Tips for Disneyland with a just turning 2 year old?

[disneycat321]

I am so excited to have a reason to be posting here again!

After a (too long) hiatus, my husband and I are returning to Disneyland June 10-12, but this time we’ll be bringing our daughter for her first trip to celebrate her second birthday on June 10! Our 15th anniversary is June 12th, so we’ll be celebrating that as well!

We are planning to stay at Hojo’s, which is a place we’ve never stayed before. We chose it for the water play area, specifically the area for little littles which looks perfect for our daughter. We’ll be splurging a bit to get a two-bedroom family suite so our daughter can get the good naps and sleep she needs and we will have a bit more freedom to talk, watch TV, etc. while she’s sleeping. (And it’s still WAY cheaper than on property….maybe someday!)

We’re planning on 3 days with PH, probably entering DL first Tues and Wed, and DCA first Thurs. We’re trying to avoid the early entry park on Wed and Thurs. Tues is DL early entry but it’s also our daughter’s first ever time at DLR, so clearly we’re starting with DL that day no matter what! I know grad night is Wed that week, but we’ve dealt with grad nites in the past and haven’t found them to be that much of an issue, though that was several years ago.

We are DLR vets, but we’ve never been with a toddler, so this is a whole new (exciting) world! Also, it’s been awhile, especially for DH. I haven’t been to DLR since April 2022, and DH hasn’t been since Oct 2019. I’d love any and all tips on going to Disneyland with a newly 2 year old!

Our daughter is generally pretty laid back and observant. We have NO clue how she’ll react to characters. She loves and adores Winnie the Pooh, and we are introducing other Disney characters a bit at a time, so we’ll see if she takes to any others. She is a great sleeper in general, but hasn’t stroller napped in well over a year, so we’ll be going back to the hotel for naps. She sure is not going to tolerate sitting in a stroller all day, so we’ll need to give her lots of chances to walk around.

Some must dos we have for DD2: Winnie the Pooh ride and character meets, Small World (my personal favorite), Little Mermaid, and getting an ear hat with her name embroidered. And of course all the general rides and attractions she can do at her age. I see that she’ll be tall enough for Luigi’s and Mater’s - has anyone does Mater’s with a young 2 year old? I wonder how she’ll do with that much movement. Also, has anyone ever taken a 2 year old into Philharmagic? I don’t think she’d keep the 3D glasses on… We also want to do the Minnie Plaza Inn Breakfast!

Must dos for the adults: PAINT THE NIGHT. I am ridiculously excited this is back - it’s my favorite parade and I haven’t seen it since 2015. ROTR for my husband, who’s a huge SW fan but hasn’t been since it opened (we’ll do LLSP for that), MMRR and Tiana’s since they’re new to us. As for other rides she can’t do, we’ll probably take turns and use single rider for Space and Matterhorn (my favorites), and maybe a couple things over at DCA, but we’ll be good with that. Oh and we have a lot of food must dos, haha...

We’re one time park commandos who plan to now be pretty laid back on this trip for our daughter’s sake! She wakes up around 6:30-7 at home. We do plan to rope drop and come back early. We'll take turns having solo time in the parks at night after she’s asleep, mostly to see PTN. I’d love for her to see PTN, but maybe on the last night? I don’t want to compromise her ability to wake up early for rope drop! We may also have my MIL (who is local) come by to stay with her while we get a date night in the parks for our anniversary.

Anyway, that’s the plan! I’m posting this because I’m so excited to share with people who “get it,” but also because I’m looking for any and all advice on visiting DLR with a 2 year old! We really want to make this a magical experience for her!

 

[Pluto468]

The main thing I learned on my first trip with a toddler was to slow everything down. WAY down lol. We went at a more relaxed pace overall.

We didn't do many rides aside from Fantasyland. My little one loved Small World and we went 12 times over the course of 4 days.

He surprisingly didn't like the water park at Hojo. Also was unexpectedly very scared of fireworks, so maybe have a backup plan for those, like ducking into a store.

He napped in the stroller, which was great, but we still took a few hours off to relax at the hotel in the afternoons.

I'd take a look at menus ahead of time to get an idea of what restaurants have food you know your daughter will like.

I love your idea of having a date night, that sounds great.

Have fun!

 

[LKing]

How exciting! Sounds like an exciting trip. I would allow extra time for her to explore and play in ToonTown. Also, they will likely have a kid friendly show or some sort of character interaction in the Fantasyland Theater.

 

[disneycat321]

The main thing I learned on my first trip with a toddler was to slow everything down. WAY down lol. We went at a more relaxed pace overall.

We didn't do many rides aside from Fantasyland. My little one loved Small World and we went 12 times over the course of 4 days.

