What to Pack for Disney with a Baby & 39 Essentials for Disney with Babies

Our first trip to Disney with a baby was, to our surprise, a complete success. Baby A had a fantastic time – and so did we! We created a massive, detailed guide full of tips for visiting Disney World with a baby, but we wanted to create a guide just for packing for Disney with babies, that can be used for both Disney World and Disneyland.

Below we’ve included a complete list of what to pack for Disney with an infant, plus our personal recommendations and preferences (which, heads up, tend to be on the crunchy/sustainable/organic side of things). Let the magic begin!

Psst: Looking for more tips to help you plan your Disney trip? Check out some of our other Disney World posts:

Wish you could travel to Disney without leaving home? We created an immersive virtual Disney world tour so you can take a trip from the comfort of your sofa. It’s also handy to get you excited for your trip!

We also have a Podcast episode all about Disney! A futuristic utopia that’s definitely not a cult. A suicide-themed ride. Lia’s college internship. What do they all have in common? Disney World, of course! In this episode, Lia spills all the Mad Tea on the most magical place on Earth, plus insider tips from her time as a Cast Member. We also explain our tried & tested Disney Strategy (aka STRAT), because waiting in long lines for rides is some Bippity-Boppity-BS.

Listen above or just click here to launch your Podcast app! Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

What to Pack for a Disney Trip with a Baby?

Traveling with a baby doesn’t exactly lend itself to packing light. But it’s not wildly unachievable, either.

For a 5-day trip to Disney (plus a few extra days in Florida with my mom), we packed 2 large, checked suitcases, 2 day bags, a car seat, and a stroller for all 3 of us. Baby A’s stuff definitely took up most of our luggage space.

When it comes to things like how many outfits, diapers, and bottles to bring for your baby, you’ll know what they need best. For us, that looks like this:

• Clothing: 1-2 outfits per each day of our trip (unless we will have laundry facilities available, like at a vacation rental)
• Diapers and wipes: 1 pack each. 1 pack lasts us a full week. If we need more than that, we either order it from Amazon or Instacart for delivery to our accommodation (at a Disney resort, they’ll hold deliveries at the front desk for you) or stop into a store.
• Bottles: Baby A takes 1 bottle a day, so we bring 2 bottles (we tend to be too tired at night to wash her bottle right away…)
• Formula: We bring a full canister. If we run out, we Instacart a delivery or stop by a store for more.

You can also get away without bringing big, bulky items like a car seat or stroller by renting them once you arrive through BabyQuip.

If you’re visiting Disney World, you can avoid needing a carseat by planning to exclusively use Disney transportation – details in this post. You can rent a stroller from Kingdom Strollers. (Disney World does offer stroller rentals, but they’re not suitable for little ones, only big kiddos).

Below, we break down the exact items we brought with us to Disney with a baby!

Disney Baby Packing List: Theme Park Essentials

During your trip to Disney with a baby, you’ll be spending most of your time wandering around the park. And while you’ve always got the Baby Care centers in each of the parks to head to as a home base, it’s still important to carry what you need with you so that you don’t have to run all the way back to your hotel room if you need something.

The essentials to take with you on a long day of exploring include not just the basics – diaper changing gear, change of clothes, standard baby fare – but also things to keep your little one cool and protected from the sun, and depending on their age, fed, clean and entertained, too! Below is the specific gear we recommend bringing on a day in the parks:

• Diaper bag: A comfortable diaper bag is essential because you’ll be wearing it all day long and it will be stuffed to the brim. When’s the last time you wore your diaper bag for 12 hours straight? Make sure it’s comfortable! We like this diaper bag, but if you don’t need a zillion pockets and a little refrigerated section you can just bring any day bag or backpack – like this one, which is our regular travel day bag.

• Water bottle: If your baby is eating solids, they’ll need lots of water to stay both hydrated and regular. I use a Hydroflask filled up with lots of ice to keep it cold all day long. Every time Baby A sees me sip from the Hydroflask, she demands some too. This keeps us both very hydrated!

