While not quite linear, our visit with a toddler worked out well
Mathematically, Des Moines, Iowa, might not be the precise spot in the continental U.S. that’s furthest from both Disney parks. But it sure feels like it. So, after our family trip to Walt Disney World in March, I was thrilled to see Disney100: The Exhibition pop up in nearby Kansas City. Although this experience does not include rides, character greetings, or pin trading, it does offer one important element: Disney magic.
My husband and I made the three-ish-hour drive down to Disney100 in late June. We spent a single night at the Home2 Suites downtown and re-visited the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium the next day. Disney100 is located at Union Station, a spot that’s familiar after a previous visit to Science City at Union Station. Disney100 is also a pretty manageable attraction, time-wise, so we made sure to swing through Science City again.
The Disney exhibition starts off with a strong dose of atmosphere in the form of glittery lights and a chance to pose with “Goofy” (a statue) before setting off on the tour. As with any Disney experience, we joined a small line that was queued behind the previous tour group, but our wait was less than 10 minutes. From there, we watched short video that introduced the exhibit and provided some history about Disney and its founder, Walt Disney.
I’ll be the first to say that Disney’s history is not my niche. I’m fully aware that Disney’s past encompasses a range of problematic elements, including some very racist themes and scenes in movies. I don’t embrace Disney as a perfect company — far from it — and I’m not particularly fond of Walt Disney as a person, despite any lack of clarity about his beliefs. As with many fans, my love of Disney comes from an amorphous place of nostalgia and comfort that isn’t entirely rational and consistent. I carry and constantly re-explore the contradictions and nuances inherent in my fandom. I think it’s the only wise way to be a fan.
All of that is to say that I’m not one to cheer when Walt’s face pops up on the screen. For that reason, I worried that this attraction might not be for me. But when the video ended and we moved along to the interactive, museum-style exhibits that followed, I definitely found myself engaged alongside our daughter. There was a heavy focus on intriguing artifacts from movie sets and Disney parks, rather than Walt Disney’s biography, and it was fun peeking around each corner to see if any of my favorites might be highlighted (many were).
Our daughter was too young to appreciate the history or novelty, but she wasn’t too young to recognize some of the movies, or to stop and pose with the character statues placed here and there throughout the attraction. I will flag that visiting with a nearly-two-year old meant that only one of us was engaged in a traditional and orderly museum experience at any given moment. The other was inevitably chasing our daughter from statue to exhibit, with no particular rhyme or reason.
As evidenced by the chasing, we did not use our stroller much during our Disney100 experience, but we did bring it along. We had no trouble navigating through the exhibit with it. We took turns toddler wrangling, and for me, the opportunity to watch her excitement play out was worth skipping some placards. If you’re visiting with a toddler, I would recommend planning for a casual visit. If you want a more thorough and immersive experience, you might want to line up a sitter.
And if you’re looking for a sense of what to expect: A few of my favorite items were Giselle’s dress from the movie “Enchanted”, the Lumier and Cogsworth production models from the live-action “Beauty and the Beast”, the glass slipper from the live-action “Cinderella”, and a couple different “Little Mermaid” items. You’ll also find several Star Wars and Marvel exhibits.
Finally, Disney100 provided a rare opportunity for Disney fans of the Midwest: A chance to wear our Minnie ears! My daughter and I both wore a pair for at least part of the experience, and we walked away with some great pictures.
If you’re looking for food in the immediate area, note that there are a few options right on site at Union Station. There are a couple sit-down restaurants, a coffee shop, a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and some grab-and-go options. We were running late and ended up grabbing and going. The food wasn’t spectacular, but it was fresh and decent, which isn’t a bad review for prepared food we snagged from a cooler.
This exhibition is unique, and it travels from city to city. For now, it’s parked in Kansas City until September 2, according to the Union Station website. I don’t see an announcement about its next destination, but in the past, it has stopped through Philadelphia, Munich, Chicago, and London.
For us, Disney100 was definitely worth the 3-hour drive and overnight trip. The fact that it was located in Union Station gave us the chance to soak in some Disney at a destination we had already planned to revisit. Whether you visit alongside young children or line up a babysitter, I view it as a fun, doable option.
No two toddlers are the same, but maybe our dining experience will help you prepare!
Soft pretzels, pizza, macaroni, ice cream. They all sound like winners when it comes to feeding a toddler at Walt Disney World, if not the most healthy winners. But if you have a toddler, you know that chaos is the norm, even when it comes to the most toddler-friendly foods. For that reason, our family approached Disney dining on our family trip in March with a buffet of mixed feelings. We were excited to try all the “big people” food I discovered on TikTok. But we also worried our 19-month-old daughter would refuse everything I scoped out for her (if you’re wondering, only two of the four aforementioned foods went over well).
Nonetheless, our daughter did end up nomming on a reliable selection of meals — especially breakfast foods. But she turned down some unexpected, kid-friendly favorites, as well. Below, you’ll find a breakdown of six foods our toddler enjoyed across Disney World, including Disney Springs and the All-Star Music Resort, along with six foods she promptly threw on the ground.
Foods Our Toddler Loved
Our 19-month-old daughter reliably enjoyed this breakfast at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort during our family trip in March of 2024. She wasn’t big on the tator tots or Mickey Waffle, but my husband and I happily helped with those!
Food Court Breakfast (All-Star Music Resort): In a wonderland of unpredictable options, breakfast turned out to be our guiding star. We took advantage of the wide variety available at the All-Star Music Resort each morning. For our daughter, we ordered eggs, a banana, and a blueberry muffin. With just a little help from Mom and Dad, she devoured this meal consistently. To accommodate these plans and maintain sleep and sanity, we hesitantly gave up our plans to rope drop. And I don’t regret it. I believe the extra sleep and the (relatively) balanced meal made this sacrifice worth it.
Jumbo Pretzel (Magic Kingdom): Spontaneous meals can be tricky with a toddler at Disney World, but well-calibrated expectations can help, along with making a plan whenever possible. I scoped out the menu before most meals on our trip, but lunch at Magic Kingdom was a question mark in our itinerary. After we settled in at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café (where I enjoyed the Sulley Slush), I quickly realized our daughter wouldn’t eat anything on the menu. So, a nearby pretzel cart ended up being our best solution, along with some fruit and applesauce we brought into the parks. It wasn’t the most balanced meal, but she did enjoy it. Disney is known as the most magical place on earth, not the healthiest — we knew what we were getting into.
Via Napoli Pizza (Epcot): Everyone has something to say about the pizza at Via Napoli. Some say it’s overrated, but most reviewers seem to favor it. Our daughter, thankfully, falls in with the latter. She was all about this cheesy, floppy, brick-oven-style pie. That said, this meal was still a wild ride. Other foods were rejected and thrown on the floor, along with toys and anything else in reach. I managed to scarf down a few slices while keeping our daughter fed and keeping the floor (mostly) free of debris. My review of the pizza? Also a thumbs up!
Woody’s Lunch Box Grilled Cheese (Hollywood Studios): This is another item that comes up frequently in reviews, almost always favorably. And our daughter doesn’t disagree. She never says “no” to a grilled cheese, and she ate this one eagerly, despite the hot sun that beat down on our outdoor table. We served this along with some applesauce and raspberries that we brought into the park. Both daughter and mom also nibbled on a Lunch Box Tart! It was a little dry, but delicious.
