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An age-by-age guide to Disney World activities

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Babies and Toddlers (Ages Birth Through 2 Years):

Keep In Mind: A child's patience and attention span are limited at this age, so tailor your schedule accordingly. Stick to tame, slow-moving rides, and allow lots of time for feeding, changing, snoozing, and cuddling. Schedule just enough to sample the magic without overstimulating baby. You can always come back again in a few years, when he or she will appreciate the experience even more.

Parks to See: The Magic Kingdom-especially Fantasyland and Mickey's Toontown Fair, where attractions are specifically designed for little ones.

Touring Strategies: Head to Fantasyland first. It's where you'll see all the scaled-down classic Disney attractions. If your child slips into her morning nap, relax on a shady bench or check out the charming (and air-conditioned!) Tinker Bell's Treasures shop at Cinderella's castle. From Fantasyland, stroll over to Mickey's Toontown Fair. Break for lunch, then head back to your hotel; or, stay a few more hours and leave after the 3:00 parade. If you don't mind disrupting your little one's bedtime routine, hit the park again after dinner (if it's open), head for Adventureland and Frontierland and catch the SpectroMagic parade.

Don't Miss: Cinderella's Golden Carrousel; It's a Small World; Dumbo the Flying Elephant; The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh; Walt Disney World Railroad (kids enjoy watching it pull in and out of the station even more than they like riding it); Minnie's Country House at Mickey's Toontown Fair (pint size, with lots of fun buttons and levers for pressing); Toon Park (an interactive play area in Mickey's Toontown Fair where kids can make the animal topiaries "talk" by stomping on lilypads); and The new Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride in Adventureland.

Skip: Scheduled character appearances (the crowds and the larger-than-life Disney characters may be overwhelming); Tom Sawyer Island (tough to navigate with a stroller) and the Swiss Family Treehouse (too much climbing!)

Kids May Be Scared By: Dark surroundings and loud noises at some of the attractions (for example, fireworks shows, or the gunfire at Pirates of the Caribbean ride).

Parades to Catch: The Share a Dream Come True parade (if you're still in the park at mid-day), featuring Disney characters in giant snow globes. (Have one adult grab a curbside seat about an hour ahead of time, while the other keeps the child entertained.)

Meals Plans: Formula, baby food, and juice are available at hotel gift shops and the Baby Care Centers located in all the Disney parks. (You can nurse there in a relaxed setting.) For a quick Fantasyland lunch, duck into the Pinocchio Village Haus, where you can cut fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and pasta salad into bite-size pieces. Stash small boxes of cereal in your diaper bag to tide kids over between meals. With small children, room service or takeaway dinners from hotel food courts may be more relaxing than dining out.

Best Spots to Greet Characters: From a distance at parades and shows like the new Cinderella's Surprise Celebration, where kids can safely wave or call out to characters without getting close enough to be frightened.

Places to Chill Out: The Baby Care Center (with rocking chairs, toys, and baby supplies); the rockers outside the Frontier Trading Post in Frontierland; Donald's Boat in Mickey's Toontown Fair, with refreshing sprinklers.

Hot Tips:

Bring your own lightweight, folding stroller so you can skip the queues (and fees) at the rental counter.

If your baby's too young for a ride, you and your spouse can "baby switch" at the entrance. Tell the attendant that you'll hop on the ride first, while your spouse and the baby wait for you on the sidelines. Then, when you come off, your spouse can ride, while you hold the baby.

Check the age-by-age guides for the lastest tips and hints to make the most of your next Disney vacation:

Babies and Toddlers (Ages Birth to 2 Years)

Preschoolers (Ages 3 to 6 Years)

School-age kids (Ages 7 to 10 Years )

Preteens and Teens (10 and over)

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