Have Baby will Travel!
This post is designed for babies 18 months and under, in that golden stage where they still love to be carried and rolled everywhere before those little legs get a taste of true freedom.
You’ll find a lot of suggestions below, but I might suggest the most important thing to pack is your patience!
There will be some mishaps at Disney World, and if you feel like everyone is staring at you, it’s because we’ve been there. Here’s lots of pixie dust and the genuine hope that you meet the same incredible cast members that have helped me when my baby and I needed an extra pair of hands.
Is it worth bringing a one year old to Disney World? I say yes… but we break it all down in this Q&A.
Interested in tips for taking a Baby to Disney World? For starters… call it a ‘trip’ and not a ‘vacation’ because it’s fun but still busy. For the rest, head to this tip guide for babies at Disney World.
This post contains affiliate links at no extra cost to you, and I may earn commission on qualified sales, check out my affiliate disclosure for more information and all the legal mumbo jumbo.
What to Pack to Keep Baby Cool at Disney World
Florida is hot about 8 months out of the year. I would say from March- December we might see some days with highs into the 90’s, plus the summer can have hot days for many days in a row.
Consider:
A fan (or two) for the stroller or to clip on your shoulder when baby wearing. This is the fan we grabbed, and I like it better because it has bendable arms (the two we got with clips broke rather quickly, but bendy arms are holding up!)
This year I got a JisuLife neck fan (not sponsored, I bought and paid for everything I share) and it’s a game changer! Consider this for the parent/caregivers in your party so they don’t get too hot.
Mesh covers for the stroller (and beware of using blankets, which can increase the temps in the stroller by 10 degrees or more)
A mister, which you can purchase at disney world (it’s this giant blue fan mister), can help baby stay cool with little spritzes of water! I think they are more of a hassle than a blessing, but I know some parents swear by them.
The Lillebaby Airflow Baby Carrier, which has a mesh section. We’ve used one of these every summer in Florida with great success (and we also use it when we go in the pool!)
Several Swimsuits so you can take advantage of the splash pad areas. Consider the swim diaper/covers and don’t forget your towels! See all the Splash Pads in the parks here.
Plus I would recommend down time during the hottest parts of the day. If you head back to the resort around 2 and come back at 5 refreshed and ready for the day. Or you can plan a character meal (which is around 1.5 hours) so that Baby can nap in the air conditioning.
Packing Hacks you’ll need for a Baby Vacation at Disney World
Pack Cream, Soap and Wipes that you use at home. Or ones that you have tested for a few weeks. Baby’s have sensitive skin and trying new items away from home is not a good idea.
Pack your own laundry detergent (or grab it locally) so you can wash clothes before you leave for home. (or if you go through a ton of clothing, which babies are known to do!)
Consider a travel bag AND a Park Diaper Bag (if you have the room!) That way you can pack your park bag before you leave and then pack it up, so it’s ready to go when you get there! Then the baby travel bag can be used exclusively for travel and the items you might need there.
Consider renting your stroller and pack n’ play versus bringing them. This all depends on your room when traveling, and how much hassle it is for you.
Consider shipping your diapers, or doing a diaper pickup when you get there, versus packing a week’s worth of diapers.
Pack a Bag just for Sun Protection. Include items like a hat, UV clothing, sunshade for the stroller.
Gear I pack (and what you should consider)
Stroller. These are wildly valuable as a place to keep baby, but also store stuff, and provide a safe place for babies to nap, stay cool and keep out of the sun. If you aren’t bringing your stroller, consider renting from a company like Kingdom Strollers (you can pick up at the airport or have delivered to your resort!)
Baby Carrier. If you know how to use it before you come, bring whatever you use at home! If you get a carrier just for Disney, here’s a list of one’s I’d recommend (plus, please use it before traveling!)
Pack n Play. You can rent a pack n play, or a crib. Most resorts also have a few on hand (many are first come first serve). I prefer renting one as I know it’s clean (get it from Kingdom Strollers when you get your stroller rental!), and you can also just consider bringing yours if you drive.
Portable Bottle Warmer (if necessary) Disney has bottle warmers in the baby care centers, but will NOT give out hot water at any of the restaurants. I repeat- they will NOT give out water if you say its for bottles. So you’ll need to get creative if you have to ask.
Nursing cover. You can absolutely breastfeed in public. I use a nursing cover because it helps baby be less distracted and I don’t want a random vlogger with a video of my boob on youtube. (or my baby’s face on youtube if were being totally honest here)
High Chair. There’s so many foldable ones, portable ones, and cloth ones. Really I recommend whatever you are comfortable with, plus have the room to pack. We have both a solid portable one, and a foldable portable one that straps to the chair. but I haven’t used a cloth one. Disney restaurants have them at the restaurants, so we use it in the room for activities, or when we are eating in the room. On our recent camping trip at Disney’s Fort Wilderness it was a life saver!
Portable Baby Gate. We grabbed this for a vacation to a family member’s house and found it so useful on our next Disney Trip. We place it in the doorway to the bathroom so I can watch baby without shutting the door (and those doors are heavy, so I’m always worried about baby catching fingers in the door!) This is also so helpful if you have other kids to manage.
Basic Packing for Disney World with a baby
But if you don’t need much from this post, know this. A baby carrier at Disney is a must have item. I had to have ONE thing- It would be my LilleBaby Airflow Baby Carrier- You’ll see most of my kids are worn in a carrier in almost all of my pictures and I explain why I love baby carriers at Disney World so much here.
The official list generic things to bring for Baby at Disney World:
- Stroller/baby carrier/car seat ***(special note about these below!)
- Clothing for all types of weather- 2 outfits per day
- Sleep accessories like Noise maker or Baby cot
- Feeding accessories like bottles, breast pump, food pouches, bibs, foldable high chair
- Baby Diaper Bag, Storage Bag, Travel Bag
- Toys and Entertainment
- Medications/Creams
- Sun gear like SPF shirts, hats, light blankets, swimsuits
- Shoes/Socks/Moccasins
- Diapers/Wipes/Cream
Real Talk, If you run out of clothes or have a huge blowout or your baby won’t stop crying PLEASE head to the Baby Care Centers and get freshened up! They are a life saver. The staff is so caring and wonderful everytime we visit.
You’ll also find a lot of options at the Resort Shops, Like Diapers, Clothing, Socks, Toys, Food Pouches etc.
Plan for all kinds of weather!
Plan for all kinds of weather except snow! Well, maybe snow. It did snow here in 2010. BUT. that snowing point aside. You are going to need to plan for all kinds of weather regardless of what the weather report says.
Imma say it louder for people in the back- the weather forecast will probably be wrong! Florida loves to drop rain when 20 mins prior their were no clouds in the sky. So first and foremost, expect it to rain. Make sure you bring ponchos, I normally grab a multi pack from Amazon for every trip so I can just toss them when we are done! And a weather proof stroller cover will be SO useful- parking for the strollers is NOT covered. Also pack extra outfits and it really wouldn’t hurt if you grabbed a towel and shoved it in a random bag somewhere.
If you come in the winter PLEASE pack for both types of cold and hot weather. We can have a cold front come in overnight or it can be a beautiful 70 all week. You just never know. Don’t get caught without the appropriate clothes because then you’ll be rushing to by Disney Gear you didn’t plan to get. Yeah it’s cute- but expensive.
Conclusion
Bringing Baby to Disney World is so much fun! I promise. It will be even better if you plan ahead and take things easy. I’ve made an entire series about bringing baby to Disney World with lots of helpful tips
