How we fed our one-year old at Disneyland

We recently completed our first Disneyland trip with our one-year-old daughter. Leading up to the trip, one of our biggest concerns was figuring out mealtimes on the plane and in the parks. Our daughter mostly eats solid foods at this point, but also still drinks breastmilk and formula as well. So after some trial and error, we discovered a few strategies that worked for us, and may even work for you as well. Every kid is different, so who knows! 🤪

Packing and Preparation

Before we left we made a checklist and made sure we brought the following:

• Sippy cups for water
• Bottles and nipples for milks/formula
• Spill-proof snack cups
• Easy-to-clean packable bibs
• Disposable stick-on placemats (optional, but tables can be filthy!)
• Portable dish drying rack and travel-sized soap
• Antibacterial baby hand wipes
• Food-safe pacifier / bottle / cup wipes
• Gallon and sandwich baggies for portioning
• Non-perishable snacks, our kid likes:
  • Cheerios
  • Organic Gerber puffs
  • Teething wafers (we used HappyBaby from Whole Foods and Target Good&Gather brand)
  • Target Good&Gather alphabet biscuits
  • etc.
• Formula
• Pump and accessories

After typing that all out it sure seems like a lot of stuff! But we used all of it (except for the formula) and were glad we had brought it.

High-level Strategy

Our main goal was to have water and low-mess snacks always at hand – on the plane, in line for rides, and while waiting for meals. We pre-portioned the snacks we knew we were going to use into sandwich baggies and threw a few unopened boxes into our checked suitcase.

We then used the a gallon-sized freezer bag to a sippy cup, a bib, and a few portioned bags of snacks. This made it easy to toss it into the front pocket of our park backpack which was doing double duty as a diaper bag. We used Munchkin 360 cups mostly because our daughter likes them, but also because they're incredible leak resistant. Not once did I have one leak water into the bag.

Feasting at 30,000 Feet

As we all know, the TSA limits the quantity of liquid you can bring through security – but there are exceptions for baby/toddler food. If you're bringing pumped milk, formula, or other types of liquid food you can tell the TSA at the beginning of the process and they'll examine it separately. Check out the TSA site for more details on this.

For this trip we just brought a small container of formula through security so it was pretty simple. We knew there would water bottle refill stations on the other side so we waited until afterward to fill one of the sippy cups.

When traveling with an infant we like to make sure we arrive with plenty of time to spare, so there was time to find a secluded spot to nurse before the flight. We've found that this is key to having a content baby for most of the 2-hour flight to Orange County.

On the plane itself, we busted out the sippy cut and a few of the less messy snacks (teething wafers and abc biscuits were good for this). Not only did eating these give our daughter something to do, but they also forced her to swallow which helped with ear pressure.

Dining at Disneyland

Park Food

Our general strategy for the parks was:

1. Start the day early with nursing or a bottle to make it to the parks when they open and through the rope drop madness.
2. Offer snacks and water when standing in line (most queues are outside so dropping some Cheerios isn't a huge issue). There are water refill stations scattered about for refilling the sippy cup and restaurants offer water cups for free.
3. Find a quiet spot to eat breakfast and offer water, snacks, and mandarin oranges (these are an available option instead of french fries at most quick service restaurants).
4. Find a restaurant that has baby-friendly food as kids meals or adult meals that can be shared. Use Mobile Ordering so you can grab a high chair and clean up the table instead of waiting in line to order.
5. Last, but not least, remember to take breaks throughout the day for nursing and just to rest. We went back to the hotel every afternoon and found that to be incredibly helpful.

Some of the restaurants we visited that had nice seating, baby-friendly food, or both were the following:

Plaza Inn

On our travel day, we arrived at the parks around 4 PM, famished after traveling. That's where the Plaza Inn on Main Street came in. Its convenient location, fast cafeteria-style service, and generous portions (with a side of seasonal veggies!) made it the perfect first stop. We opted for the fried chicken, though the pot roast was tempting. There was more than enough to share with our baby, so there was no need for a separate kids' meal.

Mint Julep Bar

We rope dropped both full days and spent the most valuable early morning hours on rides. Then around 10am we would place a Mobile Order at the Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans for breakfast. We got coffee, Mickey beignets, mandarin oranges, and non-alcoholic mint juleps. 😋

This part of the park isn't too crowded at that time so it was easy to grab a clean spot and high chair. At the Mint Julep Bar our daughter mostly ate her own snacks and the mandarin oranges. We also gave her a bite of a Mickey beignet which was a fun new experience.

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

Our daughter actually likes vegetables – kale, broccoli, carrots, you name it. One of my favorite options for veggies at Disneyland is Docking Bay 7 in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. It's a bit pricier than other quick service options, but I always enjoy the food and atmosphere over here. But maybe that's just because I'm a Star Wars nerd.

This time we got the Endorian Fried Chicken Tip-Yip and Shaaken Beef with Tattooine Bounty. Our daughter ate some bites of the chicken, the mashed potatoes, and some broccoli/kale. The beef dish was a bit too spicy for her so we skipped the peppers this time. In the past I really enjoyed the "Shaak roast" which was roasted braised beef on noodles – she would have liked that as well so hopefully they bring it back.

One of the main things we like about Docking Bay 7 is that it has a decent amount of outdoor seating that's tucked away to the side. It wasn't difficult to find a spot to park our stroller and a high chair.

Lamplight Lounge

This trip we had reservations at the Lamplight Lounge at Pixar Pier in DCA. We ordered the cheesy pasta off of their Kids' menu, but it was mainly oriented around bigger kids and probably not worth the $12 we paid for it since our daughter filled up on milk, Cheerios, and puffs ahead of time.

Still, it was a nice place to get away from the crowds and just sit for a while.

Flo's V8 Cafe

Flo's V8 Cafe is good for a lot of the same reasons as Docking Bay 7. It has fried chicken and mashed potatoes, chicken fenders (aka tenders), and mandarin oranges. We're generally just big fans of the atmosphere in Cars Land and appreciate the large amount of outdoor seating off to the side of Flo's.

Rancho del Zocalo

Our daughter is a fan of bean and cheese tacos and, as luck would have it, Rancho del Zocalo has that on the Kids' menu! Well it has a bean and cheese burrito, not a taco, but that's close enough

We had originally planned on getting her just a side of black beans, but she was acting hungry so the full Kids' meal felt appropriate – and she ate most of it!

The adult burritos were alright. Nothing really to write home about, but all in all it was a pleasant dining experience.

Nursing Spots and Baby Care Centers

As long as you're OK with it, you can pretty much find any secluded spot and nurse at Disneyland. Lots of mothers and kids around so you definitely won't be the only one! We brought a Milk Snob nursing cover and used the TushBaby as a support. A couple of the best spots were:

• Most benches/tables in Galaxy's Edge (most people here are waiting in line for Rise of the Resistance)
• The back side of Cars Land facing the Radiator Springs Racers (near Flo's V8 Cafe)

We also visited the Baby Care Centers when in the area to have a quieter and cleaner spot for baby changing. These centers have nursing rooms which can be more private and cooler on hot days.

Final Takeaways

While feeding a one-year-old at Disneyland requires some planning and flexibility, it's far less daunting than it might initially seem. Once you've packed your essentials and settled into a routine, navigating mealtimes becomes much smoother. Remember to prioritize snacks and breaks, and most importantly, embrace the magic and create some unforgettable memories!