Disney World

“If you can dream it, you can do it”. Walt Disney

…Including taking toddlers to Disney World

The most expensive… I mean magical place on earth.

Disney World is notorious for breaking the bank but I have genuinely managed several term time trips with a family of four for under £5,000.

Booking a Disney World trip can be an absolute minefield. It is like the world’s best breakfast buffet with 10,000 different ways to cook eggs.

If the thought of planning this terrifies then check out the Travel Services I offer, so I can remove all the stress of planning your magical trip.

As a self-confessed Disney Adult, I started planning my offspring’s first Disney trip as soon as I saw that positive pregnancy test.

I’ve been previously as a child and actually as part of our honeymoon.

It is totally different as a parent. In some ways more hectic, but in many more ways much more magical.

I think the best advice I can give is to not to cram too much in.

Plan lots of rest days. Don’t even attempt a full day in a park and unless you gave birth to nocturnal vampires; don’t count on seeing any night time shows or fireworks (sorry!)

I was absolutely guilty of this on our first trip because I thought it was going to be our only ever trip in our kid’s childhood and I wanted to do everything!

Please learn from my mistakes: a more leisurely day taking it at the kid’s pace, doing less, is much more enjoyable than a jam-packed day forcing the kids on everything possible – trust me.

One thing I learnt the hard way is how important free play is for children, especially somewhere like Disney.

If you are staying at a Disney resort I suggest going back to your accommodation for breaks.

If you are staying off site, like we tend to do, then plan to either spend a morning or afternoon in the park to make it more manageable.

Another tip is to make the most of the devil known as jetlag. You, and your kids, will be up super early for the first few days. Use this to your advantage and get to the parks for opening to get all those popular rides done!

Before we went, we made a list of attractions we wanted to prioritise. Below I have considered my dos and don’ts with toddlers for each park in detail.

Try not to be disappointed if you don’t get to do everything on your list, just being at Disney is so magical… My husband would be laughing at me giving this advice as the person that cried that Frozen Ever After was shut during our latest trip!

If you do need a break from Disney World, remember there are so many beautiful places to visit near Orlando. Here you can find some toddler friendly activities without a mouse ear in sight.

There is also Universal Studios to consider breaking up a Disney vacation.

Now, I am going to say something very controversial…

I have found Disney World one of the least toddler friendly places I have travelled to! …Let’s hope the mouse boss doesn’t read this!

The main reason being is because of their policies on prams.

You basically cannot take them anywhere: queues, shows, restaurants, transport. It may not sound like the end of the world but what do you do when one of your other children or only child is napping? You are basically stuck until they wake up.

Disney transport is also such a pain having to collapse one (or two) prams every time you get on and off.

But that is what I am here for! I have learnt from my many visits so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I made. I keep going back so it can’t be that bad.

With a few tips for Disney with toddlers it really can be the most magical place on earth!

When to go to Disney World with toddlers

“The difference between winning and losing is often not quitting.” — Walt Disney

But if you’re winning then you’ll go out of season!

When you start planning a trip to Disneyworld every Tom, Dick and Harry suddenly have an opinion on how old your kids should be when you take them.

On our first trip, our son was one and just started walking. Our daughter was turning three a month later, hence still free to get in. In other words, it saved us over £1,000!

This is a huge thing to take into consideration. If you can go during term time it really does half the cost, and even better if your children are under 3.

I guarantee when you share your exciting news of a Disneyworld trip on the horizon you will hear ‘they won’t remember it!’

Maybe not, but I can truly say I still well up when I remember my daughter seeing the castle for the first time. You will absolutely remember it and will remain some of your most cherished memories as a family. It is not only their childhood, it is also your parenthood that you are creating.

There are not many perks to having toddlers. Not many people envy you in this chaotic whirlwind. Apart from when you can cut your Disneyworld trip by a third by going in term time. Who’s laughing now ay?

If you are lucky to have flexibility on when you travel, I would consider January-March or September-October but be sure to check for American school holidays, special events (like Halloween) and Cheer competitions.

We have been during cheer weekends and although it wouldn’t stop me going again during this time, I would avoid it if I could.

We recently went in January and although I never thought Florida weather was that diverse, we actually saw snow!

Yes that period you may have heard about on the news when iguanas were freezing in the trees and falling out – we were at Disney!

Yet, this was a bit of freak spell and even though some mornings were freezing I would still pick this time over September as keeping toddlers cool in the Florida heat is not fun.

Also consider when you actually book your holiday; booking further in advance could give you access to better deals such as free dining packages.

I would suggest booking your trip around a year in advance to get the best deals.

If you do not have the time to hunt for deals or the understanding of what deals you might be missing out on then check out my travel services where I can help plan your magical trip.

Where to stay at Disney World with toddlers

“Happiness is where you are.” – Moana

….especially if you have air con and a pool.