Quesadilla (Animal Kingdom): If you’ve picked up on a theme, you’re not wrong: Our daughter gravitates toward the classic cheese-carb combo. Within this category, we did manage to change things up at Satu’li Canteen, where we ordered a kids’ quesadilla instead of a grilled cheese. This went over well and accommodated my plans to try Satu’li, after all the good reviews I saw on TikTok. My husband and I (both vegetarians) enjoyed our meals quite a bit, although I ran into some trouble with mobile ordering. I ended up with rice, when I wanted noodles. I think this was mostly user error. After four long days in the parks, my brain was definitely inclined to short circuit.
Satu’li Canteen in Disney’s Animal Kingdom was a hit for our entire family during our trip in March of 2024!
Earl of Sandwich Pizza Bread (Disney Springs): Our expectations weren’t high when we popped into Earl of Sandwich for lunch toward the end of our trip. But this quick-service spot surprised us. The sandwiches were great, and our daughter enthusiastically enjoyed the kids’ pizza bread. We were also glad that this kid’s meal didn’t come with any sides or a drink. For some, that might be a downside. But our daughter was too young for juice, only drinks whole milk, and wouldn’t have touched any of the sides. Which is a nice transition into the not-so-beloved foods she tried below.
Foods Our Toddler Loathed
Mickey Pretzel (All Parks): Our success with the jumbo pretzel in Magic Kingdom definitely did not translate to the Mickey Pretzel, which can be found across the parks. Our daughter rejected this pretzel resoundingly. And, really, who can blame her? These are widely considered bottom-of-the-barrel pretzels. Even toddlers can’t be fooled!
Fruit as a Side (Across Parks): We held out hope throughout our trip that we would order fruit with a kids meal, and our daughter would eat it. But this hope was repeatedly dashed. Don’t get me wrong: Raspberries are among her favorite foods, and she’s also a big fan of strawberries and bananas. But fruits she doesn’t like include oranges, melons, cantaloupes, and grapes: all fruits that tended to pop up in side orders. We had better luck feeding her a banana in the morning and bringing raspberries with us for her to enjoy early in the day.
Macaroni and Cheese (All-Star Music Resort): We wish it weren’t true, but there’s no denying it: Our toddler won’t eat macaroni and cheese. Perhaps this is a byproduct of the fact that I got her hooked on chickpea pasta at home — a healthy decision that I don’t regret. Whatever the reason, it causes plenty of inconvenience when the kids’ menu at any given restaurant leans into macaroni and away from grilled cheese. We hoped this distaste would be intermittent after she tested the macaroni at All-Star Music’s Intermission Food Court. But it held true throughout the trip, until we finally stopped trying.
It may come as no surprise that we didn’t take photos of the foods our daughter rejected. Despite turning her nose at the macaroni and cheese, she loved the grilled cheese at Woody’s Lunch Box in Hollywood Studios during our trip in March of 2024.
Uncrustable (All-Star Music Resort): These pre-packaged PBJs are a classic choice for picky eaters. But not our picky eater. Had our daughter enjoyed Uncrustables, they would have been easy to order throughout the parks or to bring with us. But she firmly refused the one we tried at Intermission Food Court. Call me delusional, but with our trip now three months in the past, I actually bought a box of Uncrustables the other day to try again at home. Here’s hoping her taste has changed on this one!
Fingerling Potatoes (Epcot): In the section above, I mentioned several items that made their way to the floor at Via Napoli in Epcot. The fingerling potatoes were one of those items. In our worry that she wouldn’t like the pizza, we ordered these as a back-up option. As it turns out, we had nothing to worry about in terms of the pizza. At least I enjoyed a few potatoes that managed to avoid a floor-bound fate.
Cheese Empanada (Epcot): As I’ve established, our daughter loves cheesy carbs. So, we thought the Empanadas con Queso at La Cantina de San Angel would be an easy win. We were wrong. The bite we gave our daughter came right back out almost immediately. Such a waste, because I absolutely loved these!
Bonus Dessert Round
I’m a big fan of the Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar, or “Mickey on a Stick”, but our 19-month-old daughter had no interest during our family trip in March of 2024.
Our Toddler’s Favorite Disney Dessert: The Wookiee Cookie! This giant snack can be found at Backlot Express in Hollywood Studios. Despite her passion for this creme-filled cookie, our daughter certainly didn’t need one to herself. These treats are massive, so it’s easy to share one between parent and toddler.
Our Toddler’s Least Favorite Disney Dessert: Ice cream! Of any kind. More than once, I surely came across as the greedy mom munching on a Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar or Dole Whip while my toddler looked on. I tried to share, but she just wasn’t interested. I think cold is an unpleasant sensation for her that gets in the way. She will occasionally eat ice cream at home, depending on the flavor, but all the ice cream we tried at Disney was a no-go.
That brings my round-up of toddler likes and toddler dislikes to a closes. If you can believe it, I’m still not finished putting together my Disney content from our trip in March. Stay tuned for more Disney tips in the coming weeks!
What we loved, and what was missing, on several family visits to the aquarium
Some babies love puppies. Others love teddy bears. But for our baby girl, it’s all about fishies. It’s hard to say why she’s so delighted by shiny scales and flippy fins, but we’re pretty sure our family trips had something to do with it. Before she turned one, we visited three aquariums and several zoos, and we’ve kept that up as she nears her second birthday. With each aquarium, I’ve done my best to scope out amenities and evaluate our experience. That said, some of our adventures pre-date this blog, which means a few details are missing. I plan to update these details as we return to the aquariums in the Midwest (near our home base), and add new details as we visit more. Here’s what I’ve gathered so far.
St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station
This Octopus at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station was a sight to behold when we visited in March of 2023!
We visited our first aquarium as a family, the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, when our daughter was about seven months old. She was too young to appreciate everything, but she was definitely enthralled by the movement of the small, tropical fish in their tanks. As a mom, I’m always on the lookout for a spark in my daughter’s eye — a sign that something has caught her fancy. This was especially true before she started gesturing and talking. The fish at the St. Louis Aquarium definitely created a spark, and that spark inspired several more aquarium journeys to come. Here’s a rundown of our time at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station:
What We Liked: This aquarium was just right for our family, in terms of size and scope. It wasn’t too big, and it wasn’t too small. You won’t find larger animals, like dolphins and seals, but you will find sharks and other ocean wildlife. We also enjoyed the unique entrance — a simulated train ride, in keeping with the “Union Station” theme. Lastly, the parking here was a plus. It was paid parking, but we easily found a spot close to the door.
What We Didn’t Like: We’re a family of vegetarians, and the menu at the nearby 1894 Cafe wasn’t great. There was an alternative, the Soda Fountain, but the wait was much too long without a reservation. If you’re looking for on-site options beyond concession basics, I would recommend making a reservation at the Soda Fountain.
Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: The inspiration for this blog hadn’t yet hit for this visit, so some details are a bit fuzzy. That said, the aquarium’s website specifically mentions a private nursing room located in the women’s restroom on the first floor. I know I pumped during our visit, and I don’t remember running into any trouble. Likewise, I don’t remember any trouble changing diapers. After I pumped, we took turns baby-wearing using our Infantino convertible carrier. This allowed our daughter to face forward and see all the fishies. I’m sure we also brought our stroller along. The aquarium’s website recommends leaving strollers behind, but they aren’t prohibited.
