Life with a new baby: those sweet smells, those itty bitty squeaks, those snuggles in the crook of your neck. It’s like being in a cocoon those first few months. A cocoon of newness and naps and a lost sense of time. And a cocoon of diaper bags and back packs and extra clothes and too many things that rattle. It’s bringing a pouch filled with pacifiers, one more blanket, and an extra extra pair of socks. It’s stuff you need and a whole lot of stuff you really don’t. And that’s where going to Disney with a newborn gets a little rough: balancing being prepared with being burdened by just so much stuff.

So, what do you really need when you’re going to Disney with a newborn? And what’s the easiest way to bring it with you? After taking on countless Disney trips when each of the Three Cars Kids were newborns, we’ve come up with a few helpful tips on how to pack and a list of must haves. (If you’re looking for other tips on making the trip to Disney with a newborn easier for everyone, check out our post “How to Survive Disney with a Newborn.”)

Tips for How to Pack

Overpacking

One of the biggest mistakes that can be made by anyone, at any age, is overpacking when heading out to the park for the day. A Disney day is exhausting for everyone. And no matter the weather, standing all or most of the day can make for achey legs and moments of regret upon waking the next morning. The last thing that anyone needs on top of carrying tired toddlers and sleeping newborns is extra stuff. Whether carrying it in a backpack or throwing it onto the back or overstuffed stroller bottom, it can be a burden.

If sweaty backs, bags banging against knees, and frantic moments spent half emptying an entire bag’s contests just to find that poncho in the midst of a sudden downpour sound fun, don’t sound like moments spent surrounded by Disney magic, then consider cutting back on the “must haves” in the park.

All that extra stuff that never makes it out of the bag makes riding the busses harder, jumping on the tram harder, and catching the train from one end of the park to the other harder. At moments strollers will have to close and in your arms you will need to balance the folded stroller, the squirmy little people and the spread of stuff that is now spilling onto countless seats on the bus. It’ll be nearly impossible to get off the bus in a timely manner and multiple trips will ensue just to get the this, that, and the other from the bus back into the stroller bottom or dangling from the stroller hook or strapped onto a grown up back. People will give the side eye. It will be uncomfortable. And filled with apologies. (Or so I’ve heard.)

Bag Size

One tactic we use with our little people is to limit them all to a toddler size back pack that fits behind or under the stroller below them (we do take a double and a single stroller so all our little people have seats as they still get exhausted during the day, and, frankly, the big one likes to take her time and soak everything in, ensuring we’d never get anywhere on time if we didn’t lure her into the stroller and then take off through the pathways). They each keep their own “belongings” in their own bags (except diapers). The added benefit of this, too, is that everything must fit easily under the stroller so that if (when) it rains, it’s all safely out of the way and under the rain cover.

Diapers I keep in a diaper clutch that I slide into one of the smaller pockets on the backs of the stroller rather than on the bottom. This is so I have quick and easy access. I don’t want to pull up to a bathroom and then have to rip open a bag and search through it’s contents just to change a tiny diaper. This saves a little time and a little sweat. (It also has the added bonus of keeping the wipes close, which is necessary for toddlers who can’t seem to eat ice cream before it melts all over their arms and shirts and shorts and socks and hair and…)

Finally, I then put all of my important belongings in a small crossbody bag that I keep on my body at all times. One thing to consider when choosing bags to bring into the park is that it must be small enough to go on rides. Or it has to be left back at the stroller, which means valuables may be left unattended.

Leaving Things Behind on Your Stroller

I have to first address the elephant in the room: stroller theft. Yes, it does happen. But no, it is not often. Given the number of strollers parked around the park on any given day, it’s considerably low. Often strollers are misidentified and taken by accident for a few minutes or moved by a cast member (they are constantly rearranging the strollers in the parking areas to create more room) and then panic ensues. In fact, nearly every parent with a stroller at Disney has felt that momentary shock at being certain their stroller was stollen, until they find it a minute later.

Fortunately, a new system is currently being introduced to the parks to help mitigate some of this. It involves having each stroller being assigned a color which corresponds to a designated area near each ride that the stroller can be left in. These smaller, color-coded areas should help speed up the process of finding strollers.

On our strollers, we only leave behind those things that we can replace. When we set out to wait in line or go into a restaurant, I take my own personal bag with me and the little people’s lovies. The tiny one usually gets put into the carrier I bring, and then I may also grab some snacks if it’s going to be a long wait (but those are usually for the toddler). But, our general rule of thumb is that we leave most of what we brought behind.