• Sanitizing wipes: bring way more than you think you might need. We wiped down every ride, lap bar, our hands after pulling the yellow strap, and anywhere the baby wanted to put her hands or mouth. We kept them at the ready and wiped down every ride as we boarded (then hand sanitized after we got off). Because who wants to be sick at Disney?! Not us. (We also wore KN95 masks while indoors throughout our trip, and none of us got so much as a sniffle during our 5-day Disney trip. Masks and sanitizer are highly effective!)

• Baby Earmuffs: Several of the newer rides and even some shows were way too loud for Baby A and totally freaked her out. These soft and comfortable baby Earmuffs help dampen sounds. She won’t tolerate wearing them for long but they work much better than holding our hands over her ears. They’re also great for the plane – did you know plane noise in the cabin can reach 105 decibels?? Plane noise sad gave me tinnitus and hearing problems, so I’m trying to be proactive about protecting Baby A’s hearing!

• Travel towels: Travel towels are lightweight and dry quickly. So even if your little one has a blast at the splash pad in Magic Kingdom or Epcot, you’ll be able to dry them off a little bit without having to schlep around a big heavy towel.

• Silicone toy catchers: These are our favorite way to keep toys in the stroller instead of flung willy-nilly and lost forever. They also work for keeping forks and spoons attached to a high chair, attaching toys to a car seat, and as toys in their own right (Baby A loves to just chew on them while in the stroller). They’re easy to clean and lightweight. We keep a few on hand in the diaper bag for meals and have one permanently attached to the stroller with a toy.

• Cooling cloths: These magical little cloths hold in water and keep cool as it slowly evaporates, providing a cooling effect for your skin. They are absolutely essential in the Florida heat – you’ll even see them sold at a few kiosks at Disney. As a bonus, they can be good for hydration – Baby A likes to suck on hers. These are the perfect size for a sunshade in the carrier, or behind baby’s neck in the stroller. I also found myself wearing one on the back of my neck most days!

• Thinkbaby sunscreen: A sunburnt baby is a miserable baby. We like this mineral sunscreen because it’s lightweight, easy to rub in, lasts for a long time, and doesn’t leave behind that gross greasy feeling. The bottle is also designed for grabby baby hands – only a tiny bit comes out at a time!

• Powder Sunscreen: Baby A enjoys getting sunscreen lotion put on her arms and legs, but isn’t as tolerant of things on her face. Also, we didn’t really want to rub greasy sunscreen into her baby-fine hair, but without a hat (and she tends to pull them off) her head is definitely at risk of burning. So we got this twist-up powder brush sunscreen. She LOVES IT. It feels good on her face and head, and she gets really excited when we pull it out to reapply! It’s also zillion times faster than applying sunscreen. … Yes, Jeremy and I resorted to using it too. Love this stuff!

• Baby sunglasses: If your baby will tolerate wearing a pair of absolutely freakin’ adorable baby sunglasses, I’m super jealous – Baby A just won’t. (She loves chewing on MY sunglasses, though.) We have this pair, which is stretchy and unbreakable and comes with ear extenders and a strap for different-sized heads.

• Sandals: If your baby is standing or taking steps, these are great to protect their little feet from the hot, rough concrete of most of the Disney parks. (If not, feel free to skip any/all shoes.) We brought an adorable pair of these cute Robeez sandals.

• Sunhat: Cute AND practical! A baby sunhats protect baby’s face, ears, neck, and even shoulders from the sun without needing to bother with sunscreen. Plus they’re just freakin CUTE. We recommend one with a strap to stay put. We also love this cute Disney outfit that comes with a MATCHING sunhat!

What to Carry Baby in at Disney

Carrying a little one around at Disney all day long is more complicated than you’d think, because strollers aren’t allowed inside most buildings and you can’t have them in line, either. You’ll need to park your stroller in the designated stroller parking area and leave it for every ride, attraction, show, etc. (Oh, and make sure you don’t leave any snacks out, otherwise squirrels will be allllll over it – gross.)

So, what do you do without a stroller? What’s the easiest way to transition a baby on and off of a ride? We’ve got a trifecta of baby-carrying devices that works perfectly:

• Tushbaby:  This little seat that straps around your waist is ESSENTIAL to have if your baby is old enough to sit upright. You can’t bring strollers in lines, so you need a way to carry baby and wait in line, too. The Tushbaby is perfect for older and bigger babies – and you’ll save your back and arms (tennis elbow, anyone? We got it BAD once our baby hit about 15 lbs!) We use it in lines, sit Baby A on it on rides and during shows so she can see better, to nurse crossbody, and to hold a few essentials for rides like hand sanitizing wipes. We also used it instead of the stroller or carrier for short distances, like from the car to the hotel. 

