Infants pick up on sounds and sights, but are probably just as fascinated by your local shopping mall as they are by the highly themed environments at the Magic Kingdom. Thus, do not feel compelled to visit the Magic Kingdom just for the sake of your infant—they may not even particularly enjoy it. That said, the Magic Kingdom has many rides that can be enjoyed with an infant in your arms, which cannot be said for all the other parks. If visiting attractions together as a family is a priority for you, rather than splitting up to hit the thrill rides, then the Magic Kingdom for infants may be the right place to go.
When booking your Walt Disney World vacation packages and you have small children we suggest booking Disney World hotels instead of vacation home rentals. These hotels offer free shuttle service every thirty minutes to all the Disney parks and this is a huge benefit so you can take your child back to the room for their afternoon nap.
Every restroom in the Magic Kingdom is equipped with a changing table in the form of dedicated counter space with some raised edges to prevent roll off. There are sometimes paper towels provided as well, but not diapers or baby wipes. Diaper disposal is done directly into the regular trash cans, which are changed often. You can also find a changing room inside Magic Kingdom’s Baby Care Center
The child care center is a godsend for parents with infants. At the Magic Kingdom, it’s located at the end of Main Street, just to the side of the Crystal Palace. This is a room with rockers, into which only nursing mothers may go. Also in the center is a space set aside for changing tables, a play area for older siblings (it includes a TV playing Disney movies), bathrooms and training potties, and a shop selling baby products like diapers, wipes, creams, and clothing. Just about everything you could possibly need is sold here.
In addition to the baby center, mothers may nurse anywhere in the park. No one will ask nursing mothers to stop or move. Many mothers choose a bench and simply use a blanket to cover up while nursing (not all use a blanket, but not doing so will draw additional attention). Because outdoor Florida is too hot in summer and sometimes too cold in winter, many mothers choose to find a spot in climate-controlled indoors. Good spots in the Magic Kingdom restaurants (especially Pecos Bill’s or Pinocchio Village Haus) or even dark theater attractions like Mickey’s Philharmagic or Carousel of Progress .
Younger infants who cannot sit up, as well as older infants who can sit up, should have their own strollers along for the trip. If you forget to bring your own, strollers can be rented near the Main Entrance, including double strollers to hold two children. These are hard plastic, highly durable pieces of equipment, so comfort is not the first concern. Stroller theft is almost unheard of. Sometimes rented strollers are taken by accident, so don’t leave valuables behind. If that happens, replacing the rental is easily accomplished, so keep the receipt.
Bring or rent strollers for children who can walk, later in the day your child may become tired of walking. Also, a stroller becomes a useful cart for holding personal items like purchases, jackets, or bags.
Since infants don’t particularly care about their surroundings (it’s all new to them), this list will focus on rides that you can ride with your infant in your arms (or in a snugli), presented in subjective order of importance, starting with rides infants seem to like the best.
At the other end of the spectrum are the rides you shouldn’t bother with. This list is also subjective, and refers to attractions that you may wish to skip because infants chafe at the lack of action or the darkened environment, and may become noisy:
Then, there are rides that you will either have to skip, or ride without your infant.
Then, there are rides that you will either have to skip, or ride without your infant.
There are two entertainment experiences many folks will not want to miss at the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, both take place after dark, meaning that most infants will be asleep in their strollers. The Wishes fireworks show is impressively set to music, and is a real joy to behold. Views are best from Main Street or the lands surrounding the castle, but don’t be behind the castle. One caution: the fireworks are loud and may scare children unused to high-decibel sounds. Just as often, however, infants sleep right through the fireworks.
Taking place just before the fireworks (though sometimes after it for a second show, on busy days) is SpectroMagic, a nighttime parade where the floats are illuminated by colored lights. The parade route runs from Frontierland to Liberty Square, out to the castle, and down Main Street. Decent spots can often be found, even without much wait time, in Frontierland. Naturally, if there is a second show, visitors are much more sparse and good seats abound. Note that in non-peak seasons, SpectroMagic only runs on selected days of the week.
There are other entertainment options, most visibly a daytime parade and a show at the forecourt of Cinderella Castle. Both are perhaps best classified as “harmless.” Infants will almost certainly not care, so this becomes a decision for the adults.
In addition to the Character Dining mentioned above, you can find costumed characters that simply walk around (check with a Cast Member to locate the schedule for any particular character). Additionally, there are some structured character meeting areas:
If you’re looking for fast food (hot dogs, burgers, pizza), there are several choices with many service counters: Casey’s Corner in Main Street, Pinocchio’s Village Haus in Fantasyland, Cosmic Ray’s in Tomorrowland, and Pecos Bill’s in Frontierland. At these and the table-service locations (Tony’s or Plaza Restaurant), there are highchairs available simply for the asking. None of the restaurants sell baby food; you’ll have to purchase this at the baby center.
Many visitors seek to combine dining with meeting characters and taking adorable vacation photographs. Particularly renowned among the Character Dining is Cinderella’s Royal Table, a restaurant deep inside Cinderella Castle. Reservations are a must, and won’t be available unless you make them on the very day they open up, on a rolling 180-day schedule (simply call 407-WDW-DINE). The other Character Dining location is called the Crystal Palace, and while it also takes reservations, those don’t sell out quite so quickly.
At all the character interactions, as well as key photogenic locations, you may run across park workers offering to take your picture and "put it on a card." This is a free service and ideal for vacationers. On your first such encounter, you’ll get a card. On all future encounters, hand over the card and they’ll swipe it, making sure that whatever photos are taken get added to your account. When you return home after your vacation, you can view the pictures online, and order prints of any that you desire, with no pressure whatsoever.
Here are a few experiences that don’t draw nearly as many crowds, but may be of paramount importance to your particular infant (pick and choose as your preferences dictate):
Splash Mountain play area – near the exit to Splash Mountain, this small themed area is better geared for crawling infants than for toddlers. It’s a great area to wait for someone on the ride.