I’m taking my toddler on our first family vacation to Disney World, and my to-do list is RIDICULOUS.

Magic Kingdom at Disney World

When you go from traveling to Disney World as DINKs (double income, no kids) on a regular basis to traveling with a small child, you don’t realize how much more complex prepping for your vacation will be. My preparations actually began weeks ahead of the trip, and the list includes quite a few tasks that surprised me. So here are some things you might need to do as well if you’re planning on taking your little ones to Disney!

Things I’m Buying

Several different items on my to-do list involved shopping for things we didn’t previously own. It started simple, with getting new swimsuits (we’re going to Blizzard Beach Water Park while we’re there!) and ordering a new stroller fan (ours broke). But then I started getting into the weeds of stroller organizer products and special attachments, and I had to rein myself in — gotta save some money for the trip itself!

J.L. Childress Disney Baby Mickey Mouse Stroller Fan

Other items that made their way onto my shopping list were toys for the car ride. We’ve got a relatively long car ride ahead of us, and I wanted one or two new things to keep his attention and placate him during the journey — we went for some mess-free coloring pads. Also, I scoured the internet for a pack ‘n’ play mattress. If your kid is used to sleeping on a nice comfy crib mattress at home, the pack ‘n’ plays at the hotel might not be as comfy. And if there’s one thing we want to go well on this trip… it’s our sleep!

Genius Amazon Finds for a Disney Trip With Toddlers

Things We’re Practicing

This is the category you may not think about, but I’ve seen enough disaster in Disney World to know that there are some things I should prepare my child for. To start, we’ve been watching YouTube videos of Disney characters in the hopes that he doesn’t freak out when meeting Winnie the Pooh during breakfast at Crystal Palace. Now, he has met characters before (we lived in Central Florida for the first year of his life), but toddlers are unpredictable, man. I want to set us up for success as much as possible. And if I’m honest, character phobia is in his genes — I was afraid of anything in a costume until I was 10 years old.

Winnie the Pooh

We’ve also been going on frequent stroller walks at home. My child is used to running around the house and the backyard freely, and when we’re in Disney World, he’s going to have to be in the stroller for a decent portion of the day. Getting him acclimated to riding has been a priority. Of course, we’ll make sure to intersperse our Disney days with plenty of breaks for him to run some energy out.

Stroller Parking

In a similar vein, I’ve been letting him wear his sunglasses and hat around the house during the day. He’s going to be more comfortable in the parks if he has a bit of sun shade (in addition to the sunscreen I will liberally apply), so I’m trying to make wearing the hat and sunglasses as fun as possible. Whenever he wears the sunglasses, I call him a “cool dude,” and he LOVES it.

The Best Rides for Toddlers at Magic Kingdom

Things I’m Planning For

Outside of the regular dining reservations, hotel reservations, and Lightning Lanes, there are several things that I’m planning for ahead of our trip. First, I went ahead and measured my toddler so we can plan which rides to do. You don’t want to create disappointment in the middle of your trip when you find out your child is too short to do a ride you had hoped to take them on. Measure before you go! (And do it HONESTLY).

Warning at Test Track

Also, I started pre-planning where and when we’re going to take naps each day. Most days, that means going back to the hotel room, but on our two check-in days (we’re doing a split stay) things get a bit more complicated. My child isn’t go-with-the-flow when it comes to sleep and is not the type to just nap in the stroller, so this had to be decided in advance to save us headaches and tantrums. In general, if your child has a limit at home, they’re going to have the same limit in the theme park. Don’t stretch them beyond what they can handle!

Hotel room at All-Star Movies

Finally, I had to think about our schedule in regard to meals. We’re hoping to rope drop the parks each day, but those early hours may interfere with my son’s normal breakfast routine. This means I’m going to need some portable breakfast items or snacks on hand to make sure we can hold him over until it’s time to sit down and eat. This goes hand-in-hand with making sure you don’t push your kids past their limits — anticipate their needs and meet them. It’s the best way to make sure everyone stays in a good mood on vacation!

It’s a Minnie waffle!

So, as you see, there is a lot of planning going into taking a little one to Disney World. Hopefully, though, thinking about these problems ahead of time will help minimize stress throughout the trip and make it so we can all have a good time. I’m not delusional to think that there will be no breakdowns or hard moments, but I want to maximize the fun as much as I can!

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The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Disney World Vacation!

Have you taken a toddler to Disney World before? What are your tips? Tell us in the comments!