things you bought your kids in WDW

[adamtraci]

What are some things you purchased in WDW for your children?

I plan to take some treats and surprises to give them during idle time in the hotel or waiting in lines.

I know how it is though. There will be those things in the gift shop and in the parks that the kids will beg for.

Please name some of those items. Who knows maybe I can actually be one step ahead of the kids this time! LOL


Traci

 

[doodlesmommy]

I give each of my kids money for what they want to buy. Once it is gone, no more. Last year my Son (9 at the time) used his money to buy trading pins and he built his own light saber. My daughter (5) used her money for a four pack of princess rings to share with her best friends, Princess tea set and then she brought the rest of the money home. We always get them a gift basket delivered to the room with a few things inside like trading pins, a stuffed animal, etc. This really cuts down on the "I wants" in the stores. We also collect the pressed pennies.

 

[nytimez]

I'm in with the cheap crowd... we buy our dolls and stuff online, or at sales, months (or more) before our trip keep them hidden in a bag under the stroller and dole them out at the park. Use distraction at the gift shop "You want that doll? I bet I can find you a better doll... "

There are times when they really want stuff in the gift shop anyway, but it's a strategy that -- at least for me -- has worked more often than not.

 

[doodlesmommy]

I'm in with the cheap crowd... we buy our dolls and stuff online, or at sales, months (or more) before our trip keep them hidden in a bag under the stroller and dole them out at the park. Use distraction at the gift shop "You want that doll? I bet I can find you a better doll... "

There are times when they really want stuff in the gift shop anyway, but it's a strategy that -- at least for me -- has worked more often than not.

Oooh; me too! I found a spinner at the Disney Store last year that didn't work. The Mgr. sold it to me for $2....all it needed was batteries. I stuck our rechargeables in it and it worked great. I saw the same one at WDW for $18!! I also take glow sticks and braclets for the evening. If we won't use it at home, it doesn't get purchased.

 

[Mandychelle79]

We got my kids autograph books and pens. Ears on the last day as they hadnt asked for anything else from us that week.

However each of the kids had a sizable sum of cash from grandma and grandpa and they each could get one thing per day with their own money. On the last day we let them blow what was left.

they got shirts, stuffed animals. Some they still play with.

 

[design_mom]

I'm with the others that we give our kids an amount of money for souvenirs and they can choose what to spend it on. When it's gone, it's gone. We haven't had too much begging for things with that system.

That said, there are some things that you can get cheaper at home. Like another poster mentioned, we bought a light-up "spinner" thing at the Disney Store for 1/3 of the price that similar toys were selling for at WDW. (Actually, grandma bought it because I thought it was junk, but he ended up *loving* that thing and it was totally worth it.)

Glow bracelets could also be purchased much more cheaply at home. Last time we were there, a nice family offered my kids some of their extras and they LOVED them. We might be packing some for our next trip.

If you're looking for little fun things to keep the kids entertained in line, I've found that matchbox cars work pretty well for "driving" along the railing or up my arm. If you want to keep it Disney themed, I think they still sell Cars (movie) toy cars.

Depending on the age of your kids, my sister found "sticker puzzles" that I think would be great while waiting for a show/parade to start, etc. They come with a sheet of square stickers and a grid. When you match the numbered stickers with the appropriate spot on the grid, it creates a picture. Here's a link to Disney princess sticker puzzles, but it looks like they come in a variety of Disney- and non-Disney varieties: http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Sticker-Puzzles-Lee-Publications/dp/B000RN2576

And we've found old fashioned games like I Spy, 20 Questions, and Rock Paper Scissors work pretty well for killing a few minutes, too.

 

[QVCshopper]

Got both of these over two separate trips in DD, but my DD4 loves playing with them at home. Well worth the investment to me because she uses them again and again.

 

[susykt4]

My 6-yr-old son loves Disney Racers. They are Hotwheels-sized cars shaped to resemble different characters. Those and the Disney bus toys are what he has wanted all four trips since he was 2. My daughter used to want princess things, but our last trip was completely into Tink and the fairies. I know she got a set of fairy figures, but I can't think of anything else. My kids usually get ~$50 apiece to spend however they want. They usually buy something at the Lego store at DTD also.

We have done several boxes of potato head parts and one box of pony parts. (The potato parts have been MY souvies) The kids have mostly outgrown both now, but both got tons of play at home and were well worth the price.

 

[WantToGoNow]

I'm trying to remember what they got on the last trip. They both got autograph books, pressed penny books and a light up spinner thing during Spectromagic. We filled two boxes of Mr. Potato Head pieces for our collection.

Ds got a pirate gun, a pirate mickey hat, a Stitch backpack, a baby Pluto stuffed animal, a stuffed Sorcerer Mickey, a coloring book and a set of crayons.

Dd got a large Stitch plush, a baby Simba, coloring book with princess crayons, a Minnie Mouse that you buckled, tied, etc, and I'm sure a few other things although I can't remember.

This year they are saving their own money towards the trip. Ds8 has about $80 right now and dd5 about $50 - and we have 6 months to go. I will be buying the autograph books, the passports at Epcot and getting their pin collecting started.

 

[McRed]

Call me Old Fashioned, but something you HAVE to buy IN the Park is
her first set of Mouse Ears!

 

[Madzac]

We brought cheap glow bracelets at Michaels and they were a huge hit this last trip.

