Get to Know the Disney World Baby Care Centers

If you’re visiting Walt Disney World with a child under the age of five, your new best friend is the Baby Care Center. This is a place in each park where you can find supplies, quiet, air-conditioning, and peace of mind, all for Disney’s youngest guests and their families.

So where are these baby oases?

There is one in each theme park. The locations are noted on the park maps, but just in case you need help finding them …

• Magic Kingdom: Go to the end of Main Street and hang a left past Casey’s Corner hot dogs. The Baby Care Center is between Casey’s and the Crystal Palace.
• Epcot: The Baby Care Center is in the Odyssey building. Technically this is in Future World, but it’s really quite close to the Mexico pavilion. Find the path just past Test Track that looks like it’s heading to Mexico and you’ll see the long brown Odyssey building.
• Animal Kingdom: It’s in the building next to Pizzafari. Bear left around the Tree of Life, pass Pizzafari, and it’s on the left.
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: The Baby Care Center is immediately inside the front entrance to the park. Walk in, turn left and hug the turnstiles. It’s in the same building as Guest Relations.

What’s in the Baby Care Centers?

The Baby Care Centers include the following:

• Several diaper changing tables.
• A bathroom with a small, toddler-sized flush toilet.
• An area reserved for the use of nursing mothers.
• Basic food prep equipment including: microwave, ice, plastic spoons, and sink.
• High chairs.
• A seating area for other family members.
• Items for sale including: diapers, training pants (like Pull-Ups, but a different brand), wipes, baby food, formula, juice, pacifiers, baby lotion, diaper ointment, adult comfort items (deodorant, feminine hygiene supplies, over the counter medications), basic infant clothing, sippy cups, bottles, Purell, Pedialyte, child formulations of standard over the counter medications.
• Air conditioning!

Is there a charge for using the Baby Care Centers?

Nope. It’s free. Enjoy!

I’m a stickler for cleanliness. Are the Baby Care Centers clean?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve found them to be among the cleanest areas at the parks.

How many changing tables are there in each Baby Care Center?

It varies, but you’ll find 4 to 6 changing tables at each center. They can accommodate several families at a time. You’ll find that each diaper table is equipped with disposable paper liners at the ready. And they’ll be able to help you with paper towels and other clean-up supplies if you need them.

What can you tell me about the diapers for sale at the Baby Care Centers?

There is a very limited selection here, usually just Huggies brand, and usually just sizes 2-4, but in most cases this will do in a pinch. For the full scoop on the diaper situation at Disney World, just out our post “Disney and the Diaper.”

I love that there are toddler-sized toilets here. Can we find these elsewhere in the parks?

Unfortunately not. Many of the restrooms at WDW have a low sink, appropriate for preschool handwashing, but the only location for smaller sized toilets is the baby care centers. It’s a nice perk if you’re there, but you can’t count having ready access to a tiny throne for your tiny prince or princess.

What can you tell me about the space for nursing moms?

Each of the Baby Care Centers has a space that only allows nursing moms. The lighting in each location is either kept low or is dimmable. At Epcot and the Magic Kingdom the nursing room is a group area with 4 chairs. At the Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios the nursing rooms are private. Some of the Baby Care Center nursing areas have wooden rockers and some have padded glider chairs.

Is this the only place I can nurse my baby?

Absolutely not. Florida law allows nursing mothers to feed their children anywhere they like. Go ahead and nurse your baby in a restaurant, on an outdoor bench, in an attraction, or where ever else you like. The nursing rooms are just a resource in case you feel like you need a little more quiet or privacy than can found in other areas of the parks.

I’m pumping for my baby. Can I do this at the Baby Care Center?

Yes. All of the nursing rooms have outlets and you’re welcome to use your breast pump there. Unfortunately, the Baby Care Centers can not store expressed milk for you. However, you’re welcome to get ice packs at the first aid station next door. (The first aid station is always right next to the Baby Care Center.) The first aid station can hold your breast pump for you while you’re touring the park.

We’re in the baby food stage. Can I feed my child at the Baby Care Center?

Of course. The Baby Care Centers have high chairs, water, and microwave ovens. Note that this is the only place in the parks where you can actually heat food that you’ve provided. The WDW restaurants are not allowed to heat any food items that they have not prepared. This even applies to sealed, commercial baby food. If you’re in the park and want to heat baby food, this is the place to do it.

The Baby Care Centers also sell a small selection of jarred, Gerber-brand baby foods. Like the diaper situation, this should not be relied on for your full vacation supply, but it will do in a pinch.

In addition to my baby, I also have an older child. What can he do while I feed the little one?

The Baby Care Centers have small lounge areas with TVs (showing Disney movies, natch), picture books, and coloring pages. This is a nice place to rest and decompress for a bit.

Are there cribs my baby can sleep in while we’re in the park?

Sorry, no. If you want your baby to sleep in the park, your best bet is to try to get him to conk out in the stroller. If you need a real sleep surface, then head back to your room for a mid-day break. The mid-day nap is good for you too.

I have an older, special needs child who wears diapers. Are there special changing tables for him?

There are no large size changing tables. However, if you’re looking for a bit more privacy than other areas of the park, you are welcome to use the floor or another surface at the Baby Care Centers to change your older child. Some families with special needs diets find that the Baby Care Centers make for a calmer mealtime environment.

I see that the Baby Care Centers sell child medications, is this my only option if my child has a fever or other minor ailment?

As I mentioned, the Baby Care Centers are all next door to the first aid offices. The first aid offices can provide you with one or two doses of most basic over the counter medications for free. If you just need one dose of children’s Tylenol to tide you over until you get back to the big stash in your room, then use the first aid station. If you need a full package, then go ahead and buy it at the baby care center.

Are there any differences between the Baby Care Centers?

The newest center, at the Animal Kingdom, is also the roomiest and most comfortable. The DHS Baby Care Center is, in my opinion, quite cramped. The DHS center is so small that they actually most of the baby supplies behind the counter of the regular souvenir stand next door. So while you can buy something like a pacifier inside the Baby Care Centers at the MK, AK, and Epcot, you have to go around the corner to buy this at DHS.

Do the Baby Care Centers have specific hours?

The hours vary, but they Baby Care Centers are generally open from 9:00 a.m. until park closing. Whew!

Do I need reservations or anything like that?

No, just stop by whenever you like. The centers do tend to be a bit more congested during traditional U.S. mealtime hours, when guest want to heat up food for their babies, so keep that in mind.

What are the cast members like at the Baby Care Centers?

I’ve found them to be generally quite helpful. If they see you’re struggling with something, they’ll offer to lend a hand, grab cleaning supplies for you, etc. They’re nice folks.

Anything else?

The Baby Care Centers are the meeting spot for lost children. If a lost child is spotted in the parks, this is where the cast will bring them.

I once witnessed a very scared four-year-old boy brought into the MK Baby Care Center. The cast members there ascertained that the boy did not speak English and almost immediately they found another cast member in the parks who spoke the child’s language, Portuguese. They got him calmed down and within about five minutes the frantic parents rushed in to reclaim their missing child. Happy hugs all around!

Have you used the Baby Care Centers at Walt Disney World? What have your experiences been like? Let us know in the comments below.