DH thinks I am going overboard on the kids

[girliemomx3]

I am getting some things for the kids to have when we arrive as a welcome to WDW. So far I have picked up some things on sale:

New bathing suits
New Disney PJ's
Autograph books (using 7X7 scrapbook)
I am ordering matching shirts for the whole family for the first day...the girls shirts will say "Making my FIRST Magical Memories"

I also wanted to get some things from the park so we don't have to hunt around when we get there.

Mickey Ears
Pressed Penny book
Lanyard with a starter set of pins
epcot passport

My DH thinks I am going overboard...is that possible????

My girls will be 6, 6 and one week shy of 3, will they "get" pin trading and the epcot passport?? Am I missing any must have item???

Am I REALLY going overboard??????

Thanks

 

[meandtheguys2]

I don't think so! But...if my dh thought so, I would listen to his concerns. It's that whole respect thing!

It really is hard not to buy our kids everything we want them to have! Good luck working it out!

 

[SueV]

I don't think your goinjg overboard at all!! Of course I do the same thing just about every trip we take to WDW (at least 2 times a year!)!!! My oldest is almost 6 and she has asked that next time we go could she have a pin lanyard, so I think your dd's will understand the pin trading and will really have fun with it! After reading your post you have given me the idea to buy the 7x7 scrapbook before going instead of spending a fortune for 3 autograph books once we get there!! Im such a dunce for never having thought about that Have a great trip and enjoy all the planning, it's part of the experience!!

 

[safetymom]

Why not pick up some of these things when you get there? Your kids will just be excited to be there and if you let them "buy" a few things they will love it.

 

[Disneyrsh]

The fir

 

[Disneyrsh]

Hey Girlymom

 

[pyrxtc]

I think the first few things are great but the last four may be a little much. You could ask the girls if they want to do pressed pennies or pin trading. You get get the Mickey Ears on your last day and it will be an extra special treat. If you buy it all now what can they buy while they are there?

 

[Vickie46]

I am doing the same things.. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!! I am trying to still decide on the Epcot passport.. but I have a few things from Tinkerbell to put in our room each night.. she will be so excited!!!!!!!! All my stuff is super cheap though and she is almost 4.. so she don't care if it comes from the park or not.. I am sure my MIL will buy her something from DTD when we meet them for dinner the first night... so all my cheap bargains she will just love!

 

[princess mom of 4]

My DH also thinks I've gone crazy, and he doesn't even know the extent of my planning! We have planned our family costumes for MNSSHP, and then I decided the girls also needed to dress up for Cindy's feast at 1900 Park Fair... so I bought princess dresses too...but at least I didn't get one for myself...

 

[Snoopymom]

Pj's, t-shirts and bathing suits...those are inexpensive necessary clothing items, guilt free spending in my book, LOL.

I'm pretty frugal and I don't see anything on your list I would consider overboard....autograph books and Mickey ears are such a bargain for the amount of fun and excitement they bring, plus you can't take photos without them, LOL, and Epcot passports and lanyards add to the educational experience at Disney.

Maybe your dh is like mine and is only hearing the number of items and it probably sounds like a lot to him. I'd explain how it's always easier on the budget when you pick up things ahead of time, and how planning and preparing is half the fun for you. I'd also remind him that the kids are only little once!

How's that for justification, LOL, have fun!

 

[Stimpy]

It all sounds great but I think you have too many collecting type things for young kids. The pin collecting, autograph books, pressed penny book AND a Epcot passport seems like a lot of "work" for 3 & 6 yr olds. They may start to get burned out by trying to collect so many things at once.

Don't forget once you get there, Epcot also has the masks the kids get to make in each country (where they also stamp the stick with the same country stamp as they use in the passport books) and AK has a Family Fun book "challenge" where you collect stamps for doing activities.

 

[lillygator]

I don't think you are going overboard....even as close as we are and as much as we go I still get new things before each trip!

 

[barkley]

i have grabbed some items, but i got them on clearance at disneydirect and they were things we needed anyway (some pj's for the kids, each of us a nice new t-shirt-just worked out well that they are matching). i also grabbed a couple of toys from disneydirect that i knew would be they type of stuff the kids would want at the parks so i figured why pay $20 there when i can get if for $9.99 with free shipping. i have grabbed a couple of items for our cruise (sand toys and snorkle/masks) on clearance racks over the past couple of weeks again to save $$$ in the long run.

i think it's fine to do some preshopping but i would not go overboard. there is some fun to shopping for items at the parks. also, my hubby and i don't get into the everynight or multiple gifts (surprises) on vacations-while we can afford it now it may not be the case in the future. we don't want our kids to expect that they will get this treatment on every vacation and then be disappointed (we have had the same practice with christmas gifts-the "most desired"-usualy the biggest gift never comes from santa, always mom and dad. this way if times are lean in the future there is no confusion over why santa can't just bring it even though mom and dad are saying "no").

