Anyone have tips for traveling with your toddler?

[Chrispygal]

We leave for DW in 36 days and I'd love to hear some of your tips for traveling and touring DW with a 19 month old toddler. Our last trip was at 8.5 mo and the best tip I had heard was to make diaper packs - essentially place a diaper, disposable changing pad, and a few wipes in a snack size baggie, into a quart size baggie. When it's time to change the diaper, just grab the pack and go. I loaded a bunch of these into a pocket on my stroller and it was very convenient. I'm wondering if there are any other tips folks had to share.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

Bring some small baggies and when your give your son a snack, make it a really small snack. You can always give him more, but the last thing you ever want to have to do is take an unfinished snack away from a toddler because you have to board a ride vehicle. Unless of course you've never experienced in person the wrath of a rabid Tasmanian devil, then go ahead and take that unfinished snack away.

Our first and probably second trip with our toddler we made snacks too big and my son would want to eat ALLLLLL of it so slllloooooowwwwwwllllllly. We spent so much time sitting near attractions while my son nibbled goldfish. He was fine, but it was torture for me.

 

[Chrispygal]

Our first and probably second trip with our toddler we made snacks too big and my son would want to eat ALLLLLL of it so slllloooooowwwwwwllllllly. We spent so much time sitting near attractions while my son nibbled goldfish. He was fine, but it was torture for me.

Haha, that is too funny! Great suggestion!

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

We leave for DW in 36 days and I'd love to hear some of your tips for traveling and touring DW with a 19 month old toddler. Our last trip was at 8.5 mo and the best tip I had heard was to make diaper packs - essentially place a diaper, disposable changing pad, and a few wipes in a snack size baggie, into a quart size baggie. When it's time to change the diaper, just grab the pack and go. I loaded a bunch of these into a pocket on my stroller and it was very convenient. I'm wondering if there are any other tips folks had to share.

We are going with DS2 shortly. This is an awesome idea…but did the wipes stay wet?

Bring some small baggies and when your give your son a snack, make it a really small snack. You can always give him more, but the last thing you ever want to have to do is take an unfinished snack away from a toddler because you have to board a ride vehicle. Unless of course you've never experienced in person the wrath of a rabid Tasmanian devil, then go ahead and take that unfinished snack away.

Our first and probably second trip with our toddler we made snacks too big and my son would want to eat ALLLLLL of it so slllloooooowwwwwwllllllly. We spent so much time sitting near attractions while my son nibbled goldfish. He was fine, but it was torture for me.

Good call…I never thought of this either.

This is our first trip with DS…I might have some insight when I come back…but for the most part we are going to wing it (OMG did a Dis-er just say "wing it!" )

 

[MSSANDRA]

-Don't change anything too close to travel. For example, don't take the passy or the bottle away within a month or so before you leave. Don't start potty training or switching to a toddle bed. All of these things stress a kid and you want them at their best for travel.

-Try to keep things to normal as possible. If your child sleeps in a full size crib at home, consider renting one for the trip. If you have a pack and play at home, and want them to sleep in one at WDW, have a trial run at home to see how they do. Consider taking their own sheets so they will smell like home.

-
forget green for a few days.....Make things easy. Take disposable sippy cups ( we would rewash for times other than milk in the parks, but they are cheap and no big deal if you loose a few)disposable changing pads, bibs, place mats etc. Be sure to try the sippy cups at home first to be sure that you child is ok with them. (also been there done that one)

-Take extra clothes and PJs if you don't want to wash. Babies clothes are tiny nd take little room. Accidents happen. Dress for comfort rather than cute. Much happier baby.


-Pack everything you could need, Bath products (don't want to risk a new brand), any medications (with a doctors ok to give them),pedialite (been there ..done that one).

-Have a good stroller, consider a wrap /carrier if you think standing in line may be an issue, and consider a lease if you think that would work for your family and make your child and you happier.

-Know your child.....will you be able to keep him out late and he sleep in the stroller or be happy, or do you have a kid that really needs to stay on his routine. Plan accordingly. I had one of each

-Remember that babies can go on anything without a height restriction and that is a LOT! Most times at 19 mo, the only fears are dark or loud noises....not content. HM would not likely scare him unless he is afraid of the dark.

-Plan well for TS meals. Try to plan when she is hungry but not starving and choose places where there is lots to see. Mine loved buffets at that age and I liked not having to wait for food. Have a few, new, quite toys for longer TS meals. I am was not above handing a toddler my iphone for a bit to allow us to finish dessert in peace RFC sacred mine when they were little.

