Disneyland with an Infant

We are taking our 8 month old daughter to Disneyland in December for her first Disney trip! I've been to DLR hundreds of times and I've never had to prepare this much. This time is different. It's going to be hard to get to all of our favorites with a baby on our chest the entire time. So here are a few tips I've discovered along the way to getting the most out of DLR with an infant...

1) Go with a large group (preferably a group including other babies). That way, you're not the only one sitting out when others are enjoying Tower of Terror and other big rides.

2) Go through the line with the baby. This is how you get a rider switch. All riders must go through the line at least once. The CMs will ask you to wait in a designated area, and then when the rest of the party returns from the ride, you get to take 1 person with you and go right back on the ride again without waiting in line, while the rest of the party waits with the baby. That's why it's important to have more than one baby in the group. That means 4 people can go with 2 rider switches and 6 people can go with 3 rider switches, so on and so forth. That way you can get a significant amount of people on the ride again with you and make it just as much fun!

3) Invest in a baby carrier. When baby is awake, don't make him/her miss out on all the fun in their stroller. They will want to be in the action as well! This will make things so much easier when boarding rides they can actually go on. When you visit Fantasyland with your baby, you will be able to take them on everything there, provided they are strapped to your chest. This serves as their "seatbelt" since the bar obviously won't do them any good. Make sure the baby carrier is comfortable and you're used to it prior to your trip because there's nothing more miserable then being uncomfortable at DLR.

4) Don't get your hopes up when it comes to character pictures. If your baby is like mine, they're curious about everything. Mine is particularly social and outgoing, but when it comes to large headed mice, I'm not sure how she'll react. One thing I'd suggest to try, borrow a costume with a large head or an abnormal shape/color and try it out before your trip. If she screams at it, it's probably a good indication she's not going to be Mickey's biggest fan. I'm going to wait in line for Mickey and if she's not happy with him, I'm going to stick to face characters only.

5) Have your camera ready. It's not only polite to the people waiting in line, but it's going to give you the best shot of your child. When your child first sees Mickey, s/he is going to have an immediate reaction, whether it be good or bad, you want to catch it on camera! Before you send your significant other or family member up there with your baby, have your camera ready and start snapping away the instant s/he sees the character.

6) Get a hotel close to the park. My daughter still takes 3 naps a day and I'm only planning on getting rid of one of those naps by the time we get to the park. That means we'll be making a trip back to the hotel at least once, if not twice during the day. I may or may not be taking a nap with her while we're there. I'm getting tired just thinking about it!

7) Take advantage of the Baby Care Centers. There are two Baby Care Centers, one in DLR and one in DCA. They have everything you need to keep your baby happy including private nursing rooms, changing tables, feeding room with high chairs, and a room with a TV and chairs. I'm going to use this like crazy while we're there. They also have a shop with formula, baby food and diapers! Disney thinks of everything!

8) Do what YOU want to do. Yes, DLR is for children, but at that age, they aren't going to remember a thing. They are going to have fun looking at anything, so make sure you get in everything that you want to enjoy. I was thinking I was going to spend my entire trip in Fantasyland because that's what she will enjoy the most, but then I realized, she just spent the last half an hour looking at a cup, so I'm pretty sure she'll have just as much fun in any land we visit.

9) Bring your own stroller. DLR rents strollers but they are too large for an infant and they aren't very comfortable. Plus, how clean can they REALLY be? Just saying. Once you get in the park, tie a balloon to your stroller so you can find it quickly in the mix of all the other strollers in the event that you leave it at any time.

10) Hotel tips: Again, book a hotel close to DLR. Bring a pack and play or crib, or request one there. Make sure you have dish soap and a sink to wash any baby dishes you may have.

11) Over-pack for the day. You never know what's going to happen at DLR so bring a change of clothes for your baby, extra formula if you're not BF, a water bottle, diapers and wipes. You can purchase all of these items at the park, but you're going to pay a pretty penny for them.

We can't wait to take our baby girl to DLR! Are there any experienced moms out there who have taken infants to DLR? What advice can you give?