Packing Tips for Toddlers Please...

[wdwmom0f3]

It has been years since my kids were little and I am taking my 20 month old to Disney for 9 days in June. Do you have any advice about new items that would be helpful for the trip? I have a few things but is there anything you really found helpful? We are traveling 8 hours by car too so if you have any helpful ideas for that as well I would love to hear them.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Nittany]

Just returned from taking my 27 month old and the best advice I can give you if you are driving is to get a DVD player for the car and some Disney animated movies. It will not only entertain, but also get your child familiar to the characters they are going to be meeting. Have a great time, we did! We are already planning our next trip!

 

[tink9702]

Food & Lots and lots of wipes for the car ride!!! LOL magnetic play sets, DVD player, Books, small toys too.

For disney itself I'd suggest more than one bathing suit in case he wants to go into the pool a couple times in the same day. Also I'd bring both a stroller & a baby carrier. Also bring snacks into the park so you don't have to search for something a picky toddler will eat!

 

[Thing 1]

If there is more than one adult or older child in the car, having someone to sit beside him is a huge help.He really should still be backward facing. I am big on allowing electronics in the car, even for toddlers though Im pretty strongly against them in general for toddlers. movies or apps on a ipad are great. Tons of snacks, a few books and small toys. I like the crayola products. The color wonder markers are great and we like the magic dough. No mess at all and the kids love creating things in the car with it.
For the trip its self, think simple. His clothes are tiny, so take plenty but keep them simple and matchable as much as possible. Good footwear is important if you think he will walk much. Take a good, lightweight stroller with a good shade. A hat and sunglasses, and extra sippy cups. Good safe sunscreen. A lightweight bag for the parks. I liked the small light weight fabric backpacks when mine were little and it can hang on the back of the stroller. Take any medication for him you could possibly need. Are his parents going too? Have an emergany plan in place and consider a notarized consent to treat letter if not. We take a virus care kit. Yes we did learn the hard way on this one. Extra PJs, paper towels, plastic bags, cleaners, drinks and simple easy foods like crackers. I also like a few simple toys for the room for any down time....a few cars or invest in the huge mr.potato head box from DDT on the first day. Our little guy played with this the entire trip one year. Think through where he will sleep and take any sleep friend or pillow. Avoid any big changes like taking passy or bottle too close to the trip. It will be fun and really not to hard ......enjoy.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

a cooler for cold drinks as you are traveling. I know 20 months is young but no crayons in the car. we had to replace a car seat on a trip when our kids were young because a piece of crayon got left in carseat at a lunch stop. melted into fabric of carseat and then on to clothes as child sat in it. if your child has a special blanket or toy do not take to parks with you leave at room, nothing is worse than a lost blankie that does not make it to lost and found for a few days

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Great post! Taking my 15 month old in September. I'll have to remember these tips!

 

[kteeter]

We took our daughter when she was 13 months last Sept and going again the May now that she is 20 months. We are taking little snack cups filled with food items that she likes for the park and waiting in line. the GoGgo Squeez
Applesauce are great and not too messy plus they don't require cooling. Fun things to keep them busy in line are bubbles kids like to popping them in line and others around can have fun too. I have a few apps on my phone ready but don't know if it will be pulled out. I also have a few Water WOW books that are great for car, air or in line!! http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-...UTF8&qid=1426088270&sr=8-1&keywords=water+wow We also like the Reusable stickers http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1970559082&pf_rd_i=desktop
Glow sticks from the Dollar Store are a must for night they love to hold them and wave them.
Remember to take advantage of the Baby Care centre even if its just to let them run around in the cool AC for a bit, we went there mid-afternoon each day to change clothes and cool off and have a snack, we did NOT go back to the resort she would just nap in the stroller if needed.
ALWAYS have water available to them!! You can get water from any quick service location for free, just ask.
* One More thing we always carries plastic ziplock baggies with us for clothing accidents, for leftover snacks or swim suit.

 

[BellsFam]

Pack outfits in gallon size ziploc bags... We took DD in sept. and I saw on Pinterest to do this... I packed underpants, shorts shirt socks, clips for hair, everything one outfit would need. At hotel kept everything in bags. I could grab a bag before we left the hotel every day and throw it in my backpack. With everything already in the ziploc you knew you had everything you needed to change her if need be...

DD got overheated during the day we got these sport towels that you water down and lay on yourself and their cold... We would wipe her down with this to help with the sweat feeling.

 

[ScarletBegonias]

Pack outfits in gallon size ziploc bags... We took DD in sept. and I saw on Pinterest to do this... I packed underpants, shorts shirt socks, clips for hair, everything one outfit would need. At hotel kept everything in bags. I could grab a bag before we left the hotel every day and throw it in my backpack. With everything already in the ziploc you knew you had everything you needed to change her if need be...

DD got overheated during the day we got these sport towels that you water down and lay on yourself and their cold... We would wipe her down with this to help with the sweat feeling.

I've seen this and I want to do the exact same thing! No thinking about what to put her in every morning because it'll be already put together!