-Don't introduce any new foods during travel. Been there....done that one too. You never know what food a kid can react to.

-Carry a few toddler friendly food that you know she will like. Gerber Graduates are great, and feed he mostly off your plate if she will eat what you eat. Avoid lots of junk foods, not fun for an upset tummy on vacation.

-Remember that it's your vacation too! She willl love just being with you. Strolling around WS with you and spaceship earth will impress her as much as pooh!

-ENJOY......its such a fun age!!!

 

[Chrispygal]

We are going with DS2 shortly. This is an awesome idea…but did the wipes stay wet?



Good call…I never thought of this either.

This is our first trip with DS…I might have some insight when I come back…but for the most part we are going to wing it (OMG did a Dis-er just say "wing it!" )

Yes, the wipes did stay wet all week. I still brought a pack of wipes with me in case I needed extras, but this was super convenient. I will definitely be doing it again this trip. The less I have to carry, the better!

On my first trip with DD we totally winged it too. I picked 2 or 3 things a day I wanted to see or do and we just played the rest of the time by ear. We had a few ADR's and it worked out really, really well. We let her nap and we'd just meander around, or sit and have a snack and people watch. Once while she was napping we sat down about 40 minutes before the parade in MK and just had a snack and rested. We had PRIME spots for the parade and it was awesome. I would totally do that again in the future, regardless of age. (I can't this year though - no daytime parades at MK while we are there.) I've done the crazy planned trips and honestly I will say this one was so much more enjoyable. We weren't worried about missing anything and just enjoyed being part of the magic. We plan to take the same approach this February when we go, although we do have more planned because of the fast pass+ system. I'm not sure how that will work for us but either we skip them, or change our times with the myexperience app. My motto is Hanuna Matata. When I go to Disney I do not want to be stressed about anything!

 

[Rose23]

Keep your toddler on his/her's regular schedule meaning if he wakes up at 7am, then wake up at 7am at Disney. If he naps at 12:30pm, then by noon you should be headed back to your resort for him/her to get a nap. If bedtime is 9pm, then keep him/her on the same schedule.

Also, organize the bag you carry in to the parks and include his/her favorite snacks from home. Don't try anything new. Familiarity will be your friend, i.e. favorite small toy from home, snacks, blanket.

Enjoy your time with your family!

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

Yes, the wipes did stay wet all week. I still brought a pack of wipes with me in case I needed extras, but this was super convenient. I will definitely be doing it again this trip. The less I have to carry, the better!

On my first trip with DD we totally winged it too. I picked 2 or 3 things a day I wanted to see or do and we just played the rest of the time by ear. We had a few ADR's and it worked out really, really well. We let her nap and we'd just meander around, or sit and have a snack and people watch. Once while she was napping we sat down about 40 minutes before the parade in MK and just had a snack and rested. We had PRIME spots for the parade and it was awesome. I would totally do that again in the future, regardless of age. (I can't this year though - no daytime parades at MK while we are there.) I've done the crazy planned trips and honestly I will say this one was so much more enjoyable. We weren't worried about missing anything and just enjoyed being part of the magic. We plan to take the same approach this February when we go, although we do have more planned because of the fast pass+ system. I'm not sure how that will work for us but either we skip them, or change our times with the myexperience app. My motto is Hanuna Matata. When I go to Disney I do not want to be stressed about anything!

Good to know about the wipes!

We ended up doing the dining plan…We opted for NO character dining…DS would never eat…We have FP+…magic bands made me all anxious…and we are going during value season….but still felt compelled to add them.
Still hoping to go with the flow. *sigh*

My bag for him consists of new toys and a couple of favorites and snacks.
We have pedialyte singles (like crystal light)
WE have glow sticks…for those dark rides…but DS is fine with "make it dark" when he goes to bed and turns the lights out.
We plan on using closed caption TV while DS sleeps if an early bed time is needed.
We bought crayons at the party store to take and toss.
We have take and toss cups and bringing his favorite sippy for water/pediatlyte.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

watch crayons in cars in hot weather. getting melted crayon off carseat and clothes not fun. ended up having to replace carseat.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

watch crayons in cars in hot weather. getting melted crayon off carseat and clothes not fun. ended up having to replace carseat.