Favorite Animal: I’m a sucker for an octopus (suction cup pun entirely intended), and the octopus at this aquarium was in full splendor! Think Ursula from the Little Mermaid, but bright pink — quite a creature to behold.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
I love visiting coastal zoos and aquariums, like the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium, located in Clearwater, Florida, was part of our daughter’s first big adventure traveling by air and seeing the ocean. She was roughly nine months old. During this visit, we noticed that she was particularly enchanted by the Clownfish, and that proclivity hasn’t gone away. We’re definitely a “Finding Nemo” family, at this point. Here are the details about our aquarium visit in Clearwater:
Parking: The roadway from our hotel on Clearwater Beach to the aquarium was a bit congested, but once we arrived on site, parking was straightforward. There was a fee, but it wasn’t outrageous.
What We Liked: As a Midwesterner, I always appreciate the spacious, open-air vibe that accompanies so many coastal attractions. This was no exception. The fresh air was nice, but there were also spots to duck indoors for some air-conditioning. Turtles are a favorite of mine, so I especially enjoyed Turtle Cove.
What We Didn’t Like: This is one of the largest aquariums we’ve visited, but from my perspective, the variety of animals didn’t live up to its size. I enjoyed the spaciousness, but some of the space seemed under-utilized. This could just mean the aquarium has room to grow, and I’m all for ensuring the animals have enough space. Overall, this complaint wasn’t a major factor in our experience. I’ll go into more detail about baby-friendly amenities below.
Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: I emailed ahead of time to ask about family restrooms and nursing spaces. Someone replied right away to let me know about two family restrooms on the third level of the aquarium. However, there is no dedicated nursing space. I don’t remember running into any trouble pumping or changing our daughter’s diaper, but as with Union Station, I wasn’t yet tracking details for my blog. I do recall that we had no trouble navigating with a stroller, although we used our Infantino carrier throughout most of our visit, so our daughter could see everything. Aside from the lack of a nursing room, this aquarium met our needs.
Favorite Animal: Along with the turtles, the standout exhibit for us was, of course, the Clownfish! I just re-watched the video we took of our daughter reaching out excitedly toward the tank, and it was definitely a magical moment. To this day, she gets excited when she spots clownfish pictures or toys.
Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
I didn’t expect to find a Komodo Dragon at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay!
Parking: There was a large parking garage on site, and it was pretty straightforward. We walked to a lot of destinations along the Strip, but we did end up driving to Mandalay Bay. That said, you might want to consider walking, if you’re staying at a nearby resort.
What We Liked: This aquarium had a surprisingly wide variety of animals for its size and location! I was expecting something small and basic, but I feel like our experience was more or less on par with other aquariums we’ve visited. Piranhas are just one example of the unique animals you’ll find.
What We Didn’t Like: I really don’t have any complaints about the aquarium itself, aside from the lack of baby-friendly amenities that I’ll describe below. The price of admission is a bit high ($29 to $36 for adults as of May 2024, depending on whether you want a timed ticket). This is on par with other aquariums, but those other aquariums usually offer hands-on activities for kids or other auxiliary experiences that were mostly absent at this location.
Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: Mandalay Bay Resort offers very few baby-friendly amenities. There is one restroom on-site at the aquarium with a changing table, so I would recommend taking advantage of it. Aside from this restroom, I confirmed in 2023 that there are not any family restrooms or public lactation spaces on site at the resort. This aquarium is also more compact than others, so it’s slightly harder to navigate with a stroller, but we didn’t run into much trouble. As with the other two aquariums I’ve mentioned, we carried our daughter forward-facing in our Infantino carrier to make sure she could see!
Favorite Animal: I was quite surprised and pleased to see a Komodo Dragon! You don’t find these giant lizards at most aquariums. I love reptiles, so I definitely paused to admire this unique specimen.
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Our daughter usually prefers Clownfish, but this Lionfish at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium definitely won a place in her heart!
The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium is located right in our home state of Iowa, along the Mississippi River in Dubuque. Iowa lacks the variety of exciting attractions you might find in a more populated state, so this aquarium is definitely a standout. My husband and I visited several times before our daughter was born, and we took her for the first time as a toddler just a few weeks ago, in May of 2024. We enjoyed an outstanding visit, even on a rainy day! Here are the details:
Parking: There’s plenty of free parking right on site. We’ve never run into any trouble finding a spot. Arguably, the parking situation is better here than at any other aquarium we’ve visited.
What We Liked: There are two distinct sections focused on freshwater and saltwater creatures. Between them, you can duck outside and visit the raptors that are housed on-site. There’s also a maker space for kids and some surrounding, hands-on exhibits located to the left of the entrance in the freshwater half of the aquarium. Generally, I appreciate this set up. Our daughter enjoyed the hands-on exhibits, which included a variety of science-oriented activities, and the toys in the maker space. She also loved the fish tanks that were on her level. When we entered, she walked straight up to the first tank she saw and stared in awe for almost ten minutes, pointing excitedly at the freshwater fish.
What We Didn’t Like: My only complaint on our last visit was the rain. Obviously, the aquarium can’t control that! However, there are a few outdoor exhibits that we missed, including the birds (which are among my favorites). It’s also worth noting that you won’t find any larger animals at this aquarium, like seals or dolphins. But this makes sense at a Midwest aquarium, particularly one that’s focused on the nearby river.
Favorite Animal: Our daughter’s newest discovery on this trip was the Lionfish! When we visited the gift shop at the end (I’m a sucker for gift shops), I gave her a choice between a stuffed Clownfish — her standby favorite — and a stuffed Lionfish. She chose the latter, and she’s still excited to play with him at home!
That’s all, for now! I plan to update this post periodically, so keep an eye out!
Between the rides, shows, beach, and plane, we nailed three out of four. Who can guess which one went awry (✈️👀)?
If you’re looking for a play-by-play of Disney World with a toddler, you’ve come to the right place. In my last post, I focused on five surprising takeaways we learned during our trip. In this post, my goal is to walk through our experience on the plane, on the rides, at the shows, and at Cocoa Beach. We came away believing that Disney World is absolutely doable with a young toddler, as long as you plan ahead and prepare to be flexible. That way, you’ll have the right tools, strategies, and mindset to respond to your toddler’s needs as they arise. With that thought in mind, here’s how it went for us:
How It Went on the Plane
Let’s go ahead and get the rough patch out of the way! Flying with a baby and flying with a toddler are two very different things. If you’ve read my post about flying with a baby, a few tips do carry over. I would still recommend arriving at the airport extra early, preparing for scrutiny in the security line, and shopping for diapers when you arrive at your destination to save space. What’s changed? Primarily, the amount of sheer energy packed inside our tiny child, as well as her mobility. Here’s how things went on our way to Orlando and how we managed (or failed to manage) that energy:
HandlingPre-Flight Wiggles: We flew out of an airport that was about two hours away from home. You know what that means: Naptime. By the time we checked in for our flight, our daughter was well rested and ready to get moving. We tried to keep this to a minimum as we waited, but looking back, that was a big mistake. Instead of wearing herself out, she ended up taking all that energy with her on the plane. And, in turn, it took all the energy out of me just to keep her half-entertained through the first 2 hours of the flight (as we started descending, her impeccable timing compelled her to finally fall asleep). In the future, we plan to set aside some extra wiggle room — literally, and under careful supervision — while we wait to board. We’ll also avoid long car rides beforehand, whenever possible.
Navigating the Airport: After flying with a toddler for the first time, we’ve come to the conclusion that it makes sense to minimize carry-on luggage and maximize checked bags. Our pre-toddler selves would be very confused by this advice. Don’t you want to save money and time? we might ask our future selves. We would reply that our new goal is to move through the airport with ease, leaving our hands free to push the stroller, grab our wandering toddler, and raid her diaper bag for snacks and toys. This strategy also makes it easier to avoid bumping every single person as we make our way down the aisle of the plane.
