You're Never Too Young . . . Part 2
This is the second half of of You’re Never to Young, if you missed the first half, check it out here. In that post I talk about leaving your car seat at home, the Baby Care Centers located in the parks, Baby’s first haircut and Rider Switch.
In this post I’m going to talk about a few things that are not as well known but can make your visit easier, from great places to play to making sleep easier. I will also talk about a food option you may not know about.
Playing
When traveling with little ones it’s nice to give them a break from the lines and just give the kids some time to run around and play. There are great spaces to play in each park.
Magic Kingdom
Let’s start with my favorite play space, Tom Sawyer Island at the Magic Kingdom. And to be honest, it’s great for all ages. Many people miss this because you have to take a log raft across the river; it’s a quick trip so don’t let that deter you. Once you are there you will find Haper’s Mill, Injun Joe’s Cave, Fort Langhorn, Potter’s Mill, and Tom Sawyer Scavage Fort. There is so much to explore including suspension bridges and secret passages. It is the perfect break to let the little ones run and get away from the crowds for a bit. Here is a video about some of the spaces on the island.
When it’s time to cool off in the middle of the day, head to Casey Jr Splash ‘N’ Soak Station, a small area in Fantasyland. The animals on the train spray water and it’s a great area because it’s next to Barnstormer and Dumbo the Flying Elephant®, two do not miss attractions! That brings me to my next place to play, before you ride Dumbo you wait in the big-top. Inside there are slides and climbing nets and section specifically for toddlers.
There is also one more small play area that is by the exit to Splash Mountain. Since you don’t want to miss Splash Mountain, it’s a great place to hang out with the little ones while the bigger kids go on the attraction.
Epcot
Like Splash Mountain, Mission:Space has a play space at the exit of the ride. It’s indoors so it’s a great place to cool off and let the little ones crawl into wormholes in an interactive playground. ImageWorks - The “What If” Labs are another play area at the end of an attraction, but you can bring your little ones on Journey Into Imagination with Figment. If you don’t wish to ride, you can go into the exit of the attraction and from the Labs. Kids jump on squares or “Stepping Tones” on the ground to create sounds. They can conduct an orchestra and make their own image of Figment.
Epcot also has activities for the little ones throughout the World Showcase call Kidcot Fun Stop. Although it is not a play space, they have coloring and decorating activities at each of the countries.
There are also temporary play areas set up around Epcot durning the International Flower and Garden Festival. It starts in March and ends in May. This is a great time to visit; not only do you get to see some amazing topiaries and gardens but they also have special food kiosks around the World Showcase.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The Boneyard is an expansive play area with a couple of different spaces. Children can dig through
a dig sits to uncover the bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This is great for the little ones who can’t yet walk but love playing with buckets and shovels. It’s also a wonderful place to cool off! It is shaded and has large fans blowing. The other side of The Boneyard includes slides of all sizes and lots of things to climb up. There even is a Jeep to play on.
Fueling up
After all that playing, I’m sure you are hungry. There are so many great places to eat at Walt Disney World, but with kids, sometimes you just want the easy and familiar. Depending on what type of room you book you may have a mini fridge all the way up to a full kitchen. Whatever the set-up, you may want snacks, breakfast items, or an entire meals. You can pack food and bring it with you. With little ones it’s easy to pack the veggie and fruit packs, granola bars, a box of cereal, etc. and you can bring food and drink into the parks. You just can’t bring a large cooler.
If you don’t want to bring your food from home you can always pre-order food for delivery upon your arrive. Garden Grocers allows you to go online and choose your groceries and then have them delivered. They require 36 hours to turn around your order but they recommend ordering as far in advance as possible. Remember though, if you are not staying in a Villa with a full size refrigerator you should limit the perishables you purchase.
After a Long Day It’s Time for Bed
In my last article I wrote about how you can leave the car seat at home because the transportation from the airport and on property do not require or accommodate them. Another huge convenience is that Disney provides Pack & Plays. A clean fitted sheet for the bottom of the Pack and Play also provided. They are not large Pack & Plays but it fits most toddlers.
Two other things that I have not covered but will cover in a future post are strollers and quiet places, beside the hotel room, where your little one may be able to catch a nap. But before that, I'm going to switch gears and focus on the adults and some of the incredible dinning and entertainment that exists around Disney property. Stay tuned.
