Taking young kids to Disney World isn’t crazy. In fact I’ve done it for the last several years. From hot summers to busy holiday festivities, having young children hasn’t stopped our family from enjoying Disney World. Thanks to baby wearing our kids in a carrier, we can experience almost everything Disney World has to offer.
Although, it wasn’t always super easy.
If your in a rush with all the parenting responsibilities, I highly recommend the Ergo Baby for those babies under 6 months, the Lillebaby Airflow for summertime/hot visits, and Infantino for the best budget option.
Plus, we will cover some basic information for the parents and caregivers who aren’t up to date on all the baby wearing lingo. I was previously a volunteer for Babywearing International (BWI) before they went belly up. We had a lending library stocked with carriers for people to try on. It is EASY once you get the hang of it, I promise!
I highly recommend you add a baby carrier to your baby packing list, even if you don’t plan to use it. It’s a great strategy to consider along with using a stroller (and if you’re wondering what ages need a stroller, I’ve got the stroller age post linked here)
So much has been updated since I published this in 2019… let’s take a look at Baby wearing in 2022!
Table of Contents
- Can you baby wear at Disney/ Babywearing Basics
- What type of baby carrier works best at Disney World?
- Babywearing on the rides
- Baby carrier vs. stroller
- Benefits of Baby Wearing
- Disadvantages of Baby Wearing at Disney World
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Can you baby wear at Disney World?
Let’s cover the basic.
Can you Babywear on Disney Property? Yes!
Can you babywear on the trams and transportation? YES (front wear only)
Can you babywear on the rides at Disney? YES and yes! Mostly. This is covered in detail below.
Let’s cover just a little more info about Baby Carriers.
There are several different kinds. If you aren’t familiar with carriers and are buying one offline or going to Target you will likely grab a soft structured carrier or a sling carrier.
Either way, you want to read the instructions and watch a few youtube videos because:
Properly placed baby carriers will NOT HURT YOU OR BABY.
Your back shouldn’t ache, Baby shouldn’t have hurt legs or neck (please support their neck!)
You want them comfortably positioned according to the instructions and that means they will be “close enough to kiss”.
It may also take a few ‘fittings’ before you get the most comfortable position, so try on your baby carrier at home first before you get to the parks. This way you know how to put it on (you won’t be embarrassed!) and you also know you won’t be in pain or accidentally drop your kid. I’m not kidding. Treat these like car seats and read the instructions so you keep everyone safe!
What type of baby carrier works best at Disney World?
If you are a baby wearing pro, you’ve likely got lots of options for carriers. For the average person though, you will see one obvious winner when it comes to Disney.
The Soft Structured Carrier.
Here’s a picture of me in a Soft Structured Carrier or SSC. This one is the Lillebaby Airflow, and it’s one of my top recommended ones for the summer time/hot times at Disney. It also works GREAT in the pool or water parks as it dries so quickly.
Not only is baby properly positioned, but this comfortable carrier is great for wearing baby for hours. My kiddo had decided to take a nap at the parks and I was more than happy to let baby sleep while I got to have my hands free!
You will see just about everyone wearing a SSC at Disney.
I personally, have worn several other types, like a woven wrap, a ring sling (great for newborns!) and a mei tai/meh dai carrier. These can work at Disney, just consider the times you are going. A woven wrap in Florida Summers is brutal!
I highly recommend the Ergo Baby for those babies under 6 months, the Lillebaby Airflow for summertime/hot visits, and Infantino for the best budget option.
If you are baby wearing a toddler at Disney World, get one with a weight limit up to 60lbs. We prefer the Lillebaby Toddler.
Here I am wearing the Lillebaby toddler, and I can easily have my toddler who weighs 30 pounds on my back and walk around. I’ve also carried my preschoolers (who weigh 40-50 pounds) for 30 minutes or so. It’s great for the end of the night to have the Lillebaby Toddler/child carrier to get the kids back to the resort when they are sleepy!
Babywearing on the rides
This is one of the most common questions I get from parents and strangers alike.
