How to choose the best souvenir and get your kids to quit begging for stuff

[bexter12]

Like many parents, when my kids were younger, I constantly got asked, "Can I have this? Will you buy this? I need this!!" in every gift shop or merchandise cart we passed.

Not only does that become un-mentionably expensive, but leads to a lot of extras to pack on the way home.

To curb this cycle and make sure the kids come home with something they really like and value, we no longer consider buying anything until the last day or so of our trip.

Instead, if they see something they like, we take a picture of them holding it and towards the end of the week, go back and look at the pics. 9 times out of 10, they don't even remember what they "needed" but more often than not, one really treasured thing sticks out. It means you have to be able to go back and get that thing at the end of the week, so make sure you'll be in a place where you can buy it. It also doesn't work if its a limited or high-demand item. (we still don't have haunted mansion mickey ears)

This process changed the entire tone of our park and vacation travel and made it a lot less stressful. In return, the kids have always come home with a souvenir they love and treasure.

 

[CaperCris]

What a great idea! That is one of my biggest fears about our first trip next year. I don't want to be the mean one by telling them no!

 

[nalajms]

Great tip!

We always struggle with this. DS tends to want everything, but as soon as we get back to the room the toy is dumped on the floor and forgotten

We also try to time our buying with the 20% off coupons that usually prints when we eat at a QS.

 

[LynnTH]

My kids have always had their own spending money and that seems to help tons. They would save up Birthday/Christmas money and/or we would give them a Disney Gift Card to use also.

Even when DD13 was 4 she knew she only had so much to spend. She knew for sure she wanted a Pooh Stuffed Animal before we left. Everytime she looked at something she would ask me the price and then ask "Is that all my money" and we would tell her no and then she would ask "Is that alot of my money". It was so darn cute and funny we still say that to her to this day.

So, my point is even at 4 years old she got the concept of having a set amount of money for her to buy soveneirs and she had to decide carefully on each item if it was worth it or not. I think she ended up spending most of her money on that trip but decided carefully how to spend it. DS6 (at the time) is not much of a soveneir person so brought most of his money home and went to Target and got some transformers instead...

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

Just a little extra bit,
If you or your child sees something they "have" to have, but you're a bit hesitant about it ask a cast member in the shop if it's available in other parks or stores on property.
I've made this mistake SO many times! I'll see something I want and think i'll just get it somewhere else later and it's not sold or at least found anywhere else.
This happens to me in stores like Villains In Vogue in HS and Mouse gears in EPCOT.
Just a good tip because it is frustrating looking for one thing every shop you go in just to find out it was only sold in that one store and it's now sold out.

 

[eliza61]

Gotta love Disney also, there's a reason almost every ride dumps you into a gift shop. LOL.

So we usually did a few tricks.

1. no shopping until we hit every park. Since we have park hoppers usually by day three we've covered the basis.

2. Once you blow your spending money, it's blown.

3. Mom and dad do have "ultimate" powers. I know folks give some kids total freedom with their money but lol, my kids were always the ones who wanted the totally unacceptable gift. One of my kids once wanted an authentic samuri sword out of japan. Nope, not going to happen. I saw too many ER visits in my future.

4. We always tried also to lend "guidance" on their gift choices. Many years ago when they still had the vigin record store in DTD one kid wanted a CD. I didn't want to say no outright but I did explalin that he could get music cd's anywhere.

 

[robndani]

We did the same sort of thing when we were there in February. My kids are 4 and they think they want everything, when I know they only really want a stuffed animal.

It definitely helped us, although I'M usually the one saying "Do you want this? Don't you want that?"

 

[hops&dreams]

Great tips! Don't forget to take a pic of the UPC / pricetag. If, say, the chosen souvenir was at AK, and you can't get back there before you have to catch your flight, or if that particular shop is sold out, I believe you can call mail order after you get back home. From what I understand, the more specific you are and the more info you can provide them, the easier it will be for them to find your item.

Yes, you'll have to pay shipping, but it's generally less than extra baggage fees.

more info on mail order: (not sure how up-to-date it is)
http://allears.net/tp/mailorder.htm

 

[Plumeria9]

Another idea - The last time we went to WDW my kids were 10 and 7. I gave them each a $25 Disney GC and told them that was their souvenir money, and to plan wisely because once it was used up, that was it, or they could spend their own money. It worked so well for us, that I did it again when we went to Disneyland last year.

