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If you haven’t flown with a baby or toddler before, you’re likely feeling pretty nervous about the prospect. Should you hold him on your lap or buy a seat and bring his carseat? What should you bring on the plane with you? What should you check? Do you bring a stroller for the airport – and should you check it or gate check it? How do you deal with feeding and changing? What if he cries the whole time?
Check out the other entries in this series:
What about when you arrive at Disney? Do you need a carseat? Should you bring a stroller or rent one? How do you manage Disney’s different modes of transportation?
From my own experiences and that of my friends and clients who have traveled this way, I’ll go over some tips to help smooth the process for you.
Flying With Babies & Toddlers
Lap vs Seat
On most airlines, your child may ride on your lap up to age 24 months. After this age, you’ll be required to purchase a ticket for them. You can also choose to purchase a ticket for a child younger than 24 months as long as you have a proper car seat (must be FAA approved.
This presents a dilemma: should you save money and hold your baby on your lap for the entire flight, or should you purchase a seat so baby can sleep in his carseat? This certainly depends on your child and the length of your flight, but generally, if your baby is under 12 months, you’ll probably end up holding him most of the time anyway. Between 12 and 24 months, it really depends on how restless your child is. If he is a wiggle worm and doesn’t like to sit on your lap, then don’t make yourself crazy – get the extra seat.
For slightly bigger kiddos – my favorite travel accessory is the Fly Tot: This is an inflatable cushion that fits into the space between your child’s seat and the seat in front of him, providing a flat surface to stretch out on. And it’s FAA approved!
Should you bring your toddler carseat or booster? You certainly can if it is FAA approved. But if you aren’t planning on renting a car and you won’t need it again, it’s just one more thing to lug around. You might look into something like the Cares Harness, which takes up much space in your luggage and is a safe and comfortable alternative approved for air travel.
What to Check / What to Carry-on
Now that my kiddos are bigger, I like to travel as light as possible. Often, we don’t even check luggage, fitting everything into bags that can be carried on. Forget that idea with a baby! Do not make yourself crazy trying to hold baby and pull stuff out of the overhead, etc.
Check as much as you can. My suggestion is to wear your baby on the plane in a sling, wrap or baby carrier and bring a backpack style diaper bag or tote bag. Anything you personally need on the plane should be fit into the diaper bag. Then you only have one item to worry about (besides baby) and you can fit it under the seat for easy access.
Check your stroller and your suitcases. Then you can stroll down to baggage claim with baby strapped to your chest and a bag on your back (if you have another adult traveling with you – even easier).
Don’t be shy about using a skycap or a rent-a-cart to get your bags down to level 1 where transportation is located – especially if you have more luggage than people.
If you are using Magical Express:
You’ll need to decide whether you want to retrieve your own luggage or let Disney’s baggage handlers collect it and deliver it to your hotel room. Here is the issue: If you have Magical Express deliver your luggage, it can take up to 3 hours – and often longer. Odds are, you’ll have some baby items in there you need sooner than that – but if you can pack the neccessities in your carry on, it sure can make things easier – just head straight from the plane to the bus.
If you don’t think you can wait that long for your things, do NOT use the yellow luggage tags. Instead, retrieve your luggage yourself and bring it down to level B1 and it will be loaded onto your bus.
Make sure to have singles or fives on you so you can tip the various people (skycaps, bus drivers, bellhops) who will be helping you with your things until you get them to your room. It is well worth it!
Magical Express
Disney’s Magical Express, the wonderful airport transportation and luggage delivery service that is complimentary to guests staying on Disney property, is a great way to transport your family – baby or no – to your resort. It’s a large motor coach with comfy seats. The driver will stow any luggage, car seats or strollers under the coach. You won’t need (and are not permitted) to use a car seat on the bus.
Private Car
You’ll need a car seat if you plan to rent a car or take a taxi, Uber or Lyft. Car rental agencies will supply you with a car seat for any extra charge – and this can get pretty pricey. You can also add a car seat to your Uber or Lyft – but only one, which is an issue if you have two kiddos under age 5. This is a case where you may be better off bringing your seat/s from home – even if you don’t plan to use them on the plane.
Transportation on Property
Once on Disney property, you have free transportation to take you anywhere else on property. Read more here about your transportation options.
You do not need (and are not permitted to use) a car seat on Disney’s buses, boats or monorails. You may bring your stroller with you. You can roll it right on to the monorail and keep baby seated in the stroller.
On boat transportation, the rules vary. On the larger ferries, you may roll on and keep your baby in the stroller in most instances, although the captain may ask you to fold the stroller if the boat is more crowded than usual. On the smaller boats, like the water launches that are often used to ferry guests back and forth between some of the resorts and Magic Kingdom, you’ll have to collapse stroller and hold baby.
On Disney’s buses, you’ll always be asked to fold your stroller – no matter how empty the vehicle is. Usually this happens when baby is asleep and you also have 5 shopping bags stuffed in the basket underneath. Have fun!
Have you toured Walt Disney World with a baby? Share your experiences in the comments below. Just beginning your vacation research? Check out my How to Plan Your Trip in 10 Easy Steps and download my free planning timeline. Use the CONTACT form for a no-obligation quote or just email me at rebecca@magicaltravel.com.
