Thoughts on Kids & Souvenirs?

[5inwonderland]

Hi Everyone
Mu husband and I are taking our three daughters for their first real trip to Disneyworld in about a week and I KNOW what's going to happen. We are going to exit the rides straight into a gift shop and my daughters are going to want everything they see.
How have you handled this situation before?
I thought I would talk to hubby and figure out what we can afford. It might be something like we will agree to buy each of them one t-shirt or similarly priced item then they can use their money to purchase what they would like.
Thoughts?
I also am concerned b/c middle daughter is very likely to pitch a fit - so I need to nip this before it even gets to bud stage!
Thank for your input!
KM

 

[nchulka]

It may be a little late, but I'd have them spend their own money. We're coming for our first trip in Sept. and 2 years ago when we decided to start saving the first thing we did was make banks for the kids out of mason jars. They decorated them and have been putting money in them since May '08. My son has about 185.00 and my daughter has about 150.00. They can buy whatever they want but we will not be spending any money on things for them. If the whole family stops to get Mickey ice creams thats one thing, but if they want special treats they're on their own. We do this all the time at home and it works great. Just today we went to the local pool and DD brought her wallet with 2 bucks and bought a pretzel and some laffy taffys. Whenever the ice cream man comes by my kids race into the house and into their piggy banks, I don't think the thought of asking me to buy one has ever occured to them. I give them 4.00 each per week and 50 cents of that goes to church. Of the remaining 3.50 they can do what they wish, put it in their Disney jar, spend it or save up for a toy they want. Since they probably don't have money saved for the trip, I would suggest giving them each a set amount and letting them spend it. Let them know that no additional money will be given and if the beg or throw a fit there will be consequences.

 

[mom2travel]

Hi Everyone
Mu husband and I are taking our three daughters for their first real trip to Disneyworld in about a week and I KNOW what's going to happen. We are going to exit the rides straight into a gift shop and my daughters are going to want everything they see.
How have you handled this situation before?
I thought I would talk to hubby and figure out what we can afford. It might be something like we will agree to buy each of them one t-shirt or similarly priced item then they can use their money to purchase what they would like.
Thoughts?
I also am concerned b/c middle daughter is very likely to pitch a fit - so I need to nip this before it even gets to bud stage!
Thank for your input!
KM

When our kids were young we started using ziplock baggies - we would put $xx in each bag and they could spend that however they wanted. Kept using it well past the "could do the math" age. It was just easier than keeping track of receipts - they could just see how much w/o thinking about it. Funny how even the little ones wait longer to buy stuff when they know their funds are limited

Have a great trip!

 

[Avonlady1001]

How old are your kids? My daughter is 5 1/2, and while she tries to get me to buy her things where ever we go, when I say no, she says, "I knew you were going to say that." LOL In Disney, I do buy souvies, but not many, and only ones that I know she'll continue to play with when we get home. The big things, I tell her maybe, we'll think about it. She'll usually forget about it by the end of the week...I also tell her to ask Santa for it. That still works wonders! I say however you handle them in the toy stores at home should work in Disney, too.

I also bring little things I've bought from home from the $1 store or wherever...that "Tinkerbell" brings each night if she's been good. It does stop a lot of the gimmes. However, I will say that it's a tradition I wish I had never started...how do I stop the Tink gifts now that she's been getting them so long? It's like not having Santa come on Christmas anymore...

Our upcoming trip will be her 6th, so she knows the drill. She knows she doesn't get everything she sees, but she also knows she's gonna get a yes out of me eventually. That goes for regular stores too. She has never really thrown fits, thankfully, but there have been times when she was younger I've had to remove her from whatever store we're in.

DS is not yet 2, so he doesn't really care yet.

 

[michael's mom]

Hi Everyone
Mu husband and I are taking our three daughters for their first real trip to Disneyworld in about a week and I KNOW what's going to happen. We are going to exit the rides straight into a gift shop and my daughters are going to want everything they see.
How have you handled this situation before?
I thought I would talk to hubby and figure out what we can afford. It might be something like we will agree to buy each of them one t-shirt or similarly priced item then they can use their money to purchase what they would like.
Thoughts?
I also am concerned b/c middle daughter is very likely to pitch a fit - so I need to nip this before it even gets to bud stage!
Thank for your input!
KM