Flying Home: The flight home was much smoother for our daughter. We had an early departure and a much shorter drive, so sleep was achievable. In this case, I was the fussy one. We accidentally left our daughter’s shoes in the rental car as we hurried to drop it off, and, although we caught the mistake right away, there was no one at the counter yet who could let us back in to get them. I have no shame admitting that I’m sentimental about these shoes — they’re her first pair. I spent about 45 minutes on the drive home trying to bypass Avis Car Rental’s automated line and reach the right human. I was a polite, but very squeaky wheel, and it worked. I sent packing materials, and Avis shipped the shoes back!
How It Went on Rides
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Hollywood Studios was one of my daughter’s favorites during our family trip in March of 2024, and one of my favorites, as well!
In my previous post, I explained my skepticism about “all-ages” rides. But I’m delighted to report that all nine of the rides we took our daughter on, across all four parks, were safe and enjoyable for our whole family, regardless of age.
Below is a ranked list and brief description of the rides we tried with our daughter (in the next section, I’ll discuss shows). I made my best guess about the ones she enjoyed most and least. No rides were a disaster for us, and most evoked quiet, wide-eyed curiosity. It’s also worth noting that we did Magic Kingdom on our first day, and it took her some time to get acquainted with the concept of rides. Without further ado:
Toy Story Mania (Hollywood Studios): This is an interactive ride, and my daughter was all about interacting! She loved grabbing the blaster and helping Mommy shoot at the targets.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Hollywood Studios): Disney pulls out all the stops on this ride in terms of surprises and effects, and our daughter was enchanted by all of it.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends (Epcot): Our daughter loves fishies and “Finding Nemo”, so this ride was a no-brainer that she found quite compelling.
Spaceship Earth (Epcot): Our daughter was intrigued by all the scenes with mannequins, as well as the lights at the end.
Na’vi River Journey (Animal Kingdom): This is one of her Dad’s favorites, and she seemed quietly captivated, as well.
Under the Sea (Magic Kingdom): This was our daughter’s second ride. She was still getting the hang of it, but she did point and show some curiosity.
Pirates of the Caribbean (Magic Kingdom): This ride seemed fine in her estimation. She wasn’t super impressed, but I wouldn’t say she was bored.
It’s a Small World (Magic Kingdom): This was our daughter’s first ride in the parks, so confusion was the reigning emotion, as opposed to enthusiasm.
Kilimanjaro Safaris (Animal Kingdom): I’m sure she would have liked this one, because she loves giraffes! Unfortunately, she slept right through it. That said, I was able to hold her comfortably against my shoulder the entire ride.
How It Went at Shows
I’m a bird lover, so I’ve always enjoyed the Enchanted Tiki Room. I was delighted to note that my daughter loved it, as well, on our family trip in March of 2024.
I was truly impressed by our daughter’s attention span at shows across all four Disney Parks. In fact, she preferred some of the shows to the rides. The Enchanted Tiki Room at Magic Kingdom was one of her favorites. Here’s a breakdown of the shows we did:
Enchanted Tiki Room (Magic Kingdom): This was a great option. The line wasn’t too long, and it offered an entertaining pre-show. There was lots of music, and our daughter loved the moving tiki statues. The show was also short — perfect for a little one’s attention span.
Happily Ever After (Magic Kingdom): We took a bit of a risk staying late for the fireworks at Magic Kingdom, and it was definitely worth it. This was our daughter’s first fireworks show, and it will be hard to top! It’s worth noting that she did start getting fussy around dinner time. But as soon as the fireworks started, she calmed down.
The American Adventure (Epcot): I won’t lie — this one put her to sleep. And that’s exactly what we wanted. This show isn’t my personal favorite, but at my dad’s suggestion, we popped in to enjoy the air-conditioning and help our daughter stick to a rough nap schedule. It worked like a charm, so I can’t say I regret it.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (Hollywood Studios): This show was pretty touch and go. Our daughter paid attention during the special effects, but she got restless during the interstitial dialogue. Looking back, it probably wasn’t the best choice for someone so young, if only because it didn’t hold her attention. That said, we did make it through the whole show without having to get up and leave.
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…And Beyond! (Animal Kingdom): We expected the Nemo show to be her favorite, and she did enjoy it. But she wasn’t wow-ed the way I anticipated. I think she will appreciate this one a bit more in a couple years. For now, she was simply quiet and engaged. On the other hand, I enjoyed this one more than I expected!
How It Went at the Ocean
Our daughter met the ocean with a bit of hesitation and plenty of curiosity. We loved our visit to Alan Shepard Park in Cocoa Beach in March of 2024!
As much as I love Disney, our excursion to Cocoa Beach was among my favorite days on the trip. I had hesitations about taking a toddler to the ocean — especially a toddler who loves to dart and zip. But the sheer intensity of the big, blue water managed to subdue her and fill her with tentative wonder.
She was slightly frightened, so we did our best to find a spot where she felt comfortable. We ended up spending most of our time at the water’s edge playing in the sand. Once she familiarized herself, she got into the zone, filling buckets and shovels and dumping them out. She and my husband built a sand castle (absolutely adorable), and she was happy to stay in one spot playing for much longer than usual. She also loved the seashells I collected for her.
The hot Florida sun was definitely a concern for us, so we came prepared. We brought toddler-friendly sunscreen, chose a swimsuit with long sleeves, and kept her in a sun hat at all times. We also rented an umbrella on the beach, although we probably could have done without it. We made the most use of it as we were drying off and cleaning up before we headed back to the car.
We had planned to visit the Cocoa Beach Pier, but when we arrived, that area was pretty crowded. We made a last-minute decision to settle in at Alan Shepard Park instead, and this was a great choice! The beach was a bit crowded, but not in an overbearing way. And affordable parking was available right along the beach! The beach itself was expansive, clean, and gorgeous: the perfect place to watch my daughter soak in the experience.
Most people think of Disney World as quintessentially child-friendly. It’s basically an entire city built with children in mind. And I believe it’s true that Disney offers something for children of all ages. When I was 11 years old, a family road trip to Disney World ignited my love of travel. Years later, my 19-month-old daughter’s eyes lit up when she actually met Minnie Mouse.
That said, there is a distinction between “child-friendly” and “toddler-friendly”, and Disney World tends to lean toward the former. During our family’s six-day Orlando stay in March of 2024, we took a crash course in navigating spaces intended for older children while caring for a toddler. We made some surprising discoveries and confirmed some notions that completely checked out. By the end, we knew enough to improve our tactics and do it all again. Unfortunately, both my husband and our bank account frown on the idea of two Disney trips in one year.
Through all of our learning, I found Disney to be doable and enjoyable with a toddler. The key is to consider the trip through your child’s eyes, regardless of their age. Don’t assume that simply being at Disney will meet their needs, and prepare to adjust along the way as you learn what’s best for them. Hopefully, your child will love some combination of the rides, shows, characters, and new foods. But these features don’t negate the basics: naps, familiar foods, and space to run around.
Based on the sheer number of takeaways I came home with, I’ve decided to split my learning into two posts, focused on “What Our Family Learned” and “How It Went”. In this “What Our Family Learned” post, I’ll share five takeaways that caught us off guard. In my upcoming “How it Went” post, I’ll provide a synopsis of our trip ranging from the plane to the parks to the beach. Without further ado, here’s what we learned:
Build in Time to Run Around
Toddlers need stroller-free time to wiggle. It’s well known advice, but it’s harder to follow at Disney World than you might think. When I describe Disney as more child-friendly than toddler-friendly, this is the example I would reference. We were surprised to find so few dedicated and contained spaces for little people to simply run around. When we took advantage of the ones we did find, our daughter was overjoyed. She loved these spaces easily as much as the rides, if not more.
