Not only did Leo fly for free as a Lap child on Southwest Airlines,  Kids under 3 years-old enter Walt Disney World Parks for FREE.  I don’t know about y’all, but I love feeling like I got a deal!  They can also eat at buffets for free until 3 years old! Leo wasn’t eating much more than banana when we went, so we didn’t take advantage of that perk (yet!)

You definitely need to reserve Fast Passes!  You can reserve fast passes 60 days in advance, so you want to reserve those and your dining reservations as soon as possible to have the best schedule. We did our best to make it to those fastpass reservations and our dining reservations and the rest we just went with the flow. I was nervous about the dining reservations not knowing Leo’s schedule but he often napped on me at meals.

One of the biggest tips I learned is about the Rider Swap.  I will do my best to explain it, so you don’t get lost.  It is a little bit tricky, but oh so Magical.  First, rider swap is an option DIsney has available for one parent to ride a ride while the other stays with the baby, then when they get off the second parent can go!  This really comes in handy when you have three people, so no one has to ride alone.  On the swap, The person watching the baby can go on the ride through the fastpass lane with one another person with them so they don’t have to ride alone.  BUT, here is the hack!  If you keep the Swap in mind, then you can reserve fastpasses for just two of the three adults when a rider swap is available.

Going to Walt Disney World with a baby will be nothing like going with teens and adults, which is what my only experience has been.  Look at your schedule at home and try to match that at Disney.  Expect your child to still get their naps in, and just makes sure to plan in breaks during the day.  You will probably miss some things you normally would never miss.  This trip we didn’t even make it to Epcot, and I love Epcot! I just recommend enjoying the process, and anything you miss will give you a reason to come back to Disney.  We moved at a much more relaxed pace.  Typically, our schedule would include my baby waking up for the day and me taking him down to breakfast with my Mom while my husband caught a few more Zzzzs.  I would let him sit in a high chair and watch the activity while I enjoyed coffee and breakfast.    Then after breakfast, Leo would take his first nap for about a half hour in the room before we head out to the park arriving in time for a ride then lunch and another nap.  On previous trips to Walt Disney World, we would be there before the doors open for the early magic hours to the park.

5. Treat Yourself (I’m looking at you Mama!)

Just being at Disney World is a treat for me, but here are a few splurges we had.  We stayed at our very favorite Polynesian Resort Hotel.  We bought the Photo-Pass beforehand.  I knew I wanted this trip documented and I did not want to bring my “big-girl” camera this time.  Anytime I saw a Disney Photographer cast member with a short line, I would grab a family photo, even if the background was nothing special!  We ate at our favorite restaurants, many of which are at the Polynesian Resort.  We took an Uber from the airport.  Uber Carseat is available in Orlando.  We took a “Minnie-Van” to Epcot.  And on our last night we had room service delivered from Ohanas, because it was only $5 extra and the baby was already asleep on the bed.  All of these things were things I wouldn’t have done previously, but with a baby I wanted to get the most out of my time.