I was worried about this too with DS last visit (he was almost 3). Most kids are like that. What we did for DS was tell him that we'd come back later. If he was still asking for it later, we knew it was something he really wanted, so we went back for it. But, he had some money that I had saved from his birthday gifts so he bought it. This really did work. We exited the Muppets show and right there was Lightning McQueen and Mater (DS's favorite). After our photo op with them, there was a cart selling Cars things. DS saw a Dinaco helicopter with Mater in it that makes noises and such and wanted it badly. We told him we'd come back later for it. I really didn't feel like carrying it around. Sure enough, 4 hours later, before our dinner, DS reminded us about his helicopter. So, DH checked the price (only $20 and it's about 12-18 inches) and then we handed DS his money to buy himself the toy. A year and a half later, he still plays with it. I'm so glad we let him get it. The other toy that he wanted (and talked about the whole week) was the Disney monorail set up. So, because he asked for it daily and everytime we were in a store, that was our big souvie for him. Of all of the many, many, MANY things he just had to have, those were the only 2 things he asked for when they weren't in his line of sight.

I also started a pin collection for him from his first trip and I always buy him a pin for the year we are there and a pin from his favorite attraction that year as memorabilia, and usually a tshirt and sweatshirt. I'm pretty sure we used his $$ for the monorail (or at least most of it).

Now, I understand that by having one, we are able to do that for him. If/when we have others, I'm sure we'll have to cut down on what "we" get for him. He may not be too into the Disney sweatshirts for much longer. But there will always be the 2 pins and a tshirt!

 

[5inwonderland]

Thanks for the tips!
My daughters are 8,7, and 4 - so the older two more or less get what it means to have money to spend and know that they have to spend their own money. The four year old doesn't really understand yet!
All three girls have been working to earn Disney Dollars - so they have each accumulated a certain amount of money. They will also be getting a little spending money from their grandparents before their big trip, so that will help too.

 

[Honeystar120608]

hello, Ive got a 4 and a 5 yr old, so I can only speak based on them and their stages. My kids pretty much know when Mommy says no its NO. But they are kids, they do ask. If you think about it, it's pretty clever for them to ask. They know eventually persistence will pay off. Generally though, if I say no I really mean it. lol And my kids also know they can throw a fit (rare but it happens). I will either walk away from them, or pick them up and walk away. Resulting in lost time at the parks as we sit on time 0ut, or I will end up taking something away. Honestly, this has ONLY happened at home, not in Disney. When we come out into the stores after a ride...I keep walking. Saying come on, lets go, Im leaving, your going to be by yourself...they always come running.
I also think it's important that they know where you stand. If you say you get one thing under $10 a day... so be it. Let them chose that one thing. And make sure you stick to it otherwise the next day will be horrible.
As for tshirts, I get lots of clothes used that say Disney World, or just a Disney item for all of us locally or on ebay. We are a one income family, so I try to cut corners when I can. They are always in a Disney shirt or outfit while we are there at about the same cost of 2 tshirts there.
Lastly, you can see a lot of what is for sale already in the stores online. This time around my kids have their plans already of what they want. DD has saved a lot of money (for being 4 yrs old) to go to the BBB. Something she has seen and wanted to do. She is getting the costume and everything. (we are paying half). Also, DTD has a fill a box My Little Pony. All Disney Costumes for a pony at $20 a box. Totally worth it! There is also fill a box Mr Potato Head, and something similar at the lego store which is where DS wants to spend his money. The kids know we save a lot to be able to go to Disney WOrld. Disney world IS there treat, and not the toys. If they save and show us they have tried for their money (as they are young and dont grasp the concept of money fully) we will pitch in.

 

[Priorityonecb]

We've travelled often since our girls were babies. Our rule was that the entire time we are anywhere, we "window shop" to look at everything they have and explore our options. They can window shop and talk about what they'd like to have all they want. On our last day (when everyone is sad it's almost over) we do a shopping spree where they get to choose what they really wanted from everything they saw all week. They love looking forward to their shopping spree, and it's worked great for our family.

 

[bouncycat]

You can go on disneyshopping.com in the parks section, and order park merchandise before you get there. That's what I'm doing with my DH's niece's family. I try to do that, cause when we get there, we can say oh look, you already have something LOL And it doesn't take out of your food budget, or any other park budget. Or you can give them a set amount, when it's gone, it's gone. I do that with my son, and he hates it, but abides by it.

 

[kdunkle904]

Set an amount for each child and either get them disney dollars in that amount or a disney gift card. That way they can buy whatever they want and once their money is gone, thats it.