• Stroller: You’ll want a stroller that’s comfortable for baby and for you to push with plenty of room to carry your gear each day, but also easy to fold down and carry onboard Disney buses and transportation. For ease of folding down, we love this lightweight travel stroller, which even fits into the overhead compartment on planes. You can also rent a stroller from BabyQuip.
• Rain cover for stroller: If there is even a hint of rain in the forecast for your trip, throw one of these in the bottom of your stroller!

• Carriers: We LOVE babywearing. We swear by it. And we find that in strange and unfamiliar places, strapping Baby A to us helps her to feel more safe and secure, too. In fact, she outright refuses the stroller sometimes on trips, so we end up carrying her all day, every day. Having a comfortable baby carrier (that you’ve used before your trip) is SO helpful. Look for one that’s lightweight with mesh panels or just whatever you can wear comfortably. We have a few recommendations:
  • Jeremy’s favorite carrier is made by Colugo. Its super soft and comfortable and the buckles are magnetic which means they’re incredibly easy to put on and take off
  • My favorite is a heavy-duty carrier made by BabyBjorn with a nice wide leg panel. The BabyBjorn breathable mesh carrier is perfect for hot weather.
  • Never used a carrier or just not sure you’ll use it much? This travel-friendly baby carrier is lightweight and packs down small. Our other carriers take up quite a bit of room but this one is perfect for keeping in the diaper bag just in case.

What to Pack for Sleeping at Disney

• Sleep sack: If a swaddle or sleep sack is part of your nighttime routine, we recommend bringing it along to keep things as close to “normal” as possible. We love Woolino sleep sacks because wool is naturally temperature regulating in both hot and cool environments, and wool is also naturally antibacterial (read: less laundry) AND flame resistant.

• Sleepers: We’re big fans of stretchy bamboo sleepers that have adjustable flaps for footed and non-footed sleepers – meaning they will fit for much longer, especially if your baby is tall like ours. Like wool, bamboo has some natural heat regulation properties so baby won’t overheat or be too cold at night.

• Pack N Play and Blackout Cover: If you’re staying at a Disney Resort, don’t bring a Pack n Play – they’re available for FREE, and so are cribs! And though you may want a blackout cover, all Disney Resort hotel rooms are equipped with nice, heavy blackout curtains. But if you’re staying off-property, you’ll likely want to bring one with you (though check if your accommodation offers one first). We love the Guava Lotus Pack N Play, but our little one sadly outgrew it at a ridiculously early age because she is the baby equivalent of a Great Dane. We usually co-sleep in a nice big hotel room bed – Disney provides bed rails upon request. But if your baby is still baby-sized, a Pack N Play plus a blackout cover is a fantastic travel sleep solution!

• Books: We include books in Baby A’s bedtime routine, and doing the same bedtime routine really helps her to sleep in unfamiliar places. So, we brought along a couple of her favorites. We also love these tiny pocket-sized board books as toys.

Baby Travel Essentials

Here are some of the baby travel essentials we’ve been using pretty much since we started traveling with Baby A at 3 months, like a portable baby changing pad. But this trip required preparation on a whole new level. Cuz, you know, Disney trips are basically marathons.

There’s a good chance you’ve already got your favorite baby gear at home, so feel free to ignore our recommendations and just use this as a packing checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything

• Diapers: Although we love cloth diapers at home, we use disposable diapers on trips because it’s just so much easier. We really love Andy Pandy diapers – they’re sustainably made from bamboo, highly biodegradable, super soft, never leak, and are ethically made in the USA without any weird chemicals. Our backup favorite is Bambo, which is also bamboo but slightly less soft.

• Wipes: Bring more baby wipes than you think you need. Jeremy tried to keep it to 1 pack but he was so, so wrong. 2-3 packs should do it! We really like the Mum & You biodegradable wipes.