We have stayed off and on site and like I say on all our trips I always prefer to stay in self-catering accommodation with young children.

We always prioritise a self-catering villa near the parks as we want to be able to prepare our own meals. We also prefer having separate sleeping spaces to our toddlers and enjoy having our own pool for down time.

There are so many villa options and you can get some really cool villas with Disney themed bedrooms and games rooms which our kids love.

When I am not picking up 20,000 Lego pieces, my favourite past time is scrolling through Disney vacation rentals so do contact me if you need advice on this part of your trip. Or you can request a no obligation quote for your next Disney vacation.

We have stayed in Kissimmee and Davenport which are both sufficient for park access. Something to note is that travelling around this area is often slow so if your accommodation says it is 15 minutes from the park allow 35/40 minutes.

This also means you will need a car which I always prefer with young children. But you will need to budget for car parking at Disney which, at the moment, is $30 per day.

The best Disney World hotels with toddlers

If you do chose to stay at a Disneyworld hotel with toddlers, I would recommend Disney’s Art of Animation.

We really enjoyed staying here and in addition to being incredibly toddler friendly, it is also one of the cheapest!

We stayed in a Little Mermaid room but if we were staying for a long time I would definitely look into one of their suites.

This is one of the only resorts that offer suites with kitchens and bedrooms that you do not have to sell a kidney to afford.

If you do choose to stay at a Disney hotel, I would prioritise the transport options. For me, buses with a pram are a no go. But on the skyline, monorail and boat you do not need to collapse your pram – hooray!

There are more Disney World hotel options than half eaten snacks in your carpet. Here I have tried to simplify which hotels are most suitable for toddlers:

Do remember for just £200 I can simplify the minefield of Disney accommodation, find you the best deal and plan the rest of your magical trip for you.

Walt Disney World rides and attractions with toddlers

I thought it would be helpful to, park by park, highlight some of the dos and don’ts for toddlers at Disney World.

Please do remember this is my opinion based on my kid’s individual interests and of course my nostalgic memories as a child and self-confessed Disney adult.

I won’t be commenting on any of the bigger thrill rides that toddlers cannot go on but I just want to mention there is Rider Switch (child swap) for most of those rides.

Don’t make the mistake I made and take your child there and ask for one that eats all their veg and never screams bloody murder. It is actually where you or your partner queues and rides whilst the other stays with the kids and then you meet them, usually at the ride exit, and swap with them to ride the ride without queueing.

A parenting hack is rather than ride the ride, sneak off without your partner seeing and find a quiet place to just sit. in. silence.

If you want my opinion on any rides I haven’t mentioned below do reach out on the contact page and I will do my best to give you my honest opinion.

Please also note that unless I state, there is no height requirement for the rides mentioned below.

Magic Kingdom with toddlers

The don of all the Disney parks and by far the most toddler friendly with the most rides and attractions for them to enjoy.

Do Dos:

Dumbo the Flying Elephant: This is a classic ride that the children enjoy but the reason I mention it is because it has a fantastic (and one of the only) soft play areas. You have to join the queue and you can either just go in just for the soft play or get a buzzer for when it is your turn to ride the flying elephant. This is such a nice, air-conditioned escape from the heat and a good opportunity for free play. The only negative is you are not allowed prams so is not an option for older kids whilst their sibling is sleeping.

Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin: I have to recommend this ride as my children still talk about it today. It is good because older children enjoy competing to get a high score and the bright colours and lights are good for babies too!

Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid and Ariel Grotto: The Little Mermaid is my favourite Disney film so I may be biased but I love this nautical area consisting of a cute ride through the Little Mermaid film and a meet and greet with Ariel.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Some may say this is too scary for young children but both of mine loved it from one years old. My daughter even fell asleep on it once. Does that mean she enjoyed it? My husband does the same when I talk to him, so I presume it is positive!

It’s a Small World is my all-time favourite ride. I think this is the main hub where they pump hallucinogenic gas in the air to convince you Disneyland is the best place in the world. I am also convinced that all the statues are ex cast members that had a row with Mickey Mouse. Other than that, I just love this cheesy boat ride with the mother of all earworms. Small toddlers and babies are also fixated with all the lights, sounds and colours. Don’t ever queue long for this ride; keep an eye on the app as it always drops to nearly nothing throughout any day.

Don’ts:

Carousel of Progress: I still have nightmares about being stuck on this ride. I never have been stuck on it; it is just that awful it unlocked a new phobia. It is way too boring for little kids!

Tiki Room: My husband and I have a running joke that this is my favourite ride in Disney World because I always insist on going on it. In reality, I just love getting the song stuck in his head. But if I am honest – it is a waste of time. My kids got a bit bored.

