Today I’m sharing a list of Disneyland tips for small kids.
I first wrote this post back in May 2022 after our first family trip to Disneyland. We had pretty low expectations for that trip since the girls were so young, but the day ended up being so magical.
We just took the girls again this week (February 2024), almost two years later. We had such an amazing time and even though I’m not a huge Disney person myself, nothing can beat watching your child experience the magic of Disneyland. And I feel like they were both at the most perfect ages (3 and 5).
I asked for advice and recommendations again on Instagram this time around and received so many great tips!
Disneyland Tips for Small Kids
In this post, I basically compiled all of the advice we received as well as a few tips we picked up along the way in the two times we’ve gone. I am absolutely not a Disney expert, but I think this list is a really helpful start for anyone planning their first trip.
Our first trip in May 2022
Here is a list of tips for taking toddlers to Disneyland:
Get the Disneyland app and upgrade your tickets to Genie+
This was the number one tip we received, and for good reason! I would even go as far as to say that this is nonnegotiable–I wouldn’t do Disney without it!
Genie+ costs around $20 extra but it ended up saving the day. The app lets you see how long the waits are for each ride, but with Genie+ you can actually reserve your spot in a “lightning lane” which moves much quicker than the normal lines. You can only have one reservation open at a time, but as soon as you check in for a ride you can use the app to reserve your next ride. We used this to skip the line for many rides throughout the day, so I thought it was worth every penny (especially with impatient toddlers in tow!!).
Stay close to the park
If you’re making a trip of it, stay within walking distance of the park. This will make the morning seamless and allow you to nap your baby or toddler in the hotel room partway through the day. There are a ton of options for every budget, especially if you are going midweek.
GO EARLY.
We got to the parking lot around 7:30am. It takes a while to shuttle in, use the restroom, and stand in the ticket line. It was around 8:15am by the time we were headed down Mainstreet, and the first hour of our day was pure magic. The gates open at 7:30am and then they do a “rope drop” at the end of Main Street right at 8am.
*2024 edit: Personally, I don’t think you need to be there for rope drop. We got there at 7:40am this time only to wait in a massive crowd until they let everyone in. I think arriving at or a little after 8am is perfectly sufficient–you can walk right in without dealing with the rope drop crowd and still feel like you have the place to yourselves.
Grab a Starbucks straight away
Someone told me to also grab a Starbucks right away which I thought was genius. There’s one in Downtown Disney, and then the Market House shop on Main Street serves Starbucks drinks too.
Take photos ASAP
If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to grab a family photo at the castle before it gets crowded. One of my most sociopathic traits is that I like to get pictures RIGHT AWAY on trips, etc because then I don’t stress about it the rest of the day.
Start the day at Fantasyland or Toontown
If you start Disneyland, head to Fantasyland right away and go on as many rides as possible before it gets crowded. This was the perfect way to kick the day off on a high note. The lines were minimal at that hour and the girls were on cloud nine as we rushed from ride to ride. Also, Fantasyland is a great place to start because there’s no height limit for most of the rides there.
*2024 edit: Now that Toontown is open again, the same applies here. Toontown gets insanely crowded later in the day, so it’s a great spot to start if you have little ones. I suggest beelining for Mickey’s Runaway Railway which is the cutest ride. The line can get really long and it’s nice to kick off the day with a high note.
Park Hopper Strategy
If you have a Park Hopper pass: a lot of people told us to start with Disneyland for the reasons above. We made our way over to California Adventure in the afternoon and this worked out great. Also hot tip for parents: California Adventure serves what I call “walk about” alcohol whereas Disney does not, so better believe Tyler and I treated ourselves to some 3pm IPA’s.
*2024 edit: We started this trip at California Adventure, and it was SO fun. We went on a million rides in the first two hours and it was just such a fun time. I think my opinion now after experiencing both strategies is that it doesn’t matter which park you start with as long as you get a good early start on the day. And we still grabbed a beer at noon before heading over to Disneyland, LOL.
Some people recommended doing one park each day, if you have two days to spare. I could definitely see that being a good strategy if you are up for a two day excursion.
How to handle height requirements
I recommend measuring your kids beforehand so you can all know in advance which rides everyone can go on. Disney keeps all of that information on their website, so will be able to see exactly which rides your child will be able to enjoy. That way, you can set expectations with your kids before the day of.
*2024 edit: We thought we might be able to get Emmie to 40 inches this trip so we could all do the big kid rides together. I bought her these little platform keds to see if we could get her there, but she was just a hair (literally, lol) shy. The attendances were VERY strict and grumpy about this. Fortunately, Emmie was largely unbothered by this and didn’t really seem to care when Tyler took Char on the bigger rides. We had told her ahead of time that this might happen, so it was fine. Something to look forward to for next time!
Pack water bottles and extra snacks
Surprisingly, you are allowed to bring your own food and drinks in a soft cooler into Disneyland, so we brought plenty of water and snacks for the girls. The snacks came in handy a few times waiting in lines, but I wouldn’t say you need to pack a TON. Water is the most important thing, as it can get really hot in the middle of the day.
Mobile Ordering food
You can use the Disney app to mobile order food ahead of time–one less line to wait in!
