Headphones are a must for our guy. We love the Kids Bandz because they collapse and can just hang on the strap of my bag. After several years now, when we approach an area that sounds like it's getting too loud for him (or parades and fireworks in the area), he grabs them off my strap. Restaurants all seem to require headphones!
Sunglasses are good for sensitivity to the bright sunlight coming out of a dark ride during the day....and also handy for strobe lights or bright lights that can be unsettling for our kiddos.
We get a
DAS to help us do virtual lines (SPD and AU), but when we are in any line we leave space. It probably annoys the people behind us, but it's not like they are getting onto the ride later than if we crammed into the queue! I like to leave space between our party and the one in front of us, as that allows our son space to pace and stem a little without bumping into people. When he was smaller we always made sure he was spaced between two adults in our party to allow him that room and not be too far from one of us if he needed help. In seated rides that are like a theater, he is always seated between the two adults unless we can let him have an aisle seat! Mostly this is to monitor his stemming and to make sure he's not kicking a seat and annoying another guest.
The parks can be sensory overload the first two days. Day three is always better for us as the adjustment begins. We have noticed a tendency lately of him not drinking or eating well in the parks. Our last trip we started enforcing breaks for beverages and snacks. This made a huge impact in his ability to handle crowds and the heat. If I felt hot and dry, then he must be experiencing that too despite his protests. If I stood in line for a drink or Mickey Bar for myself, he was the one that ended up consuming it.
Wing it. Let them lead. Our guy is ten and knows how to look at the
MDE app on my phone. Normally people schedule and manage every minute.....but that actually stresses the entire group, which will spill over onto your SPD kiddo. Once our guy was seven we started asking him what he wanted to do more often. He has the map, he has the app, and he decides what he can handle. Sometimes he says waiting 30 minutes standby is no big deal, other times he can't even consider dealing with a 15 minute standby line! Letting him have that perceived control over his environment helps him deal with the environmental stimuli that he cannot control.
When our guys says he's tired and wants to leave. We do it. We will be back. We miss scheduled Fastpasses if it's not convenient to what he wants to do right now. We reschedule on the fly when possible. He knows how he is feeling, and it's a great way for him to learn to advocate for himself.
There are many things I know our son would enjoy if he could just experience it the first time....like finally watching a parade. lol But I also know he could not handle sitting on a curb for an hour to get a spot.....so instead during the parade we are riding BTMRR over and over and over. ;-) Last trip we splurged and did several dessert parties and he loved them. We were always able to be at a table out of the crowd, it was quieter, he had room to move, and visiting the buffets gave him distractions and opportunities to move around while waiting.
Have fun. Be patient with your kiddo, your family, the castmembers, and the other guests. It's easy to lose sight of that. Take a deep breath. Remember to sit on a bench for ten minutes every so often. It can really improve the moral of your group just to step out of the crush of people for a few minutes! lol
Most important is to be flexible with yourself! We parents will stress more over missed opportunities than our kiddos.