He surprisingly didn't like the water park at Hojo. Also was unexpectedly very scared of fireworks, so maybe have a backup plan for those, like ducking into a store.

He napped in the stroller, which was great, but we still took a few hours off to relax at the hotel in the afternoons.

I'd take a look at menus ahead of time to get an idea of what restaurants have food you know your daughter will like.

I love your idea of having a date night, that sounds great.

Have fun!

Thank you! Honestly, I’d be pretty happy to ride Small World 12 times, but we’ll see what she likes!

Good call on the menus. I think we’ll mostly be bringing food in for her/having her eat off our plates, but I’ll definitely look and see what she’s most likely to eat around the parks.

I’m not even sure if we’ll make it to the fireworks because she typically sleeps 7:30pm-ish-6:45am-ish right now. I don’t see us making rope drop if she stays up late. But thanks for the warning about those! Learning a toddler’s preferences is sure an unpredictable adventure!

How exciting! Sounds like an exciting trip. I would allow extra time for her to explore and play in ToonTown. Also, they will likely have a kid friendly show or some sort of character interaction in the Fantasyland Theater.

Thank you! I’m actually really excited to spend time in ToonTown, since we typically skip it or only dip in for a few minutes. And thanks for the reminder about Fantasyland Theater! Another thing I’ve always overlooked!

 

[LKing]

On the Disneyland app map, you can set a filter to show you entertainment & rides for preschoolers.

Oh, and the best thing in the entire park is the Baby Care Center. It is at the end of Main Street next to the first aid station. They have the best diaper changing tables and toddler toilets that don't auto flush. It was a lifesaver when our kids were young.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/en-ca/guest-services/baby-center-lost-children/

Offering more than just privacy, Baby Care Centers are fully staffed and feature a host of helpful amenities for parents with infants and toddlers.

Open during regular park hours, each full-service facility is complimentary for Guests and includes:

• Nursing room with chairs
• Changing room with tables
• Toddler-sized toilets (for Guests under 42" tall)
• Feeding area with highchairs
• Kitchen with a sink, bottle warmers and microwave (certain uses only)
• Vending machine offering formula, baby food, juice, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, pacifiers and over-the-counter medication—all available for purchase with a credit card

 

[bakofarmgirl]

hi! weve taken our little a lot, he was tall enough to do luigis and maters at 17 months and he loved luigis!! maters he just held a straight face the whole time but now hes obsessed with cars so hed probably love it more. we usually do phillarmagic too if the parks are crowded and he enjoys it, its a little loud but he didnt mind.

one thing we did last time was took a break at redwood creek challenge, we saw chip and dale in there and its like a park to get energy out and walk around and explore for littles. we also do the toon town area.

and as someone else said keep your expectation that youre going at their pace and youll have a blast! she will have so much fun!

 

[disneycat321]

hi! weve taken our little a lot, he was tall enough to do luigis and maters at 17 months and he loved luigis!! maters he just held a straight face the whole time but now hes obsessed with cars so hed probably love it more. we usually do phillarmagic too if the parks are crowded and he enjoys it, its a little loud but he didnt mind.

one thing we did last time was took a break at redwood creek challenge, we saw chip and dale in there and its like a park to get energy out and walk around and explore for littles. we also do the toon town area.

and as someone else said keep your expectation that youre going at their pace and youll have a blast! she will have so much fun!

Thank you!!

We just showed our daughter a couple of Cars shorts on D+ today and she loved them, so we will definitely try Luigi’s and Mater’s!

Did your little guy actually wear the 3D glasses for Philharmagic? I’m trying to imagine her keeping those on….

Thanks for reminding me about Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - we’ve really only ever done that during OBB, but I know our daughter will love it!

 

[disneycat321]

On the Disneyland app map, you can set a filter to show you entertainment & rides for preschoolers.

I didn’t know about this option - thank you!!

And thanks for the reminder about the baby care centers - definitely would rather use the changing tables in there than deal with the ones in the crazy busy bathrooms whenever possible!

 

[AmericanItGirl]

We took my kid at just over a year old, and the absolute highlight was Toontown. We spent basically the entire afternoon there. This is kind of a duh piece of advice, but make sure to pack a variety of things to keep the kiddo entertained in line. I would also make a reservation at a table service restaurant for dinner at least one because it honestly makes such a difference when someone else is making sure the high chair is at the table and food is being brought so you can both just focus on setting up dinner for your little and taking a moment to sit and breathe. My little is a bolter, so we had a harness backpack, which helped SO much (I normally don't need it, but Disneyland with its many distractions and crowds going every which way is a different beast). That trip was the only time I splurged for LL, and it wasn't really worth it for the rides, BUT it was worth it for the unlimited Photopass. It was nice to go meet Mickey and other characters and just enjoy seeing my kid realize that these characters were "real" and not just on a tv screen without needing to dig out my phone and focus on taking photos instead.

