Kaile Hunt 0:10
Whether you have a three month old, a six month old, or you are wanting to celebrate your little one turning one at Disney today, we are chatting about picking your baby to a Disney theme park. What are the best rides to go on? What are rides you should avoid, and what shows or parades are a must see. We will discuss tips and tricks on taking your baby to Disney coming up. Thanks for joining us. This is newbies.

Welcome to newbies. My name is Kaylee hunt, and I'll be your host today. If you haven't already, be sure to visit our website, at New mommy media.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, which keeps you updated on all the episodes we release each week. Another great way to stay updated is to hit that subscribe button in your podcast app. And if you're looking for a way to get even more involved with our show, then check out our online community. It's called Mighty moms. That's where we chat more about the topics discussed here on our show, and it's also an easy way to learn about our recording. So you can join us live today, we have some seasoned moms joining us who have taken their kids to Disney during various different stages of their lives. First, I want to introduce Christina, a mom of two boys who visits Disneyland frequently. Christina, thanks for joining us and tell us more about your family.

Cristina Davies 1:55
Well, hello, and you know, I really love that you said I was a seasoned mom, because I still feel like I am in the trenches and I am not a seasoned mom. Hey, I appreciate that you view me that way, but yeah, my name is Cristina Davies, and I have two boys I often do, yes, this is a terrible word, but I do refer to them as feral because they are wild. I have a one and a half year old and three and a half, well, he's almost four, but, yeah, we are just surviving, but I'm not I'm not sure about thriving.

Kaile Hunt 2:34
I love that. I love that and Disneyland. So we were talking before we hit record, but you hold an annual pass. How exciting Did you know that before you had kids, that you would be a Disney family?

Cristina Davies 2:46
So I mean, I'm from Southern California and my parents, I was very fortunate enough that my parents would take us to Disneyland and California Adventure a lot. So I knew that eventually, like at some point I would want to take my kids as well. I don't know if I knew, like, I would take them as much, but like my we had passes growing up, and so I just felt like it was only natural to get the passes as well. Went for my kids.

Kaile Hunt 3:16
I love that, especially if they're young too, and I'm excited to dive deep into having passes with kids who are under three or over three, which we excited to talk about. Our next mom joining us is Dariyan, who lives on the East Coast and visits Disney World frequently. I'm excited because both Christina and I are from the West Coast. I've only visited Disneyland and so Darian, thank you for joining us and tell us more about your family.

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 3:41
Thank you so much for having me. I'm Darien, also known as raised by magic. I'm a mom of six, and we do go to Disney World all the time, which is new. My love for Disney started as a child, but I never got to go to Disney. My first Disney trip was when I took my oldest for her fifth birthday, and once I came, I fell in love with the the actual magic of being in the parks. And we thought it would be, oh, let's just take our kids every fifth birthday. And it became, let's go every year to let's just Florida. Because I'm originally from St Louis, Missouri. So we moved to Orlando in 2020. Became Annual Pass holders and started going weekly. So I love that. Yeah, a craziness with six and then we had two kids since we moved there. So yeah, craziness of Disney with six kids, all under the age of 12. My oldest is 12.

Kaile Hunt 4:35
How special. I know you have a pretty good social media platform, and that's where I actually found you, is on Instagram. And I was like, You made Disney look easy. We need to get this girl on our show, and let's talk about all the tips and tricks. Yes, thank you for joining.

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 4:50
They are welcome. Make it look easy. That's keyword look yes.

Kaile Hunt 4:56
I will also be chiming in on my tips and tricks, taking my one new. World to Disneyland and her favorite ride she had, plus some of her least favorite rides, which really wasn't that much, but so we'll talk about that after our quick break. Today, we're discussing taking your baby to a Disney theme park. So first section, I want to just break down the theme parks. We have listeners from all over the country, so let's chat about the different theme parks. Dariyan, this, I'm going to toss this over to you. Can you break down Disney World for us? And honestly, me, specifically, because I've never been Yes,

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 5:32
Disney World is huge. I think I never really realized the difference between land and world until I went to land for the first time, and I was like, wow, yeah, Disney World is huge. So there are four parks. There's Epcot Magic Kingdom, which is done with the castle. This all would always tell people Animal Kingdom in Hollywood Studios. So, and then there's two water parks also. But we're just gonna focus, I guess. Do we just want to focus on the main four parks? Okay? Because it's a lot, but yeah. So four main parks, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, animal kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.

Kaile Hunt 6:10
I love that. Now, are all the Disney World parks, excluding the water parks? Are they pretty baby friendly?

