Families with small children, any tips?

[viaggiamo]

Hi
we are a family coming from Australia and our children will be 5 and (just) 3yo in October when we visit DL for 7 nights.
I have booked 7 nights due to us wanting to take our time through the parks.
Just curious as to how your children at this age went and if you have any tips about anything for us?
I am wondering if you do a full day at the parks and then crash? If you have a rest in the day and go back?
Where are the best places for character dining for small children? we are leaning towards Minnie's Breakfast at this stage.
Anything else would be wonderful...
Thanks
C

 

[guynhawaii]

Aloha,

In no particular order, just my personal advice from my experience with my pair of children:

1. If staying on property, take advantage of the extra AM hour (Magic Mornings or whatever DLR wants to call it) to visit the parks. The best time to visit the parks (least crowded) is from opening hours to lunch. Avoid the afternoon crowds and heat.
2. Visit the parks in the AM, enjoy lunch and then immediately proceed back to the hotel for a good nap.
3. Don't recommend the use of any stroller. I will probably get slammed for being anti-stroller. My children were five and four years of age during their first trip to DLR. They walked. It is so much healthier for everyone. Since y'all are from Australia, y'all come from good stock and are built outback tough.
4. Keep in mind how young your children are. Their minds are still developing. They are too young to fully appreciate and understand the thrill of DLR.
5. Don't push them. Nobody knows your children better than you do. When they hit the wall and get tired and exhausted, its time to call it quits and go back to the hotel for a good nap. You're smart to be visiting DLR for seven days. You have plenty of time to enjoy everything.
6. Bottom line is to have fun. You need to enjoy it all as much as everyone else. Relax, laugh and soak it all in.
7. Use your fastpasses.
8. Make your dining reservations, tour reservations, BBB reservatioons, etc... in advance.
9. Best Character meals: Minnies and Goofy's. Schedule Miinnies late AM on a weekend and Goofy's for lunch or dinner. Save your AM time for visiting the parks and hitting the rides.
10. Lastly, recommend Photo Pass Plus. Combine your pixs with photopass and after the trip design your DLR photo album via Photo Pass. Everyone will truly enjoy it for years to come.

 

[summerw]

Be sure to pick the first few rides carefully. Snow White, Pinocchio and Mr Toad could scare a 3 year old, especially as a first ride. Take advantage of play areas, like the playground in Toontown, Tom Sawyer's island and the Redwood Challenge Trail in CA. Burning off some energy and giving kids a few minutes of freedom to explore a little may help keep everyone's frustration down. Use the Baby Changing stations--great for diapering or they have smaller, toddler sized toilets (at least I know the one in CA does). And maybe you are tougher than me, but I think the stroller is like heaven. If my 3yo needs a nap, he can get one while I have coffee and people watch, or maybe two of you want to ride something the 3 year old wouldn't like. Mine doesn't usually nap long, but it can be a nice few minutes for everyone in the park.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Are you staying on property or nearby?

See my signature line for a trip report at Disneyland with kids ages 7, 5, 3, and less than 1 at the time. We are also going back in October.

Definately arrive at the gates at least 20 minutes before opening times. (We arrived 30-40 minutes early and the kids ate breakfast while we waited.) It is REALLY so much easier with the kids in the morning before the wait times get too long. Have a plan for what you want to ride/see that morning. For instance in Fantasyland you should go on PeterPan first, then Dumbo, then whatever else you want to do. That only applies if you are there at rope drop. Make use of astpasses and child swap. My husband and I often take turns riding "grown up" rides while the kids play or have a snack.

Return for a nap/rest break, maybe even swim in the afternoon. Go back to the parks for dinner and shows in the evening. Plan to do most of your riding in the morning though.

At California Adventure, you must visit Toy Story Mania as son as that area opens or the wait is ridiculous and there are no fastpasses. The kids will love the ride though.

I have more advice but no time to write it. My kids are waking up now.

Have fun!

 

[Aust]

First time we went to DL (also from Australia) our kids were 3 and 6, this year's trip they will be 11, 8 and 3. My tips based on last time would be:

Don't try and pack too much in - give yourselves time to get over the long trip/jetlag initially, and give yourselves downtime and one or two late starts.