Stroller for big kids too
Char (now 5 years old) has outgrown the seat on our Uppababy stroller, so we just brought the single seat for Emmie. However, I wish we had purchased the skateboard attachment ahead of time. She was a trooper, but it was a LOT of walking and she ended up riding on Tyler’s shoulders quite a bit the second half of the day.
Portable clip-on fan for stroller
This was particularly helpful during Emmie’s nap. She went down around 1pm and the fan helped keep her cool while we walked her around. I’d also add here: portable sound machine for stroller naps. Ours is broken but it would have definitely come in handy.
Bring a tiny bag/purse for valuables
I wouldn’t have thought of this, but I’m so glad someone told me to! I wore my trusty Lululemon belt bag all day and kept my keys, cards, and phone in it. That way, when we parked the stroller and got in line for rides I wasn’t panicking about leaving valuables in the diaper bag.
Hats and sunscreen
This is SO important. I was absolutely maniacal about applying and reapplying sunscreen on both myself and the girls all day, but I still wish I remembered to bring our hats. It got really bright and hot in the afternoon and it would have been helpful to have the extra protection.
Extra change of clothes
Like I always say: the girls don’t need a change of clothes UNLESS I forget to pack one. You just never know–spilled food, potty accident if we couldn’t find the bathroom in time, etc. For what it’s worth, I think Zara has the cutest Disney stuff. You might also want to bring extra socks and bandaids.
Sticker books and coloring stuff for sit down eating/downtime
I love these Usborne sticker books for travel, and these came in handy while we were waiting for food throughout the day. We also always bring coloring stuff for the girls when we travel.
Stroller Parking
Park the stroller once in each land. This might be obvious but I still think it’s helpful. Just park it once and avoid loading and reloading everyone between rides.
Meet Disney princesses at the Royal Hall
We managed to skip this because the line was super long and Char was still high off meeting Mickey but we definitely need to do it next time. This is just to the left of the castle when you are heading towards Fantasyland.
Disney Jr. Dance Party in California Adventure
Our best friends told us that we absolutely had to do this, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the day. There was a line though, and we almost didn’t get in actually. I’d recommend heading over 30 minutes early to grab a spot in line and have everyone use the bathroom close by. This was just the cutest little show–ours had Doc McStuffins and a surprise Mickey and Minnie appearance. The girls LOVED it and danced their little hearts out.
*2024 edit: Still slaps. Definitely recommend.
Character breakfast
We’ve never done this, but a handful of friends SWEAR by it. I’ve heard of people doing this to kick off the trip or to end the trip on a high note.
Baby Care Centers
There are a few Baby Care Centers throughout the park. We actually didn’t end up using one but it’s still great to know about (especially for families with smaller babies!). The centers have nursing rooms, changing tables, toddler-sized toilets, kitchen sinks with bottle warmers and microwaves, and a vending machine with baby supplies, food, etc. Also great to know: if God-forbid your child gets lost, the staff is instructed to escort separated children to the nearest baby center. I only mention this because I actually got lost from my family at Disney when I was two years old–it’s one of my first memories, lol. So it happens, okay?
AirTag bracelets
Speaking of, we love these bracelets for holding AirTags to put on the girls when we are in a place like Disney.
Glow sticks
A couple of people recommended bringing glow sticks for kids to wear at night which I thought was such a cute idea.
Mobile charger
Since you’ll be using your phone all day to reserve rides on Genie+, order food, and take pictures, you’ll want to bring a portable charger.
Bring an arsenal of plastic straws
I forgot to do this when my friend recommended it to me, and I regret everything. There is nothing worse than a paper straw–don’t come for me!!
First Visit Buttons
All of the gift shops have free “first visit” buttons behind the counter if you ask for them.
Provost Park Pass
Helpful YouTube account: Provost Park Pass. We watched a few of his videos and learned a lot.
Go with the flow
This is worth saying one more time, I think. Keep your expectations low and go with the flow. My strategy with travel is usually something along the lines of “research, prepare, and then let it all go” which sounds dumb but hear me out: I like to have a general idea of what’s going on and what we want to do but in the moment we kind of just let the kids lead in terms of their energy/vibe. We never force anything because they can always pick up on it, know what I mean?
California Adventure food recs
-Carthay for cocktails and food
-Any and all corndogs
-Steak and egg breakfast burrito at Cappuccino Cart
-Pym’s Test Kitchen for drinks and pretzel
-Clam and corn chowder from Boudin
-QuesaBirria tacos from Cocina Cucamonga
Disneyland food recs
–Mickey beignets from Mint Julep (turn left out of Pirates of the Caribbean exit)
-Dole Whip from the Tiki Bar in Adventureland
-Corndogs from the red cart on Main Street
-Macarons from Jolly Holiday on Main Street
-Churro toffee from any of the candy shops
-Garlic cheese twist from Maurice’s Treats by the castle and the Royal Hall
-Bao buns from the Tropical Hideaway by the Jungle Cruise
Okay I hope this was helpful!!
And, of course, thank you to everyone who gave me their advice leading up to our trip!! We had so much fun and I have you all to thank for that.
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