Disneyland with Toddlers

Disneyland is by far more magical with kids than I ever expected. Sure I’ve been to Disneyland with my nephews and friends kids. But introducing my own kids to all of the Magic was the best. Sawyer is at the perfect age where she believes everything is real. We road the Jungle Cruise and I definitely think she believed the animals and village people were legit. We partied pretty hard and stayed late at the park each night. Most nights we didn’t get to bed until 11pm. Totally worth it. 

My favorite thing about this trip was Sawyer meeting all of her favorite princesses. Pro Tip: look on the Disneyland app for locations and times the characters will be out and about. Sawyer loved watching the fireworks and sang along to all of her favorite songs. Talk about heart melting.

Disclaimer* about half way through writing this blog I realized there is a lot to cover about Disneyland and toddlers so I’ll be writing a separate blog about what we brought / packed. Now moving on...

Sawyer is 2 1/2 and is still pretty short. So all the rides she road had to have no height requirements. You’d think that would limit us a lot but she actually got to go on a ton of rides we love as well. We were at the park for two days and had a lot of ground to cover. We tried getting in as many rides but also taking on account we had two small kids with us and they needed to take breaks. This trip was pretty special and we got to go with Aaron’s cousin Andrew, Stacey, and her kiddos. Most magical thing of the trip... Andrew proposed to Stacey in front of the castle on the first morning. 

Rides both Sawyer and Moses got to enjoy:

• King Arthur Carousel 

• Dumbo

• Snow Whites Scary Adventures

• It’s a Small World

• Tea Cups

• Alice in Wonderland

• Pirates of the Caribbean

• Jungle Cruise

• Haunted Mansion

• Winnie the Pooh

• Tarzan’s Tree House

• Little Mermaid

• Monsters Inc

• Toy Story Mania

Shows and Character interactions:

• Fireworks

• Main Street Electrical Parade

• World of Color

• Royal Hall: Snow White, Ariel, Cinderella 

• Animation Studio: Anna , Elsa

Disneyland with two kids under the age of three is a whole new ball game. Long gone are the days of getting to just bring my small “Disneyland” purse and Minnie Mouse ears. It takes a lot of prep if you’re coming from out of town. 

Tips for Disneyland with Toddlers / Babies:

• Snacks- Bring lots of them. You’ll not only save money on brining your own snacks. But you’ll avoid a lot of meltdowns if you let them snack while waiting in line for a ride

• Double stroller- Even if you don’t use a double stroller regularly at home. You’ll want one in the park. Disneyland comes with a lot of walk and they’re legs will get tired. But you can also move a lot quicker if you can push them where you need to go.

• Take a break- Both days we left the park after lunch time and let the kids nap (or not nap in Moses case). The refresh was worth it. I used this time to shower, repack snacks if needed, and grab a sweatshirt for when we watch fireworks/ or a parade.

• Free water.- Bottles of water in the park are priced so high. Every restaurant will. Give you free iced water.

• Baby Care Centers- There are one in each park. They are so handy. They have things like diapers or anything you forgot or ran out of. They also have chairs to breastfeed in and high chairs with trays to feed your baby.

• Go with another family or adults. Having extra adults around helps with the kids but also makes it possible for you to sneak away to enjoy a big kid ride while the kids nap in the stroller or enjoy another ride

• Meals- Disneyland offers a lot of “window” food buying options but I think the kids and us enjoyed our time more when we actually sat down to eat.

• Mobile order food- Download the Disneyland app prior to your trip. You can mobile order food and it saves so much time. While walking over from your ride or while waiting in line,’order what you want from a nearby restaurant. Once you have arrived select “I’m here” on the app and they’ll get your food out in minutes.

Visit Pacific Grove

My parents moved to Pacific Grove, CA over a year ago. It’s been so much fun visiting them in a place we already had so many memories growing up. Visiting them over the last year it has been so much fun making more memories and not to mention making memories with my little family. 

For the past two years we have celebrated my birthday by attending the Butterfly Bazaar and Parade my nephews participate in. If you didn’t know, Pacific Grove is known for their abundance of Monarch Butterflies. Every fall they celebrate the return of the Monarch in October and it has easily become my favorite way to celebrate my birthday. It has a very Stars Hallow vibe - I love it a lot.

This trip we went to hang with my family before my nephews start school in August. We spent time at the beach which Sawyer loved and was very brave to get in the ice cold water. We made our way to Cannery Row on Friday and shopped. My parents even watched the kids while Aaron and I got our first date night since our anniversary in April. Before we went back to the 100 + heat we took the kids to the Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey. It was our first time and it definitely lives up to the hype. 

Some of my favorite things while traveling to PG. 

• Stop at Casa De Fruta. What started as a fruit stand has turned into a full on attraction over the decades and is perfect for restless toddlers.

• My favorite beach in Pacific Grove is hands down Lover’s Point. It’s a small cove that is great for kids and families to enjoy the sun when it peaks out in the afternoon. When it’s “off season” it’s quiet in the mornings. 

• The Grill at Lovers Point- amazing for a quick treat of when you forgot to pack a picnic for the beach. Be sure to bring cash. 

• Monterey Bay Aquarium is definitely a must if you’re looking for something to keep you entertained all afternoon. 

• Revival Ice Cream. We stopped there after grabbing dinner at Alvarado Street Brewery (a definite favorite as well), and it’s so incredible. They have vegan options and even vegan ice cream cones. 

• Dennis the Menace Park for kids of all ages. There is really something for everyone! My kids are 2 1/2 years old and 12 months old and they both played so much and were sad to leave.

It’s always hard to drive back to the Central Valley summer. Pacific Grove is crisp and cool in the Summer time making it perfect for escaping the heat.