 

[epsmith921]

for the car, we just bought a strap for our iPad so we could put it on the headrest. Totally cheaper than a separate dvd player and one less thing to bring. (Just in case that's something you have or would like to bring - we don't get the cars with the screens built in and those don't work for rear facing anyway).

I also bring collapsible bins for stuff in the car. So I'd have one for snacks, one for toys, and maybe one for electronics stuff like gps, Chargers, headphones, etc. makes the car easier to clean out upon arrival and keeps stuff from rolling around or generally making a mess. Then I use those bins when we're at the hotel to organize things like diapers and wipes and set the day's outfit out on top of it before going to sleep. I got some from pottery barn on clearance after seeing this idea on here and my husband thought I was nuts at first but then especially loved it in the car.

I also put clothes in ziplocs, but they were the ones in the diaper bag for going to the park.

Oh and for a car trip keep the shoes as something that can easily go on and off. Saves time at the stops.

I also brought an empty sippy cup with me into the park so I didn't have to carry liquid weight but could have a cup that wasn't going to make my kid a disaster and was insulated (princess likes her drinks COLD.).

 

[epsmith921]

One more thing, sorry. I know when driving it's easy to pack the kitchen sink (depending on vehicle size of course) and you might wind up with tons of little bags. Seems like a small thing, but when unloading the car while I watch the kiddo, my husband at least prefers larger bags even though they're heavier just so he can be done as he finds fewer larger bags more manageable than many smaller ones. We then use ebags packing cubes inside.

Just something to think about if this will work for anyone else.

 

[rachael95]

A few things I was glad to have:

• Little plastic disposable placemats with sticky tape on the back. (they can also be used as changing pads in a pinch). Check Babies R Us and just get the store brand. Great for when the tables are less than clean and little one likes to eat food off it.
• Fuzzy stickers. This was a huge hit in the car when he was tired of the little toys and tired of the ipad. He loved playing with the stickers.
• Sunscreen. LOTS of it. Re-apply often. Make sure to get bottoms of feet.
• Extra pair of shoes

We tried having him use Frogg Toggs but he didn't like them, but they work great, so if you can get him to use them, do. DON'T buy the chilly cloths from the Disney vendors. They are cooled using chemicals. DH and I bought one on the day we forgot our Frogg Toggs and both of us ended up with chemical burns on our face. We think it might have reacted with the baby sunscreen we were wearing. Luckily, we had not wiped DS with the towel.

 

[baseballnut]

A nightlight!

 

[hpsalb]

One thing we found helpful was little baggies full of "distractions" for the parks - stickers, bubbles, etc. like PP have mentioned. I went to the Dollar Store ahead of time and had a themed baggie for each park day. Some hits included the stickers or sticker books and little figurines - found some Disney ones and also fish and dinos (for EP and AK).

Definitely snacks. DS is not picky, but it was so much easier to whip out a snack and drink from the stroller when needed and not have to wait and find a snack. They lose it pretty fast when they are hungry

A fan. Either one that clips to the stroller or one of those water bottle ones with the foam fan blades that can be held. Or both.

We do the DVD player in the car. It's a lifesaver. DS was rear-facing at that age and we strapped it to the back headrest. Plan stops at restaurants with playgrounds. No stopping the car when kiddos are sleeping!

 

[rachael95]

A fan. Either one that clips to the stroller or one of those water bottle ones with the foam fan blades that can be held. Or both.

Agree with the idea of a fan. I went with a O2 cool that requires 4 D batteries. It's gigantic, but that thing can run for days and not need fresh batteries. Plus, it's strong enough that you can actually feel the breeze compared to most of those wimpy stroller fans.

One other thing I thought of, go to the Dollar store and buy glow sticks, glow wands, etc. We used glow necklaces and wrapped them around the handle of our stroller on the night we stayed late. Made it SO much easier to see the stroller. We also had a cute glow wand we bought for DS. Cost $1 compared to the exorbitant price you'd pay for a Disney one in the parks and he loved it just as much.

 

[BStew]

We went last year and my son was kept busy with playing with bubbles while we waited in line or for others to ride the coasters. He also loved playing with my phone so a portable charger was needed, and LOTS of snacks/water and sunblock. He even loved to play with a spray bottle filled with some water, he would mist it all over and thought he was so cool.

 

[tiggger1]

When I went when my kids were little I made little baggies with a disposable sippy cup, a disposable placement, and a disposable kids fork/spoon and a couple individual wipe packets. I made at least 2-3 per day! ( I put them together once we got to the hotel, to save room in the luggage. That way I had what I needed for when we ate. It also worked for when we had a snack in the park, or if they wanted "their own" I just put part of our drink or snack in the cup! No mess! I actually gave some away if I had extras! I also packed their clothes in ziplock bags. Each bag had socks, underwear, top and bottoms. It made mornings and bedtime (did it for pjs too!) much much easier. We drive instead of fly, so I also back a foldable laundry basked to pack all the dirty clothes in and to keep the hotel clean.

 

[DW2010]

This is such a helpful thread. My DS will be 18 months when we go. It's a little over a 4 hour drive for us.