Pin trading or autograph books

[emmababy]

my kids are 12,10,10,8,8. This is our Christmas present. We have always done autograph books but I wonder with this age if they will like pin trading Instead. I have been buying pins for them since they were born but never did the trading. Should we do both or just pin trading? Where is best place to buy lanyards?

 

[MantaRider]

If you are just starting up, try the Character Warehouse in Orlando. It's a Disney Parks outlet and they almost always have the pin trading starting kit lanyards there for about $10. You are going to want to go right when they open because there's a line every morning and the good stuff goes fast

 

[emmababy]

Ok thank you! Do you think I should get them autograph books to or just take pictures?

 

[MantaRider]

Depends on a few things, like the prices of the actual stuff when you get there (they have 2018 autograph books right now) and if the kids really like it? I think for ours we'll do the full autograph books once when he's old enough, and just pictures after that, unless he really wants it

 

[emmababy]

I think the little kids would Still enjoy but 5 autograph books is a lot to handle and we aren’t doing a ton of character meals this trip. I just can’t decide. I can always let them buy them there lol

 

[LynnTH]

I would try the pin trading. My kids loved doing that when they were younger. I would buy a bunch of pins in ebay before we left. Didn't care what characters they were as they were going to trade them anyway. Each time my kids would pick a theme or a set they were interested in and try and get as many pins as they could. They loved going up to the Cast Members and seeing what they had and trading.

 

[leahgoogle]

My 11 and 8 year old still liked to get autographs and both of them loved pin trading too! I got their lanyards off of eBay.

 

[NewEnglandDisneyDad]

my kids are 12,10,10,8,8. This is our Christmas present. We have always done autograph books but I wonder with this age if they will like pin trading Instead. I have been buying pins for them since they were born but never did the trading. Should we do both or just pin trading? Where is best place to buy lanyards?

We just returned from a 10 day trip with 3 kids: 18, 14 and 7. They definitely preferred pins. I recommend you buy them as a lot using Ebay. Lots of places to trade in the parks.

 

[KayaWildfire]

An option so you don't have to have 5 autograph books is get a white photo mat from the craft store and have the characters sign it. Then you can hang it up when you get home and admire it instead of losing the books. And there is only one to carry.

 

[rideswithchrist]

We are doing both
I love the Photo Mat idea, but we didn't do that, so we had 3 books in the stroller at all times. The kids are eager to collect the ones we didn't get yet- and for their brother to start.

They also can't wait to collect Pins...
You will want to get some for yourself too, because inevitably, they will trade ones that YOU really like haha.
Buy a lot on ebay, but make sure you get a reputable seller so there are no scrapper (fake) pins in the bunch.
I plan on getting another small lot for my kids to trade so they can keep some from our last trip and not feel they have to bring them all...
A lanyard is great, I lost my trading pin because I put it on my hip purse and it got pulled off. I will either use a lanyard or get one of those pouches next time.

 

[Nsaudra]

We always did autograph books but last time we switched to pins... I'm so glad we did. My kids are 8,11 we got our lanyard by reaching out on nextdoor.com , asking if someone had one they wanted to sell.

 

[omniscientmommy]

This will be our first year we're doing autograph books and our son is 7. He wasn't interested in it before. Both the boys 7 & 4 love the pin trading though.