The first one we checked out was Swiss Family Treehouse in Magic Kingdom. This winding, woodsy attraction is full of opportunities to climb and explore. Note that the path, as the name suggests, makes its way up into the treetops. I’m afraid of heights, so this irrationally bothered me, even though the path was safe and fully protected with guardrails.
Our daughter stretched her little legs, climbing and running to her heart’s content at The Boneyard in Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
The other wiggle-friendly attraction we enjoyed was The Boneyard in Animal Kingdom. Looking back, I found the most smiles in photos of our daughter running around among the faux boulders and dinosaur bones. I expected this attraction to involve digging and sand, but it doesn’t. It’s a spacious, clean spot for running and climbing, and it offers at least a few shaded perches for big people to rest.
Outside these spaces, we did our best to provide closely monitored, stroller-free time whenever it made sense. Our daughter isn’t quite old enough to walk from point A to point B reliably, or hold hands for long durations, so each of these stroller breaks was its own little adventure with plenty of chasing.
The character lines were one, key spot where we ditched the stroller. We separated, leaving one or two adults in line to keep our place, and allowed our daughter to run around nearby. Both times we did this, everyone was very understanding when we squeezed back in line at the last minute. This helped our daughter truly enjoy her precious moments with Minnie Mouse.
Rent — or Bring — a Full-Size Stroller
On previous vacations, my husband and I have noted all the lightweight umbrella strollers around us, while we hauled our more robust travel system. I started to think, are we doing this wrong? So, I finally said to myself, that’s what we should do next time.
Turns out, I was mistaken. At Disney with a toddler, you absolutely want a full-size stroller. This became apparent on day one, when our daughter fell asleep around nap time in an uncomfortable, upright position. If you’re not making a pit stop at your hotel after lunch — we simply couldn’t make time — then you’ll need a stroller that reclines and offers full sun protection.
We ended up renting a stroller through Kingdom Strollers, an off-campus option, after reading that Disney strollers do not recline. We rented the basic Britax City Mini Single, and we really liked it. The price was reasonable — about $65 for three days, including tax — and the process was fairly smooth. We booked online and chose our pick-up and drop-off times. We were able to handle these exchanges in our Disney hotel lobby, which was very convenient.
We didn’t take any great pictures of the stroller we rented from Kingdom Strollers in Orlando, but here’s a shot of it in action at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
Aside from taking our umbrella stroller to Magic Kingdom on the first day, we might have actually stumbled on the right overall stroller combination. It’s hard to imagine navigating the airport without a stroller, but it’s also strenuous to travel with a large one. Allegiant Air allows you to gate check strollers for free, but we’ve had trouble finding a stroller bag that’s big enough, and we don’t like the idea of stashing our stroller on a plane without a protective bag.
Navigating the airport and short excursions with an umbrella stroller makes sense to us, along with renting the real deal for the parks. If you go with this plan, we also recommend a pair of handle extenders. Our Minnie Mouse stroller has short handles, and our backs don’t like hunching over to push it. This pair of extenders from Wheesir Designs on Etsy solved the problem for us at Disney and at home.
Make Time for a Big Breakfast
At Disney, you’re sure to be enticed by at least a few interesting food options…unless you’re under three. Our daughter’s adventurous days of trying new foods without a battle have, for the most part, unfortunately passed. At Disney, she turned away a surprising array of child-friendly favorites, including mac & cheese, roasted potatoes, and ice cream.
But one thing she absolutely loved was her predictable Disney Resort breakfast at the All-Star Music Resort. Every morning, she enthusiastically fueled up on blueberry muffins, scrambled eggs, and bananas. That’s a huge meal for a little girl!
This may not be the best photo, but here’s the breakfast we relied on each morning before hitting the parks. It’s got all our daughter’s favorites, plus some carbs and coffee for mom and dad!
Knowing she would reliably eat these foods, we consistently made time for breakfast at our resort, sacrificing our plans to rope drop. And it was definitely worth it. Starting the day with a big meal helped deter our worries when she picked at (or, more accurately, threw aside) her lunch or dinner.
Expect Genie + Confusion
I’ll say right up front that I am not a fan of Genie +. I am a self-proclaimed Disney Adult, and I’ve visited Disney multiple times as a grown-up without kids. In the past, Genie + might have made more sense for me (although I doubt my 20-something, millennial self would have paid for it).
As a toddler parent, Genie + just doesn’t seem family-friendly. It caters to adults navigating the parks without children, as well as locals who have the time to practice and (maybe) families with older children. At the very least, it caters to parents with different learning styles than mine. I say this because I learn by doing. And it’s hard to think while you’re doing anything and caring for a toddler at the same time. Even though I did research beforehand, Genie + was complicated and stressful to use when it counted.
I should note that this post is not meant to explain Genie +. For that, I would recommend the blog, Mouse Hacking, and this amazingly succinct TikTok video that came out right after our trip. In a couple sentences, Genie + is a paid service that allows you access faster lines, called Lightning Lanes, mostly (but not exclusively) one at a time. This is done through a menu of time slots on the My Disney Experience App.
The first day we used Genie + was at Hollywood Studios. I pulled the app open bright and early at 7:02 a.m. Time slots for rides open up at 7:00 a.m. sharp, and those two minutes ended up being crucial. I missed all the morning and afternoon slots for the new roller coaster, Slinky Dog Dash. Believing I could only book one ride at a time — we later learned there are exceptions — I passed on the evening slot. And because the stand-by line for Slinky Dog was always over an hour, I missed it altogether.
One of my only regrets from our family trip to Disney World in March of 2024 is buying Genie + just a couple minutes too late on our Hollywood Studios day and missing my chance to ride Slinky Dog Dash. We opted not to wait in its more-than-an-hour standby line on our trip with a toddler, but we enjoyed admiring the ride from the sidelines.
But this is where the tone of my review changes. Once we got the hang of Genie +, it definitely came in handy. Our toddler was, understandably, not a fan of long lines. I’m sure we avoided dozens of fussy moments and, ultimately, rode on more rides as a result of the service. It also came in handy when we left our daughter with grandpa to check out a few rides on our own, cutting down on unnecessary time apart.
Strangely, we enjoyed Genie + the most at Animal Kingdom, a fairly low-stakes park. We were able to zip on and off pretty much any ride we wanted, and we walked onto Expedition Everest twice: Once in the morning with Genie + and once in the late afternoon, before the park closed. There was less pressure to reserve rides quickly, but we still benefited from shorter lines.
If you can afford it, I would recommend building in a Genie + “practice day”. Use it at Animal Kingdom or Epcot before entering the ring at Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, so you don’t miss any favorites.
All-Ages Rides Really Are for All Ages
Our daughter absolutely loved Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway during our visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in March of 2024. It was also one of my favorites!
Before we arrived at Disney, I had trouble envisioning exactly how our wiggly toddler would stay safe and secure on any ride. I was very dubious of the term “all-ages”. But this wasn’t false advertising. Disney World has roughly two dozen all-ages rides, not including shows, character greetings, and other experiences. Our daughter rode and enjoyed nine of these.
At the parks, the mechanics of riding with our daughter just clicked. She sat on my lap, my husband’s lap, or her grandpa’s lap every time. The process of boarding with her was always intuitive. We didn’t run into any issues holding her and getting safely seated, and I consistently felt like I was able to keep her snug and secure.