 

[Brina]

Personally, it is a lot more than I would buy. I have 5.5 year old twins and an almost 3 year old. I don't think my kids need new pjs or swimsuits to go to disney. I will not buy them any new clothes before we leave.

Last time we went to disney we got two lanyards as part of our package and I allowed the boys to each choose one pin per day. I bought them each an autograph book and mickey ears, and on our last day I allowed each fo them to choose one tee-shirt.

This year's trip I will buy my dd a mickey ear hat (the boys will bring theirs with them) and each child will get an autograph book and an EPCOT passport. If my boys want a pressed penny book and pressed pennies than they can buy them with their own spending money. We will again buy each child one pin a day, and one tee shirt on our last day.

I feel like there are already so many toys in our house, so many teeshirts in the kids drawers, they just don't need anymore of this stuff - even if it is from disney.

A trip to disney world is a wonderful treat. I want everyone to have fun and make wonderful memories. I don't believe that extra toys or new clothes are neccessary to make disney magical.

 

[Tink215]

I also do the same everytime we go on Vacation and not just to WDW, I always get them at least one new outfit or playclothes and stuff, so I Dont think you are going overboard, But I do think you might want to ask hubby on why he thinks you are going overboard, is it financially or does he think the kids wont do all those things, I would discuss it with him and the only reason I say this is cause I have been in the same boat with my DH, and he was worried I was overindulging them before we got to WDW and all the fun of lets say buying the ears with their names on them would be gone.......But if you are finding these things less expensive than the parks you might let him know that you are saving money, I always go for that argument and win,lol. Like the Lanyards, they are real expensive at the parks and way cheaper at the Disney outlet store at our local mall....SO My Advice is to talk to him and discuss both of your points.....Good luck!!!

 

[DisneyArk]

I also wanted to get some things from the park so we don't have to hunt around when we get there.

Mickey Ears
Pressed Penny book
Lanyard with a starter set of pins
epcot passport

Why don't you wait and buy those at WDW. My kids think it is so much fun to buy things in the parks! The things you mentioned are very easy to find!

You will not believe how fast a week at WDW goes by!! Getting autographs, collecting pressed pennies, trading pins and filling up the Epcot passport can all take a lot of time and become obsessions.

On our last trip my sons were 3 and 5. We didn't buy any pressed pennies. They didn't know about them and they've never asked for them. On both of our trips the boys loved getting character autographs. They also liked making the masks at Epcot, but we skipped the passport.

I ordered my sons each a few pins on sale. On our first trip they did not want to trade any pins! So before our last trip I bought a few pins they did not like (princesses) and they gladly traded them. You might consider that when buying their starter pins. Also, my boys are slow to make decisions, so we didn't try to trade pins every day because it took too much time!

It sounds like you've done some good planning! You might wait and buy the rest of the things in the parks!

 

[girliemomx3]

I guess I should clarify a bit...he thinks I am going overboard but would expect nothing less from me!! He and I are both disney freaks and actually met because we both worked at the Disney Store in CT. He's not upset or anything.

I got the pj's and bathing suits because they need them, not just because they are disney. I just hope they don't need them before we get there so I can give them to them when we arrive. The pressed penny books are a must. I collect them, I have my list of what I want to look for and the locations to look, so I KNOW they will want some too. I guess I just wasn't sure on the lanyards and the epcot books. Not sure if they will "get" it. But after talking with a friend today I am going to buy some pins from her and just get the lanyards. I am also giving them each $15 in Disney dollars each day as spending money. I just didn't want them to think that this kind of stuff came out of their money!! Thanks for the help!!

 

[meandtheguys2]

Oh good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a great trip!

 

[scorpad99]

I already bought my dd (turns 10 on this trip) and my ds (8) both 8 new outfits for 8 days in disney (after all there will be pictures taken everyday)
My daughter`s are all disney related, my sons are geared towards sports mostly. But we go in Nov and we live in Phila. where all the summer stuff is on major clearance now. I replenish underwear and socks as well for the trip so I can pack all that now.
I also am guilty of buying little things here and there to leave them special surprises on our trip, but as a rule we only let them buy one special thing at the park on the last day of our vacation..................Things in the park are sooo expensive! I tell my husband all the time, but honey, I`m a SPAVER! I spend but save you money! LOL He seems to believe me!
I know I over-do it, but they are only little once.

feeling like a princess already!

 

[MrsPete]

I am getting some things for the kids to have when we arrive as a welcome to WDW. So far I have picked up some things on sale:

The real question is, are these things that the girls needed? If they need PJs anyway, then you're not going overboard. If they already have a drawer-ful of good PJs that fit, then more is overkill.

As for souveniers, we don't "do" them. My kids don't seem to care about souveniers a week later anyway, and I don't want them to focus on buying at Disney. Plus, despite my efforts to buy less than we could, they seem to have a surplus of "stuff" already.