Ok very controversial but… Peter Pan’s Flight and Winnie Pooh Adventures, in my opinion, are a waste of your time. Both always have such a long queue and are disappointing. If they were short queues I would definitely do them, especially Peter Pans, but I have never seen them under 45 mins. As I said in my queuing advice, we avoid anything with a queue over 20 minutes.

Haunted Mansion is a really good nostalgic ride but can be a bit scary for younger children. This has been hit and miss over the years so before we go, I tend to find a POV video on YouTube and ask if they want to ride it or just gage their reaction.

Epcot with toddlers

A lot of people say Epcot is not for toddlers, but we really enjoyed it and needed at least two days here.

We were really lucky that one day both children feel asleep at the same time – yes miracles do happen! So we managed to ‘eat and drink around the world’.

If you want to do the World Showcase with your children, each country has a postcard location where children can do simple activities to collect postcards from each country.

It really depends on your child but ours were occupied for about half the journey with this.

There are also characters at most countries with quite reasonable queues, but you can only find their locations on the app; not the queue times.

Do dos:

The Finding Nemo area is brilliant for toddlers – it has a ride and aquarium. The ride: The seas with Nemo and friends is great for toddlers and babies.

Frozen Ever After: We have actually never done this as it has never reached a queue below 40 minutes whilst we were there but it has been highly recommended for babies and toddlers.

Journey of Water: Moana: A nice little walk through of interactive water fountains perfect for all ages but you are likely to get a bit wet!

Don’ts:

The Land Pavillion: Inside here there is the Living with the Land ride and Garden Grill restaurant. Toddlers could find the Living with the Land ride a bit boring but the actual reason it is on my don’ts list is because you have to leave your prams at the bottom of the hill. So non walking toddlers will have to be carried around a lot.

World Showcase: Though my Husband and I had a great night eating and drink around as the two toddlers slept, you may not be so lucky. Making it the whole way around the world may be a push for younger children and it is a commitment once you are half way round as it is a bit of a trek. I would attempt to do smaller sections with toddlers.

Hollywood Studios with toddlers

I’ve also heard people say Hollywood Studios is not as toddler friendly as the other parks, but we found heaps to do; especially for our Toy Story loving kids!

Do dos:

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway: We almost missed out on this because we thought it must be a runaway train type rollercoaster, but it is not, it is a really toddler friendly trackless ride. This is actually my favourite ride in all of Disney; my 4-year-old will still often blurt out the catchy song (which I of course have to join in with). She also will often tells others about the ride months after a visit which I think is a good gage of how much they enjoyed it.

The Little Mermaid – a Musical Adventure: I loved this for the nostalgia but it is actually a really good show! My princess loving daughter enjoyed it and my 2-year-old son managed to sit through the whole thing so win win!

Don’ts:

Frozen Sing-Along Celebration: I think this is actually closing down soon, if not already (thank god). But you basically watch the film with two people commentating what is happening and making “jokes”. My daughter loves Frozen so we were roped into it both times and was left really disappointed; don’t be fooled like us!

Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After is a new show that everyone is raving about it, so it was good to see, but I was left feeling a little underwhelmed. I could take or leave it! Maybe I was disappointed because it was hyped up so much? If you are pushed for time, then don’t prioritise this. The kids sat through it but it was just nothing special.

Star Wars land: I feel like I am going to receive some hate mail for this because Star Wars land is absolutely incredible but just not as toddler friendly – unless they are big fans. We use it as somewhere to walk around whilst they were sleeping.

Animal Kingdom with toddlers

On our honeymoon, Animal Kingdom was my favourite park. With young kids, it is my least favourite.

We have always found it really busy and there are only a handful of actual rides.

Walking around the animals can be nice but, again, some trails do not let you take prams!

I wouldn’t recommend skipping this park all together because the attractions I recommend are really great but you only need a day here.

If the queues are short then you could even get everything done in half a day!

Do remember this park opens the earliest so is good if you have early risers.

Do Dos:

Kilamanjaro Safaris: if you can’t be bothered to walk around all the animals, this safari ride takes you around most of them and feels like a real African safari. They have an animal key in the truck; my kids enjoyed finding the animals that we were looking at.

Finding Nemo Show is the best Disney Show Ever! I just love this show and I would say it is the only one my one-year-old fully watched. Our kids were dressed as Nemo and Dory, so we got to sit in the VIP area and the cast really interacted with them. Like I say in my character section below, it is so worth dressing your kids as characters they may meet for more personable interactions.

Wildlife Express Train used to take you to Rafiki’s Planet Watch which was a bit of a redundant part of the park. But as of Summer 2026, it now takes you to Bluey’s Adventure. As big Bluey fans, we were gutted to miss this. When we did it before we had to leave our pram before getting on the train. But when you get off the train at the other end, they have a limited number of prams you can borrow for free. We never had an issue getting one but if you are on a train with lots of young kids maybe try and get off first.

