Going in February with a 5,3 and 1 year old. Any advice? (m)

[zakatak]

Hi!

We are going to WDW in Feb and staying 8 days at the PO Riverside!! It will be here before I know it, with school, fall and the holiday season going so fast and all!! inkbounc

Here are my questions:

1. Strollers - we will buy one of those intermediate strollers (like an umbrella, but with a more comfortable seat and basket underneat and awning over it). Should we plan on renting a double each day so that if our 5 yo gets tired (he will!!) he can just hop in? Is it too hard to leave at rides, take on tours, etc...??? Any other suggestions?

2. Does anyone suggest those walkie talkie communication devices? I can see how we might need them (at the potty, if dad wants to take 5 yo on a ride and the girls are too little, etc..) Do they work at the parks?

3. How is the weather in February? Swimmable? Cold? (We're coming from Buffalo, so unless it's 45 degrees, it's not cold!!)

Those are the big ones for now. I still have to decide our daily plans, but I am going to wait to do that as I see some attractions stop!! I will probably start the daily itinerary after Christmas... it will give me something to do to pass the lonely, cold, snowy January days with!!

Any other ideas, tips, "duh" moments, things YOU wished you would have done different would be great!!

Have a wonderful day!
Karen

 

[LKS]

Use your stroller for the little one and plan to rent a double for the two older kids. My kids ALL wanted into strollers at those ages (We were at Disney when they were 5, 3 and less than 1.) Especially for Epcot where there is SO much walking. For MK, the 5 yo might not need one. It's not hard to leave outside of rides, but there are some places it can't go - like riding the train at MK, etc... At MK, many of the attractions are so close together that it might just be easier not to have the stroller, although it does also help with the tendancy to wander off.

The weather in Feb is unpredictable. You can get a cold snap where the highs could be in the 40s and it could freeze at night (unusual), or it could be 80. Heck, it was 80 in February in North Carolina when I lived there and was bringing my newborn son home from the hospital a few years back. The pools are heated, so if the air is warm enough for you, you should be able to swim. Being from the south, we are pretty wimpy about that, but you should definitely bring your swimsuits (and your jackets or sweatshirts.)

Don't know about the walkie talkies. We have never had them and never wanted them. It is easy enough to say, "Meet here at this time." You might want to do a search for threads about them.

Another unsolicited tip - dress them in matching t-shirts to help you keep your eye on them. Lands End has a good selection in all of their sizes. We put t-shirts on the two big ones and a matching one-piece playsuit on the little one and it worked great.

 

[stacy6552]

ok here is your must have shopping list.

if you dont have one you must get a sit-n-stand. it has a seat up front and a place to stand or sit in the back. so your baby can sit up fromt the toddler can easily hop on and off. or you can carry the baby put the tot up from and the big kid wills till fit on the back. rent a stroller for the 5 yr old only if you need it. he may need it one day and not the next.

get a baby carrier. i love the baby bjorn. you will want this to carry the baby onto rides and into places that your stroller cant go.

get the sport baby backpack diaperbag. its the best thing out there. the wdw must have reason is that the attached changing pad, that you cant loose is huge and will make you able to change diapers anywehere.

table toppers which can be found at the right start are great for the baby! they are streilized mats that stick to a table top, so you can feed the baby anywhere clean or not.

 

[melk]

We had the two-way radios and they worked out great. It made it easy to split up and regroup. Just getones with a lot of channels because you do need to play around with it a little to find achannel with no one else on it. Definitely go back to the room each day to let the little ones nap, maybe even the 5 year old. Just go at their pace and make sure they all have plenty to eat and drink(we packed snacks and juice boxes in a backpack), because they'll be much less cranky that way. Have fun!

 

[cgcw]

I agree with the sit-and-stand recommendation. There is a lot of walking outside of the parks and your 5 year old could get tired before you even get to your destination. It's alot easier to carry a younger child and save the 5 year olds energy for later. When we went last, our 5 year old rode in the stroller ever chance he had -- WDW is a lot of walking -- especially for the younger set.