When people ask me when they think they should take their kids to Walt Disney World for the 1st time, my reaction is always “ASAP!” Slightly kidding of course. I remember BEGGING my husband to take me to Disney before we had children and his response was always “When we have kids!”. He now agrees that it is for anyone at any age! First off, children under 3 are FREE! You can’t beat FREE! Secondly, sure they may not remember it but YOU will and you will have some amazing photos to show them of their first time riding “it’s a small world” or “Peter Pan’s Flight”.
Each family’s situation is different and I completely understand that this may very well be a once in a lifetime vacation for a lot of families, hence why they want to wait. I want to show you though, that there are still plenty of rides for your babies and toddlers to go on and how easy Walt Disney World makes it to bring your little ones!
Baby Care Centers 
Each park located at Walt Disney World Resort has a Baby Care Center. These are areas that my husband and I have both agreed we will miss tremendously when our kids are too big to attend. Air conditioning, cold filtered water, baby changing stations with attendants always sanitizing after every change, a little store to purchase diapers, wipes, formula, etc.., a little room with toys and a movie playing (Secret tip: bring a charger for your phone and you can charge it while your little one plays!) what more could you ask for!? Oh! They also have nursing rooms for nursing mothers! It’s so quiet and secluded! Perfect place for your little one to nap!
That’s just one way that Walt Disney World caters to young children! I can assure you that there is SO much to do with your baby in the parks! Not only are there several locations to meet the characters, watch parades and there are also super fun shows but now I’m going to dive into all of the RIDES that you and your baby can ride together!
Rides With NO Height Requirement
Magic Kingdom
- Astro Orbiter
- Buzz Light Year’s Space Ranger Spin
- Carousel of Progress
- Dumbo The Flying Elephant
- “It’s A Small World”
- The Haunted Mansion
- Jungle Cruise
- Liberty Square Riverboat
- Mad Tea Party
- Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Royal Carousel
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tomorrow Land Transit Authority (aka- The People Mover)
- Under The Sea, Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Walt Disney World Railroad
EPCOT
• Frozen Ever After
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
• Journey Into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Spaceship Earth
Animal Kingdom
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Rafiki’s Planet Watch
- Na’vi River Journey
- Triceratop Spin
Hollywood Studios
- Toy Story Midway Mania
Please note that I have ONLY included rides in this list. There are many attractions at Walt Disney World as I previously mentioned. You will have plenty of shows to enjoy at Hollywood Studios so don’t let that 1 ride on the list scare you!
Rider Switch
If you still aren’t sure about bringing your baby or toddler to the parks then maybe I can tempt you with a RIDER SWITCH pass?!? This means that when you and another adult arrive at the queue to that ride that your child is not tall enough for, you can ask a cast member for a rider switch pass which is essentially just a Fast Pass for one of you to ride later! For instance if you have a family of 4 and 1 of your children are tall enough for the ride but one is not, one parent waits with the younger child while the rest of the party rides that ride. When they are finished, the other adult and the same child that is tall enough can ride together or later in the day! We try to utilize this often in our family and I highly recommend it.
No matter what age you bring your children to Walt Disney World for the first time, it will be as magical as you expect it to be!
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Article Written By, Haley Stewart. Hayley is a Disney fanatic who has enjoyed vacationing to the parks since a young age and now has Mickey in her backyard as she currently resides in Orlando. She is a mom to 4 kids and a wife to her hubby of 13 years. She will be running her 2nd runDisney race this November! You can keep up with Haley and her family on Instagram, @thestewarttribe.
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