Try and keep everyone awake the first day you arrive, no matter how tired, until evening - then go to bed early, have a full night's sleep, and wake up feeling much better and (almost) over jetlag the next day. Don't make our mistake of letting the kids (who slept quite alot on the plane) have an afternoon nap on arrival day - they'll be wide awake and ready to play at midnight.

Most days - start early, then have an afternoon break, then go back for more early evening.

We were surprised how warm it still was in October, so we relaxed in the pool in the afternoon and our 3 year old also napped some of the days.

Take the stroller!!! It is a LOT of walking, and 3 year olds especially get really tired. Even though our current 3 year old doesn't go in the stroller at home any more, we are definitely taking it on our trip. A few days into our first trip, one afternoon my husband went back to the hotel early so I had both kids, and on our way back to the hotel the 6 year old was exhausted so I was pushing her in the stroller, while carrying the 3 year old. It was hard enough with a stroller, I wouldn't have managed without. (and I wish I had someone pushing me in a stroller at that point too).

 

[cgh]

Early early in parks then go with the flow for the rest, and know your kids.

We have a 3 1/2 year old, and went first last year at 2 1/2. He is generally a solid napper and sleeper. We would do the parks 7-11, come back, nap/quiet time, then return after he'd wake up. Then, we'd return 4:30-7:30 and then come back for sleep. I also let DS lead that time. I didn't know if he'd be overwhelmed and would like to just hang out at the pool-well, of course not! H

I would have loose goals for each day which helped. For instance, first day, I wanted to do Dumbo and fantasyland and we took advantage of early entry. Later he was up and we went to the parade.

I also paid attention to when he had enough and we might go back to the hotel a little early, but we never pushed him "a little more'

As for character meals, we loved Surf's Up with Mickey at Paradise Pier. We did Goofy's Kitchen as well which was okay. Tons of characters and all that, food was fine, we just never saw Minnie. This time in August we are doing both of those again.

 

[4th Gen Disney Fan]

As a father of 4 small children, I can totally relate to your concerns. We were in the park at the beginning of June. Here are a few of my tips:

1. You are going to get several responses from people telling you NOT to bring a stroller. This is usually because of their own selfish beliefs that strollers "clog up" the walkways. Children of that age range are usually much too small to endure a full day of walking. I can't speak for your kids specifically, but if they are anything like mine, a stroller will benefit them tremendously. There is nothing worse than a cranky child that is only upset because their little feet hurt. Do them a favor (and yourself) and rent a stroller.

2. Go to FantasyLand first. Preferably at rope drop. Make sure Peter Pan is your first stop. This ride will get very busy as the day goes on. From there, go on Mr. Toad, Dumbo, Pinocchio, and then Snow White. This will allow you to ride all of the FL attractions that are built into the castle building. Then make your way to Alice and The Matterhorn.

3. Make sure to take a break during the mid-day to allow the kids a chance to rest their little feet and brains. We might not realize it, but DL is so full of energy and it is a lot to take in for such a small child. An afternoon break will allow everyone to get re-energized for the long evenings ahead.

4. Since you are staying for so many days I would advise that you leave after the fireworks show every night. This will allow you a few extra hours of sleep at night and you will be rested enough to take advantage of rope drop every morning.

5. Your kids WILL cry, no matter what you do. They will get tired. They will whine. As long as you don't let this get in the way of your fun then you shouldn't have any problems.

6. Bring lots of small snacks for the kids. Food at DL is quite expensive and kids like to eat. On our trip we brought crackers, fruit, and juice boxes for the kids to eat throughout the day. We did buy small things like churros and popcorn, but we never ate a meal in the park. We saved our money and ate off-site during our afternoon breaks. We had better food and saved a ton of money that we then spent on additional souvenirs.

7. HAVE FUN!

 

[lwilkison]

Hi
we are a family coming from Australia and our children will be 5 and (just) 3yo in October when we visit DL for 7 nights.
I have booked 7 nights due to us wanting to take our time through the parks.
Just curious as to how your children at this age went and if you have any tips about anything for us?
I am wondering if you do a full day at the parks and then crash? If you have a rest in the day and go back?
Where are the best places for character dining for small children? we are leaning towards Minnie's Breakfast at this stage.
Anything else would be wonderful...
Thanks
C

We rose at our usual time (with kids that is usually about 6am - 7am) had breakfast, got ready, went into parks. Left at around lunch time, went back to hotel, had a rest and returned prior to supper and stayed until supper/went for supper then back for fireworks.

