The Four Baby Care Centers at Walt Disney World

Are you nervous about heading to Disney with an infant?  Stressed about managing feeding, diaper changes, making sure you bring everything you need AND dealing with the busy theme parks?  Never fear – Disney has you covered with Baby Care Centers at all four theme parks that provide everything you need to care for your little one plus a respite from the busy park environment.  Depending on which park you are visiting, the Baby Care Centers range from a true oasis to a helpful stop if you really need it.  Read below to get all the info you need to make the most of each baby care center.

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1. What you can expect in all of the Baby Care Centers.

While each Baby Care Center is set up differently, there are some things you can expect in all of them.  Regardless of which park you’re at, you’ll find a dedicated space for preparing bottles, feeding, and changing your baby.  While the bathrooms throughout the Disney parks have changing tables (in the women’s AND mens’ rooms – thank you Disney!), the Baby Centers feel cleaner, have more space, and generally have less of a line.  While you don’t have to head there every time you need to change a diaper, if you’re in the area it’s worth the stop.  You can expect paper covers for the changing tables here too, so even if you are a germ-a-phobe you will feel comfortable changing baby here!  You are welcome to feed your baby by breast or bottle throughout the Disney parks, but the Baby Care Centers offer a quiet, air-conditioned place to do it where baby will likely be less distracted.  They also provide space to prepare formula or milk, and most sell all the baby supplies that you may have forgotten or somehow ran out of 2 hours into the day (diapers, wipes, formula, sun screen, baby food, etc.).

2. The true oasis at Animal Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom has the best Baby Care Center of all of the parks, probably because it’s the newest and Disney has learned what works over the years. This was actually the first Baby Care Center we visited with our 6-month old and it definitely spoiled us!  Located on Discovery Island, between the Tree of Life and the bridge to Africa, it is pretty centrally located so you can pop back over from any of the sections of the park.  Animal Kingdom tends to be the hottest park, so it’s perfect that it has a wonderfully air-conditioned Baby Care Center that is the perfect escape after you’ve been carrying a baby around!  This center has a large room with plenty of changing tables, private nursing rooms with a rocking chair and plug for pumping, and a well-stocked store with anything you might need for your baby.  One of the highlights of this center is a large “quiet” tv room to the left when you enter.  With Disney movies playing throughout the day, and a staff member who make sure that it stays pretty quiet, this is a great place to rest with toddlers or for your older children to hang out while a parent is dealing with the baby.  I had a wonderfully relaxing hour of watching Moana in refreshing air conditioning while my daughter napped in the carrier and I sipped a Starbucks drink.  Did I mention this Baby Care Center is located right next to Starbucks?!?  All in all, this is a top-notch Baby Care Center, worth going a little out of your way for, and a great break from the heat and chaos of the park.

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3. EPCOT – A Close Second!

EPCOT’s Baby Care Center scores major points for its size. It has plenty of room for the whole family to relax and enjoy the air-conditioning while parent and baby do their thing.  The kitchen is spacious with plenty of room to prepare food or a bottle and a well-stocked and organized store.  There is a play room with a movie, toys, and coloring opportunities and a separate room with high chairs for feeding without distractions.  You’ll also find a nursing room here with 4 rockers.  While not the private rooms that Animal Kingdom has, you can easily use this room to nurse or pump and can gain a little more privacy by turning a chair towards the corner.  One of the highlights of this center is that it has restrooms attached, allowing everyone in the family to meet their needs in the same place.  With the most space of any of the centers, you can feel comfortable settling in while baby naps, or an older child gets a break from the stimulation of the park, without worrying that you’re overstaying your welcome.  The location of this center could be seen as a negative or positive, depending on how you look at it.  It is located in the Odyssey Center between the Test Track are of Future World and the Mexico Pavilion in World Showcase.  This makes it pretty inconvenient to access from most areas of the park, so you may want to consider your other plans and schedule in a stop when you’re nearby.  The upside of this location is that it doesn’t get too crowded and feels like a calm escape from the business of the park.

4. Magic Kingdom – the original.

As the oldest park, and thus the oldest Baby Care Center, the Magic Kingdom center provides a solid experience in a dated atmosphere.  The décor and furniture is aging, but the four chairs in the nursing room make up for that by being so comfortable that mom might want to take a nap while baby nurses.  They are so big that you kind of disappear within them, and easy to spin around for more privacy.  Like the others, this center has  a movie playing to entertain the other littles while parents deal with the baby.  This center is a little smaller than Animal Kingdom and EPCOT, but eye balling the number of strollers outside can give you an idea of whether it is packed or not.  The location, in a nook off Main Street by the Crystal Palace and First Aid Station, makes it a convenient stop as you’re heading into or out of the park, and also fairly easy to access if you are in Adventureland or near the Castle in Fantasyland.  If you find yourself further out in Fantasyland, Frontierland or Tomorrowland and don’t have a lot of time, as long as you don’t have to warm a bottle you are probably better off changing baby in the bathroom and finding a quiet spot to feed her.

5. Hollywood Studios – helpful when you really need it.

Unfortunately, the Hollywood Studios Baby Care Center doesn’t quite provide the wonderful oasis that the others do.  It will cover your needs though, as it does offer two private nursing spaces (with curtains as doors), a small kitchenette, and a small changing area.  There is a general room in the middle with a tv, but it’s not the same type of great space for little kids that the other centers offer.  The other strange thing about the Hollywood Studios center is that it is located within the Guest Services office at the front of the park.  While it provides a nice place to change a diaper, and privacy if you need it for pumping or nursing, you probably won’t want to go out of your way to use it or spend extended time there.  This center doesn’t have a store with baby supplies inside, but you can purchase them at the Movieland Gift Shop outside of Guest Services.  One bonus this center offers is a kids’ bathroom, so if you are potty-training you might want to stop on your way in and out of the park.