Disneyland With Toddlers: 10 Tips We Learned Visiting With Two Little Boys
One of my favorite parts of Disneyland with toddlers isn’t even the rides — it’s watching them take it all in. ✨
Disneyland with toddlers is one of those trips that feels equally magical and slightly chaotic at the same time.
We’ve now visited Disneyland multiple times with our two boys and every trip we learn something new. We’ve learned where to start, which rides are actually worth it for little kids, when Rider Swap saves the day, and which waits are absolutely not worth it with toddlers. Don’t miss our Southern California ticket hack too!
If you’re heading to Disneyland with little ones, these are the tips that have worked best for our family.
Look closely - Mary Poppins and Bert are often found in Fantasyland!
1. Bring ALL the Snacks (and Don’t Feel Like You Have to Take the Tram)
My number one Disneyland tip for toddlers? Snacks. So many snacks. Don’t forget to bring some for you too.
We usually load up before heading into the parks because little kids seem to become hungry approximately every 17 minutes at Disneyland.
We always bring a stroller because it ends up carrying everything — snacks, water bottles, jackets, souvenirs, and occasionally tired children. Also, you might want to put an Airtag in the stroller in case you forget where it is!
One thing to know though: if you take the tram from the parking garage, you have to fold the stroller. Our stroller is a pain to fold so we usually skip the tram entirely and walk through Downtown Disney to the parks instead. It’s an easy walk and saves us the stroller fold-up process.
Sleeping Beauty's castle decorated for the 70th Anniversary celebration at Disneyland.
2. Get There Right When the Park Opens
If you only take one piece of advice from this post, let it be this:
Get there early!
The first few hours of the day are magic at Disneyland with toddlers.
Wait times are shorter, it’s cooler outside, kids still have energy, and you can knock out several rides before the crowds build.
Rope drop is absolutely worth it for families. Besides, aren’t you up at the crack of dawn anyway?!
3. Start in Toontown
If you have toddlers, Toontown is our favorite place to start.
Our boys love:
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Gadget’s Go Coaster
Exploring Toontown
Meeting Mickey in his house
Meeting Mickey first thing in the morning has usually meant shorter waits for us too.
Toontown just feels made for little kids and is such a fun way to start the day.
There is a stationary Dumbo when you get off the ride so you can get that picture perfect shot!
4. Keep an Eye on Fantasyland Wait Times (or Head to Big Thunder!)
Fantasyland is obviously classic Disneyland toddler territory, but don’t forget to watch the wait times. Don’t wait more than 40 mins for anything. Dumbo is great but only when the line is 20 mins or less.
And if you happen to have a little thrill seeker…
Big Thunder Mountain might surprise you.
Our son LOVES Big Thunder.
A 20–30 minute wait for Big Thunder is pretty good in our book, and it has become one of his favorite rides. There is a 40 inches height requirement for this one! Check before you go!
We also LOVE Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.
5. Learn Rider Swap — It Is the Parent Hack Nobody Told Us About
Rider Swap is one of the best things Disneyland offers for families with little kids.
Here’s how it works:
If one child is too small (or doesn’t want to ride), one parent rides first while the other waits with the younger child.
Then the second parent gets to ride without waiting in the full line again.
You just need to talk to the Cast Member at the ride entrance before anyone gets in line.
We’ve used Rider Swap on so many attractions and it makes a huge difference.
It’s especially helpful if you have one toddler who loves bigger rides and one who isn’t ready yet.
Galaxy’s Edge ended up being way more toddler-friendly than we expected. Meeting Chewbacca was a huge hit for our little Star Wars fan. ✨
6. Don’t Skip Galaxy’s Edge if Your Kids Love Star Wars
Our boys are huge Star Wars fans and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run was a massive hit.
Honestly, Galaxy’s Edge ended up being way more toddler-friendly than I expected.
Even walking around the land was fun for them. Give Chewbacca a high five and say hi to Han Solo!
If you have little Star Wars fans, definitely add this to your Disneyland day.
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree is the best toddler ride and relatively short line!
7. California Adventure Has Some Great Toddler Rides Too
We love Disneyland, but California Adventure has become one of our boys’ favorites too.
Our must-do rides are:
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
The Little Mermaid
Mater is always a hit.
And The Little Mermaid is such a nice break when you need air conditioning and a slower ride.