We never pushed the family past exhaustion...this caused melt downs

We subscribe to "yes to umbrella stroller" simply because we walk A LOT. We stay @ Hojo each time and we usually hop on city bus and go to grocery store so since we walk all the time our little one yes has lots of energy but if she needs a nap she can rest while our arms are full.

Any 'baby center' in DLR has free cold water...helpful

Use this forum, there are a lot of people here with great help and advice!

Have a magical time and above all else, enjoy the magic

 

[starshine514]

We took ours on their first Disney experience (to WDW) at those ages (well, the youngest turned 3 during our trip).

Definitely bring (or rent) a stroller. Both kids will use it.

Be careful about that first ride; I know Peter Pan's line builds the fastest, buy you're there for 7 days, so you don't have to do it first on the first day. You can start with Dumbo, do the Casey Jr train, Small World - just ease them into the rides. If s/he's a thrill seeker, your youngest is probably tall enough for Gadget's Go Coaster (my youngest loved the equivalent of it at WDW, she probably rode it 10 times during our 3 days at the MK). You can do PP first on a different day.

My youngest especially loved meeting characters at that age.

We had a nice resort at WDW (with an in-room Jacuzzi tub) and my girls never wanted to go back into the park once we had left. I'm not sure if it was their ages, the time change (three hour time difference, and not in the easy mornings way), or just the allure of the jacuzzi tub. When we go to Disneyland, we stay at 2-star hotels across the street and they're always ready to go back (but they are older, too). Now, we open the park, take a break and close the parks - but like I said, they're older now.

We've done Minnie's for breakfast. It was a lot of fun, lots of characters and a decent variety of food (try the omelette station). I would recommend it.

 

[cari12]

We went in 2009 and kids were 4 and 6 at the time. We did not use a stroller. Sure there is a lot of walking, but there are also lots of rest stops (ie. rides, shows. snacks etc.)
We concentrated on the little kid stuff: Toontown, Fantasyland, Bug's Life rides etc.
We went each day at park opening and headed back to DTD for lunch then the hotel for a dip in the pool in the early afternoon. My kids normal bedtime was 8:00pm so most nights we watched the fireworks from our hotel room except for the night we went to the Trick or Treat party and we were just about ready to leave when they started so we watched them and then went back to the hotel.
Follow the trip plan tips from the DIS such as Fantasyland order of rides, going to TSMM and Nemo first thing when you arrive (obviously would have to do these on separate days), use MM/EE if you have it. These tips help you avoid long lines and it is amazing how many rides you can fit in a short period and kids of that age are not great with waiting! Having a plan makes a world of difference and can ensure you get to do the things on your "must do" list.

As for character meals, that would depend on your kids. DS4 was terrified of Goofy for the first 2 days we were there. Many of the characters are huge (Goofy must be 7 ft tall). Both kids were afraid of Chip and Dale too as those were huge chipmunks! However, they found lunch with the princesses at Ariel's Grotto magical. The princesses were exactly as they expected them to be-lovely ladies in beautiful gowns.
They loved Tom Sawyer's island as there were caves and tunnels they could explore. They also loved Buzz Lightyear, TSMM, Winnie the Pooh and Monsters Inc. rides.
DCA has the Disney Live! show which is a live play with many of the preschool characters such as Handy Manny and Little Einsteins. It's a great entertaining break when you need to rest for a little bit.
Hope you have a great trip!

 

[cari12]

We took ours on their first Disney experience (to WDW) at those ages (well, the youngest turned 3 during our trip).

Definitely bring (or rent) a stroller. Both kids will use it.

Be careful about that first ride; I know Peter Pan's line builds the fastest, buy you're there for 7 days, so you don't have to do it first on the first day. You can start with Dumbo, do the Casey Jr train, Small World - just ease them into the rides. If s/he's a thrill seeker, your youngest is probably tall enough for Gadget's Go Coaster (my youngest loved the equivalent of it at WDW, she probably rode it 10 times during our 3 days at the MK). You can do PP first on a different day.