Good point

 

[disneypolybride2008]

dd's first trip, it was a cruise, was at 21 months. she did so amazing. she was so patient and go with the flow. she normally has social anxiety but was a little social butterfly at all times. she did not nap at all on the plane ride there even though it was late. having a portable dvd player was a lifesaver. she loved disney's sing alongs dvd and elmo dvds. she watched them on the plane and also we would feed her first her baby food and then put on a movie and put it on her lap while she sat in between us at the tables. Also, on our last trip in November with DD2, i was worried about seating her for meals, wondering if i should bring her booster and tray, use their cruddy -and yes once i did say yes to a high chair at Tusker House b/c i know they didn't have booth seating, and it was very cruddy so as soon as i saw it i said, oh we dont need it, thank you. DD sat perfectly in the chair like a big girl with no squirming at all. However at 19 months that is not really the case, but i wanted to let you know that we always sat with her on the cruise in a booth and at disney world we always requested a booth -a lot of places have booth on one side and chairs on the other, and EVERY place accommodated us! It was perfect to sit DD next to me or like when she was younger, in between DH and I. I would bring "wet ones" and wipe down the booth seat, the table, and under the edge of the table too which was good b/c often if a piece of food fell on the chair part she'd eat it. We brought disposable table toppers, disney princess too, and it gave her a fun place to eat and clean as well. She loved the characters. That made the trip! She was scared at 23 months of the Sesame street characters on a separate trip to Sesame Place, but each day of the trip she was friendlier until the end when she picked and gave cookie monster a flower and she kept running back to give Elmo more hugs. You can pack plenty of juice boxes and baby food in your carry on. I fill a gallon zip lock with the liquid foods and then bring also boxes of dry foods as well. We brought Jif-to-go packs of peanut butter to mix with her Gerber oatmeal and milk for her breakfast and dessert. If you stir in the milk a little at a time, the mixture gets perfectly smooth. I made up at home 'snack' size baggies with a plastic spoon, napkin, and straw. i made a ton, and they were super handy, when it was time to feed it was super convenient. If you have a biter though, skip the cheap plastic spoons b/c mine bit and broke one which could be a bad thing.. so for disney we changed it to the disposable, yet re-usable infant spoons. We brought our own pack n play from home. i'm a germophobe and would worry she'd catch something so we just brought our own. I didn't bring the 'mattress' b/c i used the one from the disney hotel but those are padded boards rather than a mattress. it was thinner than the one for my precious planets play yard. theirs is graco. i ordered from amazon and had delivered to the resort a play yard mattress. it was 3'' and it fit with just a little room around the edges.. but in their graco play yard it fit like a glove. i brought our own sheets and her blankies. the play yard fit between the two beds snugly. we stayed in AoA Little Mermaid room. We also brought our own stroller. We needed it every step of our trip and were glad we had it. Also, our luggage had 'luggage straps' which i didnt realize until i was trying to figure out how to manuever all our luggage from point A to point B. Turns out i could clip 2 bags onto one rolling duffel and same with the other, so it was a breeze instead of a nightmare. Bring way more diapers than you think you need. we ran out one evening. DD2 was just going in her pull up rather than a combo of her travel potty in the bathroom stall (which the toilet liners fit like a perfect potty placemat on the floor) but the LOUD flushing all around us, of course i brought the sticky notes, but the screams of scared children and the LOUD air hand dryers was enough by the end of the week, so DD was going through diapers fast. We brought 10 for the day and ran out during dinner. She had a situation and thanks to some nice lady who gave us one, it was ok. she was so upset to have gone in her diaper like that, but i guess by weeks end she couldn't keep holding it in all day. She'd go in the hotel on her bjourn travel size potty like she does at home with all her familiar books thankfully. Like all the other trips though, she'd only go in the morning and not while we were 'out.' On our travel day on the way home every trip she slept, no dvd player or toys, just nursing and out before take off. On her first trip at 21 months it was hard b/c the travel times were way past her bedtime but she did so great and never cried, just went with the flow, staying awake on arrival day until mid night by the time we got to the hotel pre-cruise. then she slept on the way home in the car from the airport and i was fearing a meltdown when waking her at nearly midnight to go to her crib but she just woke up as i was getting her out of her car seat and she said, 'all done.'' and i said yes we are home and you can go to sleep now in your crib. and off she went to sleep. so for all my trips i tried to anticipate every angle and plan accordingly, but every trip she was so happy, excited, easy going and we had 3 wonderful vacations with her. On the 21 month trip she was still nursing so i would take a normal nap time and let her nurse to nap, as that's the only way she would nap, but at disney world she just went all day w/o any nap so we were back early every night and had her asleep as soon as we could after dinner. she'd sleep til 3:30 and then cry for me so i'd nurse her and let her sleep in the bed with me and she'd be up at 5:30 so happy and excited to get up.. at home she'd sleep through the night 8:30-8:30 and take an hour to get ready in the morning.. i had our day starting late and took every late adr for a character breakfast when really we were out the door so early doing extra magic hours.. at MK that was SO worth it, we got so much done in that one hour! then we went to our 11am adr for 1900 park fare. One day midweek was the only time she took at nap, it was so funny how we are watching festival of the lion king and she's getting fussy so i bouncer her on my lap and then we are singing along and i feel a thump on my should.. OUT! she loved and talks about all her trips. it was really worth it! oh other big tip.. if you can use the magic bands make sure to do it!! it was a lot to figure out and schedule in all the fast pass plus times but it really helped. we could also get the paper fast passes which we did only need to a few times. But you really need a FP+ for most things but the best use for them on our Nov trip was meeting Talking Mickey at Town Hall in MK, that also had paper fast passes.. the times were always an hour. With the FP+ we were in and out in 10 minutes or less. It was amazing. We did that every time we went in and out of the MK. Also the princess meet and greets are a must with FP+ they have paper ones too but they were always out, i never saw them available. You can get a paper fast pass for Pooh and Ariel's ride at the same spot as the princess FP's by Philharmagic -DD LOVED that 3d show, never had a wait for that and didn't use FP. Peter Pan scared her, she hated it. If it was any longer she would've freaked out. She wouldn't even look at the characters b/c it was basically a ride in the dark. Mark your stroller well. We tied on lei's to the handles and had neon sweatshirt cords that i took off of my sweatshirts at home and wrapped the handles with them. We also left our refillable mugs there too and nobody bothered with any of it. We could always easily find ours. I left our luggage tag on it with our info too. We had a case of water shipped from Staples.com for free shipping, if you sign up for their free staples rewards. the water was Nestle pure life and was $5.99 total for a case. they also had the cases of the smaller bottles too as well as some other choices. we packed our checked bag with more baby food pouches and juice boxes. i brought paper bowls which were great. I also brought each day a small tupper wear of a combo of cheerios, baby crackers and baby cookies all mixed up and dumped some into a paper bowl at each meal -on our disney trip. No smashed snacks that way! I've wrote a ton, hope it helps you, have a great trip!! Bring a camcorder and take lots of pics. The photopass photographers will use your camera, so you dont need to pay 15$ for their pics. Oh and the other must for a FP+ which only uses a FP+ no paper ones, is Enchanted Tales with Belle. Every time they picked DD2 to be Chip. It was priceless and she got to hug and even got a kiss from Belle. Perfect!

