We have taken Casey to Disneyland on two occasions now. It has been 12+ years since either of us went but we are OBSESSED! Especially after realizing that bringing a baby to Disneyland is not difficult at all. I was mostly scared of logistics, like timing naps and carrying a lot of baby stuff all day long. See also: running out of said baby stuff. Luckily, it helps to be a minimalist when deciding to trek a theme park. Today I will be sharing my minimalist packing tips if you want to spend a stress-free day at Disneyland. Bring only what you need, and leave the rest at home.
Minimalist Disneyland Packing Tips
- Stroller. The stroller is key! It helps to lug all of his stuff, as well as our reusable water bottles and our own jackets if the weather changes. We own the Uppababy Cruz V2 Stroller and it is so easy to navigate around crowds. Casey was comfortable being pushed around in it all day long. I was at first hesitant to bring our expensive stroller to the park, but there are Disneyland crew members manning the areas and everyone is on the honor system. We have not had any problems. Everyone brings their own strollers!
- Diaper Backpack. The diaper bag we chose is a Product of the North Elkin Diaper Bag so that either parent can carry it. It also works well with the carrier, as a single person can wear the backpack in the back and the carrier in the front. This diaper bag is on the smaller side, which we like! It comes with a travel changing pad and the top handles allow it to hang from our stroller or be carried as a handbag. Minimalist me wanted to only have ONE bag for baby stuff from the get go. It was essential that we choose a bag that can stand wear and is usable on multiple occasions. We have taken this backpack EVERYWHERE Casey goes since the day we took him home. We even went on our Japan trip with our 6 month old infant just carrying this while trekking Tokyo and Kyoto from 8am to 8pm! I love this diaper backpack.
- Diapers (7)
- Wipes
- Formula Dispensers with Formula inside. Every traveling parent NEEDS this life-hack (and I don’t say this lightly). Tommee Tippee formula dispensers can be premeasured with up to 6oz. of formula powder. The spout pours the powder directly into the bottle with ZERO-mess. And if you have the Tommee Tippee bottles, they actually store inside them quite nicely. We have the Dr. Bronner bottles for Casey and I prefill our bottles with water to make my life easy. Milk is ever-ready.
- Sound Machine. Our travel sound machine is like the backpack. It goes with Casey everywhere. It signals him when sleep-time is, but more importantly, drowns out the noise of rides, laughing kids, and theme-park music during his nap. Casey was able to nap in the stroller and carrier for an hour thanks to this machine.
- Carrier. A carrier is useful for when you stand in lines. Strollers have to be dropped off at the parking area, and depending on the day, wait times of some of the rides can be north of an hour. One tip that I would consider a non-negotiable is to sign up for a Genie Pass. It reduced all our wait times to 25 minutes or less. Either way, unless your baby is big enough to carry on the hip (mine is!), you will still want the carrier even with a Genie pass. This last go around, we didn’t really use it. The Tush Baby is another great option for older infants and toddlers, but to be honest, its quite bulky. Minimalist moms probably don’t need it.
- Extra clothes for Baby and You. For Casey, I pack two tops and two bottoms, in case he has a blow-out, and because he loves to play in the water park at Toon-Town. I would also recommend parents bring extra T-shirts in case of spit-ups and/or baby messes. For example, last time, Casey squirted his fruit pouch contents all over my shirt.
- Portable fan on a hot day.
Now you may be shocked to hear this, but everything I just mentioned fits inside our backpack. We simply walk up to Disneyland with a stroller and a backpack in the stroller under-carriage. If we hop on a ride or go into a restaurant, we park our stroller and bring the backpack with us. Half the time, I leave the backpack under the stroller so I don’t carry anything. As for my belongings, I only carry a cell phone in my back pocket, lip balm and a wallet. My spare jacket and refillable water bottle, as well as snacks if I bring them, go in Casey’s backpack or in the stroller under-carriage.
I like this minimalist Disneyland packing list because it allows me to actually enjoy the day. I am not over-tired carrying stuff as the stroller pretty much pushes all our belongings around for us. Plus, leaving all our belongings at the stroller parking makes it easier to maneuver tight lines. I actually feel like I am carrying less than non-moms who lug their jackets, extra clothes, and refillable water bottles in a purse or bag!! They have to carry their belongings with them all day long. That must get heavy! Trust me. Disneyland is easy to navigate as a mom. And I think it will get easier as he gets older.
Next time, I plan not to bring a carrier. And to bring less milk now that he can start eating solids and sharing our food.