Eat at Flo’s and catch Lightning McQueen an Mater roll by!
8. Don’t Wait in the Radiator Springs Racers Line
This may be my slightly controversial Disneyland opinion…
Don’t wait in the regular Radiator Springs Racers line.
We have almost never seen it under an hour and it breaks down fairly often.
If it fits your budget, this is the ride I would consider buying Lightning Lane for.
And if you can combine it with Rider Swap? Even better.
Pro Tip: Our favorite place to eat is Flo’s Cafe. If you sit in the back patio area, Lightning and Mater drive by! Chicken nuggets and fries for the kiddos is one of our favorite meals there.
Meeting Mater and Lighting McQueen was DEFINITELY a highlight for our little Cars fan!
9. Pixar Pier Is Great for Toy Story Fans
If your kids love Toy Story, don’t miss Pixar Pier.
Toy Story Midway Mania is one of our family favorites and is always a hit.
There’s just something about competing for points that keeps everyone happy — kids and adults included. I will beat Josh one day… I swear!
10. Don’t Miss the Spider-Man Show in California Adventure
One thing that surprised us was how much our boys loved the Spider-Man training show near the entrance of California Adventure.
The show runs pretty frequently (about every 50 minutes or so) and lasts around 10 minutes.
You don’t need a huge strategy here.
We usually just walk over when it’s about to start.
Bonus: you can often meet Spider-Man nearby too.
Buzz Lightyear greeting our toddler at the beginning of the ride.
What We Pack for Disneyland With Toddlers
A few things we always bring:
✔ Snacks (LOTS!)
✔ Refillable water bottles
✔ Stroller
✔ Portable charger
✔ Change of clothes
✔ Hats + sunscreen
✔ Small toys for line waiting (always Hot Wheels cars - we have them everywhere)
✔ Extra wipes (always)
For quieter moments back at the hotel, we also usually pack a few screen-free activities.
Lately our boys have loved bringing books from The Trucks That Saved series and truck activities for downtime between park days.
Disney days are amazing, but having a little quiet hotel reset time has helped us a lot.
More Disneyland Posts You Might Like
Planning a holiday Disney trip?
→ Read our Disneyland at Halloween guide or Disneyland at Christmas guide
Need a sweet break between rides?
→ Check out our favorite Disneyland desserts
Disney fan?
→ Check out Walt Disney’s Office
Southern California Parent Hack: Use the 3-Day Resident Ticket
If you live in Southern California, this is one of our favorite Disneyland hacks.
Disneyland often offers a Southern California resident 3-day ticket between January and mid-May, and one of the best parts is that the days typically do not have to be consecutive.
We love this because it makes Disneyland feel so much more manageable with toddlers.
Instead of trying to squeeze everything into one long weekend, we can spread visits out and move at toddler pace.
Just make sure to check Disneyland’s current offers because they change year to year. Costco also sometimes offers a 3-day pass!
Our Favorite Family Hotel Near Disneyland
We almost always stay at Hyatt House Anaheim Resort / Convention Center and honestly… I think it might actually feel closer to walk from there than the parking structure.
It has become one of our favorite family hotel stays because it checks so many boxes for traveling with kids.
What we love:
✔ Walking distance to Disneyland
✔ Large rooms for families
✔ Small kitchen area
✔ Sitting space to spread out
✔ Free breakfast
✔ Hyatt free night certificates or points can work here
The breakfast isn’t the most amazing hotel breakfast we’ve ever had, but not paying for one extra Disney meal is a win in my book.
I’m planning a full review because this has honestly become our go-to Disneyland hotel.
Hyatt House Anahiem Resort Convention Center
1800 S Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, CA 92802, United States of America
Final Thoughts: Disneyland With Toddlers Is So Worth It
Disneyland with toddlers definitely looks different than pre-kid Disney trips.
There are more snack breaks, slower mornings, stroller parking, and bathroom stops…
But there’s also seeing Mickey through their eyes for the first time, watching them light up on their favorite ride, and hearing them talk about the trip for weeks afterward. 🥹
And honestly? That magic is pretty hard to beat.
More Disneyland Posts:
Planning Disneyland with toddlers? Here are our favorite Disneyland tips, Rider Swap hacks, toddler rides, hotel recommendations, and California Adventure favorites from visiting with our two boys.