 

[liloca]

Great tips! I am also planing a trip with my son that will be 13-14 months at the time and these tips already helped me.

 

[darkpixie08]

If anyone is flying, but doesn't want to lug a toddlers carseat through the airport, try the CARES harnesss. This was a huge help for us. It's TSA approved for small children and helps to safely buckle them in. It's small enough to through in the diaper bag, and you can just check the car seat (they usually check for free).

Rehearse table manners before going. This is a huge one for us. We play restaurant at home, (I put a table cloth and small candle on the table for lunch or dinner). Then we talk about needing to use inside voices, sitting nicely at the table. Then we started moving up to local chain restaurants. We started doing this at about a year old, and it's worked wonders. You'd be amazed by how much even the littlest toddler picks up. The same can be done for a flight.

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

If anyone is flying, but doesn't want to lug a toddlers carseat through the airport, try the CARES harnesss. This was a huge help for us. It's TSA approved for small children and helps to safely buckle them in. It's small enough to through in the diaper bag, and you can just check the car seat (they usually check for free).

Rehearse table manners before going. This is a huge one for us. We play restaurant at home, (I put a table cloth and small candle on the table for lunch or dinner). Then we talk about needing to use inside voices, sitting nicely at the table. Then we started moving up to local chain restaurants. We started doing this at about a year old, and it's worked wonders. You'd be amazed by how much even the littlest toddler picks up. The same can be done for a flight.

WE got a CARES harness and have been practicing in DS2's "airplane seat" for awhile. I think this will help a ton b/c he knows when he is in his airplane seat he gets to watch Mickey (we will have our iPad with shows) WE also have some new toys that he likes (we tried them and made them disappear for the trip)

Love the play restaurant idea! We are big on manners and never thought of this.

 

[AbbeBelle]

Back when he was 2, I picked up battery powered light sticks at Walmart to distract my oldest DS on dark/intense rides. Worked like a charm on GMR, Back Lot, HM. The sticks don't give off a lot of light and he held them low so other riders wouldn't be distracted. He used them at the night shows too. It kept him occupied until they started and afterwards on the way out of the park and back to the resort. Best yet, he never asked for me to buy him a light up toy.