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 6:17
Yes, even the water parks, it's baby friendly. I feel like the two that are most Baby Friendly, in my opinion, are magic kingdom and Epcot. They have the most family friendly rides where, like, we can ride all together. Um, Hollywood studios, though, I love that for the babies, because they have a lot of shows, and they have the Disney Junior dance party. So if your toddler or baby is under one, then they'll know those characters and know what baby doesn't love bubbles and dancing. Animal Kingdom is kind of like a magical Zoo. There's a petting zoo there. So that's why I say every park really is perfect for babies, because there's something that they can find to do at each park.

Kaile Hunt 6:57
I love that. Okay, switching gears, going to the West Coast. Cristina, can you break down Disneyland for some of our viewers who have never been Yeah,

Cristina Davies 7:05
So there's a Disney Land, and then there's California Adventure. We typically go to both, but Disneyland is like your typical Disney original characters, and then California Adventure has more of like cars, theme, Incredibles, some little there's little mermaid over there. So, little bit of a mixture.

Kaile Hunt 7:29
I love that. And so, in your opinion, which Park is more baby friendly for people who want to go, but maybe just want to go to one park with their one year old?

Cristina Davies 7:38
I would say Disneyland, because I feel that there are more brides for, like, the littles to go on, but both have, like, a baby care center. And I think it also just depends, though, like, if I have an older child and he is obsessed with cars so that So California Adventure for us sometimes is like, if baby's sleeping, we're gonna go there.

Kaile Hunt 8:06
I love that. And so correct me if I'm wrong, Christina, but kids under three are free. And is true, right? Yes,

Cristina Davies 8:16
under three and but Scotty is, Scotty is three, and there are some people who will wait. We're not one of those people, because Scotty is a very tall and he also talks really well. And is, I mean, he talks like he's six. So, you know, we're we follow the rules.

Kaile Hunt 8:41
I love that. And so in your opinion, why should someone take their kid, baby to Disneyland, especially in the early days? I don't know how early you took your kids, but why would someone take a six month old, you know, to Disneyland? I want you to kind of persuade them.

Cristina Davies 8:59
Okay, so we took Scotty the first time when he was, like 18 months old, and that was just incredible to see, like the magic through his eyes after we had Miller, which is my younger son, taking him. I mean, they they're looking and they're very like, open died. But I think that if we didn't like I wish I took Scotty earlier as well. I just think it's something fun for the family to do that's different, and it is very stimulating. I would say, for the kids, I

Kaile Hunt 9:31
Would agree I took my daughter, yeah, she was already one, and I totally agree with you. I wish we took her younger. Because one, I love Disneyland, so I would have had a great time too. There's a lot of rides that I didn't know, which we'll talk about a little bit later in the show, but there's a lot of rides that, like, baby can go on, like, literally hold her in your lap and just ride Peter Pan, or ride Snow White, you know. And so I think a lot of people don't know that, and they're like, oh, Disney with the baby, you know? They can't get on rides, but they can, which is fun for mom, dad, whoever. And then, you know, I see a bunch on social media of, like, going on vacation with your kid, and it's like, they're gonna be a baby, they're gonna be a toddler, whatever. There's gonna be tantrums and cries. Might as well be at Disneyland if you can get, like, a quick, you know, sweet treat, um, during one of their episodes, which I think is kind of funny, right? And

Cristina Davies 10:22
I also think it's good just to get out, like get the kiddos out. It took us, I would say, a few times of taking our kids there before they understood that concept of we wait in line, and this is what we typically do when we come to Disney or California Adventures. So I think it's just good to get out and kind of, or at least if you're going there, to get in, like a rhythm.

Kaile Hunt 10:46
I love that. And Dariyan, yeah, I was gonna ask you, um, being a seasoned mom of six, holy moly, I only have one, and I have my hands full. But what are your must have items that I'm talking about when you go to the park, so like stroller, water bottle, whatever it may be. What would you recommend for moms who have littles going to Disney World?

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 11:09
Okay, so when my youngest were in the parks, like in the early ages, like six months, a cooling towel in Florida, Florida gets so hot, and especially if you're going to come during the summer months, a cooling towel, an insulated water bottle, a cooler like even if it's like a cooler to put in your backpack or a smaller cooler, because everything is gonna get so hot. I learned my lesson after we moved to Florida. We had regular water bottles. We got off a ride. It's like the water was boiling. I learned that quickly, insulated water bottles, um, fans, stroller fans. It's not only for the baby, but for you when you're pushing the stroller. So the little one for the baby, the one that clipped on the top for mom or dad, whoever's pushing the stroller, um, extra outfits, extra diapers, like the regular stuff that you would think that you would bring, because one time I literally forgot a pack of wipes, and I had to go to the baby center like, Oh, can I get some wipes? One time we forgot a bottle, and we have the Baby Center has everything. But when we when you go so often, like I do, it's so easy to just be like, Oh, I forgot to grab this so and it's not you. I thought that it would be expensive the babysitter, but like for the necessities, a bottle, I think was $2 so nice. Also good to know for appearance, because I was like, oh, no, what are they gonna charge me for a bottle

