ll have the most time in the parks. Even without those bonus hours, you’ll need to know Rope Drop Strategy at Disneyland and Rope Drop Strategy at Disney California Adventure.
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.