Any Disney Hacks for Traveling with YOUNG Kids?

[cjparker0110]

What I remember most from our son's first birthday trip years ago is how much he loved the boat ride from MK to Grand Floridian..

I always liked taking boats, too! I remember as a kid taking the bus from the Contemporary to Discovery Island. Also, we would occasionally take the boat to the MK. There was just always something cool about it. Of course, I grew up by the ocean so boats and I get along really well. But I still enjoy doing it...especially in the evening.

So refreshing after seeing so many kids with their face so glued to a phone that they dont even notice a line moving.

Isn't that the truth! We try to spend as little time on our phones/computers as possible in front of our kids. We don't want them glued to them. As it is, our 4 yo already thinks she should be able to play games on it (thanks to her aunt's ipod). We already decided that there will only be one phone in the park with us (and that only because we will have a large group to coordinate with at various times throughout the day).

How do your kids feel about self flushing toilets? If they're scared, bring post it notes to cover the sensor with.

That is a great idea! My daughter won't even use the bathroom in public if she can avoid it because of those things...and they are so loud!

 

[CandleontheWater]

I would say resist the urge to book lots of sit down meals. I know that dining is a big thing in the Disney fan universe, but if your kids are anything like mine and aren't great eaters/don't like to sit still for long blocks, save yourself the aggravation and money and go counter service. You will also save yourself a ton of time better spent on rides anyway. Maybe book one character meal, but your kids will be just as happy with chicken strips from Cosmic Rays as they would be with Chicken strips at a sit down place.

 

[kmoore7]

It's been a while since our children were that young,but,fly by the seat of your pants. Don't get hung up on your pre-determined schedule. Remember, it's a vacation

 

[Disney Princess]

My kids loved collecting pressed pennies. A mini M&Ms tube is the perfect size to stack 2 quarters, penny, 2 quarters, penny on and on so its ready to go at the penny machines. Then a Mentos gum container is the perfect size for the elongated pressed penny. If you're feeling really crafty, the Cretive DISigns board here has designers who make printable customized labels for your containers - my son had a Star Wars theme label with his name, and daughters had a Mike Wizowski and an Ariel each with their names. Fun to find the machines and I challenge you to find any other souvenir for only $.51 ! Once you've collected a few, the kids like to get them out and admire them to pass the time.

I love the Mini M&M container idea. Keeping those things rounded up is half the battle, seems so logical

 

[Disney Princess]

I would say resist the urge to book lots of sit down meals. I know that dining is a big thing in the Disney fan universe, but if your kids are anything like mine and aren't great eaters/don't like to sit still for long blocks, save yourself the aggravation and money and go counter service. You will also save yourself a ton of time better spent on rides anyway. Maybe book one character meal, but your kids will be just as happy with chicken strips from Cosmic Rays as they would be with Chicken strips at a sit down place.

We have definitely done this in the past and it has worked really well. We've also gotten in the habit of bringing an Uncrustable with us in our diaper bag and he'd rather eat that than a burger or chicken.

 

[Angc77]

Not sure if your kids are like mine but when my 2 girls were younger, there were days where there were arguments about clothes and wearing sandals. Well definitely wanted them to wear comfortable clothes and tennis shoes to the parks so prior to leaving I used gallon size bags and put one outfit for each day for the parks and told them these are the clothes they would wear and absurdly no sandals/flipflops in the parks. Never had one day of clothing arguments. Definitely bring a hat or sunglasses per child. I bought glow bracelets and necklaces at the dollar store before our trip. Hand sanitizer and even sanitizer wipes came in handy. Also while waiting in some of the longer lines I downloaded a few games to my phone to keep the occupied during the wait. Have a great trip

 

[Mersmom98]

I read the idea on here before our trip in 2013...bring little one's pj's to the park in the evening if you plan on staying past bedtime. Put them in their jammies before you leave the park or before they fall asleep in the stroller. Then you just transfer them straight to bed when you get to your hotel at the end of the night.

 

[GillianP1301]

My biggest tip is keep the sleeping and eating pattern as close to your normal routine as possible. If you normally eat dinner at 5pm, don't think you can book an 8pm ADR somewhere and be fine, you likely won't be. Same idea for sleeping, normal bed time at home is 8pm and we come pretty close to that, even on vacation. Our first trip he was 4 and we did 1 late night to see Wishes. Now that he is 7, I'm adding in a 2nd late night to our week long trip.

My other general tip is be fully ready to follow the lead of your little ones, which may mean skipping a headliner at rope drop because they would much rather watch the ducks or something. Don't let that stress you out, just go with it and that will help your own stress level.

This works for us and results in pretty much a meltdown free vacation.

 

[starsweeper]

You've got some great suggestions here!

*I also pack all kids' clothes in ziplocs with socks and underwear so getting dressed in the morning is super easy, and I have an extra set for the preschoolers I keep in the double stroller for the parks.

