How do you go on rides with your kids?

[AngryPineapple]

I've been to Disney a total of 4 times (with adults) and will be going with my sister and her family (4 kids, ages 10, 6, and 4). I'm excited to be going with my nieces and nephew because I'll get to see things through their eyes. My sister is completely relying on my to plan it all as she doesn't know much about the parks, which I don't mind at all!

So I guess my question is... Does anyone use a "buddy system" where the child will usually stick with one adult throughout the trip? I'm thinking this might help with alleviating some of the "who sits with who" fights and make it easier if an adult is responsible for a head account for those kids on their team.

Any tips on traveling with 4 kids would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I'm a semi-disney-pro but have no clue what it's like traveling with children.

Thank you!

 

[ajwolfe]

Well we don't usually travel with 4 kids, just 2. When we go as a family of 4 we just take turns mixing it up so no one is constantly paired up.
But on our last trip we went with extended family and there was lot of swapping who was riding with who. We didn't make a big deal of it but if one kid would fuss because they wanted to go with a specific adult/other kid we made sure the next time to mix it up.
I think a buddy system would only work if everyone was initally happy with their pairing or else it's going to be a long day listening to someone whine about who they wanna ride with. And if one day is heavier on rides than another, I could totally hear my kids say something about that lol.

 

[Alesia]

I think you're taking the planning just a smidge too far. Let the kids' parents worry about the details of wrangling them. Even though you mean well, planning how they parent their own children will not go well.

 

[AngryPineapple]

Thanks, Alesia but it was my sister who asked that I post for some advice and try to get some pointers. I suppose I could have worded my post better so that I didn't give the impression that I was looking to control every detail. I'm basically looking for advice on how to travel to Disney with kids and was wondering what other parents did when traveling with their large family.

 

[tzolkin]

You mention 4 kids, but only three ages, so I'm thinking there's a set of twins. If so, just wondering which ones?

If it's two 10 year olds, they may find it fun to ride some attractions together. (6 and 4 must ride with an adult)

Also, I wasn't clear on how many adults in the mix-- just you and your sister? Or are there also 4 adults?

Just trying to figure out if you meant each adult pair up with one child or if there are just two adults who would each be responsible for two kids.

 

[Thing 1]

I think it could work having a buddy system simply because then you know someone has an eye on every kid. When you have several adults, sometimes everyone thinks everyone else has an eye on a child and no one does. Thats how kids get lost. You said four kids, but you listed ages of three. How many adults? Remember that kids under 7 need to ride with a person over 14(I think that is the age). I would switch up the mix daily and if you plan to do any parting at the parks, be sure you will match adults that want to ride "thrill" rides with kids that do and ones that don't with adults that dont mind missing some things. It might be fun to do matching hats or arm bands or something to match the adult and kid.

 

[MandiC]

A buddy system is a good idea, especially in a crowded place. We usually make sure who knows they are 'responsible' for who. That isn't to say we split up it is more so dh knows who he needs to keep track of and I know who I need to keep track of. Sometimes when you have more kids than adults someone thinks the other person knows where so and so is and as a result nobody knows where so and so is and that is how lost kids happen. With rides, we didn't have any set person to ride with. During particularly scary rides I knew I needed to sit with my younger daughter, other rides the girls would ride together, ect.

 

[Lilliputian]

As a mom of 5 (will be a mom of 6 on our next trip), I wouldn't dream of always riding with the same child. It's fun for me to see them experience rides, and I want to have the chance to do some bonding with each of my children.

Besides, most of the rides don't just seat 2. Many seat 3, and several seat even more in one row. You'll have to mix it up a little based on the ride seats anyway.

 

[luvmy2babies]

I think the biggest thing to remember is what another poster mentioned. Children under 7 need an adult with them. And make sure to look over the height restrictions list for the rides that have them.