Kaile Hunt 12:35
that has like a Mickey head on it, exactly. But

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 12:38
actually it was a plain bottle. If they had a good fit, they probably would have upped the price,

Kaile Hunt 12:44
and I probably would have bought it, definitely, yeah,

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 12:48
um, what else so the cooling towels, the fan, a stroller with good shade. Um, I know some people like if you're bringing your own, or if you're renting, there you want one that reclines back, because baby, especially if you bring in baby, toddlers, don't mess up their nap time. They're going to want to nap. You're going to want to be able to push them still while you're having fun, and a good shade and recline is a must have. Um, those are like the top things that I can think of. I make so many lists on with my tick tock. But those are, like, the top I'm always going to be like, Oh, little baby sunglasses, anything to keep baby comfortable. Because, like, if they're comfortable, then that's gonna make your experience a whole lot better. The sun is in their eye. That's not gonna be fun. Little baby Sun hats, little things like that that you don't think about until you get there. Like, those are must haves to me, definitely,

Kaile Hunt 13:41
I would also add on shoes. If you have a baby slash toddler that's walking, I'd never wear shoes. You know, even when we run errands, she just never has shoes on. Anyway, I purposely brought two pairs of shoes, and she, of course, like in toddler fashion, lost one shoe. So I was glad I brought an extra pair, and was keeping close eyes on that, because I don't know, my toddler's wild, and she loves to walk. And so, you know, when you go to Disney park, you know you're in the stroller and then you're sitting on a ride, and there's not a lot of chance to walk around and burn energy out. And so I was so thankful around like, 5pm ish, I'm at the park, I was like, let's get some shoes on, and let's walk around while we wait for a show, you know? And so, yeah, definitely adding shoes onto that. Yes, very important. Yeah,

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 14:25
it is. And you know what? I don't know if you've noticed this when you went, but if your toddler, especially around that age, if they're starting to stand up, they can't stand next to the characters. If they don't have shoes on, you would have to hold them. So shoes are important for that too. So if you want them, like standing next to a character without you, they're gonna have to have shoes on for that too.

Kaile Hunt 14:44
How important. Yay. Thanks for asking.

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 14:47
Right? When you said that, I thought about because my kids are the same way. They'll kick those shoes off in a minute. Yes? And they're so funny,

Kaile Hunt 14:52
yeah, and then it's gone, right?

Cristina Davies 14:56
I love how you guys are bringing all this stuff, because I feel like. I my first couple times I went, I was bringing anything and everything, because, like, bringing my whole house with me to Disneyland. And now I'm almost at this point where I am like, of course, I'll bring, like, the fans, like water bottles and all that stuff, and an extra pair of, like, an extra outfit. But I don't know, I just, I feel like I've lightened the load a little bit since going so much. And even the last time I went, I was thinking I can probably bring a smaller, like, style diaper bag. Now, I think I'm just at that, like, that point where I'm like, Oh, if I forget it, I'm just gonna buy it. It's fine.

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 15:40
Oh yeah, that's the best thing being a month. I'm just from kind of, yeah, I

Cristina Davies 15:43
don't know. I think I'm just like, Oh, okay. The one thing I'll say, though, is we did and continue to, well, we'll bring their light up bubble machines that are purchased from Disney and like, one that they like watched me purchase, because then they, like, they know that that's from Disney. Occasionally we will go and, like, splurge and buy, like, a new one for the holidays. But I think that's like, the only other thing that we that we bring with us, is something that we've purchased there before to, like, bring back, because then they won't ask for another toy. So smart, perfect. Well, we

Kaile Hunt 16:21
got more questions. More questions coming up. But first, let's take a quick break. Welcome back to newbies. This section is my favorite. I'm a rides girl. I love rides at Disney. Um, so we're talking about rides specifically for small babies, so you know, one and under 18 months and under babies that and toddlers that are just still kind of small and can't get on, you know, I don't know bigger rides like Indiana Jones. Anyway, Disney Land rides, Christina, for a baby that is too small for Indiana Jones. What are some of your favorite ones that you had or you went on with your

