Keeping toddlers happy in line

[vettechick99]

Any tricks/toys you have found invaluable? We are thinking of going in October and DD will be 19mo. She's your typical toddler - well-mannered but loves to explore. I'm worried she won't like being held in line for very long.

 

[chipper10]

I'm worried about the same thing. DS will be 21 months when we go. I know that we will not be able to wait in line for very long. I've heard bubbles are good for distracting.

 

[squirrel]

So did I, until I found out in another post that some children are allergic to bubbles. I always used them for my niece to keep her busy while waiting.

 

[MistyD]

I have no idea but just wanted to say HI and your DD is adorable! I'm sure you will have a great TR when you get back! We are going in December for Brenna's first trip, we can't wait... I will be checking back in this thread for ideas we can use too!

 

[mncherokee]

My best advice would be to follow the lead of the toddler. If your child seems at all cranky... don't do the lines (or find short ones)... you will get into a pattern and know what will work for your child.

We traveled with a 2 1/2 year old and it took her until day three of the park visits to tolerate lines, character greets etc. That day she was in a great mood and spent the entire time in line untying my shoes over and over again... it kept her busy and we were able to see all of the characters (Epcot Character Spot). Also, we tended to get there right at opening (when she was less cranky) and stayed until it looked like she was ready for a nap (4-5 hours) then we returned to our rental home for a nap. This worked well for everyone .

 

[squirrel]

I would suggest a sucker/lollipop for an older child. Not sure you want your daughter eating that yet.

How about some other snack items:goldfish crackers, cherrios, grapes, etc.

 

[vettechick99]

Great ideas so far. She is a nut for bubbles but I'm afraid that would cause a tantrum when I had to take them away. Anyway, I can definitely do the snack thing - she loves Cheerios. And when in need, a cell phone is a lifesaver!

 

[Schmeck]

Bubbles are not really a good option in queues, as some people are allergic to bubble solution (including my duaghter, but she seems to be outgrowing it, hopefully?) and bubbles can sting your eyes if they pop in your face. Another problem with bubbles is that a small child can quickly disappear under the queue ropes while chasing a runaway bubble, but an adult cannot follow so quickly and the child can be out of sight in an instant. It might not even be your child - if a kid sees a bubble floating away, the urge is there to go pop it!

 

[huey duey & luey]

my kids were a bit older (2 1/2) but loved the spinning, light up character things they sell all over the parks

 

[llqool]

not so much for waiting for rides, but for when you're waiting for something and have her in a stroller:

-if your stroller has a tray, you can get small play dough containers (they also used to sell ones in soft bags that were easy to transport) and let her play with that. we also used that at restaurants. and then just tossed them when they got too yucky.

-we were able to spend a hot afternoon in relative peace at the food and wine festival after we got cups of ice (free at Disney) and let our girls suck on them and dump them out in the food tray of the stroller. It will still be hot enough in Oct for that.

 

[3girls4me05]

I plan on taking this
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7977202
This will allow my independent 2 1/2 yr old to wait in line and move between me and Daddy but not take off on us.

 

[MamaOfTwoPrincesses]

I'm going to have DH put a few kiddie movies on his Ipod. It may help to keep the girls (3 and 6.5) happy. Then again, since I plan to follow TGM's plan, hopefully we won't have any long waits.

 

[1hero2princesses]

I just thought of this the other day and I am a little worried. My son turns 5 the week we are there. He will be fine. Get's the drill of waiting although he may not like it. DD 3 may not be to great but I can give her lollipops. Although DD 3 does throw tantrums so that may not be fun. DD 17 months however may have some major issues. She is gonna want to get down and run. Food is the only thing I can think of. Any other thoughts anyone? She doesn't really have a favorite toy and since you can't have a stroller in line containing her may be really tough. We are going in Sept. at the end of free dining.

 

[crisi]

The best advice is to not stand in the lines. TourGuide Mike (though I don't like him myself) is the standard at teaching you how not to stand in lines. The following advice is pretty basic if you don't want to spend the money on TourGuide Mike.

Arrive at the park before opening, so you are among the first in.

Ride the attractions that don't have fastpasses available but tend to have long lines first (Dumbo, ride Dumbo first!!!!)

Make judicious use of Fastpasses. Know what attractions have them and how they work before you arrive.

Have a plan, you can change it, but understand why the plan is what it is (my husband ALWAYS makes the same deviations from the plan by suddenly deciding to ride something we have no need to ride at 10am because its there and the line is short - the line is ALWAYS short to the TTA!)

Skip the middle of the day - plenty of people still arrive at the park at 11am, and those that arrived early are often tired by 3pm. If you nap or swim mid day, you'll miss the worst of the lines.

Don't get distracted by characters, unless that's your plan. Characters often come out as crowd control. Make time to see characters, but on your terms, not on Disney's.

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

I also thought bubbles before reading some concerns from moms on here about allergies-I had not even thought of that!

I am hoping to create a "line bag" with one of the many Disney purses we have and put in:
snack bag
little light up toy
disney princess dolls from the $ store
stickers-my $ store has a bunch of Dis. stickers
disney phone to "call" the characters (we have Minnie, Tink and Buzz from last Christmas)

My plan (and we all know how toddlers do with plans, LOL) is to pop the bag out if we have a long line to wait in. We are pretty much mapped out and I am hoping we can use Fastpasses when we need to. I am hoping I can pop the bag back into the bottom of the stroller when the ride is done and wait for the next line.

 

[Natalie_89]

i took my DS in april then 18months and he was terrible in long ques the minute he was put down he was off..the only way seemed to distract him was play peek a boo lol.in the ques ur so close theres not mch room to do much else

 

[vettechick99]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I do not plan to wait in any line longer than about 10 minutes. We've been tons of times before, so it's not our one and only trip and have to see it all. But I just know she won't be able to handle much holding. She will enjoy, however, looking at everyone so that might be my saving grace!

Love the idea of Play-Doh. I assume it's non-toxic? I know she'll try and put it in her mouth...

 

[BellAbbeys Mom]

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I do not plan to wait in any line longer than about 10 minutes. We've been tons of times before, so it's not our one and only trip and have to see it all. But I just know she won't be able to handle much holding. She will enjoy, however, looking at everyone so that might be my saving grace!

Love the idea of Play-Doh. I assume it's non-toxic? I know she'll try and put it in her mouth...

Play Doh IS non toxic...ask my daughter...

 

[llqool]

play-doh *is* non toxic, but I have found that some of the darker colors (like black) can stain some things. that's why we mainly use it at restaurants and when we're out and about. and it's pretty "disposable", so we don't care too much if it gets gross or dried out.

 

[vettechick99]

I plan on taking this
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=7977202
This will allow my independent 2 1/2 yr old to wait in line and move between me and Daddy but not take off on us.

I like this a lot! We may have to do it when she's older. I think if we tried it now, she'd either fall or throw a fit when we "reigned" her back in.