Not don’ts but approach with caution:

Lion King Show: I do want to recommend this show as I absolutely love it but I have to be honest and my son had to be taken out both times (he was one and 2-years-old) as he was bored. So I would recommend sitting on the end with younger children in case you need to dash.

Pandora: This land is incredible. My husband and I were in awe, but I think the concept and scale was a bit lost on the kids. The Navi River ride is great for toddlers and little babies will find the colours and lights really captivating, but the queues can be extremely long. I wouldn’t do it unless the queue was under 30 minutes.

Zootopia show: I am reluctant to recommend this as it is essential just a 4D show but it was, for some reason, our family’s favourite and we still reference it today. It probably depends how much your kids love Zootropolis, and how long the queue is, but if you are pushed for time then give it a miss.

Dining with Toddlers at Walt Disney World Resort

“Be Our Guest” – Lumière

We find dining out with our toddlers really difficult. I think as much as you tell yourself my kid ate a fish fillet once, there is always the fear of ordering them something ‘to try’ and just wasting your money. I’m all for adventurous taste buds but I tend to keep the experimental cuisine for at home or if you opt for a buffet.

Our ‘go to’ for Disney catering is eating breakfast at home and then taking a packed lunch and snacks for the parks that we know our kids like.

They tend to be 1 million times hungrier at Disney so take plenty into the parks. There is no limit on what you can take in you just can’t take one of those giant hard coolers. But insulated picnic bags are fine.

You are also permitted to take formular or milk needed for your toddler with no problems.

As it is so hot in Florida, I was worried about pre making my formular and it going off quickly so I took a hot water container and individual formular pots to make it up on the go.

I also have had zero issues breastfeeding anywhere in Disney World but if you do require more privacy there are Baby Care Centres in all parks.

Best restaurants for toddlers in Disney World

Dining with under 3s at Disney table service restaurants is the 8th wonder of the world. I researched before we went what they get offered and it basically just depends on your server. We have always been offered something (free of charge) for both kids but apparently it is not guaranteed.

Though I hate making ‘plans’ with toddlers as trying to be somewhere at a certain time is stressful, we like to book some of the popular restaurants before we go.

As part of my Travel Services, I can remind you when you need to make those special dining reservations as some tables, especially character dining, go like hot cakes!

We are not fans of spending a lot of money just to not be hungry, but if the meal is in a cool location or has character interactions, we feel like our money isn’t wasted if it’s not the best food.

Toddler friendly places to eat:

Round up Rodeo is in Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios and although there are no characters – the theming is fantastic! By far the best thing about this restaurant is when the speaker says “Andy’s Coming” everyone freezes, even the servers. My kids loved this! The food was also enjoyable. It is served at your table but as an all you can eat style so if you wanted more of something specific you can just keep asking for more. The kids were not offered anything but there was enough they could eat from ours.

Storybook Dining is at Wilderness Lodge where you can park for free with a restaurant reservation. Unless your toddler is Snow White crazy, I wouldn’t rush to book this. The food was exceptional and the character interactions were brilliant. But it is really expensive. I just resent an expensive meal when, in reality, it goes cold from sorting out two toddlers. The food is a bit finer dining and both our adult meals were absolutely delicious. Both kids were offered full meals, like chicken tenders and fries, for free.

Cinderella’s Royal Table: This was a real treat on our first Disney trip as a family of four and a bit of a splurge. The food was really nice, more fine dining than other restaurants, and they offered both kids a side for free. It is a small intimate restaurant in the castle – which is worth the price in itself.

The princess interactions were really good and they gave the kids a princess wand, sword and a wishing star which make good souvenirs. This was an expensive meal and I am always reluctant to do these experiences with such young children because they are so unpredictable.

We had to leave our pram outside and my daughter was so sad about this that her magical interaction with Cinderella was her crying to the poor cast member telling her we are the worst parents in the world for leaving her pram outside.

She was fine by the time we got into the restaurant but imagine if that melt down had continued and we had spent all this money on a meal. Which is a very big possibility with toddlers!

Coral Restaurant is a seafood restaurant in Epcot near the Nemo area. There are many benefits to this restaurant including the setting. It is in an aquarium, surrounded by large windows full of sea life, which keeps the children occupied whilst you enjoy your meal. Though not overly catered towards fussy toddlers, the seafood menu is a nice break from American fast food. Plus this is one of the only sit down restaurants that you do not need a reservation and can usually just walk in which is ideal for flexible days with toddlers.

Garden Grill is also in Epcot; this character dining experience is set in the Land Pavilion. It oddly and very unnecessarily really slowly rotates but don’t let this put you off as you barely notice it. The character interactions with Chip n’ Dale and Mickey feel really personal. The all you can eat table food is also to die for! We really enjoyed the family style food and there was plenty for our toddlers to enjoy.

