Should my boys carry backpacks? And wear sneakers or water shoes?

[jle323]

This May will be our first trip with no stroller, so I'm trying to work things out. DH always brings a backpack/camera bag. I have a small bag that I bring. My boys are 6 and 9. I was thinking about each of them wearing a string backpack, with just a poncho, a water, snack, and any souvenirs (on the way out of the park) they want. In your opinion, good or bad idea?

My second question is about footwear. I'm trying not to bring too much into the parks so I don't want to bring a change of shoes. At the same time I can't really remember the chances of getting feet wet on any rides. Would you recommend sneakers or a good pair of water shoes (like keens)?

Thank you all!

 

[Mousemommy1]

When it was just the four of us (we are now a family of five), we could aways get away with just DH carrying a backpack. He carried all of our ponchos in there. We would usually only bring one water bottle and share.

We always wear Keens in the parks. Comfortable and fast drying.

 

[richmo]

The string backpacks sound like a good idea. I wouldn't go any bigger than that, since you'll get stuck with it if it gets too hot for them to wear.

As far as shoes, just make sure they have something that is comfortable, fits well and can take a full day of walking. Sometimes water shoes or sandals rub on the back of the ankle and you get a nice blister by the end of a long day of walking at Disney.

On rides, Kali River Rapids is the one where they are most likely to get wet feet. It seems to help putting feet up on the bar in the middle, if they can reach it. Splash Mountain is less of a risk. Actually the biggest risk is if you're out in a good thunderstorm.

 

[bbak30]

My girls are 5 and 9 and DH usually just carries a backpack with those things in. My girls would never last an entire day carrying their own bag. I can already hear the whining...it's hot, it's sticky, it's heavy. I wouldn't attempt it for my own sanity.
But you know your own kiddos! I would also be paranoid the entire time that they would lose it.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

When we brought a bag, we brought one bag. Not one per person. So I wouldn't have my kids carry backpacks. In fact, by the time my kids were 6 and 9, I don't think we carried any bag at all.

As for shoes, go with comfortable sneakers. If you are going to walk around a park all day, you are looking at walking over 5 miles. Doing that in water shoes? NOPE!

Although I wear sandals.

 

[Lilliputian]

I wouldn't have my boys carry bags. They'd lose them. I carry anything they need, and I try to make it so that we don't need much.

I just remind them to lift their feet on wet rides. You could get soaked on some of them some of the time, but usually if your feet are up, they won't get too wet. They do usually wear sandals when the weather is warm.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

So, you know your boys. Are they going to hand you their backpacks an hour in? That is what DD would have tried to do at that age. Now, she gets a choice - carry nothing (no phone?) or carry a bag herself.

I like Tevas for park shoes, and some Keens have the same qualities that I like. They are supportive, fitted, comfortable, well-treaded, and they dry quickly.

 

[Thing 1]

It looks like a October trip. I would invest in good Tevas or Keens for everyone. They are super comfortable and can get wet with no issues. I would not require little boys to carry bags. We try to avoid carrying anything we dont have too, even for adults.

 

[dprincessmom]

We do one bag (as small as possible) and take turns carrying it - this plan works great for us. As we have gone more, we tend to take much less (hoping to do a couple of days this summer with no bag - it could happen)

As far as shoes - comfort first; We try to do water shoes/flip flops on Kali because that is usually a standby line and then a FP+ back to back so we are soaked after that. Everywhere else is tennis shoes and we try to take enough shoes to rotate so that if we get caught in the rain, then they have time to dry before we have to wear again.

 

[puffkin]

My kids wear Keens almost exclusively in Disney. No way would my DS9 carry his own bag, he'd be complaining within an hour. Right now we still have a stroller for my younger DS, but once those days are over, we will go to one backpack type bag and take turns carrying.

 

[ajwolfe]

My boys carried their own cinch sacks last year (ages a new 7 and 10 then) most days. No one complained at all. The kept their water bottles, autograph books/pens, pressed pennies and anything they bought throught the day. I did hang on to them on a few rides just to ensure they wouldn't get lost overboard- like the coasters.
I would say you know your kids best and know what they are capable of. To us it was more that they were old enough to handle their stuff and us not be their pack mules. We also carried a small bag with a first aid kit, sunscreen, etc.

 

[kuhltiffany]

We all wear Keens too. I'm usually the pack mule, I've also left stuff we only "might" need in a locker...

 

[chris31997]

Small bag would work IF they can keep up with it. We usually went with one bag and traded off with it. Less to keep up with and to deal with at Security.

We either wore tennis shoes or Crocs with socks. You can pack an extra pair of socks for wet shoes if you want/need. But you want comfortable, have worn before shoes.