 

[Psymonds]

Our toddlers loved the various playstructures and running free in toontown.

Ours would take a nap in the stroller so my favorite memories were sitting on a bench with a mobile order beer with a napping toddler.

Our toddler trips were like nothing before and after, just plan on any adult ride with ride swap taking a while and get out of the mindset that you are going to speedrun disney.

we did trade off occasionally with one parent and occasionally older sibling staying later when the toddler went home for the night.

 

[disneycat321]

That trip was the only time I splurged for LL, and it wasn't really worth it for the rides, BUT it was worth it for the unlimited Photopass. It was nice to go meet Mickey and other characters and just enjoy seeing my kid realize that these characters were "real" and not just on a tv screen without needing to dig out my phone and focus on taking photos instead.

I’m going to be honest - I never even thought to consider Photopass! We’ve always gotten whatever the current version of LLMP was at the time for our adult trips, but we’re going to skip it. I see that we could do LLMP or get a one day ($39) or one week ($69, so the better deal for us for 3 days) photopass+ by itself? It seems like that would be the cheaper option in this case. If you could do it again, would you stick with LLMP or just do the photo pass+?

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

Bring headphones or earmuffs. Everything, and I mean everything will be loud and overstimulating for a lot of toddlers.

Whatever plans you have for rides...you will probably be lucky to get through half of it. Honestly I wouldn't plan anything more than what you've already got planned.

 

[disneycat321]

Bring headphones or earmuffs. Everything, and I mean everything will be loud and overstimulating for a lot of toddlers.

This is a great idea that we hadn’t thought of! Thank you!

 

[crystal1313]

On the Disneyland app map, you can set a filter to show you entertainment & rides for preschoolers.

Oh, and the best thing in the entire park is the Baby Care Center. It is at the end of Main Street next to the first aid station. They have the best diaper changing tables and toddler toilets that don't auto flush. It was a lifesaver when our kids were young.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/en-ca/guest-services/baby-center-lost-children/

Offering more than just privacy, Baby Care Centers are fully staffed and feature a host of helpful amenities for parents with infants and toddlers.

Open during regular park hours, each full-service facility is complimentary for Guests and includes:

• Nursing room with chairs
• Changing room with tables
• Toddler-sized toilets (for Guests under 42" tall)
• Feeding area with highchairs
• Kitchen with a sink, bottle warmers and microwave (certain uses only)
• Vending machine offering formula, baby food, juice, diapers, wipes, sunscreen, pacifiers and over-the-counter medication—all available for purchase with a credit card

I know you posted the link, but there’s a baby care center in DCA too! My kids haven’t been toddlers in a long time, but the baby care centers are amazing! I spent lots and lots of time in the baby care centers. They’re usually nice and quiet, and it’s a welcome break from the parks! You don’t realize how overwhelming the parks can be until you step into this quiet space.

Other tip would be to bring lots of snacks so take lots of breaks. You won’t get as much done as you’re used to, but seeing the parks through your kids eyes is super fun! Have a great time!!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I have the very best memories from taking my boys to Disneyland when they were babies and toddlers. The Baby Care Centers are the BEST. They are sooo clean and quiet. There is so much great advice here, so I’ll just add a few of my favorite tips:

Pack multiple changes of clothes for your daughter and a shirt for yourself! My kids managed to spill stuff all over me as well as themselves. Don’t forget extra socks.

The new Toontown is amazing. I used to hate Toontown because it was so hot and loud and chaotic but now it’s more muted with more shade and so much more for kids to do. We love it there now (though it still gets crowded).

Make sure your daughter is drinking enough fluids. My kids were always so distracted it was hard to keep them hydrated.

If she falls asleep in the stroller go with the flow. I’m a fan of naps at home/hotel, but it they fell asleep in the stroller I’d find somewhere cool and quiet and just let them sleep.

Go slooooooooow. Stop and say hi to ducks. Sit on a bench and have a snack in the shade. Take a ride on the train. Enjoy the magic of her seeing and hearing and smelling Disney for the first time!

My kids loved bubble wands at that age!

 

[AmericanItGirl]

I’m going to be honest - I never even thought to consider Photopass! We’ve always gotten whatever the current version of LLMP was at the time for our adult trips, but we’re going to skip it. I see that we could do LLMP or get a one day ($39) or one week ($69, so the better deal for us for 3 days) photopass+ by itself? It seems like that would be the cheaper option in this case. If you could do it again, would you stick with LLMP or just do the photo pass+?