Cristina Davies 16:58
kids? Well, of course, the care sale, you can start with that small world. And let's see, there is, I'm blanking already on the name, but the the rocket ship ride that just goes around, up and down, winning the poo. And there's more rides. Oh, okay, I'll say there's like, we love Mickey, Minnie, runaway railroad train, that one, except there are a couple times where it gets like a little Whoo. So just gotta hold on to baby. And we're big because my three and a half year old, he is big on the buzz ride, Astro Blasters. But there's only an and our, our little one also loved it too, like we would take him when he was a baby. But there's one spot on that ride where I always, always cover Miller's ears, because I don't know why, but Zerg and the Astro blaster ride, it makes this loud noise, and it will actually set my watch off. And so I always cover his ears, because I'm like, why is it this loud? Right here? It's like this, like, it's like a bang noise. It's just, and it's like a, almost like a high pitch bang noise. It's kind of loud. And some days it sets my watch off. And I'm like, his poor little ears. So I do cover his ears. There are, like, the, I think you mentioned it, like, snow, why in those rides? But I kind of think those are a little scary when we're going through them.

Kaile Hunt 18:28
Yes, good for like, baby who doesn't understand, right? And like, this body,

Cristina Davies 18:32
like the three year olds, I'm like, Oh my gosh. I think it's kind of like they're, like, going through all these different areas, and it's just a little, it's, I'm thinking, like, I'm looking at him and he's kind of frightened, but, yeah. But like, Baby, baby, those types of rides, Alice in Wonderland, like those, I think are great.

Kaile Hunt 18:51
I love that. My favorite ride, even to this day as an adult, is Jungle Cruise. That's a good one. I love pointing out the animals we don't have real animals on the west coast. So that's a great one to be like, Oh, look at the elephant, the hippos, the piranhas. I think that's super cute to start naming. And then, yeah, you mentioned it's a small world for the Mickey and minis. Is it runaway railroad? I am shocked that you can bring a baby on that ride, because it does. It goes so fast. I love it, but it's pretty fast. And I remember there was a point, and I wrote it for the first time with my daughter. And I was like, Oh, great. She was sitting in between me and my mom. She was holding on, and then it just like, goes super quick. And she like, scooted on my lap. And I was like, whoa. This goes fast, super fun. She loved it eventually. But yeah, that was a good one that I was kind of shocked she could get on. Yeah,

Cristina Davies 19:40
I think the first time we took Miller on it, he was, I was baby wearing him, so he was, like, very close to me. And they like, let me wear him that way. But, um, but, yeah, like, otherwise now for, like, I don't sit him down next to me. He's definitely on my lap and I'm, I'm holding on to him, definitely

Kaile Hunt 19:56
switching gears. Um, Darien break down. So. Really good Disney World rides. And I know for, I believe, I've been to Disney Tokyo, but I haven't been to Disney World, at least for Disney Tokyo compared to Disneyland, the rides are pretty similar. There are some differences. So I know at Disney World there's obviously, you know, Alice in Wonderland. I'm thinking Snow White. But what are some other rides that maybe we didn't mention, that you think would be good for babies and toddlers

Unknown Speaker 20:25
trying to think,

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 20:26
because, like, especially at Magic Kingdom, those are a lot of the same rides. So, you know, recently, I did take my baby on hunting mansion, but like you said, it could be scary if they know what's going on, but if it's a baby, then he didn't care. He just looks or he's like, I'm chilling. I'm along for the ride. So hunting mansion technically doesn't have a height. You know, what are good? I don't know if you all have this at Disneyland, the Alad magic carpets.

Kaile Hunt 20:55
No, I don't think. So we don't think it's like, Dumbo.

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 20:59
So it's like, and they can ride on that one, um, trying to see different. They

Cristina Davies 21:05
can't ride Dumbo here.

Unknown Speaker 21:07
Oh, they can't.

Cristina Davies 21:09
I don't think so

Kaile Hunt 21:11
interesting. I don't think so. Oh, I

Cristina Davies 21:14
don't, I don't think so,

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 21:17
right, dumb both.

Unknown Speaker 21:18
That is interesting.

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 21:19
I'm going

Cristina Davies 21:20
to look right now

Kaile Hunt 21:24
we're kind of shocking, yeah, because I was shocked about, yeah, minis and Mickey's runaway

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 21:30
you guys were talking about that.

Cristina Davies 21:31
Dumbo is any height.

