Trip Planning for an Infant Part 1: Attractions!

the Giordano and Garcia clans meet up to celebrate Ellie's first trip

I recently made a couple of trips to the Disneyland Resort (DLR) to enjoy my 3 month old's first trips to my favorite destination in the world and second home, Disneyland. One thing I love to do is plan for trips. I will say that I am still open to suggestions and will alter around it, but for the most part I know what I will be doing on a trip. Now planning this trip was a whole new experience. This was completely different from any other trip I've taken. I thought I would share with you some of my experiences and hopefully help you out too. Now this post was taking up so much time and was so lengthy I have decided to split it up, so I hope you enjoy!

Some of us were not so amused by Ellie's driving skills

Attractions- I love attractions. I hate to admit it, but yeah I will tend to go commando and just ride everything. Naturally, the biggest change was the fact that I could not do this. I thought there were far less attractions that were good for all ages, however, most attractions in Disneyland are for all ages. Of course, Disney California Adventure has fewer attractions. I must warn you though, between the bathroom breaks and feedings, you will not do probably half of this list. Here are the attractions suitable for all ages:

Obligatory Partners shot and no, I am not asleep

Disneyland

Main Street

• Disneyland Railroad
• Main Street Vehicles
• Horseless Carriage

Fantasyland

• Peter Pan's Flight
• Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
• Snow White's Scary Adventure
• Pinocchio's Daring Journey
• King Arthur Carousel
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Casey Jr.
• Storybook Land Canal Boats
• Mad Tea Party
• Alice In Wonderland
• "it's a small world"

Tomorrowland

• Astro Orbiter
• Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage*
• Monorail

Adventureland

• The Enchanted Tiki Room
• Jungle Cruise
• Tarzan's Treehouse

New Orlean's Square

• Pirates of the Caribbean
• The Haunted Mansion

Critter Country

• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Frontierland

• Mark Twain Riverboat
• Sailing Ship Columbia

Mickey's Toontown

• Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin

A new favorite spot, Storytellers

Disney California Adventure

Buena Vista Street

• Red Car Trolley

Hollywoodland

• Monsters Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue

a bug's land

• Flik's Flyers
• Heimlich's Chew-Chew Train
• Francis' Ladybug Boogie

Paradise Pier

• Golden Zephyr
• King Triton's Carousel
• Mickey's Fun Wheel
• Toy Story Midway Mania

My one caveat would be that Toy Story Midway Mania, though an all heights attraction, you should not do. I say this from experience. I took my daughter on there at three months and instead of enjoying the attraction, I spent it preventing her from the whiplash-esque turns. It was definitely way too intense.

Cars Land postcard sign

I would also like to take this time to tell you to use the Child Switch pass to your advantage. I had never done this before this trip but it definitely helped out a lot. The way it works is that both parents cannot ride an attraction together when they have no one to watch the baby. Instead of having to bypass the attraction, the Child Switch pass is given to the family member sitting off and the rest stand in line and ride the attraction. When the family member sitting off gets to go, Disney doesn't expect them to suffer riding the attraction by themselves. Instead they can bring 2 others with them to the FastPass line and ride the attraction. Another tip on that would be, you can use it on FastPass. This means that the general group heads on using their FastPass and the person sitting off gets the Child Switch "FastPass" to head back on with 2 others. It definitely made it possible to do such must sees as Radiator Springs Racers!

Ellie was quite excited in the mornings!

Remember though, you are not doing this for the enjoyment of attractions but for the memories that you will cherish for years to come and reminisce fondly on later.I know I will always remember how she slept through half of the "it's a small world holiday" then woke up halfway to confusement of what was happening. Or when we rode The Little Mermaid attraction and she would get excited when hearing Part of your World and Under the Sea because we sing them to her all the time. These are some of the reasons why I have been touring Disney Parks all my life and why I could not wait to bring my own daughter and make some memories of our own.

Getting in that quick nap before "small world"

Hopefully this list and tips will help you out on planning your trip with your infant and please feel free to comment or chat with me on twitter. Also expect to see more posts as this will be a 4 part series, next is Character Meet and Greets! Thanks!

Ellie and I try our hardest to pull this weight!

Trip Planning for the Expectant Mother

I recently went to Disneyland with my 6 month pregnant wife and she brought up a very good point, what can she ride and what can she do at the park? I also learned very quickly that the dynamic of visiting the parks with a pregnant woman is very drastically different. I will be providing you with the lessons I learned so you won't have to repeat my mistakes and be prepared. 

Lesson 1: Be Patient. The greatest lesson I learned was to be patient as an expectant mother has very different needs and wants. Like for one thing, she will not want to walk anywhere, she won't want to wait in line for anything, she won't want to ride certain rides for no particular reason! Just take a deep breathe and remember, this will all end soon. 

Lesson 2: Take It Slow. A pregnant woman does not have close to the same energy level as before so you can't run through commando style. You will have to take it slow and maybe even get a wheelchair for her. She probably wont enjoy being suggested the use of a wheelchair as she is pregnant not handicap but don't push it. Just make it a light suggestion and she will more than likely come around once she becomes tired. Once you get her in the chair, if you can, things will probably run smoother as she won't be on her feet anymore. Just make sure to bring your gloves, I have the calluses to prove it!

Lesson 3: Attractions are Difficult to Decide. When it comes to attractions, it becomes hard to decide what to ride as there are less rides to go on for an expectant mother. Thankfully, this is not Six Flags, so there are a great amount you can go on. Fairly warned ye be, it is up to you to decide what an expectant mother can go on. Though they post on the safety signage that expectant mother shouldn't ride, it's up to your discretion (I found this out by asking the guest relations). I will say obviously you can't ride Indy, Space Mountain, Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Roger Rabbit, Tower of Terror, Goofy's Sky School, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi's Flying Tires, California Screamin', and Mickey's Fun Wheel but there are a few that surprised me. First of all, Toy Story Midway Mania is a no go. We rode on it but didn't consider that the ride vehicle whips you around corners and the lap bar will press against her stomach. Then you'll spend the rest of the ride holding the lap bar up so she is not in pain. A surprising ride was Radiator Springs Racers, it was smooth enough that my wife had no qualms with riding, especially since she could tuck the seat belt under the baby. 

Lesson 4: Be Ready For Stops. It seems obvious but I cannot fully articulate how important this is. It also goes back to the first lesson, to be patient. The bathroom breaks are understandably often, but the snack breaks are almost just as frequent. That baby will be calling for some nutrition constantly and the smells of the food carts will get that little one going, and soon you will have spent 100 bucks on snacks at the end of the day. 

Lesson 5: Mark Bathrooms and Refill Often. Definitely grab a park map and make a note of the bathroom facilities. This will come in handy as I mentioned before, the bathroom stops will be frequent. Also, expectant mothers need water like a fish, so make sure to carry a water bottle and refill it at every bathroom stop. Of course if you don't care for the water in the fountains, you can always stop at a cart at get a snack and a water. 

I hope those of you out there will find this helpful and not too rambling. Hope you have a good time at the parks!