Tips For What to Pack

The Usual Suspects

• Diapers: We, of course, always bring diapers, wipes, and cream, all of which we have in a diaper clutch. Bring enough to last the day plus one. No need to bring an entire pack.
• Creature Comforts: I make sure the littles have their lovies, even the newborn, and any pacifiers they may use (along with a back up). Nap time is important. Making sure it happens is even more important.
• Change of Clothes: My littles have never had one of those incidents where their diaper did not contain what they were giving it. Sure, it’s been a little leak here and there, but never one of those jaw dropping incidents where it is visibly pooling in their shorts. Except at Disney. Yep. Happened there. Fortunately, we had extra clothes. And when it was all said and down, we had clothes for me too. (It’s also important for mom because milk or formula and hot soggy sunshine just don’t make for good smells.)
• Formula: Baby needs to eat, right? If you use formula, don’t forget it. But if you do, the Baby Care Centers in each park sell formula. Oh, and don’t forget a small cooler if you need it (the smaller the better).

Managing the Sun

• Muslin Blanket: I don’t know what I would’ve done without these thin, breathable blankets. First of all, while not containing any SPF, they still manage to put an additional layer of protection between the delicate skin of my newborn littles and the blazing Florida sun (which it does regardless of the time of year). It keeps the sun off to a degree and it allows the air to still flow across the skin, which helps calm a stressed-out-with-a-newborn-who-can’t-wear-any-sunscreen Momma mind (and if you’re anything like me, you’ll take any bit of peace of mind you can frantically grasp). And the sun shield extended beyond just the stroller to those moments their chubby legs were poking out of the baby carrier as we waited in lines or meandered around the park. Additionally, the blankets are large enough to tie behind the neck and use as a nursing cover or at least as just a shield (it gets hot and my babies didn’t want anything covering their sweet and sweaty faces), so no need to pack separate nursing cover. And, of course, it serves the purpose of being an actual blankets on the chillier nights, so a win-win here too. Anything that can serve multiple purposes deserves a spot at the top of the list of must haves.
• Binder Clips: These simple office supplies have helped keep my tiny people’s feet from getting sunburn countless times. I use the clips to keep the blanket in place so the sun can’t reach their sweet skin directly (and given the constant kicking of little legs, having the blanket attached is a necessity). Additionally, I’ve used them to help position stroller fans so the cool breeze actually hits my tiny rather than the empty space next to him or her because, well, that’s just a waste of cool air and batteries.
• Hat: It’s not always easy to just move from shady spot to shady spot, so we always use a hat to keep the sun off the tiny’s face when we are wearing him or her in the carrier.

Managing the Heat

• Stroller Fan: My children are sweaters. (And no, not the kind you wear, but the kind that never look quite put together for those fantastic Disney photos.) Each one of them. All you need to do is say the word “hot” to them and they will immediately be covered in little sticky droplets. I’m ok with that. As a family, we’ve embraced it. We keep telling ourselves that all the photos show the “real us.” (Let’s be honest here, we’ve all used that line before…right?) But that means that from the moment the oldest little made her debut, we have had to carry around stroller fans with us basically everywhere we go. It is, perhaps, the single most important thing for us to have (well, and the muslin blanket). I use it both for their time in the stroller and for their time in the carrier (where I also tend to use it to cool this old lady off because statistics show that skin to skin in 180% humidity feels, like, the worst.)
• Batteries: The fan needs batteries. I think I could leave it at that, but honestly, most things need batteries. So, having some on hand is convenient. (Think bubble wands for toddlers.)
• Small screwdriver: Check out the fan before you go. (Because you should buy it before you go. As a mother who has forgotten her fan twice and had to buy the stroller fans sold by the park twice, I can tell you that they pretty much will last you for half a day. And even when you return it and a cast member graciously exchanges it for free, the next one will only last you until the end of the day. Each and every day. (Oh and I don’t mean the spray fans; I’m talking about the Mickey Mouse stroller fans.)) So, if the fan you buy at home uses a small screwdriver (which most do if they market themselves as stroller fans), then remember to bring a small screwdriver to get into those batteries and change them out. Not speaking from experience, but I’ve heard of one poor family having to run from store to kiosk to store to kiosk in Animal Kingdom until they finally found the single cast member in the park with the screwdriver. Save yourself the time and sweat. I sure wish we had (yep, it was us).
• Cooling cloth: Now there are actual cooling cloths you can buy beforehand and bring to the park. These are going to do wonders at a creating a quick cool-down for a hot little newborn. If you can’t get one, though, consider bringing a few baby washcloths to occasionally cool off with cold tap water and store them in a plastic bag so you can take them out and use them to cool the tiny one (and maybe a momma too, because postpartum is no joke).