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 21:35
Okay, so Dumbo magic carpets is like, the same as that. We have both at Magic Kingdom, but the Mickey runaway railway. We have that at Hollywood Studios. And that was actually one of my kids first ride as a baby, and that was my first time riding. And I was so glad I was baby wearing because it definitely does jerk you around. It does if you don't know. So now, if I'm like, I always tell people you can get on that one just baby wear or hold them on your lap tightly, because, yeah, they're gonna slide around if you're not expecting it. Another one that we have that doesn't have a height requirement. But it's kind of like, wow, this is kind of scary. Is frozen at Epcot. That's another no height required ride, but it goes backwards, and it's kind of scary. Also in my think my daughter was like, obsessed with frozen so we got on there, but she was definitely scared the first time we got on. I think she was three or four, and now she she's five, and she's like, I remember I was scared the first time, but I love it, and it goes backwards, though, and so that's another and you could, you kind of get wet too. And if you don't know, I said, that's why. So like, sometimes when I tell people to watch video of rise before they go with kids, so you can get an idea. Because some people like, oh, we want to be surprised. You're gonna be surprised, all right. Because that no height requirement can um, can be all types. Mean, all type of things.

Kaile Hunt 23:09
Definitely. I was gonna chime in rides to skip um, which could be frozen for some families, one on Disneyland. And I don't know if Disney World has a drop in Pirates. But pirates in Disneyland has a, I think, a pretty big drop. I like it. I chose to go on it with my daughter, and it, she was, you know, what, looking back now I would that was brave of me. So she, you know, it was getting late. It was like two o'clock, which is her nap time, and she was kind of rubbing her eyes anyway. There was no line, really. It was like a five minute wait for pirates. And so she actually didn't mind the drop, and it's so dark in there, she fell asleep. So it kind of worked in my favor. But there is a pretty big drop for pirates, and I just, I just worked in my favor. Honestly, I like that ride, but for some parents of littles, because pirates doesn't have a height requirement at all, which and it has a pretty big drop, it's a water ride. That would be one I would recommend any others.

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 24:04
So, yeah, Disney World, yeah, Disney World is the same they we do have that drop another one where it was my first time with them, and we're like, well, we're going with it. But I think that's why I like shows like this, just informing other people, because some kids do have sensory things, like my oldest does not like getting wet, so if I would have known that ahead of time, I probably wouldn't have let her get on that ride. That's smart.

Kaile Hunt 24:31
That's right, yeah, because sometimes, especially in the front, you get wet. Do you get wet on frozen as well?

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 24:37
Yes, those two are kind of similar that I think about it, but the drop with frozen, I don't think, is as big, and it's backwards. And so my kids were like, backwards. What is this?

Kaile Hunt 24:51
How fun. I love that. Well, we got more questions coming up, but first, let's take a quick break. I. Welcome back to newbies. Our last section will be about parades, firework shows and just stuff to check out. Has the Baby Center we talked earlier about in the show. But first question, um, Christina, I'm not a parades person. I've never really been. I've definitely been a rides person, even since I was a kid. What parades? If you can help me out, should you view there's so many. Don't feel like you have to talk about all of them. But what parades should people have their eyes out for a good baby, toddler?

Cristina Davies 25:29
Okay, so when we went, I mean, obviously now it's like the holiday time, but we love us. Absolutely. Love the magic happens. Parade that they were doing. And we would actually, I mean, we would try to make it every single time, and it's just the music. It's just so fun. The kids love it, obviously, during, like, the busy season and hours of, I mean, like, I say hours, but I mean, like, leading up, right? You have to, like, go and make sure you get your seeds, because being upfront is, like the best thing. So I would definitely try to check out a parade if you do go, especially with, I mean, again, like the whole sensory thing, it's like stimulating for them. So definitely I would check out a parade. The one thing though, that I was kind of, and I remember this from last year, was the firework show at Disneyland during the holidays or Halloween. It changes into like a projection show. And I feel that is something, if you can't get to the front and be looking at the castle, then it's okay to skip, because from far away on Main Street, you're not missing much because, oh, I mean, excuse me, you are, because you're not seeing the lights on the castle, but and you're hearing it, so I don't know. I feel like that's something we could have. We could have skipped. That's smart.

Kaile Hunt 27:07
What about you, Darren, any rides? Um, not rides, any parades or firework shows you would recommend for Disney World? Yes,

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 27:14
the festival of fantasy parade at Magic Kingdom. It's my favorite parade. I think it's like one of the only parades going on right now, because, you know, changes, but that parade is amazing, and it's so interactive, and it's just like fantasies brought to life. Like she said, anytime you're trying to see anything at Disney, you want to camp out to get a good seat, but the parade, it's so long, you can really find a spot through anywhere throughout the park, along the parade trail, it goes back into Hold on, where does it start? Oh my gosh. Now I can't think of where the land is. It starts by the Tiana ride. I can say that it starts by the Tiana ride and goes all the way to the front of the park. And as long as you have a spot along that you'll be able to see the parade. As far as fireworks, my kids do not really like loud sounds. It

