Disney's Baby Care Centers
So I have been meaning to write about the Baby Care Centers at Walt Disney World for quite a while. I mean we last visited them in February! However, it has been falling on the back burner. With us planning another trip at Christmas, I decided I probably need to look back at the Baby Care Centers for myself for some planning purposes. So why not write about them now?!
Some things to note in general.
- I did not visit the Baby Care Center at Animal Kingdom, so I don't have any input or pictures of it. We just didn't have the time to visit Animal Kingdom this trip.
- Each park only has one Baby Care Center.
- None of the Baby Care Centers are "hidden", but you wouldn't notice them if you were not looking for them.
- Each Baby Care Center is unique in what it offers.
- The Baby Care Center is a must if you have young kids, especially if you have kids in diapers!
Epcot
Epcot was my favorite Baby Care Center. It is located at the Odyssey Center. This is the big building between Test Track and Mexico. Sometimes special events are also held in this building.
This was our favorite for a few reasons.
- Least crowded
- Largest
- Men's Restroom
- Most Amenities
When you first entered, there is a room to the right that reminds me of a waiting room at a doctor's office. One young child even asked her parent if they were at the doctor! In this room, there were a few chairs, a small couch, bookshelves, and a TV. We spent a bit of time here and let Melody stretch and just sit and play. I believe you could get some crayons and a coloring sheet from the staff for your child to even color while in here as well. If you continue down the hallway, there was a quiet room on the left for breastfeeding moms. Continuing down the hallway, you would enter a kitchen. I didn't get any pictures of the kitchen, but it contained almost everything you would need. There was a sink, microwave, bottle warmer, etc. They even had fresh water, and they had various items for sale in case you forgot something [including baby food]. This was nice to wash out bottles and clean spoons. There was a room to the side of the kitchen that contained numerous chairs, high chairs, and even a small table and chairs for kids. This is where we would actually feed Melody. There was even some items for sale in this room as well. Lastly, there was another hallway that led to a room full of changing tables. BIG changing tables! There were also multiple bathrooms. It was nice that there was a men's bathroom in here.
We probably came here 3-4 times. I did plan our day so that we would end up near this Baby Care Center. Again, it was definitely my favorite of the three, and I am certain we will be stopping there in December!
Hollywood Studios
My second favorite Baby Care Center was at Hollywood Studios. When you enter the park, it was on your left at Guest Services. You actually had to walk inside of guest services, then you would see it on your left. At this Baby Care Center, you can even bring your strollers inside. The others have stroller parking, but we asked a castmember where we should take ours, and she said inside. Of course, if it is super crowded, I do not recommend this. This is the smallest Baby Care Center of the three.
When you first walk in, you literally enter the main area of the Baby Care Center. You will find a small kitchenette on your left. It contains a sink, microwave, and bottle warmer. There is a couch with an ottoman along with some chairs. You will also find a TV and some high chairs. They do not sale anything in this Baby Care Center. If you need to buy anything, there is a sign letting you know to go to one of the souvenir shops (I can't remember which one). On each side of the kitchenette are rooms for breastfeeding moms. All it contains is a rocking chair as you can see below. There is also no door which isn't very private and appealing. And with only two rooms, it fills quickly. If you go right, there is a room of changing tables. Again, very large changing tables. I love these! There is a restroom, but it is only for kids.
So you may wonder why this is our second favorite. If you read all about it above, it isn't very appealing. Well Magic Kingdom was our least favorite for numerous reasons below. So Hollywood Studios had to be second haha! We were lucky in that it wasn't busy the two times we visited. Our second time was a bit busier, but it was mainly breastfeeding moms and their families waiting outside. We never had trouble finding a seat, highchair, or changing table. I could see during the summer this Center being exceptionally crowded and unappealing however.
Magic Kingdom
The Baby Care Center at Magic Kingdom can be found between The Crystal Palace and Casey's Corner.
As I mentioned above, it was my least favorite of the three Baby Care Centers we went to.
- Overly Crowded
- Unfriendly Castmembers
- Unappealing decor and furniture
- Smaller
So when you first walk in, you will find on the right a room for the breastfeeding mothers. On the left is a small kitchen. The kitchen is similar to the one at Epcot. It includes items for sale as well. When you make the corner, you walk straight into the room full of chairs, highchairs, a book shelf, tv, and a table and chairs for small kids. This room was exceptionally frustrating. Castmembers did not monitor the stroller policy, and there were people inside with their strollers taking up a lot of room. I also didn't like that the room containing the highchairs was also the "holding" room for the families waiting on their breastfeeding moms. I know this was the case at Hollywood Studios, but that is a much smaller park. Magic Kingdom should have a separate room like Epcot did. This was frustrating when we returned in the afternoon to feed Melody, and Brad and I couldn't even sit on each side of Melody. There was one family scattered throughout all of the room. They were extremely rude. It just made feeding Melody really difficult. On the left is the changing room containing the extra large changing tables. In the changing room is a women's restroom as well.
I really felt like Magic Kingdom is such a busy and large park that the Baby Care Center could have been nicer. Like I mentioned above, even the staff wasn't as nice. It seemed like they were training, but that is still not a good excuse. We visited this Center twice. The morning visit wasn't bad because we were one of maybe two families there, but the afternoon visit was much different. If you visit this Center, just be prepared to have to potentially stand or even change course especially if you are using it to feed your child.
Overall, I love the Baby Care Centers. I would use all of them again without a second thought. I was just simply giving my opinions on each one. Our trip in December will include stops at each Center, and when I make plans, I will be sure and include those stops. None of the locations are super convenient, so you have to plan to be in those areas to take advantage of them. We probably won't use them for feeding, but the diaper changing areas are AMAZING! Much nicer than any restroom one! Like I said above, if you have a kid in diapers, these are a must. If you go in the summer [or if it is hot when you go], these are a good place for your kids to get some air conditioning, watch tv for a few minutes, and just rest. However, if you are one of those families who are using it for that purpose, please be mindful of the ones using it for feeding. Especially at Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. Don't make a parent stand to feed their child. That's just not very polite. At least that is my opinion. I hope these pictures give you some understanding of how each Center is layed out, and I hope to get some pictures of the Animal Kingdom Baby Care Center in December!
