Biggest tips for first trip?

[nkereina]

DH and I are traveling to WDW with my sister-in-law and her family next summer. The kids will be ages 5 and 3. DH and I do not have children, so we're used to going at a fast pace with few items in the parks. I realize that won't be possible going with our niece and nephew.

For those of you who go with kids, what are the best tips you can provide as far as strollers, snacks, timing, etc. Really anything! They are driving down so I believe they will bring their own umbrella strollers. I've told them about Garden Grocer. How else can I help them? She's the furthest thing from a planner so want to make sure I think of everything!

Thanks!

 

[Minniemoo15]

-Rider Swap (such a huge help)
-ADRs that have entertainment, whether a character meal or a show. It makes dining much more enjoyable with small children IMO. My dd's favourite is Biergarten.
-Bring a change of clothes to the park, even if the kids have been trained for a while. You never know when an accident, or rain storm, or melted Mickey Bar might occur. Don't be like me and get stuck buying ugly $25 Minnie shorts and $15 socks in the park
-My DD was totally freaked out by the automatic flushers in the washroom so I brought Post it notes to put over the sensors, worked like a charm
-Even though the balloons are outrageously expensive, we tied one to our stroller and so we could always find our stroller within seconds even if CMs had moved it.
-Harmony Barber Shop at MK is a wonderful and inexpensive alternative to BIbbidi Bobbidi Boutique. A highlight of our trip for us.


Those are the tips that are off the top of my head. Have fun!!

 

[mzsarah10]

We found that prepark opening ADRs worked for our kids the best. We saw the characters we wanted, made sure they ate one good meal and didn't waste any park time.

 

[The Yodeling Cowgirl]

At 5 and 3, the kids will really set the pace of the trip. My advise is to make sure that SIL plans to take a break in the middle of the day. If you are staying on property, I would recommend going back to the resort if possible. The few hours out of the park were important to us. My 3 year old needs a nap, and we would have had an epic meltdown in the parks if we did't schedule a break each day. If you can't leave the parks, plan on finding some of those nice dark, quiet, out of the way places to let the kids rest while still in the park (aka - The Hall of Presidents or the TTA Peoplemover).

Also, given the height restrictions on many of the rides, we were limited to what we could do as a family. Ride swap was not an option we wanted to take advantage of because we wanted to do everything together. We ended up doing a lot of charachter meetings, but that was by far the best part of our trip.

My last suggestion, is that some of the dark rides can be scary for young kids. We watched YouTube videos at home of some of the rides just to make sure DD was okay with darkness and noise. She even made it through the Haunted Mansion, and was just fine, but many kids are not. We thought it was better to prepare her ahead of time, as she had never been on rides like this before.

If you let them dictate the pace, and take plenty of breaks, it should work out fine. Also, I would discuss with your SIL, if you would like to plan for time on your own with DH, but without the kids. It would also be nice to offer to let them go on a few attractions without the kids, if you are up to the challenge of watching the kids. My DH and I would have loved a couple of hours in the parks without the kids.

Have a great trip!

 

[kboo]

^^^ all of the above.

Bring healthy snacks to alleviate the long waits in line.
Ear protection for the kids - WDW, especially MK, can be loud and little kids can get overstimulated easily. It will make loud rides and shows less scary. I wish we had gotten them sooner. Baby slept through fireworks and ODD (5) wore them for fireworks and shows.

I am also a big fan of the midday break and not worrying about seeing and doing everything there is to do. The key is getting them that break *before* there's a meltdown. DH and I pushed the schedule a lot when our first DD was little, on grounds of, "she seems fine and doesn't seem tired." And learned the hard way when we got a meltdown on our way out of the park. Also, in the last few years we've really taken to enjoying the parks and resorts at a slower pace and through the kids' eyes. We have enjoyed a meal at the Poly and then walking around the resort.

Garden Grille (the revolving restaurant at the Land) is usually pretty easy to get an ADR, especially pre-park opening, though that may have changed now that Soarin is open again. But it's a nice, calmer character interaction.

Oh, and don't overpack your park bag!

 

[kboo]

-Rider Swap (such a huge help)
-ADRs that have entertainment, whether a character meal or a show. It makes dining much more enjoyable with small children IMO. My dd's favourite is Biergarten.
-Bring a change of clothes to the park, even if the kids have been trained for a while. You never know when an accident, or rain storm, or melted Mickey Bar might occur. Don't be like me and get stuck buying ugly $25 Minnie shorts and $15 socks in the park
-My DD was totally freaked out by the automatic flushers in the washroom so I brought Post it notes to put over the sensors, worked like a charm
-Even though the balloons are outrageously expensive, we tied one to our stroller and so we could always find our stroller within seconds even if CMs had moved it.
-Harmony Barber Shop at MK is a wonderful and inexpensive alternative to BIbbidi Bobbidi Boutique. A highlight of our trip for us.


Those are the tips that are off the top of my head. Have fun!!

All of these - and I wish I'd thought of the balloon idea sooner - they are expensive but they stay buoyant for, like, a week, so you really only need get 1 balloon the whole trip.