 

[Heidi K]

We have three kids, and it does help to know who's riding with whom on each ride. We just figured it out in line. Some of the rides load along a conveyer belt, and it's annoying to other riders if you wait until you get to the vehicles then have the kids arguing over who to ride with! It doesn't sound like nitpicking to me, I think you're being courteous to other riders and helpful to your family to think this through.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

The ages of the kids and number of adults would be helpful.

I would not make the same kid ride with the same adult each time. I would wing it while in line.

 

[laughinplace199]

I only have 3 kids, but we don't use a buddy system. Who wants to ride with the same person every time? We figure it out while we're waiting in line.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I would use the buddy system when moving around in the park, know who is watching who all day but in line for ride figure who is riding with who based on age and then who wants to ride with who. at the exit back to assigned groups and move to next and that includes bathroom. no one leaves until with their assigned person. I would impress on the kids if you do get separated they sit down on first bench they find and wait for you to find them. also a child sitting by self on a bench would stick out to CMs walking by and for adult hunting child a child is hard to see walking a few feet in front of the adult with a lot of adults also walking there. tell the kids that they are now found when they sit on bench, it is now the adults that are lost and the adults need to hunt the kids

 

[tink9702]

We let the kids choose in line who they wanted to ride with. Two kids and 5 adults on our trip so they wanted to mix it around.

When walking around the park I had an eye on DD and DH had an eye on DS unless we asked one of the other adults to watch them for a bit. We tend to do that anyway anytime we are in a crowded situation.

Also, it doesn't hurt to take a photo of the kids each morning so you know what they are wearing and can show CMs who you are looking for and how they are dressed.

 

[DopeyDame]

You definitely don't want to pair off consistently for the entire trip. That's bound to lead to some sadness from the kids. And given the age ranges, the adults will want a chance to mix it up a little and go with different kids on different rides.
That said, you are right to be aware of the need to make sure each kid is always accounted for.
We recently went on a trip with 12 people - 8 adults and 4 kids 5 and under. A recipe for "I thought you had little Billy" for sure.

When you have multiple adults, it's REALLY important that there is a positive handoff of kid responsibilities (especially for the two little ones). So don't ever assume that just because a kid is standing near one adult that the adult is aware that she's in charge of the kid.
I know this sounds dorky, but we instituted a quick handoff procedure. The adult currently with the kid would say "baby incoming!" and when the new adult took over, they'd say "check, baby!" It was silly and goofy and because it was so silly we actually used it. I'm convinced it helped us be at least aware of who had which kid and we managed to not end up with a lost baby!

As for other tips,
depending on the height of the 4 year old, learn about baby swap. It can be a great tool with a big group like that.
As the aunt, recognize that you'll probably be in high demand because you are new and exciting. Enjoy it!
Try to keep track of which adults is always the one stuck with "baby duty" kind of stuff. Who is always taking the 4 year old to the bathroom? Who is always sitting out a ride with the scared kid? Try to mix it up a little so that everyone has a good time.
Finally, don't feel obligated to stay together the entire time. Sometimes everyone needs a break from together-ness

 

[DaniMoon]

I don't think it's something you can plan. My youngest had just turned 5 when we went for the first time. He was stuck to me like glue, He was more comfortable with me, especially the first time we would experience a ride. Sometimes, if we rode something more than once and he knew what was coming, he'd switch up and ride with dad (TSM, Nemo ride, etc.) I did get to ride with my daughter on rides he wasn't tall enough for or didn't want to ride again, she was good with that.


So you may have to follow the child's lead.

 

[NorthernGrl]

We have 4 kids. While we don't plan who takes who on rides, we do sometimes naturally fall into groups.
Because of ages, we tend to end up with the 2 older girls together, DH with a little, and me with a little.
On rides where we can sit 3 or more together, I tend to end up with ODD. She has autism and if she's a bit panicked, she'll always come to me before DH (a product of being a stay at home parent). Since I'm also plus sized, and DH is almost scrawny, we'll sometimes do a strategic me with the smaller 2 and him with the bigger ones, which is all about hip space.