Our daughter surprised us by preferring the all-ages rides at Hollywood Studios. You can read more about each ride we did and the rest of our experience at Disney World in my upcoming “How it Went” post!
A chapter in our story of secondary infertility and parenting
IVF comes with lots of questions, heartbreaks, needle pricks, and hopefully — eventually — a few triumphs. But it also comes with calendars. For fertility patients, conflicting calendars swirl around day-in and day-out, refusing to play nice and creating chaos. For me, one of the most difficult challenges of infertility has been learning to grasp all these calendars and weave them into a workable arrangement. Through this challenge, I’ve reinforced my belief in the importance of taking adventures, even when the calendars in my life say “no”.
Let’s take these calendars one at a time. For starters, there are the typical calendars: day-to-day plans, work schedules, holidays. These calendars alone sometimes dominate my life. From there, you have the more theoretical, long-term calendars. Rough timelines of future events, like buying a new house, or moving to a new city. Growing your family. Taking your daughter to Disney World for the first time.
Finally, there’s the IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) calendar. This one is a bit more concrete. Our fertility doctor sends us literal calendar files that detail when to start and stop certain medications and injections, when to go in for ultrasounds and blood draws, and the tentative dates for the big moments during IVF: egg retrieval and embryo transfer. There’s a bit of flexibility, but, if all goes well, the schedule is mostly fixed.
Those who have gone through infertility might recognize this combination of McDonalds fries, cozy socks, and a pineapple icon. All three are symbols of good luck associated with a successful embryo transfer.
The trouble is, there’s actually one more calendar at play: the overarching, unknowable calendar of the body. We all do our best to guess what this calendar might look like. Our clinic prescribes certain hormones at certain times to try and chart a course. But my body often responds in unpredictable ways. When this happens, another IVF calendar comes off the refrigerator and goes into the recycling bin, and we end up finding a way to fit the new one around the other plans we’ve carefully balanced. We’ve been doing this, again and again, for years.
Once, those calendars aligned with the stars and gave us our daughter. Subsequent pregnancy calendars and breastfeeding calendars eventually led to a new set of more abstract calendars. We started imagining all the adventures we would take with her. Her first time at the ocean, the apple orchard, the aquarium, the zoo, the science center…she was pretty young for all of these, but we had no regrets whatsoever. We had spent years daydreaming about these firsts, and we wasted no time starting to live those dreams.
For me, Disney World was among the most important adventures. Disney recurs again and again in my life, marking various milestones. It was my family’s first big road trip when I was eleven years old and one of the catalysts for my love of travel. The next year, we took a road trip with a stop at Disneyland. I returned to Florida with my high school’s music program and eventually went back as part of the Disney College Program in 2008. That year, I spent four months working long, hot shifts at ice cream carts and pretzel stands in Animal Kingdom…and I still managed to come away loving Disney. Years later, my husband and I returned for the first few days of our honeymoon. We even spent a day at Disneyland Paris in 2017.
It’s me! I’m absolutely loving our family’s first trip to Disney World in 1998. We visited in December, and I remember a “snowstorm” of suds that we danced in at one of the parks. This is a photo from that night.
So, it felt natural to start planning our daughter’s first trip to Disney on the early side. These plans were accelerated by another looming series of calendars. In late 2023, we started a new IVF cycle, in hopes of welcoming a new baby in 2025. This left us with a choice: Do Disney right away, in the middle of IVF, or wait until pregnancy, the newborn days, or later still. To me, it made the most sense to create that memory without delay, rather than postponing indefinitely until the most convenient time. After all, that’s the philosophy that led to the creation of this blog.
And I believe we made the right call. At home after the trip, it’s clear that our daughter’s brain lit up with new connections in Florida. She’s communicating with us more every day, and she’s pointing out an increasing number of things in her environment with even more curiosity than before.
We also created some major memories for all the big people, including my dad, who joined us and spent some dedicated bonding time with our daughter. These memories are already buoying me through our preparations for the next round of IVF injections.
We made the right choice taking the trip, but that doesn’t mean it was straightforward. The calendars in our lives did their best to befuddle our adventure. The easiest way share this part of the story is with a timeline:
December 2023: We prepare for a new cycle of IVF and start planning Disney
Early January 2024: We start the new cycle and book our first set of Disney dates
Mid-January: A cyst on my ovary stops our cycle dead in its tracks
Days Later: A second ultrasound confirms the cyst hasn’t resolved
Late January: We start a new cycle and deliberate over a new set of Disney dates that won’t interfere with our revised IVF calendar — or other, theoretical IVF calendars, in case this one also goes wrong
Early February: We change our Disney and flight dates to the only week in March that makes sense financially and practically — unfortunately, it’s Spring Break. If our cycle goes well, we’ll be finished with our egg retrieval, and we’ll take a natural pause during the trip. If the cycle is delayed again, we might end up traveling while I’m on birth control to prepare for a new cycle. This is doable, but not ideal, because I sometimes experience annoying side effects. We cross our fingers.
Mid-February: The cyst is still there, but smaller. We move forward with injections.
Late February: Our cycle is canceled. My ovaries create too few follicles, or spaces for eggs to grow. We’re devastated.
Early March: We wait to see when my next period will start. If it starts before Disney, I’ll need to take birth control on the trip (downside), but we’ll get to move forward with our next cycle more quickly when we return home (upside).
Five Days Before Disney: My period starts. We hurry in for an appointment and start our next cycle the day before we get on the plane.
Mid-March: We head to Disney! I take my birth control every night before bed in an attempt to avoid side effects…and it works!
Late March: We return home, prepare for another round of injections, and cross our fingers.
As you can imagine, this timeline was fraught with moments of anxiety and sadness between the major bullet points. More than once, we considered canceling the trip altogether. Worse still, we worried that this second attempt at IVF would ultimately fail. It was clear throughout our planning that we needed to prepare for all outcomes, both practically and emotionally.
Our Disney World honeymoon in 2016, complete with our “Happily Ever After” button!
To prepare practically, I researched all the fine print associated with rescheduling or canceling both our Disney dates and our flights, and I wasn’t surprised at all when that information came in handy. Both changes involved a lengthy phone conversation, but I walked away successful, having spent less than $200 extra for a new itinerary with one day added.
In terms of emotional preparations, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are some outcomes that will inevitably engulf you, regardless of how you steel yourself. Travel is a strategy I use to mitigate the waves of inevitable emotion throughout IVF. This time around, I obsessed over Disney restaurant reservations, ideal ride itineraries, and the nuances of Disney’s Genie + service rather than focusing all that energy on my unpredictable body. For the most part, the distraction worked. I put on a pair of Minnie ears, took my daughter’s hand, and we tackled the messy world with as much wonder as possible, while all the unknowns came our way.
The phrase “arrive early” has a whole new meaning.
It was a nightmare scenario. I was tucked away in a lactation space at the airport, a few minutes into pumping breastmilk for my daughter, when it happened. In the past, when I heard names called over the intercom, I would think: I’m sure glad that’s not me. This time, it was.
In this moment, I concentrated all my emotional energy to avoid dissolving into a puddle of pure anxiety. I knew I needed just a couple more minutes to finish up and avoid pumping again mid-flight. The plane wouldn’t leave without me that quickly, right? In my panic, I wasn’t so sure.
As I took those extra minutes, I could hear the buzz of constant new texts from my husband, but I didn’t have a spare hand, or spare time, to read them. Then, they called my name again. Around that time, I decided to call it good. I pulled my shirt over my head and dashed to my gate. I made it just in time, but we had the honor of being the very last passengers to board, carrying our bulky bags all the way to the back.