Managing the Rain

• Stoller Cover: There is no one who wants to sit in a wet seat, newborns included. Using a stroller cover keeps that seat dry and it has the added benefit of creating a warm space if you happen to be in the park during the winter months, where it can actually get chilly, even cold. Even if it doesn’t look like it’ll rain that day, be ready for Florida’s spontaneous afternoon showers, especially in the warmer months. (And don’t forget to throw it over your stroller if you’re heading off to a ride and it seems like theres a chance it might rain.)
• Poncho: Ponchos aren’t really that cool. But don’t worry, in Disney, everybody wears them. There really is nothing that does a better job of keeping your full body and you’re bags (whether they be crossbody or backpack) dry in a downpour. And umbrellas don’t really work that well when pushing a stroller so…
• Umbrella: With a newborn, it seems they’re always in one of two places: in the stroller or in the carrier. And when there’s a little tiny person strapped to you, it’s easiest to keep the rain away with an umbrella. But because we’re firm believers in taking as little as possible, that means we also take the smallest umbrella possible.
• Flip Flops: One of the things that can make or break me at the park are wet feet. If it’s rainy, I tend to wear rubber flats I own so that the water disappears quickly. But if I am desperate to wear sneakers (I’m really not ever desperate to wear sneakers to tell you the truth though), I always pack a pair of flip flops so that in the rain, I can change. Because cold (or warm), wet feet must be avoided.

Managing the Cold

• Pajamas: It can still get quite cold at night in the winter. We’ve often enough been those people who are snatching up the fleece blankets that are being sold in the stores for $20 with a purchase of $40 worth of goods. There are times when even with our best preparations, we have not been prepared for the near freezing temperatures that can happen (and a muslin blanket is still just muslin against a forty degree night). In preparation for that, we usually bring some comfy, warm pjs. And as the evening progresses, I slip the tiny one into his pjs and get him ready to slide off into slumber (or at least that’s what I hope for…always).
• Extra Socks: For some reason, socks slip off the feet of newborns as though their little tiny toes are lined with butter. If I don’t have a pair of soft shoes that stay on my tiny’s feet, then I bring an extra pair of socks in anticipation of a cold evening and a small, naked foot.

Managing the Lines

• Carrier: Even with fast passes, some times waiting in lines can take a little bit longer than a tiny person would like. Especially when they’d just prefer to go to sleep. Whenever in lines we slip the little one into a carrier and let them snuggle up. And the great part about having the tiny one sleep in the carrier is that everyone can move from ride to ride, shop to shop, snack cart to snack cart, without having to wake the little one up.
• Burp Cloth/bib: So, beyond the obvious reasons to have a burp cloth, grab an extra (preferably a muslin one) and stick it between your skin and your tiny’s face as they lay against you. It’ll help keep you both a little cooler and less sticky (we prefer muslin ones as they are light and absorbent).
• Shaker/Rattle/Favorite Toy: People always ask what they can do to entertain their kids in lines at Disney. But with newborns, there really isn’t much. And most of the entertainment can be accomplished just with your voice and face. That being said, we usually grab a little shaker or rattle that the tiny can practice wrapping their itty bitty fingers around.
• Stroller Strap: Even though they’re not big enough to really chuck a toy, things can still get lost. We use stroller straps, both on the stroller and the carrier, to keep lovies in place. We’ve had too many instances of chasing down a fallen lovie to leave this behind.

Managing the Grown Ups

• Sunscreen: Just because the baby can’t use sunscreen doesn’t mean the grown ups don’t need it. Since you’ll be holding the baby against your skin all day, it’s important to consider both the ingredients in the sunscreen and the way it feels. The last thing you need on a swampy Florida day is a sticky sunscreen that traps in all the heat.
• Snacks: Grown ups need snacks too, especially if you’re a grown up who is nursing. Be prepared for hunger to hit, but be smart about what you bring along so you don’t bring too much. Before you head out to the parks, I recommend doing a little research on the snacks available in that park so you know if there is something that you just have to eat.  If so, factor that into your day and plan on carting around a little less.
• Water Bottle: Why waste tons of money on buying bottles of water? The parks have water fountains throughout them, so it’s quite easy to get fresh, cold water as long as you bring your own bottle. Save the environment, save money, and save yourself from bringing five bottles along with you.
• Small Collapsable Bag: You know those little nylon bags that roll up into the size of a pair of toddler socks? That’s the bag I’m talking about. This bag is perfect for combating end of the day mayhem as you try to get from the park to your hotel. Any time that the stroller needs to be folded or you have to manage holding a million small things (including the one that’s probably strapped to your chest), this bag can unroll and be the perfect collections spot for the odds and ends that have somehow made it aboard the stroller during the day.

Disney with a newborn can be stressful. I mean, when you’re a new mom or even when you’re having your third tiny one, going literally anywhere with a newborn can be a cause for stress. But, it doesn’t have to be. Rather than trying to bring everything that can be squeezed into backpacks, coolers, and diaper bags, we  just bring those things we absolutely need. Instead of focusing on all the stuff, we free up our stroller space, our personal space, our mental space,  so that all of that energy of keeping track of stuff that we really don’t need can be put into just having a good time with each other.

Check out some of our other tips on how to navigate Disney with little people.