Trex Restaurant at Disney Springs is one of our favourite restaurants that we go to every single trip. It is set in a prehistoric cave, which the children love, and we always enjoy our meal here.

It is a simple American menu but, for Disney, really reasonably priced. There is also a sand pit for the children to play in whilst you wait for your table. As it is in Disney Springs, it is a good escape from the park. I recommend asking not to be sat in the ice age area as it has really uncomfortable lighting.

Character experiences at Walt Disney World for Toddlers

“Some people are worth melting for.” – Olaf

Characters are such a big part of what makes Disney World special, especially with toddlers. It is also such a big part of what can consume your day at a park.

There are tons of characters and this regularly changes. The best thing to do is download the app and look close to your departure date to get a better idea of who and where characters will appear.

It is odd how they do characters as some of them are there all day and have queue times and others have random timed appearances throughout the day.

It might not even state the specific character but just ‘Winnie the Pooh or friends’.

My advice is stick with children’s absolute favourites and focus on those.

We are sometimes lucky to be walking by a character with a short queue and we always jump on that but don’t rely on it.

As most of the queue times are not listed I would also not say to my kids ‘shall we go and see insert favourite character here?’ If you get there and the line is as long as the Great Wall of China, you are not going to want to queue or disappoint them either.

Even when you get to the characters there is no queue time displayed; but you can ask a cast member who will give you a rough idea.

Most of the indoor character meets require you to leave the pram at the entrance but the outdoor lines they just ask you to leave it to the side before you meet the character.

There are so many characters, but I have highlighted the ones that we have had a great experience and not so great experience with below to help you on your future trip.

Character meets at Magic Kingdom

Ariel’s Grotto is one of the few character experiences that you can see the queue time on the app and during every visit we have been able to queue for under 15 minutes

This a really personal interaction in a lovely grotto setting and we have found that every Ariel we have met really has taken their time with both our children.

Meet Mickey at Town Square Theatre is at the entrance of Magic Kingdom which means it can get really busy first thing in the morning. However, in the middle of the day we have often been able to queue for just 5-10 minutes for this special character meet with Mickey in his magician outfit.

Circus Stars at Pete’s Silly Sideshow is one of my favourite character meets where you meet Mickey’s friends in quirky carnival costumes.

It is located in Fantasyland with two queues. One queue to meet Daisy and Minnie and the other to meet Pluto and Donald.

It is tucked away near Fantasyland train station, which means it often has low queue times.

Character meets at Hollywood Studios

Pixar Plaza is a character meet hub for all different Pixar characters such as: Mike and Sully, Joy and the Incredibles. Unfortunately, there are no queue times but we often find them much lower than other character meets.

Toy Story Characters in Toy Story Playland tend to always have ridiculously long lines. Despite being Toy Story fanatics, we have only met Buzz once as a family and Jessy and Woody once – on our honeymoon; the queues have been far too long.

The queue times are not shown on the app but you can usually see that it will take longer than your toddler putting their shoes on, or you can ask the cast member the expected queue time when you join.

Meet Ariel at Walt Disney Presents is a character meet at the end of the Walt Disney Presents Exhibit: a mini museum about the Disney World park.

Although I prefer Ariel’s Grotto in Magic Kingdom, this has always had such a short queue. Plus we enjoy the facts about the making of Disney World; although you cannot take prams through the museum so can be a long way to carry non walkers. There is also a studio in here that shows previews of upcoming Disney films.

Character meets at Epcot

Meet Mickey and Friends is or was a great character meet, with a short queue time, where you can meet the big four. However, when updating this page it seems it is now a Disney Visa cardholder exclusive attraction which is really disappointing.

Meet Anna and Elsa at Royal Sommerhus has a lovely themed queue taking you through Anna and Elsa’s summer cabin. This is probably because the queue is always so long.

If you do catch it at a low queue then jump at the opportunity as it is a lovely character meet.

Character meets at Animal Kingdom

Meet Moana at Character Landing is often a long queue but we have been able to get there at the start of a timeslot and queue for around 20 minutes.

One of the reasons it is so long is Moana really takes her time with each child which is great when it is yours, but not when you are queuing!

Kevin from Up is an absolutely fantastic character meet. Although we have never actually met him, you can often see him walking around Animal Kingdom. It is worth going over to his area just to check out the clever costume.

Meet Favourite Disney Pals at Adventure Outpost is the home of the one and only photo I have of both my children smiling. And not like Chandler from friends.

Despite this, because there is only one Mickey and Minnie in cute safari outfits, this queue always seems to take ages.

As I said previously, a really good way to see characters without the queue is character dining. If you need help securing this or any other holiday extras then visit my travel services page or request a no obligation quote for your next Disney adventure.

