Inspired by best tips; What tips have you recieved that were pointless?

[Ask"WhyNot?"]

I'm curious, of thse of you who said afternoon breaks were worthless how old were your kids? I am planning them for my 4 and 2 year olds. Thanks!

I hate afternoon breaks--away from the park. It is such a waste of time, and my kids can get recharged in the park. My kids are 7,6,4, and 1. The littler ones just nap in the stroller.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

The worst ones that I can think of for us were:

1. Refillable mugs--complete waste of money for us!
2. Bring a rain poncho to the parks. I can see the merit of this advice but it was not fun carrying bulky rain ponchos all day when we could have just purchased them when we needed them in the parks or found shelter somewhere. That's what we ended up doing anyway.

I am actually happy to hear about the younger children napping in their strollers. My mom is convinced that we shouldn't bring dd to WDW so young (she will be 1) but since we are insists we need to take mid-day breaks. Well, after reading this thread we will play it by ear. If she naps in her stroller that will work out great. If not, we'll go from there!

 

[stahshee]

Ok, I'm sitting at my desk laughing hysterically at this because I almost fell victim to some of theas and then stopped myself when I realized my suitcase would be double the size.

My favorites were -- a candle for the bathroom (which I packed and then unpacked) and then a powerstrip.

But to be fair though it's only me and my boyfriend so a lot of this stuff doesn't pertain to us. We can come and go as we please and if we don't like something, oh well. We WILL be getting the mugs though -- we are morning coffee freaks and will need them before we leave for the parks.

why do you need a candel for the bathroom?

 

[etwinchester]

I PM'd you!

My DD is 5 and she constanlty wants a snack as well. Every half-hour she is asking for something and it drives me NUTS...don't know where she puts it either, skinny as a rail.

It was time to nip this problem in the butt. Once she starts kindergarten next week, she won't be able to eat all day so this week I sat down with her and told her the new rule. Snack times are now at 10:00, 3:00 & 8:00. Here's how it goes:

Breakfast when she wakes (normally around 7:00-8:00)
Snack 10:00
Lunch around 12:00
Snack 3:00
Dinner 6:00
Bedtime Snack 8:00

I told her NOT to ask for any snacks unless it was at the times I have given her. Now I'm sure that we'll have to be flexable with the times at some points (on vacation, traveling, etc) but at least it's something to start with and can be inforced 90% of the time.

So far, she is doing good with it. If she asks for something in between, we just ask her what time it currently is and if that was a snack time. She'll answer "no" and then go play.

 

[dismom9761]

Advice that didn't work for me-each kid bring their own fannypack.Mine hated wearing them and constantly complained.Nap back at the room didn't work for us.The baby did finally settle for a nap but I had a hard time getting the older kids out of the pool to go back.She napped fine in the stroller and we just ended the days earlier for time in the pool.
Advice that did work for me-Taking snacks.with four kids someone always needed a little something.Especially waiting in lines.We also bought snacks every day.

 

[missypie]

Advice that didn't work for me-each kid bring their own fannypack.Mine hated wearing them and constantly complained.Nap back at the room didn't work for us.The baby did finally settle for a nap but I had a hard time getting the older kids out of the pool to go back.She napped fine in the stroller and we just ended the days earlier for time in the pool.
Advice that did work for me-Taking snacks.with four kids someone always needed a little something.Especially waiting in lines.We also bought snacks every day.

It's funny. Our DS14 will wear a fanny pack to do his part in carrying stuff. DD12 wears one because she NEEDS her lip gloss and her money and her kleenex and her pressed penny book and her autograph book...DD9 hates to wear one.

 

[jann1033]

why do you need a candel for the bathroom?

i was wondering the same thing and couldonly think of "unpleasant" odors "drifting" from the bathroom spreading thru the room????

backpacks , naps and listening to what anyone says about any restaurant( varies too much by tastes, who is cooking ect) are the worst tips imo

...and wondering why if you don't have money to spend for souvies you don't just give the same amount you spend( in Walmart or whereever pre trip ) to the kids in the park. that's what we always did...you have $XX for what ever you want...no offense but how fun is it to come back and have new pjs...( sorry, i can just picture the looks on my kids faces.."no you can't have that book/toy/candy cause you have a surprise in the room" and have them get pj's 6-8 hrs later after thay have been building it up in their heads to the point where they are figuring a real live pony must be sitting on the hotel bed waiting for them ) many stores had areas by the check out with less expensive things( ie pencils, little toys and tablets ect.) so we would just steer them there.( also saw them last time we were there)

so i just gave someone else a tip they can use as the worst tip ever !