I was initially worried about lines for things like It's a Small World (fidgety one year olds and long lines don't mix), which is why LL seemed appealing, but we didn't really need to use it for It's a Small World (we still used it just to use it) because my kid's nap (stroller nap) and eating schedule were such that we were able to do LL rides on "off times" (like during the lunch hour). I would go with Photopass+ instead.

 

[wendlle]

I've been taking my kids since before they were 1.

We never, ever went back to the resort for a break, kids always slept really well in the stroller and we used that time to browse the shops, have a snack in the AC and people watch.

We always did rope drop to close, we used the baby care centres for some quiet time and they are great for picking up anything you may need that you have forgotten or didn't want to pack.

My eldest loved the characters from birth but the youngest HATED them until she was 4, so be prepared for that and just roll with it.

Remember not to make any hard plans, you will need to change them.
Going with young kids is a blessing and it will be some of the best trips you ever take! have fun!!

 

[PinkPaper]

Some kids are afraid of the dark rides (my youngest, which surprised me). Maybe start with some outdoor rides- Dumbo, Carrousel, storybook boat, circus train? Then try a dark ride or two.

 

[BobaFettFan]

Took my 2 year old to Disneyland (now 7) and here are a few take aways:

1. Our most magical memories are him interacting with characters. His hug to Mickey Mouse? Magical. True, honest to God, magical moment. Take the time to get in line.


2. Our son's best time? Playing in the dirt near the pin traders/shooting gallery while I waited for my wife to use the restroom. The smile he had picking up and dropping rocks reminded me that he'd be happy in a grocery store let alone Disney and to not sweat it when it came to doing what he'd like.


3. He still has and plays with the Buzz Light-year toy he got in the trip. It was built to last.


4. Mid day naps. We took turns taking him back, letting him sleep in the hotel at the hottest time of the day, then meeting back up. It was a fun 2 hour solo time for us.


5. As previously mentioned, headphones. Also separate kid safe headphones for the iPad you'll load up with downloaded shows for the plane/car ride


6. If you are flying, bring a bag of lays potato chips. Kids are too young to pop their ears during take off and decent but the chewing will do the trick.


7. Also for travel, go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of cheap small toys. They'll distract long enough for a flight. Kid getting squirrelly? Here's a new toy. Wash rinse repeat.


8. Take videos of them just looking around and being a toddler. A good long 10 minute video to remind you what it was like having a two year old when they're older.

9. Get a shadow silhouette portrait done off Main Street. It is a cherished heirloom now. Pay the extra money for the frame they offer.

Good luck! No matter how much you prep, toddlers will toddle and sometimes they just have rough days.

 

[disneycat321]

Took my 2 year old to Disneyland (now 7) and here are a few take aways:

1. Our most magical memories are him interacting with characters. His hug to Mickey Mouse? Magical. True, honest to God, magical moment. Take the time to get in line.


2. Our son's best time? Playing in the dirt near the pin traders/shooting gallery while I waited for my wife to use the restroom. The smile he had picking up and dropping rocks reminded me that he'd be happy in a grocery store let alone Disney and to not sweat it when it came to doing what he'd like.


3. He still has and plays with the Buzz Light-year toy he got in the trip. It was built to last.


4. Mid day naps. We took turns taking him back, letting him sleep in the hotel at the hottest time of the day, then meeting back up. It was a fun 2 hour solo time for us.


5. As previously mentioned, headphones. Also separate kid safe headphones for the iPad you'll load up with downloaded shows for the plane/car ride


6. If you are flying, bring a bag of lays potato chips. Kids are too young to pop their ears during take off and decent but the chewing will do the trick.


7. Also for travel, go to the dollar store and buy a bunch of cheap small toys. They'll distract long enough for a flight. Kid getting squirrelly? Here's a new toy. Wash rinse repeat.


8. Take videos of them just looking around and being a toddler. A good long 10 minute video to remind you what it was like having a two year old when they're older.

9. Get a shadow silhouette portrait done off Main Street. It is a cherished heirloom now. Pay the extra money for the frame they offer.

Good luck! No matter how much you prep, toddlers will toddle and sometimes they just have rough days.

I love these - thank you!

Your #2 made me laugh because our daughter LOVES rocks and I can totally see this. We’ve been to DLR dozens of times and I realized I have zero idea where any rocks might be…but I know she will find them!

I had never considered #9, but I love that idea. DH looked it up, and they need to sit still for 90 seconds? Might be a stretch for her, but maybe a good video on a phone will do the trick….

Mentioning the silhouettes actually reminds me that I’d love to get her one of the name art things that used to be near the Matterhorn? Where they paint each letter like a different character? Anyone know if that still exists? It’s amazing the things you barely notice or don’t notice at all when you’ve only done adults only trips!