Top Tips for visiting Disney World with Toddlers

The best pram for toddlers at Disney World

This may not be a priority when booking your trip but when I suggested to my husband another Disney World trip his instant response was – what about the pram?

If this was his response before asking if I would force him to wear matching T-shirts again then you know it is a big problem.

On our first trip, our children were one and almost three so both definitely needed a pram for most of the day.

We took our double pram where one sits behind the other and this was probably the worst thing about our whole trip.

Yes, even worse than a kid with a bubble wand.

There were so many problems with this type of stroller. Firstly, the child behind saw barely anything which is a big part of being at Disney.

We also had to keep lifting our 3-year-old in and out of the pram whereas she can get in and out of a normal pushchair on her own. This may not sound like a big deal but I’d say we did this over 50 times a day with all the rides, transport or just her wanting to get out which really takes a toll on your body during an already exhausting day!

A double pram is also quite tricky to push around a place where people are oblivious to anyone else’s needs apart from their own (oh such a magical place!)

It may just have been our make of pram but we also found it had very little storage underneath which is a problem for a long day in a park with two little people.

So when it came to our second trip we went through all the options – renting a Disney pram, taking one single pram, taking two prams… leaving the kids at the home?

We opted for taking two prams and it was a game changer. As our daughter was now four, we actually planned on leaving the pram at stroller parking and going back only when she needed it. It turns out she takes after her lazy mother and we needed it for the whole day.

But I do think this could be a good option if you have an older more active child. Obviously just don’t leave anything valuable in there – or food – squirrel thieves are real!

If you have a pram, it is really important to consider your choice of transport to the parks as all buses and parking trams require you to collapse your buggy.

Collapsing a pram on a bus may not seem the end of the world either. And no it’s not. We did it and did it the day after and still do it on trips, but it is just a real pain.

Like childbirth, many of us did it again but it was still hell on earth.

I remember one time after a really long day in the park both my kids were asleep so I had to balance one on each knee on a jerky bus whilst my husband had to stand balancing all the stuff and a double pram – not so magical.

And don’t assume people will offer you their seat either. And don’t even dream of the bus driver letting you off because your kid is asleep in the pram, they are really really strict on this policy!

One nifty little trick that has saved us is taking a huge storage bag to put all of our stuff in for the day so that we didn’t need to keep emptying the prams when we collapsed them.

This was so useful even when we drove because you need to empty prams to go through security.

Hence, we ended up using it every day even to just transport everything to the car in the morning.

One more note on prams, buggies, strollers… tantrum transporters… whatever you call them. When you leave them to go on a ride, the staff often move them, usually to the most illogical spot. We like to make signs or tie something noticeable to them rather than spending all day trying to find it.

Queuing with toddlers at Disney World

“Even miracles take a little time.” — Fairy Godmother, Cinderella

….a really long time….

By far what my children find most difficult about theme parks is the queuing. I think I do too.

We have a golden rule: We will never ever enter a queue that is more than 20 minutes. This works for our kids, but you may have a higher limit – don’t worry you will find that limit. Many times I convinced my husband to enter a 30 minutes queue and regretted it 21 minutes in.

I know this can be quite hard at Disney if you are going at busy times but we managed to do pretty much every ride we wanted to. Rides for younger children do tend to have shorter queues. Be sure to use my guide for the best attractions for toddlers and what to prioritise if queues are long.

Lightning Lane (Fastpass) is the obvious answer and if you can afford it, I would definitely recommend it!

Getting to the parks early and doing those busy rides first thing always works well. This is very useful if you are staying on site and have early entry time.

Also riding during lunchtime hours the queues tend to reduce. You can download the Disney app and keep checking the queue times; we have also found them really accurate.

In addition to the stock room of Mothercare in the pram, I have a small backpack that I keep anything expensive in and my queue survival pack.

I make sure I have a truck load of snacks, and extra snacks on top of that. A drink and a fan for those hot days. I also have a few little fidget toys to try and keep the kids amused.

It is hard to play many games to keep toddlers occupied whilst queueing. Here are a few things we like to do:

• I-spy (but with colours) or in the queues at Disney they have so many fun hidden items that you can say things like “Who can find Olaf’s sandwich?”
• I use one of their little fidget toys to play hide and seek (we hide it on each other).
• My daughter likes to do ‘impressions’ so I will say “Can you be Donald Duck on a motorbike” my son attempts it but don’t expect to see him on Britain’s got Talent any time soon.
• We also like to play a game where I have five objects (can adapt for older children) I show them to the children then take one away and they have to remember what object is missing. This can be simple things like snacks that are already in my bag.

Baby Care Centres in Disneyworld

Each park has an air conditioned baby care centre where you can feed and care for your baby with highchairs, microwaves and bottle warmers. They also often have entertainment for older siblings whilst you sort the little one.