Kaile Hunt 28:18
can be overstimulating, for sure, and even for adults. So

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 28:22
we've done like the firework shows the first time that we went, and I feel like each my kids have seen it throughout different stages of their life. But it's not like a we since we go all the time, we do not stay for the fireworks all the time, because like the loud noise. Now we like to see it like, if we are leaving, we'll leave early to beat the crowds and watch it from the monorail or watch it from the parking lot, just so they can see the fireworks, but not hear the fireworks. That's just like I said, That's just my family, and I know some people do headphones also. Oh, smart,

Kaile Hunt 29:00
smart. I guess for parades. I did see one when I was there, well, just by accident, honestly, which, you know, I parked the stroller and we were waving at the characters. But I will say, for people like myself who aren't big parade people, the characters are amazing, like they are waving, they're interacting. They go up to the crowd, they give high fives. I think that is so fun for the whole family. And so my next question for anyone really is, how important is it? Because you always see the Disney Pictures of, you know, the cute kids, and I'm talking about kids, so like, you know, four, five and six year olds taking pictures with characters. How important do you guys think it is to do that with a baby toddler who, you know, is still in diapers? You know what I mean, like, Do you think that's something to skip? I skipped it personally when I went with my one year old. I don't wait in a long line. But how important is it? And maybe we'll have different opinions. I love that. So yeah. Darion, how important do you think it is to like, you know. Wait in line. And whether it's like, you know, the princesses, or whether it's like, Buzz, Lightyear, whatever it may be, how important is it to, like, you know, take some photos with characters. Okay,

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 30:09
so it's kind of a two part thing. I think it's important. But I also don't like waiting in line. Yes, yes. Oh, because babies, they are under three, they get into the part, they also can, like, go to the character dining for free. Technically, you have to pay for them. So we would do like, character dining. And then the characters come to you, and you're skipping the line, and you still get those pictures, because, like I said, since we go so often, it's just the memories of, oh, this was you when you were six months, and now you're one, and now you're two, and to see them grow with the characters. For me, that's like, that's my favorite part of it. Wait, I absolutely

Kaile Hunt 30:48
love that. And now we're having small regrets. We're gonna go again later down the month. But I'm like, wait, yes,

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 30:54
I love that. So that's why I asked, and especially when people like that, they're not gonna remember it. My kids love looking at their photos from Disney and the videos that I create, so they will sit and watch our own channel, like, can you put it on this day so I can see this? Because that like, they don't remember it, but in their head they do now, because they see so much of it. And so, yeah, I think the pictures are very important.

Cristina Davies 31:18
I would have to, I would also have to agree with that, because, I mean, I think it's fun, like you're taking a little baby Miller. I mean, he didn't know what we were doing. Granted, Scotty did, but I think it's so fun just to, like, look back at the photos and 100% I don't know if that was something we were going to talk about, but the character dining, I love character dining, and I'm an adult because, yes, the characters come to you, and that is, I mean, it's just great to be sitting eating. They're content. Characters are coming. We can snap our photos, and they're just having a blast,

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 31:55
exactly.

Kaile Hunt 31:56
So let's talk about character dining. Christina passing it back to you. What is character dining? How do you get a ticket? Just kind of walk someone through who's listening before going to Disney.

Cristina Davies 32:06
Okay, so am I the best person to answer this? I'm not sure, because my favorite and like one and only place that I love to character dine is Goofy's kitchen. And I have been going to Goofy's kitchen since I was a little girl, so I we only go to Goofy's kitchen. I know that there's other places, but essentially you have to now, like, reserve a spot and and they have usually, like a breakfast or, like afternoon, like dinner situation, but you reserve a spot and you can the Goofy's kitchens buffet style. So you go get your food, and then as you're eating, different characters come around, and you can just take photos with them. So I I enjoy it very much. And I'm just gonna say this right here, because you know this, Goofy's kitchen used to have bread pudding, and when I was pregnant, when I was pregnant and we decided to go to Disney, take Scotty to Disneyland for the first time. We booked character dining, and I was so excited for bread pudding at Goofy's kitchen. I was craving it, and they did not have bread pudding. I was devastated. Good

Kaile Hunt 33:21
to know that they swap the menus. They switch it around. Notarian, would you Yeah? Like, oh, I

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 33:32
know you wanted to cry.

Cristina Davies 33:34
I think I did.

Kaile Hunt 33:37
That's so funny. And then so I guess Darian, what about you? What character dining do you recommend for Disney World?

