Staying Calm

[ashleymrush]

It hit me when at the mall earlier this evening with my DH, DS5 and DS2, while DS2 was having a meltdown, that I'm going to have to figure out how to keep my cool in the June heat and crowds while on our WDW trip this summer. I don't typically do well in crowds, especially when my kids are in tow. A trip to Wal-mart on a weekend can drive me crazy. I've been to Disney during peak times on numerous occasions and have done fine (the magic helps) but I've never been with kids before.

Please share your tips for staying calm and not getting overwhelmed during high stress situations. Many thanks in advance!

 

[flutterby3744]

Deep breaths, and try to find the humor in everything. My kids think I'm crazy because they say I laugh at "inappropriate" times. Like when my toddler would flop around like a fish because he couldn't have another Mickey ice cream bar. Obviously, more sugar wasn't the solution. I however, could laugh at the absurdity to save my sanity.

 

[drinkme]

It hit me when at the mall earlier this evening with my DH, DS5 and DS2, while DS2 was having a meltdown, that I'm going to have to figure out how to keep my cool in the June heat and crowds while on our WDW trip this summer. I don't typically do well in crowds, especially when my kids are in tow. A trip to Wal-mart on a weekend can drive me crazy. I've been to Disney during peak times on numerous occasions and have done fine (the magic helps) but I've never been with kids before. Please share your tips for staying calm and not getting overwhelmed during high stress situations. Many thanks in advance!

We like booking table service meals once a day. It gives a nice long relaxing break at wdw. When the kids were little we liked going to character meals.

Other than that all I have for you is to get to the parks at opening, have lunch around noon, then leave leave to go back for swimming & naps. Head back to the park in the evening when it's cooler & everyone is refreshed. Don't try to stay in the park all day long.

Have fun!

 

[kiramay]

Deep breaths, and try to find the humor in everything. My kids think I'm crazy because they say I laugh at "inappropriate" times. Like when my toddler would flop around like a fish because he couldn't have another Mickey ice cream bar. Obviously, more sugar wasn't the solution. I however, could laugh at the absurdity to save my sanity.

Yes! I laugh at the tantrums, and it usually makes them even madder that I'm not giving in to their demands. But it's better than yelling.

I try to say YES more to requests since its Disney. The kids understand that treats are limited, but if they want to do something " off the plan" I go with it. It's their vacation too.

We don't stay up late. I made the kids go to bed around 8 pm to avoid an overtired meltdown. We took breaks. Broke up the walking with long sit down rides/shows.

I also get a drink at lunch and/or dinner. And all around Epcot. Lol (which I normally don't do at home.) But exploring Epcot was one of my favorite things!

 

[MidnightParade]

I like the laughing idea. Just think about the joy and relief your giving the mom standing 20 feet away watching your kid having a meltdown and being grateful its not her kid. And don't worry you'll have the opportunity to be that mom too!

 

[epsmith921]

Have a plan, but be very willing to throw it out the window. We found it best to try to stick as close as possible to our normal schedule, so breaks were a must around the hottest portion of the day.

Also try to make sure everyone's drinking and eating enough in addition to getting enough rest. That heat can really take it out of you. I personally try to stop for snacks of "real food" as well like the grapes or carrot and celery sticks found at some places. I find those sorts of things to be quite helpful in keeping me on an even keel.

 

[Heidi K]

I'm worried about this, too, although it's my DS5 who is most likely to have a full-blown tantrum. These are good tips for preventing them (we will definitely be doing midday breaks). Any advice for what to do if a major tantrum happens anyway? Sometimes humor works with my kids, but usually I try to isolate--very difficult in a theme park!

 

[kiramay]

I'm worried about this, too, although it's my DS5 who is most likely to have a full-blown tantrum. These are good tips for preventing them (we will definitely be doing midday breaks). Any advice for what to do if a major tantrum happens anyway? Sometimes humor works with my kids, but usually I try to isolate--very difficult in a theme park!

If a major temper happens, let it run its course if its in an appropriate place. If not, toss him over your shoulder, find something appropriate, and then let him tantrum. Then go on with your day. It's Disney World!