There is a store in each centre that sells essentials like nappies, wipes, formula, etc. It is also a good place for nappy changing though all toilets have a changing space.

Locations for Baby Care Centres:

• Magic Kingdom: If heading toward the castle, turn left at end of Main Street. The cute Alice in Wonderland themed Baby Care Centre can be found between Casey’s Corner and The Crystal Palace. To match the theming, Alice and Wonderland plays on a loop and there are seats and building blocks for little ones to take a break.

• Epcot: Beside the Odyssey Pavilion and near the Mexico entrance to World Showcase you can find Epcot’s large Baby Care Centre. They also have Disney films playing to occupy older siblings or for everyone to enjoy. 

• Hollywood Studios: This Baby Care Center is located right by The Little Mermaid – Musical Adventure. They too have small seats for children, and a large TV playing Disney cartoons.

• Animal Kingdom: Heading toward the Tree of Life turn left. Just before the bridge to Africa and to the right of Creature Comforts you will find the quieter Baby Care Center. There is a large activity room with tables, chairs, colouring pages, and plenty of seating for the whole family to enjoy their Starbucks.

These Baby Care Centres also provide a private space to breastfeed, though I have never had any problems feeding publicly in Disney World.

Free play time and play areas for toddlers at Disney World

“Every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination. But just as a muscle grows flabby with disuse, so the bright imagination of a child pales in later years if he ceases to exercise it” – Walt Disney

Free play is unstructured play where children can themselves decide what and how to play. This can happen in places such as soft play, playgrounds or accommodation with their own toys.

Let me explain a little more…

I remember taking my 2-year-old daughter to Disneyland Paris for the first time and, trust me when I say, she crossed that Mickey arch and turned into Satan. 

She was so badly behaved and I was just baffled and she is generally a really good kid.

After googling if my kid hating Disney is a viable reason to put them up for adoption, I found something really interesting that has helped me on every trip since. 

Basically it is really important to give our kids free time each day where they can chose how and what to play.

I thought I was Mum of the year taking my kid to Disneyland, rushing to the shortest queue, making sure we were on time for the parade, telling her what characters we were meeting next.

In fact, she was getting frustrated that all her ‘fun’ was totally prescribed.

So during our Disney trips especially, we always plan in some ‘free play’. This can be a play area, swimming, down time back at the hotel playing with their own toys, or technology time (dare I say it).

Just think that in a playground they have the choice of so many different fun things and it is their choice. 

I am not preaching to be Supernanny at all but this has totally transformed our days out and holidays.

If either of our children start being a little defiant we look at our day and realise they have not had any free play yet and quickly factor that in.

Here are some play areas at Disneyworld, suitable for toddlers, that allow children to have that break from ‘prescribed fun’:

Play areas for toddlers in Magic Kingdom:

• Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station is a small splash park water play area just outside Fantasyland Railroad Station. There is no need for swimwear and is a nice way for toddlers to cool down.
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant is an air conditioned indoor soft play suitable for all ages. This, in my opinion, is the best soft play in Disney World for little ones. You enter it via the Dumbo Ride queue but don’t need to ride if you don’t want to. If you do, you get a buzzer when it is your turn.

Play areas for toddlers in Epcot:

• Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future is located at exit of Spaceship Earth. It is definitely aimed at older children but toddlers might like the lights and screens.
• World Discovery Playground is a newly refurbished outdoor playground opposite Test Track. It also has shade canopies in an attempt to shield from the Florida sun.
• ImageWorks – The “What If” Labs is a trippy ‘lab’ located at at the exit of Journey into Imagination with Figment ride. There are plenty of interactive things for toddlers to enjoy in this air conditioned area.
• SpaceBase is the only other indoor soft play at Disney World, located at the exit of Mission:Space. There is plenty of suitable things for toddlers to play and climb.
• SeaBase / Bruce’s Shark World is a fantastic aquarium that houses the Nemo and Turtle Talk attractions. Bruce’s Shark World is classed as a play area but there isn’t actually much to do apart from get a cool photo in Bruce’s mouth.

Drawn to Wonderland is a new play area set to open in Hollywood Studios soon!

Nearly all Disney World hotels also have outdoor play areas for toddlers to let off some steam.

There can also be certain festivals or events that have free activities suitable for toddlers.

What we also find works well is heading back to our accommodation and having a swim or letting the children play with their own toys.

If you do need a break from Disneyworld, remember there are so many beautiful places to visit near Orlando with plenty of toddler friendly activities.

Costumes and clothing for toddlers at Disney World

This may seem like such a superficial topic but part of my enjoyment going to Disney is dressing my kids as their favourite characters.

My daughter also enjoys picking what princess she is going to be each day. My son not so much but we need to start creating those embarrassing photos for when he’s older!

I really treasure these special photos and always feel characters pay them much more attention if they are dressed as them.