As for the bolded DS4 loved It's a Small World and would have loved CaseyJr. and Gadget's Go Coaster but both were closed for maintenence during our trip.

 

[NorthernCalMom]

great for diapering or they have smaller, toddler sized toilets (at least I know the one in CA does)

Any 'baby center' in DLR has free cold water...helpful

Oh, does that have changed? The last time we were there, only the DL baby center had the mini toilet (which has a height limit of 42") and the cold water. The CA just had regular toilets, diaper changing tables, a nursing area, and regular water fountains. That would be so cool, if they upgraded that. Even with its limitations, the CA baby center was still a great spot for catching a break.

We've been going with my two daughters since they were 10 months and almost 2 years old and then every year since (actually, the first time my older daughter went was when she was three weeks... my husband had a conference there, and we joined him).

I would be careful with the Snow White ride. Even though my kids are now almost 5 and almost 7, it still scares them. Winnie the Poo and the Tiki Room are big favorites of our kids. Some little ones have sensitive hearing, and the sound can get pretty loud on the indoor rides. I usually have ear plugs or crumpled up tissue paper ready, just in case.

This is the first time we go w/o the stroller. Until last year it's been great to have the stroller, especially for short, impromptu naps.

One thing I found very helpful was to involve the kids in planning which rides to take. Check out the height requirements to know what they can ride and use YouTube "POV" videos to have them check the rides out and tell you what they'd like to do.

In my opinion, this is the most wonderful age for Disneyland/California Adventure! It's so much fun to see them get all excited and WOW! and totally into the magic of it. I figure once they hit teenage hood that amazement will probably make room for snotty attitude and cynicism (maybe just to seem cool...), but right now it's all about innocent joy.

 

[Brady's Mom]

I've been when my younger sons were just those ages. These are my recommendations -

* Bring a stroller, it helps in the airport to haul them and your stuff around and keeps them with you easily. Plan to park your stroller in each land and walk to all the rides you want to ride, then pick up the stroller and go to the next land.

* Don't ride the Fantasyland rides first - they scared my 3 yr old DS. I had a very hard time getting him to ride anything else after that for a while. Plan on the open rides that they can see - Dumbo, Casey Jr., Bug's Land (not the show), Small World and then move to the Fantasyland rides on another day. This gets them used to the magic of the rides and how they actually work - then you can add in the dark rides. Under no circumstances would I put a 3 and 5 yr old on Snow White or Mr. Toad - at least not mine. I'm sure others feel differently, but mine would never have gone on another ride.

* Have plenty of healthy snacks - we like dried fruit, fresh fruit, beef jerky, granola bars and water. We also sometimes stick in goldfish crackers or cheese and crackers.

* It depends on the operating hours when you will be there - but if the hours are shorter like 10-8 we would go in the morning after breakfast in our hotel room and stay until around dinner time. We would either eat dinner in the park or choose somewhere close by. The kids would go to bed early and be rested for the next day. There are typically no fireworks or fantasmic when DL closes early. If it's a fireworks day we would do morning, a nap in the afternoon and then dinner and the rest of the evening in the Parks.

* Plan at least 2 weekend days - the first one so you can see fireworks and the second so you can see Fantasmic! Both are great shows and worth seeing. It is worth it to stake out a spot for both shows if you are going to be there that many days.

* Our kids never had any meltdowns when we were at DLR when they were that age. BUT - we paid attention to how they were doing and kept them fed and hydrated. If we felt like they were getting overwhelmed we would schedule some downtime for them. AND, if we felt like we were getting overwhelmed we would schedule some downtime for Mom and Dad. It worked for us and made our trip very enjoyable.

We didn't see everything we wanted to our first trip and it took several trips to see most everything, because we went when our kids were little. They have great memories and love to see the pictures of themselves when they were so little at Disneyland. If we ran into a situation like a ride being closed or we ran out of time to see and do everything our standard phrase to our kids was that "we'd just have to come back".

HTH

 

[jennabennabofenna]

When i go with my two DDs ages 3 1/2 and 16 months, we usually take a mid day break around 2pm, for 1-2hours. Gives them time to relax in the hotel for a bit and take a nap.

