Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By way of example, Bob has a friend who bought a video camera when his first
child was born. He delighted in documenting his son's reaction to various new ex-
periences on video. One memorable night when the baby was about 18 months old,
he recorded the baby eating a variety of foods (from whipped cream to dill pickles)
that the baby had never tried before. While some of the taste sensations elicited wild
expressions and animated responses from the baby, the exercise was clearly intended
for the amusement of Dad, not junior.
Alongsimilarlines,rememberwhenyouwerelittleandyougotthatniftyelectric
trainforChristmas,theonewithwhichDadwouldn'tletyouplay?Didyoueverwon-
der for whom that train was really? Ask yourself the same question about your vaca-
tion to Disneyland Resort. Whose dream are you trying to make come true: yours or
your child's?
That said, let us stress that for the well prepared, taking a toddler to Disneyland
Resort can be a totally glorious experience. There's truly nothing like watching your
child respond to the color, the sound, the festivity, and, most of all, the characters.
You'll return home with scrapbooks of photos that you will treasure forever. Your
little one won't remember much, but never mind. Your memories will be unforget-
table.
If you elect to take your infant or toddler to Disneyland Resort, rest assured that
their needs have been anticipated. The theme parks have centralized facilities for in-
fant and toddler care. Everything necessary for changing diapers, preparing formula,
and warming bottles and food is available. At the Disneyland Park, the Baby Center
is next to the Plaza Inn at the end of Main Street and to the right. At DCA the Baby
Center is tucked out of the way next to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory in the Pa-
cific Wharf area of the park. Dads in charge of little ones are welcome at the centers
and can use most services offered. In addition, men's rooms in the parks have chan-
ging tables.
Infants and toddlers are allowed to experience any attraction that doesn't have
minimum height or age restrictions. A mother of three from Utah wrote to us, saying:
We traveled with my 9-month-old, so we did the switching-off option a lot. However,
I would appreciate it if you listed in the guide a complete list of all the rides that ba-
biescanbecarriedon.Iwastherealonewithallthreekidswhilemyhusbandhadto
work for part of the time, and it would've been really nice to just look at a list of all
the rides that we could've gone on with a baby.
It's actually far easier to list the attractions that you
can't
take a baby on at Dis-
neyland. Unless a minimum height or age requirement is explicitly posted, children
of any size—even handheld infants—are welcome on any ride. That includes all the
family dark rides, kiddie carnival attractions, and slow-moving boats. Opposite is a