 

[ammag]

Yup that's what we did..she saved $125 (was 5 and saved birthday money six months before trip!) and we put it on a card! when it's gone no more. We did but her some Mickey ears ourselves. Worked perfectly she thought about her purchases very wisely!

 

[mlaping]

I tip I picked up on a while ago is you buy Disney stuff and bring on your trip with you but without their knowledge. Before you leave the hotel for a day in the park, lay some stuff out so when they come back it is there for them. Do it for as many days you are there.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Our kids get a set amount of $$ to spend, and when it is gone, it is gone.

 

[Megkel]

I only have one kid so this has always been much easier for me lol she saves allowance, birthday money, etc.... And that is her money to spend. She usually does really well with how we spends it. Then she gets the "parent's bonus". Basically it's a gift we decided we would purchase for her. It's been ears, light up ears, a random toy I saw she really wanted. The key to getting the bonus is she can't ask for it and it's random One year she and I did pick a pearl (which is quite pricey) early in the trip and she still didn't ask for a single thing the whole trip honestly they tend to be things I would buy her anyway.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I set a limit and that has worked very well for us. I also let the kids do pressed pennies which is an inexpensive way to satisfy their desire to get something.

Great tips! Don't forget to take a pic of the UPC / pricetag. If, say, the chosen souvenir was at AK, and you can't get back there before you have to catch your flight, or if that particular shop is sold out, I believe you can call mail order after you get back home. From what I understand, the more specific you are and the more info you can provide them, the easier it will be for them to find your item.

Yes, you'll have to pay shipping, but it's generally less than extra baggage fees.

more info on mail order: (not sure how up-to-date it is)
http://allears.net/tp/mailorder.htm

And if you ship out of state you don't pay sales tax saving 6.5%.

 

[seenellie81]

It helps that our kids are into one specific thing. Yes expensive at times but it really narrows the shopping down. They love to collect the pins. They are each allowed one pin each day that we buy them and we always buy them ears each trip. Sometimes dh or I will see something we want to buy for them and we do so but they don't really ask. They can also buy whatever they want with their own money. I so try to guide them into better decisions at times but in the end it is their money and they have learned valuable lessons when not spending it wisely. I think it's ok for kids to learn from experience rather then just telling them no. A cheaply made toy tht you know is going to break if they want to buy it I will give my opinion but if they insist and it's their own money they buy it if they chose, then it breaks and next time they say oh that's made cheap I am not wasting my money like last time.

 

[jmac323]

We do the same thing. I have a 4 and 8 year old and they get a set amount to spend on our last day there. I remind them that when we're looking around on other days to remember what they see that they might want. When they start thinking they want to ask for something (they are 4 and 8 still LOL) I remind them that there's still a lot to look at. It usually goes pretty well.

 

[kjs1976]

We do the same thing here. DD gets a gift card with all the money she's saved...usually $50. Been doing this since she was 4 and it works well. So fun to see her be so careful with what she chooses

 

[mickey2000]

I will be getting my granddaughter two $50 gift cards this August ! I might even get them from Target so I can save $5 !!!!!!

 

[mguilford1]

I love this thread and will use the picture idea for my 8 yo Granddaughter when we go in October. We also had a friend that was headed to Disney so I gave her $50 to buy $50 in one dollar Mickey Mouse Money. When my Granddaughter does something "special" to earn money we pay her with Mickey Money for her trip! She loves earning special Disney Money

 

[aliceindisneyland]

They can also buy whatever they want with their own money. I so try to guide them into better decisions at times but in the end it is their money and they have learned valuable lessons when not spending it wisely. I think it's ok for kids to learn from experience rather then just telling them no. A cheaply made toy tht you know is going to break if they want to buy it I will give my opinion but if they insist and it's their own money they buy it if they chose, then it breaks and next time they say oh that's made cheap I am not wasting my money like last time.

Yes! It's hard to butt out sometimes, but worth it. DD7 has gone from having her money burning a hole in her pocket and wanting to buy the first thing she sees (and then the second, third, hundredth after she's already out of cash), to being willing to wait at least 2 days into our trip (we don't make her wait til the last day) to buy her loot. DS10 is pretty smart - he asks how much we will give him, adds that amount to his cash, and decides whether he wants to buy stuff at DL or wait til he gets home to buy something else he's been wanting. That kid spent hours in the Lego store and 5 days at DL this Feb and spent not one red cent - but he spent it all on a year's membership to an online game when we got home - including the $25 "souvenir" money we promised him. I don't care - $25 of more stuffed animals or Legos from Disneyland, or $25 of clutter free online fun...