Official Disney costumes can be so expensive and remember, as toddlers, they may only be in them for a few hours before they have an accident or spillage.

Therefore, I tend to buy them from Temu or second hand from Vinted.

You might have to spend some time searching on Temu as they can’t outright advertise an Elsa dress but they can sell an Ice Queen dress!

I particularly enjoy matching my son and daughter’s outfits. Plus researching which characters or rides we might see in the park that day and matching them to that.

Do just remember how hot Florida can be so opt for the cooler outfits (ignore the insulated Pluto onesie below!) I do still take spare T-shirts and shorts too.

Some examples of my toddler’s Disney outfits…

And if you don’t agree that they are the cutest thing that you ever did see please book an appointment here.

Souvenirs to buy (avoid) for toddlers at Disney World

“All our dreams can come true, if we have…

the dollars… I mean…

…courage to pursue them.” — Walt Disney

Parents of toddlers know it is impossible to go anywhere without them asking for something.

I remember my daughter leaving hospital, after visiting my dad, with a cardboard sick bowl on her head thinking all her Christmases had come at once!

Here are a few tips to avoid remortgaging your house to buy a Mickey shaped paper clip:

Ignorance is Bliss

This may be an obvious one but just don’t take them into the shops!

They are narrow; a pain to push a pram around and stressful stopping your 3-year-old from playing catch with the Swarovski crystal castle.

I usually take it in turns with my husband to go in any souvenir shops.

Another tip is the big World of Disney store at Disney Springs has pretty much every souvenir in one place if you want to avoid going to all the little souvenir shops.

Devil’s sticks aka Bubble Wands

You will ingest a lot of bubbles at Disneyland, and unfortunately not the alcoholic type. Every kid has a bubble wand but no kid has spatial awareness. At $40 a piece, they are an annoying expense.

Your children will see other children with bubble wands and obviously ask for one.

If you do insist on tasting washing up liquid vs Moet for the rest of your trip, we head to Walmart before the parks and they are a lot cheaper at $13.

On each trip, at least one broke by the end of our 2 weeks, so not great quality but I imagine the Disney ones are similar!

Another tip is to take powder bubble mixture to save buying heaps of heavy bubble mixture

On the topic of Walmart, in addition to affordable groceries, this is a much cheaper shop for souvenirs and also costumes!

They also have Ice Road Trucker size trolleys with plenty of room for two toddlers.

The world’s most expensive air: Balloons

That mouse really knows what he is doing and even I, little Miss Frugal, found myself spending $25 on a ball of air.

Something else to note is, because of the animals, balloons are not permitted in Animal Kingdom. However, if you do take them, they have a ballon daycare that you drop them off at and get a little card of how their day was! I mean how cute is that? Worth every dollar in my opinion… said Pinocchio.

Character Warehouse Orlando

If you are anything like me, and very susceptible to join a cult, with or without your kids influence, you will feel like you too must buy every mickey shaped paraphernalia whilst at Disney.

The Character Warehouse is a shop, in two locations (International Drive and Vineland Avenue), where you can buy ex Disney World stock for a fraction of the cost. Hence, a shop you can actually take your children in to choose a souvenir!

One year we bought a T-shirt for about $10 and then saw the exact one in the parks for $40!

Character Autographs at Disneyworld for toddlers

Another thing we do is for Birthdays and Christmases before our trip we ask friends and family for dollars instead of toys for the kids. For older children they love choosing something and actually paying for it with cash!

Avoid themed nights with toddlers

Now nobody does theming like the Disney. We were lucky enough to get tickets for Mickey’s not so Scary Halloween Party in 2023. Let me tell you what was scary… the price.

Considering the extra (much extra) additional cost to attend a themed night on top of your entrance fee, you really need to consider if this is the right choice for you and your family.

If you have older children, and a disposable income, I think the themed nights like Mickey’s Not So Scary Party and Mickey’s Very Christmas Party are just fantastic.

However, the key word here is nights. Late nights and toddlers mix as well as Kanye and Taylor.

We managed to get highly discounted tickets, but still regret purchasing passes to Mickey’s Not So Scary Party.

The earliest you can get into any themed night is 4pm but the activities don’t tend to start until around 7pm.

My kid’s bedtime is 7pm. I thought (hoped) all the hype would keep them awake but instead I was met with sleepy, grumpy… what’s the next dwarf?!

However, the parties are incredibly themed. My kids loved ‘trick or treating’ and all the freebies but the entertainment, parades and fireworks were totally lost on them.

There were also certain elements that my Halloween, bat-loving, daughter actually found a bit scary.

Perhaps the Christmas party would be better for toddlers but it is still at the same, late, time which I think was the main issue for our children.

I hope you have found my advice helpful for your Disney trip.

As Walt said himself…

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible”

…even if that is taking a toddler to Disney World.