Going to parks with a 4 year old

[luvmylittleboy2003]

Would you say yay/nay on packing a backpack with extra clothes for a 4 year old, also, what about a stroller for this age? We aren't heading over to the parks until Noon (because we plan on staying at the parks later). I like to keep it simple without allot of stuff to carry/push around, with just a small shoulder bag carrying the necessities and the camera bag. Would love thoughts on this???

 

[Disneyof3]

Depends on the individual child. My daughter was great, she took her own backpack with 2 water bottles and a sweatshirt in it and walked the whole park from morning to night. While my son now when we took him we still had the stroller and we carried his stuff. Last year when we went he was 5 and he walked but near the end, ended up on daddy's shoulders and then I carried him from the gates at MK to the bus lines.

 

[MicNut713]

I would pack a little bag. I always have a back-pack with me. I have a DS7 and a DD3 and we always bring a little something for each. A stroller is a must. They are bound to get tired and it is nice to have a place for them to sit. If you are staying on property I would think about going early in the morning and get must do rides out of the way. Head back to the room in the afternoon when the park gets busy and everyone can rest and then head back into the park for the night. We have found this to be the best for us. The only park we have trouble leaving is MK because we always like to see the day time parade. So then next day we might get a little later start. Have a great trip!!!!!!!!

 

[Mickiethepooh]

Yes to the back pack yes to the stroller NO to the arriving at noon.
You do NOT want to arrive at the HOttest and busiest part of the day. what the smart people do is arrive early, at EMH if you are onsite. stay till NOON then leave. go back to your hotel nap/swim relax then return to the park around 4 to 5 or so.

 

[qtwns]

We couldn't have survived without a stroller...our kids might have, but we liked having a place to stash our stuff.

When our boys were 4, we never took a change of clothes. If they got wet from water rides or fountains, they'd dry off soon enough. We never worried about if the clothes got dirty either. No mess was ever too big that we couldn't make them presentable again by just cleaning it off with water.

 

[luvmylittleboy2003]

Ok..great tips ...I'm going with yay on the stoller and backpack w/extra clothes!!

I thought about the 'hottest time of day' thing, but, we are going in November and don't really think that should be much of an issue and since ds is a late sleeper, I don't want to wake the angry bear and try to get to the parks early .

Thanks again everyone

 

[ogreenlee]

4 year old's clothes are easy to carry, and if your DS is like my DD, then spills occur at a rampant pace.

 

[tlelliott]

We too are going with a 4 yr old....we went to Disneyland when DD was 5, DS 3 and we only got one stroller at the time, but ended up getting the second for my 5 yr old at the time...she was just as tired by all the walking/riding/waiting. We are definitely bringing in a backpack and getting a double stroller this time in case they need to rest, plus it does help to tote things around. I may pack an extra pair of shorts/undies for him since he does tend to 'wait too long' before getting to the bathroom, he was still in pull ups at Disneyland

tips I've read on here:
1. Bring ziplocks to put your items you don't want to get wet in your backpack (i.e. camera, maps, clothes)
2. Bring a bright color ribbon/bandana to tie on the stroller so when you come out of a ride/show, you can easily spot it, they stash them all in one parking area

 

[Schmeck]

How late does the kid sleep? Won't he be up before 10 AM? What time does he go to bed? I'm asking all of this because even if he gets up at 10, you'll be in the parks before noon.

A 4 yr old needs an average of 11 1/2 hours sleep, so you could even put him to bed at 10:30 PM and he should be up by 10 AM. By then everyone else should be ready, get the kid dressed, hand him some food that you got at the food court, and be at the bus stop by 10:30.

If he wants to play in fountains, bring a change of clothing. If it gets cool at night bring a sweatshirt. If you plan on going nonstop, bring him a stroller.

 

[slo]

I've been taking my DD's to WDW their entire life, and I would absolutly use a stroller for your 4 year old. This takes the stress off of you for when he's tired, and you don't have to worry about him wandering off. The next time we go to WDW my youngest DD will be 5, and she will still be in a stroller. My oldest DD sat in a stroller w/ her sister until she was 7 - it's so much easier that way!!!


The bag that I take into the parks is a small diaper bag (very small). There's enough room for an extra pair of shorts, a t-shirt, 2 bottles of water, and a couple of snacks. I don't do a backpack, because I don't want to carry it in the heat. I've never needed more than what was in my bag, and I never wished I had a bigger bag with me.

 

[Fish Almighty]

We didn't bother taking a stroller for our 4YO last fall because he wouldn't be caught dead in one (too "baby"). However, by the middle of the first day he was begging for a stroller, and we had to rent one for the remainder of the visit. So, a "yes" on that one.

We also have a change of pants (at least) for him in our bag.

 

[KimWDW]

Backpack: maybe
Stroller: YES
Arriving at noon: Just plain crazy!

 

[luvmylittleboy2003]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone . Seems like most of you agree on our noon arrival as being a no no - even in November when crowds are low and temps aren't hot, would it still be crazy ?

 

[KimWDW]

You should do whatever works for your family. We've found getting there at opening works best for us. We get more done in the first two hours then we do the whole rest of the day. Plus, we have a 5 year old so he's rearing to go in the morning and more tired later in the day. So we do all the rides in the morning and in the afternoon we do parades, swimming, shows, more relaxed stuff. When it was just DH and I, we'd get there at noon. But with our little guy, it's a different vacation.