As for Character meals. I have only done two of them. Ariels Grotto in DCA, and Goofys Kitchen at the DLH. Both are great! On our next trip we are doing Minnies for breakfast

 

[kailuagirl]

Here are my tips, some are repeats, sorry... My DD just turned 5 and we went when she was 2, 3 and 4.

A well rested is a happy child. So make sure they get enough sleep. My DD never ever takes a nap at home, but she needs on at DL. In the afternoon, she just kind of puts herself to sleep in her stroller, when we aren't expecting it, and then we go back to the room. DH takes a nap with her, I get their evening clothes, replenish snacks, water, etc. and then I go shopping. DH calls me when they wake up and we meet back up. Works perfectly. We have a hard time with the time zone change, 7 am in California is 4 am here, doesn't work to our advantage at all.

A well feed child is a happy child. In case you aren't aware, you can bring snacks, water, juice, etc. into the parks. You just can't bring anything in glass or sandwich stuff where you are going to make the sandwiches there, they have to be premade. This really helps. I am constantly offering my DD, well us all, snacks, even without anyone asking. We kind of get so emersed into the whole experience we'll forgot how hungry we really are, or what time it is, so this helps us to always be fueled up. We bring, cheese sticks, granola bars, gogurts, trail mix, muffins, pretzels, sliced apples, grapes, water, juice bags, etc. I try to stay away from candy kinda things as we will be picking up those snacks in the parks. We take a little thermos soft sided cooler and put it under our stroller.

A stroller is a must. My DD never uses a stroller at home, other than to go to the zoo, even when she was 3. It is a must for us at DL. There is no way she could handle a day in the parks without. We would be carrying her around if we didn't have one. Even when we go this year she will be 5 1/2, we are still taking one. It is also a great place to stash your jackets, etc. Just do not leave anything valuable in your stroller or anything that you wouldn't mind if it was taken. Unfortunately, there have been reports of stroller thefts and things taken from strollers.

Since it is their first time, I'd pick a ride that it can be their "first" ride every time they go to DL. Make it a tradition. We did that. Our first ride is Dumbo, we ride it first on every trip. It makes for great memories. As for the rides, I agree, you must start slow, and take them at your kids pace. Once they get scared, they might be done. Start off on the nice easy rides, casey Jr., dumbo, carousel, storybook, go to toon town, etc. Let them get used to riding the rides and get comfortable and confident and progress from there. They might suprise you and have no fear. My DD at 3 loved matterhorn, just loved it, we rode it over and over again. Last nov. she loved TOT and Space Mountain, who would have thought. But I do show her the rides of Youtube before hand so she knows what to expect, like that matterhorn, that big scary white monster with the glowing eyes as she calls him.

Take lots of pictures and use photopass. Those photopass photos might be the only ones with your whole family in them, as in our case. I treasure those photos. So we hit up as many photopass photo's we can.

Buy a silohette on main street.

Have fun, take your time, enjoy yourself, enjoy your kids and watch them discover the magic of disney. You will have tears in your eyes more than once when you see them light up with delight.

 

[4th Gen Disney Fan]

You will have tears in your eyes more than once when you see them light up with delight.[/QUOTE]

Isn't that the truth? Those are the best memories for me regarding our trip. Just seeing the magic and wonder in those little eyes. It brings me back to my own childhood.

 

[Disco]

Worked best for us when we take a stroller. I would just suggest a simple umbrella fold up type with a 3 y/o. The monsters that people push around shock me. Bulky and unmanuverable mini SUVs. I've always been about light and quick.
Unfortunately most umbrellas are too short for me and uncomfortable to push. I finally found a brand (Maclaren) that was high quality, light and taller than the normal ones.
When we got there the first day my kids were about yours ages. They didn't use the stupid thing at all because they were being independent and wanted to see everything themselves. I thought it was a waste of money.
However by the second day both kids used it off and on throughout the day. It was also a good place to leave the pack full of drinks and snacks while we went on the rides. By the third day the little one was knocked out and needing a ride back to the hotel. Throughout the trip they only really used it lightly but when they did use it it was a life saver.
Pushing a simple light one was no hassle at all and just having a place to leave your stuff was a huge benefit. Just keep in mind that anything you leave on your stroller you don't mind losing. People do steal them.
Someone walked off with ours and I was pretty apprehensive about it even knowing nothing of value was in it. We finally found it far away from where we left it no doubt after whoever took it went through all the bags and pockets and found nothing of value. I suggest training yourself to expect it to be gone when you come back for it. Make like a 15 minute rule for trying to find it or something and just write it off if you can't.
With 7 days in the parks you have plenty of time so just take your time and absorb all the fine details. Like everyone has said get there early and take a mid day break and then stay late. Avoid popular rides at peak hours. I would use a break day away from DL too. Hit the beach or just sleep in.
If you want to save money and eat out of the parks look for coupons. You can even pack your own lunches if you want to go the extra mile.