• Portable diaper changing pad: I’m gonna be honest with y’all … we use this at home too anytime we’re too lazy to go all the way upstairs to change a diaper! With a portable, foldable waterproof changing pad you can change baby anytime, anywhere. Like your hotel room bed, for example. Or the backseat of your car. Or some random concrete at a theme park (don’t worry, it’s got some padding). There are pockets to hold the essentials and a strap to attach it to your stroller, too.

• Swim diapers: Although we prefer a reusable swim diaper at home, we grabbed disposable swim diapers for this trip because we didn’t want to bother with laundry. We swam nearly every day and these were fantastic and easy.

• Swim onesie/suit: We prefer high-SPF long-sleeved onesies because it means less sunscreen to rub in and re-apply.

• Toys: Honestly, pack light when it comes to toys. There is so much going on in the parks, so much to see and do that you may not really need toys at all. We keep a few attached to the stroller with this silicone toy catcher and we had a few more in the hotel room for occupying Baby A while we drank our morning coffee (psst – bring these, Disney hotel room coffee sucks) and got ready for the day, but that’s about it. 

• Clothes: We recommend at least 2 outfits per day of your trip, and have a spare set in your diaper bag at all times. For this trip, we picked up some cute Disney clothes from Amazon! We love these Princess onesie/shorts/outfits, and this gender-neutral Lion King overall set that comes with a cute sunhat!

• Infant Tylenol: There are so many illnesses floating around the parks. And no matter how much you hand sanitizer and try to wipe down banisters, there’s still a risk of getting sick. The last thing you want to do is be dealing with a miserable infant in the middle of the night and trying to figure out how to get to the nearest Walgreens, so bring a little bottle of this stuff with you (and any other basic health supplies you like, like a snot sucker).

What to Pack for Feeding Baby at Disney

Since Baby A was 10 months during our trip to Disney, she was eating 3 full meals a day PLUS snacks. It is truly impressive how much food a teeny, tiny baby can consume, y’all.

Whether you’re just starting solids or baby is way too little to worry about food just yet, there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters: the provided high chairs at Disney restaurants do not fit babies well, like, at all. I don’t know what it is, but the tables are really high or he seats are really low and they just do not work. We ended up putting Baby A on our lap or using her portable high chair most of the time, even at restaurants.

Other than that, it’s all about having the right tools on hand (and for older babies, a zillion portable snacks). Pretty much all of our portable baby-eating supplies are silicon, so they’re lightweight and easy to wash. We don’t bring along special utensils or cups for Baby A – she prefers to use the grownup version (though we do have a little portable shot glass that’s just her size that we keep in the diaper bag).

Here’s what we found most helpful for feeding babies at Disney:

• Formula: Don’t forget a can of formula! We really like Bobbie – and if you run out you can also Instacart it from Target for delivery to your hotel room.

• Bottles/nipples: If you bottle feed, make sure you bring these along (especially if you’ll be switching off who’s out enjoying the parks at night). We like Evenflo glass bottles because they’re easiest to wash/sterilize and will last for a very long time. To keep them clean, bring along a bottle brush and a little container of soap (we like Dr. Bronners, and use it for everything from washing hands to washing baby to washing dishes and clothing).

• Portable high chair: You may not need a high chair if you’re eating at a sit-down restaurant (though we did find that Disney high chairs are made with big kids in mind, and were much too low for Baby A). But what about a quick-service restaurant? Or dinner in your hotel room? Or a snack in between meals? Or breakfast in the parks while mom and dad switch out on single-riding rides? Our favorite solution is this portable high chair. It’s lightweight and easy to fold up, and just the perfect size for an infant to sit and eat a snack while enjoying a fabulous park view. We keep ours in the stroller so we have it on hand in the parks whenever we need a baby to sit and eat, and we used it in our room for breakfast and dinner, too.

• Snacks: Our favorite snacks for park days are fruit/veggie pouches (we love the ones from Costco), Cheerios, and puffs. We avoided snacks that will make baby’s hands sticky or make a mess.

• Silicon bowl: This small, lightweight silicon bowl is what we serve snacks like Cheerios in on the go, as well as breakfast in the hotel and even food at restaurants in a pinch. It’s easy to clean and doesn’t take up much space.