Can you Babywear on the rides at Disney World?
Yes! Not only can you babywear on the rides, but I recommend it. It gives you the ability to have your hands free for your other children or to brace yourself. Instead of placing the baby in your lap where you dont have as much security, a carrier allows baby to be on your chest and secure.
When you ride the rides, you will have baby on your front, facing chest to chest. NEVER with baby facing outward, as a jerk could hurt their head (similar to how babies are rear facing in car seats until they are old enough).
Which is good, because some of the rides are a little iffy when it comes to babies. For instance, in Epcot you can ride the Frozen ever after ride. It’s for all ages, but it does have a somewhat steep drop.
Not a super sharp drop or anything dangerous for a child, but something that is steep enough that I wonder about a baby and their head and neck support. Thankfully, every time I’ve ridden this with my kids, the youngest is in a carrier and they are properly secured to my chest so that their head can’t flop around.
You can see that we are babywearing here with the Ergo, on the Frozen ride, and even with the carrier, protecting the babies neck (and then my brother in law with my niece, still protecting her neck)
The other thing about rides is that some of them have a step up or down, or the ride itself may go up or down. When baby is in the carrier, and the caregiver has their hands free, it makes the likelihood of an accident less. If you can hang on with both hands, you are less likely to trip or scare your baby. For a full list of baby friendly rides, check out this post about how to ride rides while baby wearing at Disney World.
Baby carrier vs. stroller at Disney World
The Ultimate Showdown. Right? Not Really.
It’s kind of hard to compare a baby carrier vs. a stroller because they are both important for different things.
For instance, my stroller is also my bag carrier, stores my collapsible cooler I always bring to Disney and gives the older kids a place to sit or ride. I love renting a stroller from Kingdom Strollers, as it’s a great place for baby to nap and way more comfortable that the hard plastic disney ones.
On the other hand, the baby carrier (I have a toddler and a baby sized one) is useful for whatever kid needs to be held, or needs to take a nap. It’s a must have for restaurants because you can’t bring in the stroller, and it makes transportation a breeze. Plus, taking it on rides is worth bringing the baby carrier even if that’s the only time its used.
When we actually plan to be at Disney for the entire day, we bring both the stroller and the baby carrier. I recommend bringing both to any parents I talk to, because the worst that happens is you don’t use it. Better to bring it and not need it, then need it and be a mile into the park with no turning back!
Renting From Kingdom Strollers Can Save You 50% – 75% vs. Theme Park Prices. Free Delivery & Pickup.
Benefits of Baby wearing at Disney
Keeps baby calm when they want to be held
My kids all like to be held, especially at Disney World when they want a nap and there is way too much stimulation.
I can’t tell you how many times the baby carrier has prevented a meltdown (from both the kids and myself- I’m gonna start crying if they kids won’t stop crying!)
Hands Free for the Caregiver
It’s a no brainer. Life is so much easier when baby is calm, and you have your hands free!
Makes transportation and Rides Easier
With Baby properly secured to your body in a carrier, it makes it easy to step on and off transportation and the rides. Even if you bring a stroller, it’s still easier to have them in the carrier during these times so you can fold up the stroller easily.
There are more benefits to baby wearing listed in 5 reasons to Babywear at Disney World.
Disadvantages
You might leave it somewhere.
Since carriers are pretty small and portable they might get draped on a chair or fall out of a stroller.
Can be hot
I definitely recommend a mesh type carrier (air flow, air mesh, cooling mesh) if you are going to Florida for any of the 9 months of summer. <<< yes, I said 9 months of summer, because that’s what we have, then a few months of cold.
It’s more laundry
Sure, you can spot clean your carrier. But if you spill your drink, or your kid has a major diaper blowout, it’s going to need some laundering (thankfully, they are easy-ish to wash!)
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Babywearing comes with lots of advantages, a few disadvantages, and a slight learning curve. But overall, it’s a winner when it comes to your Disney Vacation!
Recommended Posts
I have lots more posts related to Disney Travel and Young Kiddos!