*I agree with not overscheduling, let the kids set the pace and direction for the day. Often the best moments are unplanned like sword fighting CMs at the POTC store, chasing ducks or lizards around AK, etc. I changed our FP+ a couple times on the fly last trip because they were enjoying something else at the moment.

*We also try to stay to our kids' eating schedule for school/home and only plan 1 sit down meal a day. I find they eat very little at meals whether due to the heat or excitement, so multiple sit down meals would waste money and valuable park time for us.

*We try to have the preschool kids in bed no later than 9:00pm (home bedtime is 8:00pm). If DH is on the trip, the big kids (8yo) and I stay out late but the little ones need more rest. We've got plenty of years to see the Electrical parade or Wishes when they are a little older.

*Be willing to leave the park at a moment's notice. One day my YDD (3) had a complete melt down at the 2nd FP+ check on the Ariel ride. As much as we all wanted to ride, even my 8yos recognized when it's time to throw in the towel and head back to the room because their sibling was overtired by 1pm. We hung out at the resort that afternoon and she was a trooper for the next 2 days. Now I know to plan a slower day mid-week until YDD is a little older.

 

[momof2n2]

I buy souvenirs at home before we go. Mini characters, etc.

Also, any time my kids want to buy something I whip out the phone and check online prices (Amazon, ebay) etc. As I can usually find it cheaper we skip buying it. Then the day before we leave I order what it is we want and have Amazon deliver it for when we get home.

 

[Disney Princess]

My biggest tip is keep the sleeping and eating pattern as close to your normal routine as possible. If you normally eat dinner at 5pm, don't think you can book an 8pm ADR somewhere and be fine, you likely won't be. Same idea for sleeping, normal bed time at home is 8pm and we come pretty close to that, even on vacation. Our first trip he was 4 and we did 1 late night to see Wishes. Now that he is 7, I'm adding in a 2nd late night to our week long trip.

My other general tip is be fully ready to follow the lead of your little ones, which may mean skipping a headliner at rope drop because they would much rather watch the ducks or something. Don't let that stress you out, just go with it and that will help your own stress level.

This works for us and results in pretty much a meltdown free vacation.

This is absolutely key. It's not always feasible, but as close to normal is ideal. Interesting thought on PJ's in the park, we usually bathe at night so it probably wouldn't work for us. But I like the idea!

 

[Disney Princess]

You've got some great suggestions here!

*I also pack all kids' clothes in ziplocs with socks and underwear so getting dressed in the morning is super easy, and I have an extra set for the preschoolers I keep in the double stroller for the parks.

*I agree with not overscheduling, let the kids set the pace and direction for the day. Often the best moments are unplanned like sword fighting CMs at the POTC store, chasing ducks or lizards around AK, etc. I changed our FP+ a couple times on the fly last trip because they were enjoying something else at the moment.

*We also try to stay to our kids' eating schedule for school/home and only plan 1 sit down meal a day. I find they eat very little at meals whether due to the heat or excitement, so multiple sit down meals would waste money and valuable park time for us.

*We try to have the preschool kids in bed no later than 9:00pm (home bedtime is 8:00pm). If DH is on the trip, the big kids (8yo) and I stay out late but the little ones need more rest. We've got plenty of years to see the Electrical parade or Wishes when they are a little older.

*Be willing to leave the park at a moment's notice. One day my YDD (3) had a complete melt down at the 2nd FP+ check on the Ariel ride. As much as we all wanted to ride, even my 8yos recognized when it's time to throw in the towel and head back to the room because their sibling was overtired by 1pm. We hung out at the resort that afternoon and she was a trooper for the next 2 days. Now I know to plan a slower day mid-week until YDD is a little older.

We have always been this way too. We also usually wake up for rope drop in the morning(can accomplish a lot in a short period) and leave around noon for 3 or 4 hours for nap time and come back in the afternoon/evening.

 

[Disney Princess]

If they like them it becomes a hunt in every store to find them too.

I recommend not buying the press penny holders at disney, unless they really want them.

http://www.amazon.com/Green-Souveni...im_misc_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=11AW5Z97Q7A5A7T08C4P

We have a couple of off market ones, I bring one with me so at night or during our free time she can put them in her collection.

I love that pressed penny book. I'd never seen one before!

 

[Disney Princess]

I buy souvenirs at home before we go. Mini characters, etc.

Also, any time my kids want to buy something I whip out the phone and check online prices (Amazon, ebay) etc. As I can usually find it cheaper we skip buying it. Then the day before we leave I order what it is we want and have Amazon deliver it for when we get home.

We have done the same thing! Finding light up toys etc at Walmart/Target/Walgreens, and then packing them for night activites.

 

[Disney Princess]

Thanks y'all for your replies. There is some awesome stuff here. You can follow our live trip report HERE if you'd like.