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 33:45
So Disney World, like is huge, so they have a lot more options for character dining. Now, when you ask if you they require a ticket. Now, some character dining is in the resorts, so like Chef Mickey's tapolinos, those you don't even need a Disney park ticket to go to. You just go to that resort. So for people that maybe are not wanting to fully do Disney for the entire day, but to still get some Disney magic, I definitely recommend like staying doing those character dining at the resorts in the parks. I love tusker houses, where we took my son for his first birthday. That's an animal kingdom, and you get to meet Mickey and Minnie. It was Minnie wasn't there. It was Mickey and Daisy. And I think goofy in their Safari outfits, fun, yeah, and oh, what's another one? So they have Hollywood Studios. There's Hollywood and Vine, I think, and that one changes. So in the morning they have, like the Disney Junior characters, we've done that one. And then in the evening, it switches to seasonal. So there's like a summertime with Mickey and his summer outfits. And then there's Mickey's holiday when they have holiday outfits, Mickey Halloween. And I think there's a spring one. So I think those are the four changes. So that one I like, because there's, like, whatever season that you're coming for, they'll match. But like I said, there are so many options at Disney World, I can't even think of all of them right now.

Kaile Hunt 35:16
I love that. There's

Cristina Davies 35:17
a lot I was gonna say. Goody pointed out too about the character dining that's at the resort, because Goofy's kitchen is actually at one of the hotels, and so you don't need a ticket to, like a Disney pass, or ticket to to reserve

Kaile Hunt 35:33
it. How fun. I love that. Switching gears Baby Center. So I actually didn't visit one, and my toddler was still nursing. Honestly, when I went, I just kind of like nursed her when we were eating lunch or something, anyway. But Christina, you, I know, went to a couple of the baby friendly centers, the nursing centers. Where are they located in Disneyland, and what's available in them? Okay,

Cristina Davies 35:58
so the Baby Center at Disneyland is great question, but it's down Main Street, and then before it breaks off into going on the roundabout, it's to the right, if you're like, you're walking towards the castle. And that center, I would say, is actually a little smaller, in a way, then, oh, it's not smaller. The doorway is just really small to that center the doorway is, but that one is just always really busy for some reason. And there they have, like, a little vending machine that has, like, anything that you can possibly need for a baby, like the bottles, wipes, they just have a bunch of stuff in the vending machine. They do have nursing chairs, and then chairs, like, outside of that nursing area, if you just, like, want to, like, just kind of decompress, feed baby. They have microwaves, high chairs, little toilets for kids that I believe are under 40 or 42 inches, and then, of course, changing stations. So we we love going in there for Miller, just because it's nice to just decompress while I'm nursing him. Normally, I am that mom, that woman who was like, I can nurse wherever. Don't tell me what to do. And I have nursed Miller a couple times, just like on a bench. But I think it's just because it is so like stimulating there. It's nice to just get away. And then same thing with obviously California Adventure, the Baby Center is actually where, kind of like, their main food court is at, and there they also have, like, another vending machine. They don't have as many nursing chairs. They have four. But those chairs are actually they're blocked off. So you get, like, a little privacy in every single so they have three chairs, and you get a rule of privacy in every single one where, as in Disneyland, the chairs all face one way and they're in the same area. So there's no there's no like curtain in between. There's only one spot where there's like a curtain at Disneyland, and that's usually reserved for the moms that are pumping. But California Adventure also still has, like, a microwave, high chairs, little little potties and a changing spot that

Kaile Hunt 38:25
is so informative. Yeah, I didn't check it out. I kind of wish I did to be nosy, but I did it anyway. Darion, um, walk me through the baby centers and kind of, I mean, you said you bought Wipes in a bottle at one, which is kind of awesome. What can you buy if you know you forget something? Over at Disney World.

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 38:43
Okay, so it's kind of the same as far as the setup, as far as what you can buy. We don't have vending machines, so I find that very cool that you guys have a vending machine. Ours is like a little store set up, but they have, like, little snacks, like, who did my kids call them. They call them Mickey goldfish, but they're shaped like, I think, Chip and Dale or Mickey Mouse or something like that. They say they have little snacks at ours, bottles, wipes, diapers, sunglasses, or the little sun hats that I was saying. The hat came with glasses. I bought that from the Baby Center too. What else did they have? Anything that you Oh, they have medicine, like baby medicine in there, anything that you might forget in your diaper bag. They pretty much have it in the Baby Center. Our baby Center also has, like a little TV. I don't know if you said that or if you guys have that, but my older kids love like when I used to have to change the baby or feed the baby, they would sit in the other area just to get some air and watch TV, and one time, like a cast member was in there and gave them crayons and paper to color on. So they really take care of the baby center area. So it's relaxing for everybody, the whole family, while baby is taking care of their business. So, you know, you have six kids, I'm like, What are they gonna do?