 

[monorailsilver]

All 3 of mine had a bag our last trip. They were 7, 9 and 12. My dh did take my 7 yos water in his bag. I also had a crossover. They had their water in their thermos bottles so it stayed cold and their iPod/iPhone and a park map.if they chose as well as their sunglasses and hat if they weren't wearing them. I kept the sharpie as the dharacters sign hats vs a book we will never use. My oldest and youngest (girls) used a baggalini and my son used a cinch sac.

As far as shoes, my girls wore keens or flip flops. My son the same. My son wanted to bring his sneakers and I looked at him and told him that meant he couldn't get wet. So he did the smart thing and left them home!

My kids get soaked, always have and I don't bring a change of clothes. We do a mid day break at the resort so we all shower and change after our nap. I wanted to add, that we really only got soaked on Kali but my kids gravitate to all the water spritz ing areas, one I particular in the MK...um...the circus area. Yeah they looked like wet dogs!

 

[dunangst]

My son, who is 10, would lose a bag the first time he took it off! We take one backpack, with a bunch of compartments, and my husband and I take turns with it. I thin shoes that will dry quickly are a smart idea for everyone - we all have Teva's. Kali River Rapids can soak you for sure, but I agree with a previous post about having to watch out for the random thunderstorm. It is not a matter of ducking for cover for a few minutes, even when the rain stops, walkways have wet areas. My son and I once had to walk through an ankle deep puddle to get out of the area near Goofy Barnstormer.

 

[purrpletulips]

We haven't done the park with LO old enough to carry their own bags but did it when DD was 18m without a stroller. We used one backpack with items packed in ziplock bags. We used an Ergo carrier for her so whichever of us didn't have her carried the backpack. It worked out well. You could always do a backpack for your DH that your son's cinch sacks could fit in if they choose not to carry them.

 

[Julylady]

Once kids were out of strollers, they always carried a cinch bag like the one you describe. Our rule was (and still is) you want it, you carry it. I am not a pack mule. Sweaters or sweatshirts are tied around waist when not in use. They always picked and carried their own snacks and water. Kids never handed me their things as they didn't know that was an option! Kids haver never lost anything important and are very responsible with their things. I don't remenber that they ever complained about carrying them, but if they did the complaints would have fallen on deaf ears. They now carry much heavier backpacks to school each day so they are pretty used to it.

 

[MissChris]

For shoes I would say, don't try anything new. Go with whatever is proven comfortable for you. A disney trip is not a good time to discover that new shoes that you thought would be comfy are actually tearing your feet up. You can't really take other people's advice about it because people have different tastes/needs. Personally I find sneakers way too hot and stifling and always wear sandals unless the weather is really cold. On the other extreme I could never spend a full day on my feet in flip flops. If you feel comfortable in sneakers. you should wear those, just make sure to bring dry socks.

The same is really true of bags, I personally find string bags uncomfortable, they dig into my shoulders and you have to take them off and stow them every time you get on a ride. When my family goes one adult carries a backpack with water and whatever else we need but each kid has a waist pack, we got cute disney ones, my son has Cars, my daughter has Tinkerbell. They each carry some snacks like granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, and my daughter has a small digital camera she keeps in hers. They also like pin trading but sometimes they don't want to wear their lanyards so they keep them in the packs. It works great, they don't have to bother me evEry time they want a snack, they have some autonomy and the bags are comfortable and can be worn all the time, even when sitting on rides. I also like giving them a little responsibility for their own things.

Have fun!

 

[kwdw]

Okay - I DON'T have kids of my own - but at that age - no way I'd make them carry a bag. Now - I'd also not be their pack-horse - essentials in one family bag and that's it! (IMO)

As for shoes - comfy shoes with support and well-broken in. A shoe you KNOW they can walk in for hours.

The only ride you will "most likely" get wet feet is Kali - so maybe save that until late afternoon so they don't have wet feet all day. Or - wear an easy to dry shoe that particular day.

Now - if they are the ones to always find the puddle - maybe you need to re-think my advice....

When I travel with family, we bring ONE main pair of shoes per person. We'll bring a second pair for everyone - but that stays in the hotel room in case someone wants to swap around - or is case the main pair gets wet one day and needs a full day to dry out.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I wouldn't have kids that young carry bags all day. It would be too easy for them to leave the bags on benches, in restaurants, etc. I know my kids at that age would have complained about them being too heavy, too hot, and they wouldn't want to hold them on rides. I usually carry the essentials in my bag. We buy water bottles or get free water as we go along rather than carrying it with us.