The Adventure Series: Day Trip with us to Epcot
Our daughter is almost 2 months old, and we love a good day trip. Being seasoned travelers ourselves, we know the value of perspective, flexibility, and getting out there to have experiences. She is still very young, but babies absorb your reactions and experiences. If you are having an open-hearted experience, she will too. If you feel wonder and excitement, she will too. If you approach traffic and stressful situations with a calm presence, she will too. This is why we believe leading by example is the way to parent, and what better opportunity than on an adventure?
We live about an hour on a good day from Orlando, Florida and Epcot. We started the day around 9:30 AM, as our daughter loves to sleep. We fed her, got her dressed, fed ourselves, got ourselves dressed, packed up and headed out. We hit a small amount of usual Disney traffic after the rest area on I-4. Adventure tip: have diapers and a changing pad in the car to make diaper changes easy. We arrived at Epcot about an hour and a half later and got hooked up with a pretty decent parking spot. Win.
Since this was the first trip to Epcot with her, we brought the stroller, stroller fan, diaper bag and essentials, the Baby Bjorn mini carrier, and an easy lightweight wrap that she loves. I’m exclusively breastfeeding, so her food was good to go. Our daughter currently contact naps only, meaning I wear her, and she naps during the day. I fed her in the car, loaded her up in the mini carrier and headed to the tram. Adventure tip: Fold your stroller and carry your car seat to make boarding the tram easy. Also choose a larger section at the front of each tram cart to sit with just your family and baby gear.
The tram dropped us off in front of security and we waited in the short stroller line. Security will check you out and let you walk through the sensors. Adventure tip: take your umbrella out of the diaper bag (if you have one, or anything else with metal) and hold it in front of you. This will eliminate security pulling you to the side and manhandling all of your stuff. It will also decrease your time standing around in the sun with your little one!
We arrived at the passholders' walk through and there wasn’t a line. We knew today was going to be a breeze. Entering the park we noticed all of the flowers, since it was the Flower and Garden festival. It really was a perfect spring experience. Our daughter was comfortably napping already, and we headed for the World Showcase.
We started at the Odyssey Pavilion for the Citrus Blossom menu. David ordered an Orange-Lemon Smoothie in a Souvenir Orange Bird Sipper Cup and a lemon meringue pie. The smoothie was so refreshing! And who doesn’t love a souvenir cup? This is a great place to start because of the nice bathrooms and A/C. They always switch up the theme as well, so depending on when you go, you’ll have a different experience. The Odyssey Pavillion is also attached to a parent’s most desired place in the park: The Baby Care Center. (More on that later…)
Next up: the food. We always start with Mexico. This is personally my favorite country to visit simply because the food is always delicious. We usually try both offerings, as they never disappoint! On the menu: Sope de Chilorio: Guajillo Pepper-Braised Pork on Fried Corn Shells with Black Beans, Shredded Cabbage, Crema, Queso Fresco and Chives and Tamale de Rajas: Poblano Peppers, Corn and Cheese in Masa topped with Poblano Cream Sauce, Crema, Pickled Carrots and Onions with Chives. After Mexico, we passed through each country admiring the flowers and topiaries. We didn’t eat again until Germany which had delicious potato pancakes and a stuffed pretzel. Our final taste was in Japan and featured a refreshing fruit sushi. It had strawberries, pineapple and mango and was surprisingly delicious. As a breastfeeding mom, these options were my top choices for fairly nutritious choices that I would be sharing with my baby. David tried the seared scallops in Canada and loved them - I at that point was rushing to the Baby Care Center as our daughter had woken up and was ready for her lunch.
Baby Care Centers are located within all four Disney parks in Orlando, FL. I never even knew about these facilities pre-baby and before our visit, asked my sister-in-law about a private place to nurse my baby. She told me about the Baby Care Center at Epcot and it sounded too good to be true! For starters, there’s air conditioning. If you’re from Florida or you’ve visited - you know that it’s super hot here. When you walk in, staff assist you with your needs, and show you where to go. I needed a changing table, and the nursing room. The changing tables are huge, clean, and comfortable. There’s a place to even wash your hands before and after. The nursing room is clean, quiet, cool. and dim. I was the only one nursing and it was very private and comfortable!
All-in-all our visit to Epcot with our 2-month-old daughter was a successful adventure. She was able to nap for a couple of hours while I carried her in her carrier, be changed easily, and nurse comfortably. Epcot also has large walkways so pushing a stroller is very manageable. Trees and venues make shade an accessible reprieve from the sun’s rays. While I carried our daughter, I kept her cool with a hand-fan and made sure she was shaded with a breathable cover.
We hope this helps any new parent wondering if they can make this type of adventure happen with a young baby!