 

[missypie]

i was wondering the same thing and couldonly think of "unpleasant" odors "drifting" from the bathroom spreading thru the room????

backpacks , naps and listening to what anyone says about any restaurant( varies too much by tastes, who is cooking ect) are the worst tips imo

...and wondering why if you don't have money to spend for souvies you don't just give the same amount you spend( in Walmart or whereever pre trip ) to the kids in the park. that's what we always did...you have $XX for what ever you want...no offense but how fun is it to come back and have new pjs...( sorry, i can just picture the looks on my kids faces.."no you can't have that book/toy/candy cause you have a surprise in the room" and have them get pj's 6-8 hrs later after thay have been building it up in their heads to the point where they are figuring a real live pony must be sitting on the hotel bed waiting for them ) many stores had areas by the check out with less expensive things( ie pencils, little toys and tablets ect.) so we would just steer them there.( also saw them last time we were there)

so i just gave someone else a tip they can use as the worst tip ever !

Yeah, I swear by giving each kid a set amount of money to spend. When they spend it all, that's all. They can spend it all on Mickey bars if they want. If they don't spend it all, they can bring it home.

Although I know my kids very well, I'm not great at choosing what they would like as a souvineer. During our Disneyland trip, one DD's favorite souvineer was a Crocodile Hunter cap she bought on our one day at Universal. DS's favorite souvineer was a Bionical "claw" that he bought at DTD. Neither would have been thrilled with jammies.

 

[Swazie]

I swear by the set $ amount. Our kids are older now (youngest is 10), but we saved up and each child had $100 to spend the entire trip. The rest of the deal was, they couldn't spend it the first three days we were there. That stopped the impulse buying. If they decided to buy something that we only saw at the one store (it happened) then on the last day, DH or I would take them back to that park or store to make their purchase.

It was great to watch them shop and shop and struggle with the decsion. I kept a paper with everyone's totals on it (although one spent the whole wad in one spree and was done). They still have the items they bought (10 years later) and have memories of each one.

We did the mugs but. . . . don't buy them as anything buy souvenieers. They hold about three swallows of liquid. My kids would literaly stand at the fill station, drink it dry and fill it up again, two or three times, before we left for our room. To walk the miles back to refill it was stupid.

Now that the four oldest are out of the house, just the 10 year old is going with us this time. Her big wish? A Disney Halloween costume to wear to MNSSHP. We are having a hard time deciding whether to buy the costume from Disney.com and bring it or wait until we get there and only haul it home. Anyone know if they have different costumes on site? Anything special about them?

I agree that most suggestions do work . . . just not for everyone. The things I did for the kids when they were smaller aren't even close when they get older. And all kids are different. My kids could nap in the stroller and plod through. But they could only do that three days in a row. Day 4 was always a rest day. No getting up at the crack of dawn or pre planned meals. We slept in, swam at the hotel and ate off site somewhere. Sometimes we would do a water park on that day, but only if EVERYONE felt up to it.

I'm so happy when I'm "in the world" that my luggage could be lost for a week and I wouldn't care!!

 

[TENIA66]

I'm with most of you all on the naps. Disaster.. however we liked the refillable mugs, but were always close to the food court and I have kept them as souveniers on display. i wear a fanny pack with camera supplies, dollar store ponchos (5), stick sunblock, allergy medication, inhaler, fever/pain reliever, bandaids, money, feminine hygiene products, wipes and batteries for the mistifan. the back packs are in the way, but the fanny pack is no problem at all. we've been five times, going back for six!!! we've taken one as young as 18 months with no problem at all. we've stayed off and on disney and will always stay on disney, preferrably the all stars on lean years, port orleans good years but use our own vehicle. we hate to wait around on disney transport to come back to hotel

 

[northwds]

Keep the information coming. We are bringing nieces with us this trip and were convinced that the "return to room for rest" idea was great,....but I'm no so sure now. It is true, it is hard to get them out of the pool and go any where else. Thanks

 

[missypie]

Keep the information coming. We are bringing nieces with us this trip and were convinced that the "return to room for rest" idea was great,....but I'm no so sure now. It is true, it is hard to get them out of the pool and go any where else. Thanks

I still think returning for a rest is a good idea. They don't have to nap...doing something else, off their feet, out of the heat and crowds, works well.