• Silicon Bib: We love these lightweight, easy-to-clean silicone food-catching bibs. They have a pocket to catch whatever falls from the baby’s mouth before it lands on baby’s adorable outfit. After a meal, we simply wipe it off with some water or wash it in the sink with soap, and roll it up to keep in the diaper bag again!

• Small portable cooler: Essential for both bottles and snacks! Stuff it with greek yogurt, Babybel or string cheese, hummus and pita, and fresh fruit.

What to Pack for Nursing at Disney (& Pumping)

You’re welcome to nurse anywhere on Disney property, and there are provided Baby Care centers with private nursing areas, too. You’ll find comfortable chairs with footrests, tables and outlets – all the essentials. So for many of you, you may not need to bring anything special for you or baby: just nurse as you need on the go! And that’s awesome – skip on down to the next section, y’all.

Personally, I did not have an easy breastfeeding journey. For the first 3 months of Baby A’s life, we triple fed – pumping and bottle feeding after every single nursing session, which was about 12 times a day, around the clock every 2-3 hours. I literally only had 15 minutes in between each marathon power-pumping session and her next nursing session, and felt like I was chained to my nursing chair.

It was awful and by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But we came out the other side and are still going strong nursing after a year – and I’m so incredibly proud of us both! It has been a wonderful and rewarding experience, despite how challenging it was at first.

That said, keeping my supply up has always been a struggle (I’ve actually never had enough to exclusively breastfeed, so we combo feed) and I have to be careful about how much time I spend away from Baby A and how many nursing sessions I skip.

But I have been able to leave Baby A for a few hours at a time and even travel without her (for a conference I spoke at, for about 72 total hours) by figuring out a few tricks that nursing moms who are also conscientious of their supply may find helpful!

So whether breastfeeding has been a breeze for you or a challenge like me, here are some essentials for nursing at Disney:

• Inflatable Nursing Pillow: Not everyone needs a nursing pillow, and there are moms like me who can’t nurse without one (seriously, we used them up until like, 10 months, and couldn’t make it work without one)! If you’re a fan of the My Brest Friend pillow, which I absolutely love and swear by at home, try the inflatable travel version! It only takes a few good strong breaths to fill up. I also use this for Baby A to nap on during flights.

• ​Ceres Chill: This insulated portable steel cooler is specifically designed to keep breast milk (or formula) refrigerated on to go. You fill the outer chamber of the water bottle with ice from your hotel or a stand in the park, and it keeps the inner steel chamber at a safe temperature until you get back to Baby or your hotel refrigerator. You can keep 24oz of milk safely refrigerated for 20+ hours! If you and your partner are switching off “baby-free” nights at the park like we did, you’ll be without baby for several hours and may need to pump to keep your supply up or avoid getting engorged or developing mastitis. Bring along the Ceres Chill in a regular day bag and you’re good to go all night long.

• Travel-Friendly Pump: The other piece of the “spending hours without baby” puzzle for breastfeeding moms is a pump! You can of course just bring along your regular pump to the parks and hit the Baby Care center whenever you need – they’ve got private nursing rooms with outlets. But if you’d like to try a more travel-friendly option, many moms swear by the Willow hands-free pump, which fits discreetly and comfortably into your bra so you can pump in line, walking around, or wherever you like. Personally, I just use my regular Medela Pump ‘N Style which is pretty small already.

Do you have questions or concerns about packing for Disney with a baby that we can help with? Drop us a comment below!

Psst: Looking for more tips to help you plan your Disney trip? Check out some of our other Disney World posts:

Wish you could travel to Disney without leaving home? We created an immersive virtual Disney world tour so you can take a trip from the comfort of your sofa!

We also have a Podcast episode all about Disney! A futuristic utopia that’s definitely not a cult. A suicide-themed ride. Lia’s college internship. What do they all have in common? Disney World, of course! In this episode, Lia spills all the Mad Tea on the most magical place on Earth, plus insider tips from her time as a Cast Member. We also explain our tried & tested Disney Strategy (aka STRAT), because waiting in long lines for rides is some Bippity-Boppity-BS.

Listen above or just click here to launch your Podcast app! Oh, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss new episodes.

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