 

[elainemeyerovitz]

we went when my 2 DS's were 3 yrs old. YES- bring strollers- especially for those long walks to and from the main entrances and bus drop offs.

we were on the dining plan, so we did not carry our own water- we could use one of our snack credits for a huge 24 ounce water bottle and then just refill it at the waterfountain if needed. we got up at 7 am, grabbed breakfast and an early bus, and then did the parks till about 12noon, then headed to the room for a mid day nap. we then went back to the parks around 3-4pm for more fun and dinner. then got back to our room at 9pm and used the hotel pool in the cool night till about 10 or 11pm and went to bed.

 

[nateryan]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone . Seems like most of you agree on our noon arrival as being a no no - even in November when crowds are low and temps aren't hot, would it still be crazy ?

I would say go when you are ready. I wouldn't want to start the day off with anyone unhappy because they were woken up too early. You never know, your son may surprise you and wake up early...so much excitement. I'm glad you are going with the stroller and extra clothes.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you get to the MK at park opening (whether EMH or not that morning), you have a better chance of doing more attractions before the lines get long. If you are going in early Nov, you will have Jersey week folks arriving about the same time. We took our son for the first time when he was 4 and we started our pattern of going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. But getting to the park when it opened, we did at least four or five (somes including repeat rides) attractions in the first hour.

Then around noon, we'll head back to the room after getting a bit of lunch. On that first trip, my son and I would lie down and he might nap, might not. Or we would head to the pool for a swim. He got refreshed and so did we.

Then we would go back to the parks in the late afternoon until 8 or 9. EMH in the evening has only been for the last couple of years and we've found them to be very crowded with longer lines.

Schedule that wake up call from Mickey or Stitch or whoever is calling these days and let your son be the one to answer the phone. Nothing like a personal invitation to get the party started.

 

[Leota]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone . Seems like most of you agree on our noon arrival as being a no no - even in November when crowds are low and temps aren't hot, would it still be crazy ?

Go When it works for your family!

Our first trip in Feb. 1993 was with our 4 year old son. He was also a late sleeper & had health issues. Commando was not an option & frankly, it never occured to us. We got up & out of the room by like 10:30, but stopped to have a nice character meal or relaxing breakfast & then went to the Parks around noon.. We rode the attractions in whatever order they came to us in, ate when we were hungry, napped when we were tired and had a great time.Sure, there were a couple 1-2 hour lines (no FP back then) But we didn't care, We were happy It was Magical. So much so, that we've been back, what, 16 times?

-Will you be able to check off every attraction going late & waiting in line? No, probably not.
-Will you wait in longer lines? Yep, you probably will.
-Will your child be happier if he moves at his regular pace? most likely, yes.
-Will you & your husband be more relaxed if you go on your schedule instead of the DIS Board Commando schedule? If you're not commando people , yes.

Not everyone is commando, folks. Not every cares if they "see it all". DH is so far from commando it isn't funny. When I stopped pushing him to be commando, he fell in love with WDW. Whenever I pushed him to "do it all" he was miserable & never wanted to go back.

Now on our trips we have some Commando Hit the Park at Opening Days and some Relax & Get There When We Get There Days. I love them both & I wouldn't do it any other way.

 

[Lindymom]

Yes to the back pack yes to the stroller NO to the arriving at noon.
You do NOT want to arrive at the HOttest and busiest part of the day. what the smart people do is arrive early, at EMH if you are onsite. stay till NOON then leave. go back to your hotel nap/swim relax then return to the park around 4 to 5 or so.

I have to agree with this. I'm leaving in five days for a trip alone with my DS who will turn 4 next month.

He's already reminded me a few times that I need to bring the stroller (this was after a very long day of back-to-school shopping when I didn't bother with one... he was exhausted and cranky from trekking all over two malls). I'm bringing a lightweight umbrella stroller (Maclaren Volo) that has a shoulder carry strap attached to it.

I still haven't decided whether I'm going with a full change of clothes or not. He doesn't like to wear soaking wet clothes, so if we go on a wet ride, we'll probably both be happier if I have a change of clothes for him. I'm also bringing some water, sunscreen, snacks, etc. Having the stroller makes it easier to bring extra stuff since I can just hook the pack on the back of the stroller. I keep my wallet and camera in a little pouch and just leave the rest of it with the stroller while we're on rides.

I'm planning on heading out of the parks shortly after noon to spend the hottest part of the day having lunch, a swim, and a nap (I hope!) back at the hotel before heading back to the parks around 4 or 5 pm. The crowds and wait times peak at the middle of the day and the fastpass return times will be much later then too. I really think the most important tip for WDW with young kids is to avoid making them wait in long hot lines and showing up early and leaving for a midday break is the best way to do that.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[sunlover13]

We just went to the parks with a 4 yr old! I would say yes to extra clothes & yes to a stroller. The extra clothes came in handy b/c it was so HOT, that DD would play in the misc water fountains at the parks. We had a dinner ressie at CP which was freezing cold with the A/C blasting. So, those extra clothes definitely came in handy.

DD also spent a lot of time in the stroller b/c she got tired from walking so much. The stroller was great for the end of the night, she fell asleep a couple of times and we did not have to carry her back to the bus or throughout the resort.

Have a great trip!