 

[MidnightParade]

I saw mention on a thread somewhere to bring a small bubble blowing container(like they hand out at weddings) and the sudden appearance of bubbles can help distract from the meltdown, although I suppose it depends on the level of tantrum too.

If it has to do with the heat as well since your going in June they have the Frogg Togg Chillypads and Endura towels that once wetted and "snapped" will produce cold/coolness which could help stymy the heat induced meltdown. You can call them Elsa or Olaf towels!! Hee!

 

[ancestry]

As a mom of four kids, my recommendation is to just relax and go with the flow. Try to maintain a "this really doesn't matter in the course of life" attitude. A Disney vacation during the height of the heat and crowds can be taxing for the best of people. Try to rest during the day and allow the kids to choose some activities that they really enjoy.

 

[Aliceacc]

We're both teachers, so we only go over the summer. Here's how we tend to keep things level:

- We're at the parks at rope drop. It's a lot easier to be calm when you're not fighting crowds. Even my almost-16-year old son, who pretty much hates mornings, willingly(??) gets out of bed for rope drop. (Translation: he gets up at the last possible moment to get us out the door on time. As long as we don't expect conversation for an hour or so, he's fine.)

- We have a basic idea of what everyone loves. So, even though I don't really see the merit, we WILL do the Flying Carpets because my youngest loves it. And Indy Speedway, because my son loves it.

- We head back to the pool after lunch. The crowds, the heat, the humidity-- it all pushes us past the point of dimishing returns. Instead of all that, we have some genuine family time together.

- More on family time: one thing that's very important to me at WDW is a table service meal almost every day. Sure, the restaurants are great. But it's more about having that hour or two to just sit, not look at a watch, and talk. No rushing off to get to the next attraction, but genuine family time.

- Finally, the best piece of advice I ever got about WDW: your collective experience is only as happy as the least happy person there. So if your 2 year old is nearing meltdown phase, the time to stop is NOW, regardless of what you had hoped to do or see. Because if they're in meltdown, you're not going to enjoy it anyway. Don't give any one trip or ride or attraction the power to "Make" your trip. This vacation is about family enjoying itself at WDW. Keep the big picture in mind.

- As to how to handle a toddler meltdown-- we never experienced one at WDW-- my youngest was 5 the first time we went. (Though I won't pretend that it was all unicorns and rainbows.)But what worked best for my kids was, believe it or not, a hug. They tended to have toddler meltdowns when they were incredibly frustrated about something and couldn't figure out how to say it. So getting down to their level and giving them a soothing hug seemed to work best for me. Once they calmed down, we were able to talk it all out.

Also, when my son was young, he would sometimes get the day off to a bad start-- more of that "not a morning person" thing I guess. There were days when I offered him a "do-over." He would apologize for the bad start, we would both paste on a smile, and we would simply forget the tantrum.

 

[mamawee]

We saw kids melting down all over the place (and our 3 year old was one of the kids one time in epcot and again waiting to get into animal kingdom) What got to me the most was when the parents would be hovering over the kids talking sternly/yelling about how much money they paid to take them there for fun, and they didn't appreciate it and wouldn't be doing it again.... I felt so sad for those kids. Children don't care about money and don't get how hard it can be to save up for a vacay.... Disney can be overstimulating for adults, so I am sure it is even more so for kids.

The best thing I can say is to watch your kids cues. If they need a break, take a break. If there is something they want to do, do it.

Staying hydrated and eating throughout the day; having ideas to keep them busy while waiting in lines (playing eye spy, searching for mickey ears etc - bringing snacks)

Good luck! We are going with our 2 again next January and I am sure we will have to deal with a meltdown or 2 during the trip

 

[smiths02]

--Rope Drop or morning EMH
--Naps in room after lunch
--sit down dinner
--bed by 8
--carry water with you, push water
--use touring plans or whatever but have a plan
--have snacks
--balance junk food with protein and fruits/veggies

We may do one late night, but then sleep in or resort day the next day.

Fireworks just never worth it to us (and potentially scary).

 

[Aliceacc]

Fireworks just never worth it to us (and potentially scary).

