Tell me how your kids carry their things in the parks!

[wrldpossibility]

I keep going round and round about how everyone should carry everything while we're at WDW (this is our first trip, so we don't know what works for us yet). My kids are 7, 5, and 2 (at time of trip), and all three have lanyards with pins they want to wear. (The little one may get tired of that.) The lanyards of course have the little pouch for a room key, but I'm afraid to let them carry those themselves. Is there anything else they could put in those pouches?

They will each have autograph books we want to keep handy. I think fanny packs will get old (then guess who will be carrying them?) Plus, I don't think they need to carry anything else, so packs for each of them seem like a waste. My plan was to keep everyone's room keys, IDs, etc in one pocket of my backpack, and autograph books in another. I will carry my backpack everywhere. Or do people use the passport/ID cases that go around your neck? Are autograph books safe in a stroller? I can't imagine who'd steal autograph books, but I'm sure it's happened.

How does your family carry everything? I think I have a good list of what to take into the parks, and it will all be in my backpack. Extra clothes/jackets will stay in the stroller (we're going in Dec.). Thoughts?

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

My children dd10 and ds9 have always wore fanny packs. Make them get used to them. They have a few pins for trading, an autograph book, pen, and our information(names, cell phone numbers, resort we are staying at etc. in case we become separated. never happened, but you never know) and a pancho in them. They are not too heavy to wear around their waist. My children dont wear their lanyards around their necks, because the are too heavy for all day. They pick out a few pins for trading the next day and put them in their fanny packs. They leave them at the hotel. Besides if they lost them, that would not only be a huge disappoinment, but alot of money down the drain. Hope this helps!!!!!!!!!

 

[Makdyn]

We had two strollers. One we brought from home for dd 3 and then rented a single one for dd 6. My mom and I both had backpacks. I had change of cloths for the girls in one part of the backpack and the books and pen in another part, but most of the time they were kept in the pocket of the rental carriage because you are constantly taking them out. I only put then in the backpack when we went on a ride or left the carriage for something. I had all the room keys well just mind and dd 6, mom kept hers and dd 3 was two at the time. We put both backpacks on the back of the strollers when pushing them that help allot with our backs. It was our first trip too. by the end of week the backpacks were getting lighter because we did not need everything that we though we needed.

 

[LISAVWL]

We've always let the kids carry their own things in a fanny pack, autograph books, pens, snacks, ID info, a little spending money. We also let them pick out a new fanny pack for vacation so they feel more part of the whole process. It makes them feel more in charge of their things -- and less for me to stuff into the stroller!

 

[KTSMOM]

We use a backpack every time we go. This year my DD did buy a fanny pack to carry her things in. Of course there were several times I ended up carrying her fanny pack in my backpack, as it became uncomfortable for her.

 

[makinorlando]

My DD likes to wear her fanny pack if we are going for a day that we might be character "hunting". She does not like to wear her lanyard around her neck all day, so we have bought a little pn trading bag that she takes the pins she wants to trade. She will carry her cell phone, her autograph book/pen & her pins. She also likes to have a little cash on hand! We are not on vacation when we are in the parks, it's a day - a few hours at a time - so for the most part she does not get tired of it!

 

[Kae]

Ours do fanny packs also. DS9 since he was 4 & DD6 since 2. And both have put their lanyards in them when not wearing them. And just little story I have on Video DD when 2 talking to Wendy & getting her lanyard out of her fanny pack to show her, she had mainly Tink & Wendy pins. It was so cute. And then Wendy put it around DD's Neck.

Kae

 

[solgent]

I keep all the tickets & FPs, camera, wallet, my glasses & sunglasses in my (small) purse. DDs are 11 (twins) and 7.

We have 1 backpack which we take turns carrying, containing
1) 1 liter Nalgene bottle with lemonade (refill with water when lemonade runs out)
2) mister fan
3) granola bars, apples, other small snacks
4) my trip info such as restaurant menus printed from DIS, pages taken from Unofficial Guide
5) youngest DD's ear protectors to help her better enjoy fireworks & other loud things

There is plenty of room left in here if we had more stuff or wanted to add things during the day.

The girls have lanyards for their pins and they quickly learned to carry around only the pins they were hoping to trade. Sometimes they tucked these into the backpack.

We sometimes bring a second backpack, which we also take turns carrying, containing raingear.

 

[aterriq]

Last year we got the girls fanny packs for them to carry a water bottle, autograph book, pen, and a snack.