In this scenario, a variety of things went wrong, but the biggest factors were bad memory and timing. This was the first time my husband and I had flown in more than three years, thanks to Covid-19. I had simply forgotten an important detail: boarding happens about a half hour before departure. This was also the first time we had flown with a baby, and the first time we had flown while I was pumping breastmilk. These factors combined to create a whirlwind of chaos.
To add insult to injury, I had proven my husband right, at least in one regard. He initially thought flying with a baby had “bad idea” written all over it. He didn’t want us to be the conspicuous family creating trouble for the other passengers. Whoops.
My husband’s fear was certainly valid, but I also felt strongly about ensuring our daughter had the opportunity travel far and wide. Afterall, among brains of all ages, babies’ stand perhaps the greatest chance of benefiting profoundly from travel. Babies’ brains are highly flexible and receptive to novelty, and their interactions with other people and the world are the building blocks that shape their continued brain growth. From that perspective, babies are among the most important passengers, developing by leaps and bounds with every new trip — even if they get a bit fussy and noisy.
To work through our anxieties ahead of time, we considered a litany of nerve-racking questions. What if she cries the entire time? What if we need to change her diaper? What if she refuses to eat? What if our stroller gets lost or damaged? Should we buy her a seat? And if we do, how can we be sure our carrier will fit? These answers came eventually, through research and experience, including the one at the nexus of it all: will it be worth it? Even as I scrambled to my gate, pumping supplies in hand, I knew my answer was “yes”. My husband came around on this, too.
Now, as we prepare for our daughter’s first trip to Disney World, I’m revisiting our previous learning. I’ve summarized this learning in a convenient list of travel tips to help you fly with a baby and reduce your planning stress. After Disney, I’ll have a new set of learning when it comes to flying with a toddler. For now, here’s what we learned flying as a family from Des Moines, Iowa, to Clearwater Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Don’t Disregard Advice to Leave Early
Given my track record, it seems appropriate to start here. Looking back on my mistakes, I think a good rule of thumb is to consider how early you would arrive at the airport before kids and add at least 45 minutes. At some airports, this might mean arriving almost 3 hours early. For us, in Iowa, that looks more like 2 or 2.5 hours before departure. This extra time allows you to breastfeed or pump in peace, change a diaper, and handle extra shenanigans while going through security (more on that below).
Buy Baby or Toddler a Seat
This may be an unpopular opinion, but we opted to buy a seat for our daughter on both trips we took during her first year. Why? Because the FAA recommends it as the safest option. Her seat also came with the benefit of an extra personal item and carry-on luggage, space we needed to pack breastfeeding supplies, diapers, and other necessities. Financially, it definitely wasn’t easy to see our travel cost increase by a third. But the safety factor outweighed our wallet. Be sure to locate the sticker that certifies your seat is approved for use on an aircraft. Airline personnel will check for this when you board.
Pay Extra for Seats Together
I wish this advice wasn’t necessary, but it’s often the only way to guarantee side-by-side seats. Based on my research, most airlines will prioritize seating children and parents in the same row together. But only four provide a guarantee, according to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s dashboard. These airlines are Alaska, American, Frontier, and Jet Blue. The Biden Administration has urged Congress to take action on this issue, but Congress hasn’t acted so far. To save money, we usually fly with Allegiant, and we pay the fee to avoid uncertainty and anxiety. Allegiant is usually the most cost-effective option, even with the fee factored in. But it’s always worth comparing with the four airlines listed above.
Prepare for Scrutiny
When we first traveled with breastmilk, formula, and baby food pouches, I felt underprepared for the extra fuss I would face in security. These items are subject to scrutiny, and this will often take extra time. Security usually pulls me aside to scan the items, and they don’t always communicate well about what they’re doing. In one case, it looked like they planned to put something in one of my bottles. Of course, they didn’t. But communication would have helped assuage that fear. Hopefully, these notes will help you mentally prepare.
Pack Efficiently and Shop on Arrival
Consider buying diapers and baby food at your destination, rather than bringing them. You’d be amazed how much space diapers take up! This step will also cut down on the scrutiny at the airport. And it may go without saying, but your hands will be full. So much fuller than they were pre-baby. For us, moving from point A to point B with everyone’s carry-on bag, the stroller, the diaper bag, my pumping supplies, my purse and, of course, the baby, was a constant struggle. I recommend using either a backpack-style diaper bag (this is the one I have) or a backpack as a carry-on, so you’re able to haul at least one bag hands-free.
Scope out Lactation Spaces
When it comes to pumping on the go, Mamava Pods are a game changer. They provide a private space for either breastfeeding or pumping. Before you head to the airport, download the Mamava app and familiarize yourself with lactation spaces on-site. Mamava will list the location of their pods, which are convenient and wonderful, as well as other spaces. I was pumping in a Mamava Pod the very moment my name was called over the intercom. Luckily, the pod was located just a short stroll (or, in my case, dash) from my gate. Aside from Mamava pods, I’ve always found either a nursing room or a family restroom at the airports I’ve visited post-baby.
Change Diapers Before and After
This may go without saying, but if your flight is short enough, do your best to avoid an in-flight diaper change. So far, we’ve avoided them altogether. If this ever changes, you’ll be the first to know how it goes.
Bottle Feed During Takeoff
If you’re bottle feeding, offer a bottle during takeoff to help alleviate pressure in baby’s ears. The bottle might also help calm anxiety and keep crying to a minimum. And it’s one less thing to worry about in the scramble at the airport before you board. I went into each of our flights with low expectations about how much milk our baby might drink. She was a picky eater during her first year. But her appetite surprised me. Looking back, I think feeding her in her familiar car seat actually helped.
Bring a New Toy
This tip, which I picked up from the blog Baby Can Travel, worked for us, at least temporarily. Our daughter handled flying pretty well, but we did have a crying spell on our first flight out of Des Moines. The novelty of a new toy distracted her for awhile, although she did eventually lose interest. We opted for a toy cell phone, since she’s obsessed with trying to grab ours, and I think this helped prolong her fascination. When she started fussing again, scrolling through pictures on the real phone finally calmed her down.
Gate Check Your Stroller
With Allegiant, there’s no fee to check or gate check a stroller. And gate checking is faster than traditional checking. You’ll bring the stroller right up to the gate, ask them to gate check it, and pick it up right after you exit the plane. The downside is the risk of damage compared with properly checking. To avert this risk, we bought an extra sturdy gate check bag. Be warned that we did have a bit of trouble finding a bag that would fit our Evenflo Pivot Xpand Stroller. This one worked, just barely. For Disney, we’re traveling with just an umbrella stroller. This will help us pack lighter, but we’ll need to carry her car seat separately. We’ll see how it goes and report back!
It’s a concentrated shot of Vegas nightlife. Keyword: Adult.
Stroller-Friendly: Somewhat Access to Family Amenities: Limited Overall Child-Friendly: No Time Spent: 1 hour
I won’t mince words: the Fremont Street Experience is a stop that our family of three should have skipped. Picture, if you will, the most risque elements of the Las Vegas Strip condensed into a few, small blocks and turned up several degrees. The street is dense with cheap casinos, bars, and topless performers with whips. So, it should be clear why this destination earned the bottom spot in my ranking of baby-friendly spots in Las Vegas.