Kaile Hunt 40:03
That's smart. Yeah, that's super smart. I love that. So one of the last questions, really, is souvenirs, Baby Friendly souvenirs, toddler souvenirs. I mean, obviously what I'm thinking of is, like, you know, stuffed animals, shirts, stickers, all the fun stuff I know when we went, honestly, just to keep my daughter occupied, I bought her a balloon, which she loved, and it lit up. I bought her, I think, two or three stuffed animals, and then I didn't, I didn't bring extra change of clothes, so I just bought an extra onesie there. So that's the stuff that I kind of grabbed, tossing back over to you. Darion, what are some souvenirs that you think are perfect for toddler, baby, when you go, my

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 40:45
youngest, when we went, we got him Mickey ears that said my first visit. I think that was a really cute souvenir. And then also you can put their name on them, like the little Mickey hats. You can use them customized. So I think that's like one of my favorite things to do is get something with their name on it. Um, what else? Bubble wands? Because my kids love their bubble wands and it keeps them happy. Yeah, so bubble wines are also a very good first souvenir. I

Cristina Davies 41:17
would agree with that I were big bubble wand people. And I know I said I pack light when I go, but I always pack extra bubbles. But they do sell extra bubbles, so we can always buy extra bubbles there.

Kaile Hunt 41:31
That's so smart. What about stuffed animals? Do you think it's necessary to always get, you know, the Mickey I bought a poo bear, because she could say poo, which I thought was cute. What about stuffed animals? Christina, do you think that's a must have? That's a pass. What do you think? So

Cristina Davies 41:49
we did buy Scotty card or Lightning McQueen stuffing. And if I'm just talking to someone who's maybe going once and they don't have plans to go as often as I do. I live by hashtag YOLO, and I would say yes, but when you're purchasing these things, probably like, purchase them later on in the day, like when you're getting ready to leave, because then you're gonna have to figure out where to put all this stuff. So I'm if someone's just going for the first time and they're only gonna go maybe once every couple years, I just think buying the souvenirs is a yes. And I might go out on a limb and say a must.

Kaile Hunt 42:40
I agree. I agree. I definitely love and I like shopping too. And I like going into the different stores throughout the park, and it changes, like in poo bears corner, it's all poo and Piglet and Tigger. But then if you go down to like the fairy tale land, it's all the princesses, which I think is super sweet. I So, so, so would agree. Last question, ladies, this has been so fun is, I guess, any other tips tricks you would recommend to a mom of littles who is going to go for the first time with her family, Christina, I'll toss it to you.

Cristina Davies 43:10
So I would say, and this, I mean, because obviously we touched on, like, what to bring and that kind of stuff. I think the only other thing I would want moms or like parents to know is that, like it's okay if your kid is thrown a little tantrum, and not to worry, because chances are, like 10 other kids in your immediate like area are going to be having a little meltdown. And I feel like when I first took Scotty, I was so anxious about that, but now I'm just like, okay, whatever. Let it pop this little meltdown, and then we're good.

Kaile Hunt 43:48
I so agree it happens, and it's a tiring it's a long day for parents and like, for me, you know, as an adult. And so I can only imagine a kid who's constantly looking at everything that's so exciting, and smelling the smells and being thrown off from their nap schedule. Definitely agree. Darian, what about you? What other tips do you have for first time parents, moms bringing their kids over to Disney World

Dariyan "Raised By Magik" 44:10
as my number one tip is to relax like, kind of, kind of, like she said, where the don't let the tantrums bother you. But don't let a planned day distract you from having a good time, because you're not gonna be able to see everything in the parks. The kids, they gonna they still need naps, because, like you said, it's overstimulating for them. So don't take them off their schedule too much trying to do everything, like pick some things that are like some must haves for you, and kind of go based off that. But if you get off schedule, don't stress yourself out about it. Just make sure you're enjoying it too, like it's for the kids, but it's also for you, and that'll just make your vacation much more enjoyable. Enjoyable.

Kaile Hunt 44:57
I love that. Well, yay. Thank you both so much. For joining me today, my favorite episode. So excited. Yay to get this out and so be sure to check out new mommy media.com where we have our all of our other podcast episodes, plus videos and more. You.

Unknown Speaker 45:19
Music

Kaile Hunt 45:25
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Disclaimer 46:02
This has been a new mommy media production. The information and material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of new mommy media and should not be considered facts. While such information and materials are believed to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional medical advice or care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating healthcare problem or disease or prescribing any medication. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified healthcare provider you.