What we do is we got a Disney Visa credit card. We use it for most things and pay it off every month instead of our debit card. For every one hundred dollars you spend, you get a disney dollar.. free money in the parks. We had quite a lot this most recent trip and that is stictly spending money! On a normal trip we let them get a shirt and one other thing. With this extra disney dollars they were able to pick something little each day. It was great!

 

[sohappy]

My boys wanted stuffed animals allllll the time. My parents kept buying them- we ended up with 11!!! Other than that, it was pretty minimal, some pokemon stuff in Japan, a few things in DTD. Other than the stuffed animals, they probably spent $30 max.

 

[Snow White Trash]

We bought our then 2.5 year old a Minnie Mouse hooded bath towel at World of Disney at DTD.
She is 4.5 now and has grown out of her "MY FIRST TRIP TO DISNEY" shirt but we still use that towel at least once a week.
If memory serves correct, they had Mickey and Stitch hooded towels, too.



And if you get Mouse Ears, don't forget to have your kids' names embroidered.

Have a great trip!

 

[adamtraci]

those are some great ideas. Thanks! Anyone else? Traci

 

[sueh]

For my girls first trip last July we did buy a bunch of stuff. When we go back they will have a specific amount of their own money to spend and I will get them 1 item each (within reason).

I did buy our t-shirts from disney online.

They got:
2 stuffed baby dolls
1 jasmine doll set (kind of like polly pockets)
1 large potato head filled with pieces
1 small box of potato head pieces
1 lego kit
2 mickey head shaped pencils
2 minney head shaped pencils
2 tiaras
2 disney towels
2 HSM outfits

We did spend alot of $$ but like I said in January they will have to spend their own money they are earning.
I will probably get another towel because at least it will get good use. lol

 

[mushumadness]

we bought our son a "my first wdw" shirt, it just fits him now (hes 6 months old)

 

[Darcy03231]

I took my niece last fall for her first trip (she was 4, almost 5 at the time). The trip was planned well in advance so I had plenty of time to buy stuff ahead of time on sale and bring it with me. The biggest hit was the landyard and trading pins. She had a great time doing it! I bought the pins either on sale at our local disney store or on ebay and averaged about $2/pin. I also brough the light up spinning thing, window clings for our window, princess chap stick, hat, sunglasses, light up fan, some princess jewelry, glow necklaces and bracelets, small stuffed mickey & minnie, headband with ears and t-shirts. "Tinkerbelle" left her a gift each day which cut way down on the wanting stuff at the gift shops. My strategy for the gift shop was to take a picture of everything she saw that she wanted and on the last day we went through the pictures and she got to pick one thing to buy.

 

[Not so Dumbo]

We usually put the word out to grandparents and such that we are going to Disney so they will give them money for birthdays, Christmas, and such. Then they bring that with them. Once it's gone, we might buy them a couple of things
My only prerequiste is that they can only buy items that are only available at DisneyWorld. No pokemon from Japan or toys that they could find back home.

 

[Bren's Mom]

The only thing we bought at the parks for ds was a set of personalized Mickey ears.

I bought many small items ahead of our trip; mostly at the dollar stores. I did buy ds and myself new Mickey PJs. We bought Grandma a cheapie princess crown to wear...and yes, she wore it every day...it was her birthday trip!

And I had a t-shirt for each day of our visit that were low or no cost; a Mickey shirt from a vacation that dss went on and brought back for ds, a Nemo shirt for Epcot from Kohl's that ds wore at his Nemo b-day party, a Little Einstein's shirt from Target clearance for HS...etc.

We had a bag for the plane with a Mickey/Minnie stencil set, coloring book, crayons, some mini cans of playdoh...I forget what else.

In addition, I had a gift wrapped in Mickey paper for each day of our trip. On our first night at Pop when we left for dinner my mom walked out first with my ds and I placed the first Mickey gift on his pillow. It was a small stuffed Mickey from Target, $5.99 I think it was. When we arrived back at the room he went nuts that Mickey had stopped by and left him a present! We explained that if he was well behaved perhaps Mickey might leave him another the next night. And my 3 year old was SO excited by that he rarely asked for anything at MK our first day, he got his ears, had his little stuffed Mickey and we just reminded him that he might not get a gift from Mickey if he was whiney for things at the park and he was fine after that.

Each morning when we were leaving I let mom leave with ds first to head to the bus. I'd leave our Mousekeeping envelope, ds stuffed bear and the Mickey gift on the bed. Mousekeeping kindly made a towel animal 'playing' with Mr. Bear each day and left both on the pillow with the Mickey gift all ready for our arrival home each afternoon. It was MAGICAL for ds!

And it was magical for ME not to have to spend a fortune on junky souvenirs or listen to a kiddo whining all day!

 

[Melknor]

I too bought a bunch of small stuff as "Mickey gifts" for my boys. They loved getting a gift in the morning along with a letter telling them what we would be doing for the day. It ranged from shirts to coloring books to temporary tattoos. I was HOPING this would cut down on souvies in the parks, but it didn't......... we did allow them to each pick out something from each park, reasonably priced. We came home with

personalized ears for DS3 (older DS didn't want any)
build your own lightsaber for both (this was planned for ahead of time)
souvie from AK ($10 each)
souvie from Japan in Epcot (this was the most expensive)
souvie from DHS (they shared a muppet/star wars playset)
for the life of me I can't recall what they chose from MK........I know DS8 chose a 4-pack of mints in character tins from the candy store while DS3 got his ears..........did they really leave MK without something?