3 Easy Ways to Beat the Florida Heat at Disney World With Kids
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Stay Hydrated
Florida is hot and humid most of the year, especially during the summer months when real feel temperatures can easily exceed 100 degrees. Making sure everyone in your group drinks enough water throughout the day is so important, especially for younger kids.
Whenever we go to Disney, I always pack refillable water bottles for our whole family. Buying bottled water inside the parks can get expensive quickly, so having your own bottles makes a big difference. You can refill them at water bottle stations throughout the parks or at Disney Resort hotels, which helps you stay hydrated without constantly spending money.
For a more complete look at everything we pack for a park day, you can check out what’s in our diaper bag and stroller here.
If you’re visiting during the hotter months, you might also consider adding an electrolyte mix like Liquid I.V. to your water. It’s a simple way to stay hydrated more effectively, especially when you’re walking around in the heat all day.
We personally use Simple Modern refillable bottles and have had a great experience with them. I usually bring the 40oz Trek Tumbler with a handle and straw lid. It’s durable, leak-resistant, dishwasher safe, and fits in both stroller and car cup holders. I found this to be a more cost effective alternative to other brands and it works great for Disney. One of my favorite things is that I can fill it at home and it stays cold all day, even in the Florida heat.
For my kids, we use the 14oz Kids Summit Water bottles. They’re also insulated, easy to use, and hold up well with all the drops that come with traveling with toddlers. Plus, they come in fun designs, which makes them more exciting for kids to use.
Wear Sunscreen
The sun at Disney can be intense, especially during the summer months. Even on days that don’t feel overly hot, it’s still very easy to get burned.
We usually apply our sunscreen as soon as we arrive, before we even take the kids out of the car. Once you’re inside the parks, it’s easy to get distracted with rides and everything else going on, so I recommend setting a reminder on your phone to reapply throughout the day.
We’ve had really good luck with Sun Bum Mineral SPF 50 sunscreen. Both of my kids have sensitive skin, and this zinc-based option is fragrance-free and gentle, which gives me peace of mind.
For faces, I especially like using the Sun Bum Mineral SPF 50 Face Stick. It makes applying the sunscreen so much easier, especially with younger kids who don’t want sunscreen anywhere near their eyes. My younger son is almost 2, and this has been the easiest way to get coverage on his face without a battle.
Another thing that’s made a big difference for us is using a refillable roll-on sunscreen applicator. You add your sunscreen inside, and it rolls on evenly, which makes it faster and a lot less messy. It also has a cap and fits easily in our diaper bag.
Stay Cool With Fans
Bringing a portable fan to Disney has made a huge difference for us, especially on those really hot days. We’ve tried a few different stroller fans over the years, and honestly, most of them didn’t do much. You could barely feel the air blowing, and the batteries never seemed to last very long.
Then we tried the Ryobicordless clamp fan, and it was a game changer. It has two speed settings, a rechargeable battery, and a really strong clamp that makes it easy to attach to a stroller. The head also rotates, so you can adjust it depending on where you need the airflow most.
Battery life is another huge plus. We’ve used it on high for a full park day without it dying, which was never the case with other fans we’ve tried.
We usually bring multiple, one clipped inside each stroller for the kids, and one on each handle while we’re pushing. As an added bonus, if you already have Ryobi tools at home, the batteries are all interchangeable.
It is a bit more of an investment compared to smaller fans, but for us, it’s been completely worth it.
Final Thoughts
There’s really no way to completely avoid the Florida heat at Disney unless you stay inside all day, and that’s not exactly the goal. Instead, we’ve found that a little preparation goes a long way. Stay hydrated, wearing sunscreen, and bringing a good fan have made a big difference for our family, especially when we’re spending full days in the parks with younger kids.
We also try to build in small breaks throughout the day, whether that’s finding a shady spot to sit, stepping it a shop for a few minutes of air conditioning, or taking advantage of indoor attractions when we need a break from the heat.
And of course, sometimes the best solution is just stopping for a snack or ice cream and taking a few minutes to cool down.