Question about packing for the parks

[Sheaboys]

I wore a Vera Bradley crossbody bag, not too big. I through in it, money, cell phone, tickets, bandaids, a some crackers. DH carried the camera most days.

I have 5 kids, rented a stroller at the parks. On the day we needed ponchos, we each wore our own, and we wore them all day, because it rained all day.

When we used to take our own stroller, I would just toss some diapers in the bottom, with a changing pad, and wipes. Change of clothes. That is it. It folded up with the stuff in the bottom.

We did a back pack in 2005 with our then 7, 5 and 3yr old, but opted not to carry a backpack on this past trip with 5 kids (14, 12, 10, 6 and 3yr old). I was nervous because the 6yr old sometimes has accidents but the 3yr old never does. So we went without and hoped for the best, it all worked out just fine.

 

[Lilliputian]

We take 2 bags--one that stays in the stroller while we ride, and one that we take with us. The one in the bottom of the stroller has changing supplies (diapers, wipes, changing pad), an extra outfit for the baby only, a few Bandaids, and other things that I wouldn't mind losing. The bag that they all go in is a clear, huge Ziplock bag. I figure that if people can see what's in the bag, they're less likely to steal it. I also toss some water bottles in the stroller basket.

The bag I carry has the absolute minimum. For us, it includes Epi Pens, inhalers, and Benadryl, but most people probably don't need those. It also has the camera, tickets, keys, and other stuff like that.

I don't take extra outfits for each child. If they drip ice cream on their shirts, I clean it off as well as I can and keep going. We take meds that we know we'll need, like Tylenol if someone has a headache, but not just random meds that we may or may not need. If we need something, we can either buy it in the parks or go back and get it from the room.

 

[kohlby]

Our last trip had kids ages 2, 5, and 8.

We took diapers, wipes, and plastic grocery bags. For the two younger kids, we threw in an extra outfit. (Which helped when the 5 year old got more wet on a ride than we had planned). Snacks were a must. No sippy cups, my 2 year old used a regular straw. No complete first aid kit. We did chapstick - which can be used to help prevent blisters though we didn't need it. I always have Benedryl in my bag just in case since that's something they need fast. I figure anything else can be obtained by guest services or first aid. Sunscreen and hats. Some glowy sticks from Dollar tree for when it gets dark. Post-it notes to go over the automatic toilets to keep them from flushing on an easily freaked out 5 year old. Some days we take the camera. Other days we leave it behind. We don't have a cell, but I'd pack one if you have one. A couple of ponchos - can keep the stroller dry as well as people. I always had two with me even without the possibilty of rain but threw them all in the stroller if it was a higher chance. And a water bottle that we all share. And the sling - which we did use. He hadn't used it in over a year but refused the stroller so I ended up slinging him.

We take a backpack since that's what my diaper bag was. It stayed at the bottom of the stroller unless using transportation. That's where the backpack is much more handy than most diaper bags! We leave it in the stroller when we go on rides, only taking the camera out if we brought it into the park that day. I figure that if someone wants to steal my fruit cups and diapers that badly, that they can have them. We've never had an issue.

*Hubby usually carries the tickets/money/credit cards in his pockets. He's much taller than me and men's shorts have bigger pockets to start with. So, he has a lot more room to hold stuff we want to keep with us!

 

[blebert]

Thanks for all the help!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Diaper-related items for the two year old and a change of clothes for the two year old.

Camera, cellphones, sunscreen.

That's all you need, really.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

This is what I'll be taking into the parks:

Ponchos (very small, bought from Dollar Store)
Change of clothes for each kid
Diaper supplies for the youngest
Bottles of water
Camera
Small first aid kit with bandaids, liquid bandaids, and some headache remedy for the adults. Heh.
Cheese sticks (for snacks)

Last year, we found the cheese sticks to be the perfect Disney snack. They're small, not messy, and they have protein, so they help tide the kids over longer than carb-loaded snacks.

Anyway, we put the diaper supplies and the change of clothes into gallon ziplock bags and throw them under the stroller. They really don't take much room. I carry a small backpack into the park and that's what the camera and my wallet go into, and I take that on rides (it's definitely bigger than I need, but still very small and unobtrusive). Everything else stays with the stroller. If someone wants to steal a kids' tshirt or a couple of diapers at Disney--well, they probably need them more than I do.