 

[jasy]

I took my son (2) by myself this past January it was his 3rd trip. My best tip, BE FLEXIBLE. We had a lunchtime reservation at Cafe Orleans for 11:30 one day but my son decided he was hungry at 11:00 so we went over and cancelled our reservation last minute and went somewhere else to eat. I like to avoid meltdowns. We took things slow, no itinerary, if he wanted to ride the train we did, go on the tea cups, ride gadgets go coasts 4 times in a row without exiting (LOVE Toontown Morning Madness the CM's are fantastic) we did. It was the most relaxing trip we've had yet.

What else... we travel light, my son is potty trained so we just brought an extra change of clothes, some snacks, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, etc. but that was about it, I don't like carrying around a ton of extra stuff. We used a stroller though it happened more than once that we'd leave the stroller at the main street train station and then we'd get off in tomorrowland or something but we just went with it.

We stayed onsite at the DLH, I wasn't keen on it, the room was nice but as a parent travelling with a small toddler solo the water play area wasn't ideal. CM's at check in were meh, I prefer staying at the Paradise Pier in a view room, also the walk seems quicker from the PP, it felt like it took FOREVER from the DLH and we were in the closet tower to DTD.

If you have any questions, ask!

My son asks to go to Disneyland daily, I'm debating a 3rd birthday trip in September!

 

[viaggiamo]

You guys are all legends! This is exactly the information I was hoping for.
Our children are sensitive and now I have a list of rides to leave for later on (maybe) in our trip and ones to go to first.
We are staying at Park Vue solely for the reason that is is close if we need a break from all the stimulation. Adults included!
Would love to stay at GC but it is $3000 more for the 7 nights, which as much as I love quality hotels I cannot justify! we will not be in the room that much.

I am hoping for no jetlag but we fly in at 7am on our first day, which will be difficult to keep the family awake, we may just crash early like 6pm or, it depends on how much sleep we have on the plane...

DCA has the Disney Live! show which is a live play with many of the preschool characters such as Handy Manny and Little Einsteins. It's a great entertaining break when you need to rest for a little bit.
Hope you have a great trip!

Wow, cool, I had not heard of this show before and the children love Handy Manny it will be nice to rest and just watch a show. I will factor that in. Thankyou.

Disco, we will be bringing our Maclaren Vogue from Australia as it has a full recline and DS can have a sleep if he needs one (he will only be 3 and 1 month old). Loooove the lightweight Maclaren.


Also, great to know that you can take food into the park. I think I will pop into target or somewhere and buy some snacks. Is there a whole foods style place near DL?
Or can Park Vue accept deliveries? Who would you recommend?

Thanks again to you all, I have bookmarked this page and will print it out before we go.

C

 

[KateDrake]

There are some great tips on here! I'm just chiming in to join the stroller crowd. My DD3 never uses one at home any more, but she gets absolutely hammered in the parks, so we usually bring one but let her walk until she's tired. I used a phone app on a trip a while back, and we ended up walking 7 miles in one day!!! Which sure is healthy, but just too much for kids. Our DD will take a nap in the stroller as well, which works great for us if we want to stay at the park longer.
I also love having a stroller at the airport, and I'd recommend bringing or renting one that will fit both of your children. It is so much easier to wrangle luggage when your kids aren't running all over the place!
The only other thing I'd suggest that I didn't see is to bring some snacks from home. There are obviously plenty of snacks at Disney(and you should try as many as you can ), but you may want to bring some of your children's favorites from home. I know when I go to a foreign country I sometimes get homesick for the kind of food I'm used to. I've noticed it is even harder for kids, and just that one small thing can make it feel like they aren't so far from home.