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We took our baby to Disneyland! I cannot believe it! For many reasons. The biggest of which was I always said before I had a kid that I wouldn’t take my kid to Disney until they could walk. LOL. Welp, here we are taking our almost 1 year old (3 days before his 1st birthday). Oops! Sorry, not sorry. I know other mamas out there feel me on the “I won’t do that” promise. Right? Ok good.
If you haven’t already figured out, my husband, Brandon, and I are Disney adults. We went to Disney World as part of our honeymoon and recently went back as a little parents trip. So, I realllllly should have known that I was not going to keep that fake promise to myself. It took a little convincing with Brandon- “I know he won’t remember but I will!!!”- but I finally broke him down (let’s be honest lol). Here are the top 5 things I learned:
#1: Snacks on snacks on snacks
This seems like an obvious, but man on man my kid ate more this day than he has ever eaten in his life. Partly because he barely napped (more on that later) and partly because food is the great calmer in our family. Hungry? Eat. Tired? Eat. Want to crawl all over the place but you’re in your stroller? Eat. I personally packed cheerios, goldfish, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, meatballs, cucumbers, crackers… And he ate some chicken tenders and French fries too. Seriously. It was crazy.
#2: Feet must be covered!
I didn’t know this before coming and thank goodness I brought some shoes for my dude. All feet must be covered to go on any rides. For the little littles that can be socks if you’re holding them in a carrier. If your kids are sitting on your laps you have to wear shoes. It’s obviously a safety issue but if you have a barefoot kid like I do, don’t forget to throw those shoes in your diaper bag!
#3: It’s about the short term not long term
This is one of those times where “Let it go” is not just a song from Frozen. Today is a day all about making the memories not building the habits. For example, my sweet boy only took a 25 minute nap all day and only ate carbs and fruit all day. C’est la vie. When we’re home, we’re working on diversifying his diet, getting veggies in, soldi naps, strong educational playtime… you get it. Not today. Today was about avoiding meltdowns, making memories and enjoy the magic!
#4: Check out the shows, parades & characters
If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be looking for parade and show times I would’ve laughed in your face. I mentioned that my husband and I are Disney adults. We were rides (and pin 🤪) driven people. The parades were great because the ride lines got shorter. The shows were only good if we needed a 30 minute AC break. Characters- lol. Maybe we’d see them if they were walking. Now?? Exact opposite. He LOVED the mini parade! The shows was basically a dance party for him. He’s still a little too young for characters but I know that will be coming soon!
#5: Mr. Lincoln is your best friend
The Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln area is the best place for a baby. The attraction is not something that a stroller can go to but the lobby is where it’s at! It’s quiet and you can walk around with a stroller to get a kiddo down for a nap. It’s not too crowded and so it’s a good place to breastfeed if you’re looking for a more private area. Also it’s a massive carpeted area that is a good place for kiddos to crawl around and get the wiggles out. My kiddo took his 20 minute nap there and then we spent about an hour crawling and walking around. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln is one of the first things on you righthand side as you enter Main Street from the main park entrance.
All in all, you got this mama! I know that you can make the most of this Disney day and make those magical memories!