 

[Taja]

I would discuss it with your DH and plan to purchase each DD a t-shirt or other clothing item they would wear when they return home and, perhaps, a hat. It really depends on what you think they would use.

It sounds as each already has some money, and you could augment each "fund" by a specified amount. But when that money is gone, they are finished shopping for the trip. And no "borrowing" money from a sibling! *LOL*

Be sure they know the shopping rules in advance and remind them each day, if necessary. And in each shop, if necessary.

You get the picture. Repetition is your friend!

My BFF's DGD9 had about $100 or so on her first--and only, to date!--visit to WDW in December, 2007. She saved some throughout the year of planning, her grandpa slipped her a bit before we left, and I gave her $30. Her parents always have been strict about spending on souveniers, so she was very good
about not asking for and deciding how she would spend her money. I did buy her a few things that she did not ask for--a WDW ruler, a trading pin from our resort, an MVMCP limited edition pin and a waterproof case for her KTTW card when she was at the pool. She still uses the WDW ruler today and takes the waterproof card case when she travels!

 

[SmallWorld71]

Starting a pressed penny collection can help. There are pressed pennies in so many places and I always found it a good way to get through the shops. Since they're only 51 cents each, they were able to get a souvenir at pretty much every place they wanted.

 

[roogard]

We explain to our kids that it cost a lot of money to go to Disney, so they are allowed to only pick one toy to buy on the trip. We let them buy it toward the end of the trip once they have seen some of their options over the week,and so far it has worked out for us Our kids were 7, 6, and 3 the last time we went....

 

[LynnTH]

We usually give our kids some spending money and they also bring some of their own with too. So, they usually have somewhere between $100-$150 each. It's amazing how they don't ask for as much when they are spending their own money.

Even when my DD was 4 she understood the concept. It was actually pretty cute. Everytime she found something she wanted to buy we would tell her the price. Then she would ask "is that all my money" and we would tell her no and then she would ask " is that alot of my money". She asked this over and over on the trip. It was pretty funny. She is 9 now and we still tease her about that. Anyway, my point is that even at that age she understood the concept and she made decisions based on how much it was and how badly she wanted it. She even came home with money. (My DS always comes home with money - he is not a big souveneir guy and DD is kind of getting that way now too).

 

[mjkacmom]

I gave my kids gc's, and when they spent it all, they were done.

 

[DisneySJB]

We usually go to WDW the week after school lets out. I reward DD8 for a good report card - $5.00 per A to be exact. As she gets older and classes get more challenging, I'm already thinking about changing the system to $10 for As, $5 for Bs and negative $5 for Cs.

She brings this money along with her own saved money. She can spend it on anything she wants. She also has a birthday in April and family members give her Disney gift cards to spend.

 

[weheartdisney]

We do the Disney gift cards as well. Each gets $50.00 to spend.

We have a Disney Outlet locally. Before each trip, I buy t-shirts, cups, pens, character bowls, pj's, when they are on sale(bought a plush Pluto for our 2 year old this time). Each night a different character leaves a gift along with a note for each son. Thankfully neither have ever said much about buying a lot of stuff while we are there. Last time they came back with over $20.00 each. Not sure what to expect with our youngest turning 3 on this trip and being more persistant in wanting things.

Good luck!! Have a wonderful vacation.

 

[brooklynnbaby]

Our three are working at saving up their own money doing extra jobs around the house and following the family rules. If a rule is broken (relentless tattling, whining, etc.), money is taking from their savings and put into mine and DH's banks. So they'll have some money to spend, but I'm also stocking up on stuff now and hope to have a little surprise for them at the end of the day either in the park or when we get back to the room. Maybe the next morning. We'll see how it goes.

 

[jeffl]

When our kids were younger, we kept it simple: "You can get ONE thing". This message was repeated many times before the trip.

Now that they are older (10 and 7) and have allowances, we give them a set amount of money from us and anything beyond that comes out of their own pocket.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

How do I handle it? Well, we look at stuff and then I say "Okay- let's put that back now we are going to another ride."
If it is something that they really really want I might buy it but usually I just tell them that we will come back for it if they really want it later- and I do go back and get it if they still want it later. However- if my kids pitched a fit they would be getting nothing and a time out.
I don't do set amounts etc. because my kids are all different ages and at different ages the things they want vary in price. Overall they don't ask for much so when they do want something we usually buy it for them.