How do you handle the "I wants"?

[Super Excited]

I read somewhere that a family pre-bought items on clearance at the disneyoutlet online and local stores. Then each morning before going out the door the kids were given a item as a surprise gift - this reduced the "I wants" because they already got a "gift" for the day.

I have started to do this for my DS4 -We have 3 day park hoppers so I've purchased 2 t-shirts at 3.00 each and a zip up hoodie for 8.00. Each day he will have a new shirt to wear. I plan to pick up some other cheap items here at home and pull them out on our days at Disney "surprising" him along the way.

The rest of our trip will be exploring SO CAL so those days will be given a limit or allowance.

 

[Aristomommy]

DD9 saved up her allowance money and birthday money to use at WDW. I also gave her some money to spend, but kept all her money with mine in my purse/ fanny pack so she didn't misplace her money. She was much more responsible with her purchases and absolutely no whining!!!

If you are visiting the parks several times, have your children hold off on purchases the first time around. We are usually too excited to stop at gift shops the first few days anyway. Most items that are not park specific we purchase at World of Disney at DTD and use my Disney Visa for discount.

Last time DD purchased things for her brother and came home with money left over. having her in control of her purchases made her more responsible and budget minded.

 

[lulugirl]

On our last trip my kids were 8.5 & 3.5, I gave them each a gift card and explained that once the money was gone that was it, no more $$$.

My older child manages her money well, so no problem. The younger one didn't quite get the concept and continued to ask for things, we just told him no.

 

[natnelliesmom]

We don't set money limits- as our DDs are too young to understand. We do only let them make their purchases on the last day. They could each choose 3 things.
This means that they can look around in any gift shops and think about what they might want to get. By the end of the trip they know exactly what they want- no impulse buys.
They may choose items with different monetary values, but they each got exactly what they wanted. On our last trip- DD3 got a Belle barbie doll, Cinderella purse and Cinderella slippers. DD5 chose a princess doll play set, Aurora dress and a Pooh stuffed toy.
It works well for us. No attacks of the gimmes the whole trip. As soon as we'd go towards a gift shop, I'd remind them of the rules.
It was great!
-Sarah

 

[Embel]

My kids (6 & 7) have a set spending amount for the trip, and can choose anything they want until the money is gone. You'd be amazed how thrifty they are with their own money. They weighed each choice so carefully. To make it more fun, we bought gift cards for each of them. They were able to pay for their own items, and we knew when the money was gone.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My kids know that they are permitted to have one small item each day -- this could be anything for a small toy to a lollipop - the first day it is their autograph book and a pen. Then when we go to World of Disney toward the end of the trip, I buy them each one larger item. They're used to going to the local amusement park (season passes) and getting nothing all season - I just tell them in advance that we will not be buying toys or playing the games.

This year we are also saving coins (started more than a year out) which will be split between the 3 of them for anything they would like in addition to what I buy for them. We will be travelling with a family that has 4 kids (1st trip) so our buying may be a bit different - I am considering giving each child a limit but I'm not sure dd4 would understand.

 

[dawnbu40]

When DD was young (5 and under) she was allowed one souvenir per day. She was allowed to look around all day and before we left the park she could get her "prize". As she got older she was given gift cards to spend as she wanted throughout the vacation but when it was gone she was done shopping and not allowed to try and hit us up. Like most kids she was much more cautious and thoughtful spending her "own" money then she would be spending her parents. I think we need to encourage kids to think for themselves and make their own decisions and this is one step.

 

[Miss LD]

what we do around Christmas for DS is we keep a "Santa List". So, whenever he asks for something we say we'll put it on the Santa List. Then closer to Christmas we actually re-read the list and help him pare it down.
We did the same for Disney.
We told DS we were making a Disney List and then we'd decide. But, we told him we had to wait till the end to buy stuff.
It was kind of funny because he was more than okay with that. I think he just needed to know we weren't going to say no to everything and that we could go back for it.
We had budgeted $100 for souvenirs for him - and the only thing he decided he really wanted was the Buzz Lightyear spinning light thing.
On the last day I was a crazy woman buying all sorts of souvenirs that I thought he'd regret not buying. (not one of my finer moments).

