Keeping kids happy in line

[Alex2kMommy]

It looks like the last week in April will be at least "moderately crowded", and I was just wondering: How do you keep little ones happy while waiting in line for an attraction? This is our first trip to Disneyland, and while my DSs (ages 5 and nearly 2) are very well-behaved, I don't think they've ever had to wait in line so long (20 - 45+ minutes.)

I think the older one will be able to handle it better because he'll understand what's to come at the front of the line, but even he will get bored after a couple rounds of waiting. Are there things to do while waiting in line?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[amw]

On my first trip to WDW with my girls, I brought a mini-fan and mini-bubble blowers (rings or necklaces) to keep them entertained. However, I didn't end up using any of it. There is so much to "see" while waiting in line -- either props for the rides themselves, or general disney-stuff atmosphere in the park -- that neither girl was bored.

I did, however, make sure to keep snacks (raisins, carrot sticks, cookies, etc.) and mini juice boxes on hand. I found that they became grumpy when all they needed was a quick snack pick-me-up. That helped waste time in line too.

 

[samkj]

I second the snack idea! My kids are usually fine as long as they aren't hungry! Games like "I spy" are always useful too.

 

[Chickysmom]

Make sure to make a potty stop before getting into those long lines too. Nothing worse than waiting for what seems like forever to get to the front of the ride and have a little one say they "have to go".

 

[TSRE]

We have 6 and 3 year old boys, and on our trip last year when they were 5 & 2, the snacks did work best. I still brought little toys and such though, and found those to come in very handy. Since we have a stroller & little backpack for pull-ups anyway, we weren't carrying anything extra, and I figured if a toy bought us 5 happy minutes in line when we might have had a screaming kid otherwise, it was well worth it. Actually, I really found the little toys to be most handy when we were waiting for food or for a show. Silly Putty is a great thing while you are waiting somewhere. I have to throw in, though, I make sure the toys I bring are quiet and are not very likely to get thrown at someone, etc., just so they don't cause more problems than they solve

 

[SunshineOR]

In most of the lines, there's plenty to look at. Mine even at that age were pretty content to stare at other people in line and sights available. Save your entertainment stuff for later when they're tired and cranky--you'd hate to use up all your snacks and ideas early in the day when they're fresh! I usually find my kids are fine in line until late in the day when they're tired and cranky, then there's some need for entertainment. I prefer not to haul around a lot of snacks and toys, so we like to play I Spy and other guessing games. Rock, Paper, Scissors is a hit once they're old enough for it. Also, we'll just engage them in discussions about what they've seen, what was their favorite part, what do they think the attraction we're about to see will be like, which parent they want to sit with, where do they want to go next, who's their favorite character so far, where they want to have dinner, etc.

 

[Snow Brite]

Yep, I find that we spend enough time chatting amongst ourselves and with those around us that we don't need toys and things. Somehow we always strike up a conversation with someone near us and that helps the time pass. We will play I Spy and 20 questions sometimes. Other times we will make up fictional stories about the people we see walking by...who they are, why they are at Disneyland, where they are from, that kind of thing. This is usually hysterically funny. I do make sure to always grab each of us a park map and they will spend a lot of time pouring over that. They like to look back through their autograph book as well.

 

[victorandbellasmom]

Snacks are always a great idea, nothing worse than a tired hungry kid except a tired hungry adult. My kids would play 20 questions and I Spy. We'll also talk with other people in line and we'd plan what we'll be doing later as well.

 

[Judy from Boise]

Do you have a game plan built around FP and EE ? I would hope you have few waits over 15 minutes if using a some tried and true stratagies!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Judy, I was thinking we wouldn't be doing too many grown-up rides with the kids along. DH has now set me straight on that (!), so yes, I will have to plan those in. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[camouseketeer]

With my DD's (ages 3, 2) I brought stickers, snacks, little notebooks with a single crayon (like a handy dandy notebook), and little princess dolls. It was a lot to carry but I used them throughout the day. We'd have snacks in one line, drawing in another, dolls in the next, etc. Trying to get them to play with the same toy over and over again wasn't going to happen, so I was glad we had a variety of things.

Just an FYI, I learned from these boards that bubbles are frowned upon as many people are allergic to them.

Have a great trip!

 

[cstraub]

Pen/pencil and notepad!

Take turns drawing things at WDW and the others have to guess. Worked like a dream!

You can use a small magnadoodle too. I found one that had a clip that I could clip to the backpack at Target.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

All great tips, thank you! We have a mini Etch-A-Sketch, and plenty of little notepads and pens, so those are a great idea. Maybe the notepad route, so I could save the pictures and scrapbook them...

 

[cstraub]

All great tips, thank you! We have a mini Etch-A-Sketch, and plenty of little notepads and pens, so those are a great idea. Maybe the notepad route, so I could save the pictures and scrapbook them...

We still have some of those drawings in the kids baby books. I kept the one my DD3 at the time, drew of the castle!

Great memeory..