Ultimate Packing Guide: Essentials for a Magical Day at Disney with Kids

Going to Disney World with kids is a whole different ball game and an entirely extra packing list. Below are my personal recommendations of what to pack when going to Disney World with kids.

Be sure to read our Ultimate Packing Guide: Essentials for a Day at Disney Parks post for all of the other essentials you, an adult, might need.

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A Brief Word on Babies

Every time I left the house with one of my babies, I was packing a few days worth of supplies. That’s why I don’t think your baby’s packing list changes much for Disney. You’re going to want all of the same things at Disney that you use at home, plus some of the items below.

I’d be remiss not to remind you that each park has a Baby Care Center where you can get in the AC, change diapers, nurse in a rocking chair, microwave a bottle, purchase baby supplies and more.

Let’s get to the packing list…

Stroller

By no means do I think you should purchase a new stroller for a trip to Disney World! But I wanted to include the City Mini GT Stroller and the City Mini GT Double Stroller in our packing list because it’s my favorite. If you are borrowing one or renting one from someone like Kingdom Strollers, this is the one I would recommend.

I wish I had video of myself on the Disney bus with my Double Bob, or even better, a video of me fighting to fold it. As much as I love the Bob, the wheels on that stroller are huge. Plus, it takes 2 hands and all of my upper body strength to fold it. Most times I was scrambling to collapse the stroller before the bus arrived. A few times I almost sent the bus without me because I was so overwhelmed and embarrassed and knew I’d need more time to fold it!

The City Mini GT, on the other hand, has smaller wheels, and you can fold it using only one hand.

I recommend the GT over the regular Citi Mini mainly because of the tires. They can handle off terrain more smoothly with the shocks and foam-filled rubber tires.

When you rent from Kingdom Strollers, they include the parent console with the cup holder for free, as well as a free rain cover!

Speaking of rain covers…

Rain Cover for Stroller

For years I connected Dollar Tree ponchos to my strollers. I would pack chip clips and binder clips to secure the ponchos to the stroller. This was a poor use of the high real estate spaces within our park bag. Plus the Dollar Tree ponchos will last one use, and then they need to be tossed. Essentially, I lost money…

I finally bought the this universal double stroller rain cover and kicked myself for not doing it earlier. Here is a universal single stroller rain cover.

Pro tip: Rain comes and goes fast in Orlando. Keep an eye on the forecast, and even if it looks like you might get lucky and miss the rain, go ahead and throw the rain cover on top of your stroller if you’re leaving the stroller somewhere. Remember, this will not only keep the seats dry for your kids in the off chance that it rains, but it will also any bags in the stroller dry as well.

Stroller Hooks

While we’re on the topic of strollers, let me show you the stroller hooks that I absolutely love! We have used these for everything! They’ve held our backpacks, our Disney resort mugs, water bottles, souvenir bags… literally everything!

They velcro around any part of your stroller. You can see a blue and gray one, holding a ball cap and small backpack, on the double stroller in the first picture. And in the second picture you can see a few of them holding our refillable mugs on the stroller handle.

I love these smaller hooks, as they allow you to hang so many different items all over the stroller.

The exact hooks we have don’t appear to be manufactured anymore. However, these are very similar. They just have carabiners instead of hooks.

Stroller Fan

If you have a double stroller, go ahead and grab two of thes e for each kid, and then go ahead and grab this neck fan for yourself. Disney gets HOT, and these things are powerful.

I love both of these fans because you’re already packing a portable charger for your phones. You can use those same portable chargers to charge these fans!

Lightweight Blanket

One more stroller accessory you probably already have lying around your house is a muslin baby blanket. These are lightweight, breezy, and perfect to drape over your stroller if your child falls asleep and you want to protect him or her from the sun.

Child Safety ID

My kids aren’t “runners” per se, but I wanted to take extra precaution, and each child got one of these tattoos with my phone number on it on their forearm. The description says it lasts for weeks, but I’d say more like a few days.

These bracelets seem to be a great option as well.

Lanyard

We got these lanyard/wallets for our kids before our first Disney trip. We gave each kid a little cash each day, and they could purchase whatever they wanted. It was only enough for something small, like a Mickey bar, but they loved it!

If your kids are into pin trading, these lanyards are also a great place to secure all of their pins.

Water Bottles

Although we recommend the Epic water bottles in our Ultimate Packing Guide: Essentials for a Day at Disney Parks post, we understand that you may want something a little smaller or kid-friendly for your little ones.

If you’re looking for something a little more Disney, Simple Modern quickly won our hearts for their insulated Disney cups. This style also has the little carry handle that makes it easy to connect to our favorite stroller hooks.

Autograph Book

When it comes to autograph books, there are endless options of what you could do. I love the ones that leave a place to put your Memory Maker pictures or the ones you took on your phone.

I purchased a small 4×6 photo book, along with 4×6 index cards. The characters signed the cards. My plan was to print out our Memory Maker pictures and place the picture next to the card with the character’s signature. That was 5 years ago…

The DIY option does offer a lot more space for more character signatures, but having the characters sign our index cards felt goofy, and I’m convinced sometimes the characters seemed confused.

Regardless of what you choose, don’t forget to bring a clickable Sharpie to make it a little easier on the characters!

Wet Bag

Wet bags are my jam! We have about 5 of these and use them any time we will need a swimsuit or go somewhere we might get wet. Here are a bunch of wet bag options.

For Disney, we pack an extra change of clothes in here if they are planning to play at a splash pad area or ride a wet ride. If they get soaked or have an accident, we put the wet clothes in the bag in exchange for their dry outfit.

You could just as well use plastic ziplocks, but these are cute and reusable.

Glow Sticks

When we go to Disney World, my kids know we won’t be making many merchandise purchases while in the parks. That’s why we always bring glow sticks and light up toys and whip them out at night. The kids love them, and they are so much cheaper than what you can purchase from the carts at Disney.

This pack is huge, but if you just want to purchase a few, go to your local Dollar Tree. I am always impressed with their selection!

Something to do while waiting in lines

I have a picture from our most recent trip of two of my kids in time out in the line at Epcot’s Soarin’. Those poor kids. I expected them to be capable of acting like adults while waiting in line for 45 minutes.

Hence why I recommend a sticker book or anything your kids would enjoy doing while waiting in line. Maybe it’s coloring, or blowing bubbles if you’re outside. Have realistic expectations for your children, and prepare in advance for those sweet kids.

Sun Protection

The sun in Florida feels like it’s millions of miles closer than other places. Make sure you have great protection from the sun, whether it be hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, or muslin blankets to cover the kids in the stroller.

Whichever sunscreen you choose, just make sure you have tons of it and bring some to the park with you each day.

You know what your child will wear. I have one kid that hates wearing sunglasses and another that hates wearing hats. Whichever your kid prefers, bring it to Disney with you and keep it in your stroller.

Also, Dollar Tree is another great place to purchase cheap sunglasses for kids or adults!

This wraps up our Disney with Kids Packing List! Of course there are all of the basics you don’t want to forget… like clothes, shoes, and swimsuits.