My husband and I certainly aren’t prudish people. In our pre-baby days, we enjoyed wandering Duval Street in Key West and Montmartre in Paris. We’ve even seen a show at the original Moulin Rouge. That said, context matters. This wasn’t the vibe we were looking for in the company of our 10-month-old daughter and extended family. It’s true that our daughter was too young to know what she was seeing. But my husband and I felt highly conspicuous as one of very few families with small children in sight.
If you’re visiting Las Vegas as a couple, this stop might be worthwhile. There’s a beautiful lightshow overhead on a canopy screen, and the street performers definitely keep things interesting. But given our circumstances, we cut this stop short.
And our discomfort wasn’t the only one reason. I was also very skeptical about finding a decent spot to pump and change our daughter’s diaper. To be fair, I didn’t check inside any of the casinos. The atmosphere scared me off. The thick crowd also made it a bit difficult to navigate the area with a stroller — although it’s worth noting that, based on navigability alone, Fremont Street is actually slightly superior to the Las Vegas Strip. The space is smaller, with fewer elevators.
We did discover one silver lining: our favorite Vegas restaurant, Tacotarian, was located just around the corner (by car, not on foot). If you find yourself at Fremont Street looking for an escape route, this is a great place to refuel, pump in a pinch, change a diaper, and decompress.
Stroller-Friendly: No Access to Family Amenities: Limited Overall Child-Friendly: No Time Spent: 6-8 hours
I’m not sure what I was expecting the first time our family set foot on the Las Vegas Strip, but one thing that didn’t come to mind was the elevators. The Strip is a multi-level affair, and it’s quite a trek, from one end to the other. During our family trip in May of 2023, we enjoyed taking in the vibrant mix of sights and sounds. But families traveling to Las Vegas with a baby, be warned: this won’t be a simple walk down the street. For that reason, I’m ranking the Strip toward the bottom of my ranking of baby-friendly spots in Las Vegas, at #13.
The best advice I can offer is to prepare, both mentally and physically, and know that it’s easy to wear yourself out in the heat. If you’re planning to pump and/or bottle feed along the way, be sure to choose a resort with a refrigerator and freezer, so you can pack baby’s milk on ice. And you will, of course, need some sort of portable pumping set up, like the Medela Pump in Style. My insurance covered this one, but I’m also curious about wearable breast pumps, like the Elvie or Willow Go.
Once you get on your way, hopping into resorts and restaurants is the best way to keep cool, and it’s likely what you already had planned. One helpful feature: Many of the resorts are connected indoors. In these cases, there’s no need to leave the air-conditioning at all.
But when you do need to venture out, be prepared for a bit of disorientation. Beyond the heat and the copious ups and downs, the route via elevator can become circuitous and confusing compared with the straightforward footpath. Keep an eye out for signs along the way. It’s clear that there are ways to minimize the number of elevator trips and street crossings, but even as a planning aficionado, I didn’t manage to solve this puzzle in advance.
It’s also difficult to choose between using a stroller and baby-wearing, as both involve pros and cons. Baby-wearing comes with the benefit of skipping the elevators and using the stairs. After nearly getting stuck in an old elevator in Paris, I’m not the world’s biggest elevator fan, so I can see the appeal of this option. The elevators along the strip are also far from clean and fresh.
That said, baby-wearing can become tiring very quickly. We ultimately opted to use our Evenflo Pivot Xpand Stroller. This helped prevent exhaustion and provided much-needed storage space underneath for my breastfeeding gear and our diaper bag. Our 10-month-old daughter was also free to doze uninterrupted by our movements when she needed a nap during long days of exploration.
Looking back, though, I do wish we had tried a hybrid option, alternating between our Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Baby Carrier and our stroller. Carrying a stroller up and down stairs isn’t exactly fun, but it’s more doable when baby isn’t inside.
Despite the indirect route, we were eventually able to access all the spots we set out to visit. The Strip certainly isn’t impossible for families with babies. It just takes a little extra footwork, navigation prowess, and energy.
Family restrooms and changing stations are available, but you might need help finding them
Family Restrooms: Yes (6) Diaper Changing Stations: Yes (1) Lactation Space: No Stroller-Friendly: Yes Overall Child-Friendly: Somewhat Time Spent: 2-3 hours
When I dreamt up this blog, the goal was to help others learn from my experiences — even the embarrassing ones. In this case, the embarrassment comes in after the fact. As my family bounced in and out of The Shops at Crystals during a busy day of sightseeing, we struggled to locate a family restroom or diaper changing station for our 10-month-old daughter. As it turns out, the answer was obvious: We should have looked at a map.
A follow-up inquiry with The Shops at Crystals, a luxury shopping center located beside the Aria Resort and Casino, revealed there are no less than six family restrooms on site, as well as a single diaper-changing station on the second level, located near the Tourbillon boutique. Although I didn’t end up using any of these amenities, they’re all identified on the shopping center’s map. This situation made it difficult to place The Shops at Crystals in my ranking of baby-friendly spots in Las Vegas. For reasons that I’ll clarify below, I decided on a dead-center spot at number seven.
You might be wondering how we missed so many helpful amenities. I think there’s an important takeaway in the answer. Although I spent hours researching family restrooms and lactation spaces along the Las Vegas Strip, it just wasn’t possible to catch every relevant detail from afar. There are always post-arrival surprises. For that reason, it’s important to think on your feet and adjust your assumptions accordingly.
In this case, the faulty assumption I made was that Aria and Shops at Crystals were essentially one-in-the-same and didn’t require separate research. Looking back, I actually wish I had relied on my research a little less when we arrived in Vegas. I wish I had checked more property maps on the ground and asked for help more often when I was having trouble.
This learning holds true across multiple locations in downtown Las Vegas. My follow-up research revealed an array of family restrooms and diaper changing stations that I missed. By circling back to double check, I hope I’ll be able to help others more easily find what I missed.
Aside from the amenities we missed, we enjoyed our quick stop at the Shops at Crystals. The property was multi-level, but the elevators weren’t hard to locate. The space was fairly easy to traverse with a stroller. Our primary focus was Princess Diana & The Royals: The Exhibition, located on the third floor. My husband carried our daughter in our Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Baby Carrier throughout the exhibit, a system that worked well and allowed her to take in the sights alongside the big people. Mother and daughter alike were dazzled by the Barbie-sized replicas of Diana’s most recognizable ensembles.
The Diana exhibit was child-friendly, and it’s currently located beside two other family-friendly exhibits: one focused on Van Gogh and another on Disney animation. However, the rest of the shopping center definitely leans in a more adult direction. This isn’t your standard, midwestern mall with a sticky play area and aromatic pretzel stand. Instead of JC Penney and Forever 21, you’ll find Gucci, Chanel, and Versace. “Luxury” is an accurate term, and the cost of luxury is less child-friendliness. Now that my husband and I have graduated from baby parenting to toddler parenting, I look back on all the expensive merchandise we casually strolled past, and a retroactive panic attack starts brewing.
So, my ranking takes into consideration several factors that balance each other out. The Shops at Crystals offers a strikingly high number of family restrooms, compared with other destinations along the Strip. However, I had trouble finding them and didn’t end up using them, which means I can’t describe what they were like inside.
There was a a diaper-changing station available, but from what I understand, there is just one on site. It seems odd that there wouldn’t be stations in all the family restrooms. In terms of the vibe, there were a few child-friendly exhibits, but the shopping center overall wasn’t especially child-friendly.
That said, I definitely think the Diana exhibit is worth a stop. And it might be a good idea to take advantage of the changing station and family restrooms, since you can’t count on them elsewhere. If you end up scoping them out and learn anything interesting, let me know!