 

[sticker231]

We usually do DTD the first or second night and let them pick a character play set each. They each pick a different theme and then have a bunch of small characters to play with throughout the trip. The set are like ten bucks and keeps them occupied each night in the room. We do shopping on the last day, for "good behavior". If they see something in the parks, we ask them if it is something they might like for the last day of shopping. From our trips, if they know we aren't shopping until the last day it cuts down on the "I wants."

 

[DisneyKT]

I just say no.

This is what we say to.

 

[crisi]

I agree on saying no.

If they are old enough to have their own money to spend, that is fine. If you want to spend some money and like their choice, that is fine. But the answer to "I want" when it is YOUR money and you don't agree with their choice or it isn't in the budget is just to say no.

(How do you handle the racks of candy, pop, and sugared cereal at the grocery store or the toy aisle at Target?)

 

[LadyShea]

How do you handle the racks of candy, pop, and sugared cereal at the grocery store or the toy aisle at Target?

I was going to ask similar. Basically how do you handle the "I wants" when you aren't at WDW? Do you just say no, or say yes with specific limits, say yes or no depending on the situation and explain your decision, or do they have their own money to spend and budget? I would just remain consistent and continue whatever you do at home.

 

[Cruz91]

In addition to what most people said (setting a limit somehow), we also set the expectation with our kids (DD6, DS4) that they will NOT be allowed to buy ANYTHING until we have been to each park at least 1 time (i.e. - 1/2 way through the trip). That will give them time to go and see all the stuff they 'might' want, and help them to pick the 'best' thing(s) for them.

We're doing something new this trip too... We're letting the kids earn Disney dollars for their trip. We did a chart with 4 chores per day (three which are defined, one which is a 'mystery' that mom and dad can pick). My wife had a great idea to put the chart in a page protector - so the kids mark each chore as they get it done each day, then every Sunday we tally up the chores and have a 'pay day'. At each pay day, we enforce to the kids that this money is all they're going to have to spend at Disney. I'm not sure the 4 YO gets it yet - but hopefully having him hear it a few times before we get there will help him understand...

 

[nessz79]

Our kids are young, so we don't do dollar amount limits. We are realistic with them. If it's too expensive, bulky, etc, we say so. We also give allowances and encourage them to use their allowance $. Beyond that, we buy little things here and there. A little candy here, a small stuffed animal there. We never buy big items unless Grandma is with us

 

[Hayloburger]

I was feeling like my DD7 would just walk in a every gift shop and choose "something"....so I started saying, "let's look around for the entire trip and if you really still want it then, we'll come back". That worked! Usually, she forgot about the item. Most (I say most) souveniers you will see again and again, but some are unique to certain areas of the parks, so this may not always work.

It also made me feel good about her purchase, it was something that she really thought about a long time.

We have a trip planned for early December. Last weekend, she decided that her bank was kinda low...so she opened her own spa (her own idea!). Foot massages are $2, hand massage $2 and a full body is $10. Very Creative and Mommy loves her feet massaged!!!! She wants a giant stuffed Yeti from Expedition Everest!! She has been thinking about that Yeti for two years, so I know it will be a worthwhile purchase!

 

[Priorityonecb]

We have a family rule that during our WDW trips we "window shop" until the final afternoon. That way we can see *everything they have to offer and make our choices wisely.

This has worked for our girls since they were tiny, they are 17 and 11 now. It also makes the last day of the trip not so sad...because there is a shopping spree involved! It makes the previous days nice too to know we can browse all the shops stress free.

On our last afternoon, we each choose one or two special things we've seen throughout the week. Sometimes there is a budget, but actually we've come to realize that neither girl will go overboard so we usually we don't do that anymore. On their own, they typically spend about $30 and that is fine.

 

[wideeyes]

I say no and tell DD she can choose something at the end of the trip for a set amount eg $20, and she will only get that if she doesn't keep asking for stuff.

 

[christa112]

Each of my kids had $50.00 on a Disney Gift Card and they could spend it how they wanted, but once the money was gone, it was gone. If they saw something really stupid, I would tell them No and keep walking. They would get over it quickly because they would see something else that caught their eye 2 seconds later.