If you're concerned about that: Peltor Noise Reducing headphones are great!!! They come in kid sizes (and colors) are very reasonably priced, and can be a trip-saver if one of your kids is sensitive to loud noises.

 

[Gracie09]

We try and stick to their home schedule as much as possible. They are up early type of kids so we hit the parks right around rope drop. We have early lunch and dinner (usually a qs lunch and ts dinner). It's nice to get out of the heat into the ac for a while. Push water. Look for places to let them run off steam ( Tom Sawyer island is a favorite) and just don't push it. We usually leave soon after dinner and splash for a bit in the pool before showers and bed. We do try to get one night of wishes but then we plan a breakfast in the morning to recharge the next day.

 

[Heidi K]

If you're concerned about that: Peltor Noise Reducing headphones are great!!! They come in kid sizes (and colors) are very reasonably priced, and can be a trip-saver if one of your kids is sensitive to loud noises.

I'll have to check these out. My tantrum-prone 5 year old is also sensitive to noise.

Good tips!

 

[Aliceacc]

I'll have to check these out. My tantrum-prone 5 year old is also sensitive to noise.

Good tips!

My youngest has audiotory processing issues. I'm not sure whether or not that ties in to her terror of loud noises. She loves the IDEA of fireworks, but the noise turns her into a quivering mass of jello.

So we try the headphones. If that's not enough for her, then one of us takes her into the stores while the other stays with the other two kids.

But they're under $20 at amazon. She recently graduated from her pink child ones to the larger yellow, "adult" ones.

 

[esquared221]

I'm worried about this, too, although it's my DS5 who is most likely to have a full-blown tantrum. These are good tips for preventing them (we will definitely be doing midday breaks). Any advice for what to do if a major tantrum happens anyway? Sometimes humor works with my kids, but usually I try to isolate--very difficult in a theme park!

Im going with an almost 3 year old and am anticipating dealing with this once or twice. I'm going with the expectation that a temper tantrum will happen at some point but that I'm going to do my best to ignore the crowds of people that may be watching and may be judging and find a spot out of the way to deal with it (DS usually just needs a tight hug and some less stimulation, a walk in the park really compared to his sister at that age ). It may not be the same for you but my anxiety over a temper tantrum in public revolves around what people might be thinking about me/him/us but you know what? WHO CARES! In my experience the looks I get are sympathetic rather than judgmental. Most of the WDW visitors are there will kids or have at some time or another and have likely been through it themselves. You do what's best for your tantrum-throwing child and let anyone who has a problem with it take a flying leap! Oh and remember, you're not alone!

 

[esquared221]

Deep breaths, and try to find the humor in everything. My kids think I'm crazy because they say I laugh at "inappropriate" times. Like when my toddler would flop around like a fish because he couldn't have another Mickey ice cream bar. Obviously, more sugar wasn't the solution. I however, could laugh at the absurdity to save my sanity.

This is totally how I roll. I have to share this story: our first trip as a family was when DD was 23 months and as expected she had some melt downs. The last day was the worst- she hadnt been napping while we were there, hadnt been sleeping that great and was completely over stimulated. On our way out of MK on our last day we finally caved and bought her one of those balloons with the Mickey head inside like she wanted. As we were waiting for the bus back to our resort she somehow got the balloon stuck in the stroller and LOST IT. It was so absurd that I just had to laugh and then I took a picture for posterity (don't worry, I picked up and did my best to help her out right away after that)

 

[lovetogowdw]

Find these spots for meltdown recovery:

MK - Tom Sawyer's Island, the tiki misters near the Magic Carpet ride, the little playground area by the train station by Adventureland/Frontierland, the misting train in New Fantasyland, etc. Plus the PeopleMover ride. Love that thing for a calmer downer.
AK - the playground in Dinoland -- and don't miss the "dig" site - it is up at the top, over a little bridge
DHS - various little water spots - look for the fire hydrant, the umbrella, the giant Coke bottle, etc. that spit/mist water, plus the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground
Epcot - go inside the Mission Space gift shop and hang a right - there is a little kid climbing area/indoor playground. Also the Club Cool Coke taste tests are always a hit -- but a sugar nightmare later. By Test Track, there is a GREAT water mister. The boat ride inside Mexico.