Taking an afternoon break worked best when our resort was close to the park we were enjoying...ie, going from the MK to the CR takes 5 minutes. If I were staying off site, I'd take my breaks at sit down restaurants, AC shows, etc.

 

[ckoncurat]

RE: Miday BREAKS...

I have 5 kids, ages 2-8. At home I am a NAP NAZI- I want 2 kids free hours in the afternoon! I insist on naps or quiet time for all my kids, every afternoon.

In the parks, however, I find the mid-day break thing impractical. If my kids are tired, they will fall asleep in the stroller, on the bus/car/monorail, whatever so by the time we get back to the room, they're rested and I'm exhausted!

A better plan for me is to start early, recharge with a meal or snack in a cool place, and then quit a park around 2-5pm, when we've already seen most everything we wanted. Sometimes we'll head back to Epcot later on. We try to schedule a rest day every 2-3 days, when we sleep in, hang by the pool, etc. So for us, a 7 day trip would only include 4-5 days in the park, with one of them being the christmas or halloween party, if we can swing it.

 

[ckoncurat]

I TOTALLY agree. Buying it directly from WDW would make it more magical or memorable to a child. Even for myself, I'd rather purchase something at WDW. It would mean a lot more to me and whenever I used it, I would think of our vacation.

I don't buy our souvies at walmart... but I DO use tips from the budget board to get Disney Store Jammies, Light Chasers, Pal Mickey, etc. at rock bottom prices before we go. Why spend extra $$$ for the pleasure of saying "I bought this at Disney?" Our light chasers are cherished because we USED them during our disney trip. Same with Pal Mickey. JMHO

 

[SEAlla]

I tried the deoderant spray on your feet to avoid blisters and it did not turn out good. My feet felt slippery all day long and it discolored the soles of my good sandals so they now look dirty from the deoderant being on my feet. I did not get blisters but I normall now do not get blisters anyway.

Was it just deodorant? If so, that is the problem. It needs to be antiperspirant. Deodorant doesn't keep you dry, it just keeps you from smelling.

 

[Nancyg56]

I love this thread. I was beginning to think that if we were not prepared for any problem in the parks, it could result in disaster. After going thru all of the "worst" tips, I feel better. I will leave it up to my DD if she wants to bring the little one back to the room, will pack light snacks for my DGD, and leave the backpack home. I have already purchaced hopper passes for every day that we are staying in the world, (DD said 4 days were enough, I said what if I want dinner ina different park?). I hate lugging stuff around, just in case. DD is buying DIsney PJ's and little extras for her dd to make the stay special, but even at 3 1/2 she knows that she can only buy what she has saved for, so she will be shopping for special souveniers at the parks.

 

[misskrystal]

My db's 'great' advice was to not plan a thing. Absolute rubbish!

Without lots of planning, the hotel would've cost $420 a night instead of £850 for two weeks!

His 'useful' advice was also to buy the park tickets while we are there, because he didn't want to go to many parks. One month and a Disney planning DVD later, he now wants to visit every park.
Thirty minutes on-line and I managed to save £50 on the US prices.

I agree with not over-planning, as it can take away some of the magic, but you need to have an idea for something to do each day. That way, when it's pouring with rain, you already have something planned for indoors.

I made a checklist of everything we wanted to do, but there's still plenty of room left for spur of the moment decisions!

Krystal

 

[stahshee]

ok mine was to fill up an empty water bottel at the water fountain that water taste like ************************! it was like drinking dirt with rust

 

[missypie]

ok mine was to fill up an empty water bottel at the water fountain that water taste like ************************! it was like drinking dirt with rust

Just goes to show you how different we all our. No one in our family had any problems with the water.

 

[Tara]

I'm curious, of thse of you who said afternoon breaks were worthless how old were your kids? I am planning them for my 4 and 2 year olds. Thanks!

It totally depends on how your kids nap. My almost-4-year-old son is a great stroller napper. Plus he's sort of the awake and chipper and then suddenly conked out asleep sort, and he's pretty unpredictable. If we went back to the room when we thought he might be sleepy, he'd likely never fall asleep on his own. But sometimes out of nowhere he'll say "mommy, I want to lie down in my stroller" and I'll recline the seat for him and he's out like a light. So for us, I know the mid-day break wouldn't work for naps. Now, we will likely take a few breaks, but they'll be swim breaks! For us, it's a useless tip, but for others, it's golden.