They slung the bag over one shoulder since it was too big to go around their waist. They had no issues.

We just told them that Mommy and Daddy aren't their pack animals and they need to learn to carry their own things. DW and I carry between us any group items like the camera, suntan lotion, etc.

Its a chance for them to learn to be responsible.

 

[sgmom]

Where do you find the lanyards with the "pouch" for the room keys, etc.? Can you find kids' fanny packs at stores like WalMart?

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

I hate to tell you to wait and buy them there, but we got ours on clearance at wdw around Christmas. They start to reduce the prices on something that is dated. Ours has a year on the front with characters on it. We paid like $5.00. You can also get them at walmart. We usually go the first or second week of December.

 

[pezpam]

I carry a backpack with our basic needs, but DD has been carrying one of those really small backpacks since she was 5 - she loves it since she feels more grownup and in charge of her own things.

She carries her pin lanyard (scratches her neck, so she won't wear it all day), her autograph book and pen, her water bottle, a little wallet with her money (I keep an eye on her and it's not much, anyway. I can replace $5-10 if she did have it stolen or lose it.....), and whatever souvenirs she's bought for herself and/or her friends. The pack is pretty light, really, but I'm not her pack mule - well, I carry most of our stuff, but you know what I mean, lol - and she really enjoys the taste of responsibility.

Added: I also tuck a contact card into her pack - it has a pic of the two of us together, my cell number, etc - just in case we get separated. We've never needed it, but we both feel better with it there.

 

[diseve]

When we were at WDW this summer, our three kids (9, 6, and 5) used backpacks the whole time. I was surprised that all three of them wore them the whole time, and that my husband and I did not wind up carrying them. But they each had a water bottle, light up toy for waiting for nighttime parades, their autograph books, sharpies for signatures, and maps.

 

[mommyof2princesses]

My dd, who is 11 wore hers the whole week last year, and she will be wearing hers the whole time this year. It really helped since Dh, dd and myself had one. Dd #2 is only 3 so she won't wear one. We will just keep her stuff in our packs.

 

[teachermommy]

Our kids are 6 & 3. We decided to use a messenger bag. I think they're more comfortable than the backpacks. We have some first aid stuff, extra clothes for potty training DD, fold up potty seat and some snacks & water. We'll keep the room key and ADR's and stuff too. The only thing the kids will have is an emergency card. Still not sure where to put it tho.

 

[merfsko]

We take one backpack, and put evrything in there. Then, we take turns carrying it. When my sister and I were younger (up until I was 8), my Mom would just carry it around all day, but now that we're big enough (13 and 15) to bring our own bags (not that we do) we all share the responsibilty of carrying the bag. My Dad, though, just carries his camera, since he has a bad back. This has always worked for us and we plan on doing this again this year.

 

[DisneydaveCT]

This is Dave's Daughter . I think it's easiest to get one backpack and put a pair of long pants and sweatshirt for each of them. Then let each of the kids carry a draw string back pack and\or fanny pack to carry autograph books, pens, disposable camera,small amount of spending money ,thier pins, and water bottles.
Emma

 

[emma'smom]

With a two year old, you will probably have a stroller. We put a change of clothes for each dd (and 4 diapers/wipes) in a stroller bag along with sunscreen and first aid kit (just one of those very small .99 ones from the check-out aisle at most grocery stores). This hangs on the back of the stroller and we just leave there for the whole trip (nothing of value to steal...no one has ever touched any of it anyway). Then we have a SMALL backpack that we put under the stroller (but have also hung from the back of it) or dh just wears around the park. This has the autograph book/pen, pin lanyard, snack cup (w/pretzels or goldfish) in case dd16 months gets fussy during a show, maps, confirmation numbers, etc. DH wears the small digital camera in a case on his belt and carries the hotel cards and AP's in his wallet- which he insists on taking with him carrying it in his front pocket. I don't carry a wallet (and I don't think DH needs to carry his, but that is his perogative). I would be just as happy putting the AP's/Hotel Card/Debit Card (because we don't like to charge things like food to our room- since that is paid by CC)/small amount of cash into a little change purse and carrying it deep in the backpack (or my pocket in situations where the backpack is easily accessible in crowds).

The point: When we go on rides/shows...we just have the one little backpack with all of the things we might need immediately or would worry about if we left them in stroller parking. All else, the stroller carries for us.