Tips for taking a 4 yr old boy?

[nm0859]

We are traveling to Disney with a 4 yr old inSeptemeber. A very acyive 4 yr old boy. Any advice on what to bring, where to and not to eat, and stroller advice (bring your own, rent, etc...He is a big 4 yr old - 45 in and 45 lbs)

 

[hardhead]

I'm taking my 3 year old son for the second time in may. Bring your own stroller something decent with some storage and that can lay back so he can take a nap if needed. My son is not a big eater so I am not doing the dining plan this time and will just get a few quick meals

 

[Kren]

Take one of those harnesses! Just kidding; he's prolly a bit old for that.
I would make sure I put a slip of paper in his pocket, something with your cell # on it, his name, etc., in case he runs away .. I would avoid sugar-filled stuff if you're worried he'll go nuts immediately afterward (or at least give it to him when there's a huge field nearby ..LOL). My 4YO boy would never stand for a stroller now, so I don't know whether it'd work for you -- although (thinking out loud), he may be entranced by one of the Disney ones -- aren't they neat characters or shapes or something? -- at least you could rent it and pile your stuff in it if he refused to use it, but it'd be handy when he goes down for the count about 4 p.m.

Take him to Tom Sawyer's Island and let him run around. If he likes things that go (and what 4YO boy doesn't?), make sure you get to the very front of the line for the monorail and ask to sit in with the driver. You'll get a great experience and he'll get a certificate showing he's a certified monorail driver!

 

[badblackpug]

My best advice is follow your sons lead. Take your time, enjoy the sights. We are, by no means, commando style tourers. We like the vacation to be fun and relaxing for all. We Set the main schedule, such as: "we are "doing" MK today and we are having dinner at Crystal Palace at 6" But once we get to the parks we follow the leads of the kids. We let them explore and try to take everyone's wants into account.

We don't worry much about food on vacation. All the walking burns off the sugary snacks! At restaurants we allow them to order what they want (it is vacation after all) so if they eat nuggets and fries for a week straight, that is part of the fun. We use the DDP, but my kids are good eaters.

None of my kids used a stroller much after 2 at home and none used it after 3 at all. As I said we aren't commando tourers, so there are lots of time to sit and rest. Plus they are soo excited about WDW that the only time anyone complains about walking is as we are leaving the parks!

Restaurants the kids love: Anything buffet! I said they were good eaters! but here are some of our favorites: O'Hana, Crystal Palace, Casey's Corner, Hoop-De-Do Review, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Le Cellier, Tusker House, Chef Mickeys, Cinderella's Royal Table.

 

[Perditamarie]

We make a point to visit all the playgrounds at the parks and the resort:

Poohs Thoughtful Spot and Toon Town in MK

Boneyard in AK

Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground in DHS

We always brought our own strollers...great way for kids to grab a rest in the heat and crowds.

If the weather is warm, it could be fun to run through the squirt features at various parks...plan accordingly w/extra clothes if you think he will get more than damp!!

We also always bring our own cooler bag stocked w/juice boxes, water, snacks etc so we would always have some familiar food on hand w/no waiting in line for it!

Also, plan plenty of time for your resort pool if it's swimming weather...I think kids love that as much as the parks!

The Kidcot fun stops around World Showcase in Epcot are also a lot of fun...my son colored a mask that ended up looking like a Ninja Turtle!

Have a great trip.

 

[Kae]

We first took DS at 4. We rented a Stroller & really didn't use one that much. Mainly at night because leaving after the shows it can be crowded. He love the following places to eat when he was 4. Chef Mickeys for dinner first meal at WDW, it was a blast & then we rode the Monorail. Cape Mays for breakfast, Crystal Palace for lunch & The Plaza in MK had his first Milkshake ever there. Hated Its tough to a bug, crawled on my head then after taht didn't like the Mermaid show either, we did take earplugs & that help alot. Also he had his own fanny pack I put gummies, these little Peter pan Figures & granola bar in the fanny pack every day.

Kae

 

[aestapa]

While the "leash" method may not be appropriate, Our 4 year old got separated at the Bone Yard at AK. He went up into the play area and I couldn't find where he came down. Turns out, he had left the area (the CM at the gate had it wide open).

He was gone for over an hour. Turns out, he had wandered about 100 yards up the way to a gift store. It was the most terrifying hour of our lives.

On the next trip, we found these little teddy bears that you attach to his shoe. You carry a receiver. You can press a button and his shoe beeps. Its not fool proof, but it gave us a sense of peace.

Chances are, you won't face anything like that...but its nice to be prepared.

And, don't underestimate the fun of Pooh's Playful Spot. Kids get tired of standing in line. Our boys are now 5 and almost 3. They have been to Disney 6 times and still love to play in the Pooh area!

 

[deva]

I agree with what all the PP"s have said about doing the "non-ride" stuff. My son loved Tom Sawyer island, played at Pooh's playful spot for well over an hour, organizing several games of tag and loved the pool at the resort. Not sure where you are staying, but the Port Orleans pool has a great slide that my kids went down hundreds of times.

As for food, not sure what YOU want to do, but my kids thought it was so neat to picnic on the bed in the room so we got takout from food courts etc. (The first year with the kids we did the dining plan which was nice, but we felt trapped into our eating times and sometimes the kids got restless waiting in the restaurant.)

We also loved eating at the boardwalk. Pizza, hot dogs, cheese sticks - with plenty of entertainment. It was a quick walk over from the Swan. (By the way the pool there was WAY too cold). Dolphin also has a nice ice cream shop/soda parolr type restaurant. Burgers, salads etc. Barstools were fun for the kids and they could enjoy a treat while we finished eating.

 

[squirrel]

Definately bring a stroller, or rent of property.

If you are planning any TS meals, pick any of the character buffets. They are faster for getting the food to your hungry child and you also get photos without a line up.

Pack some things a head of time and save a bunch of money: misting fan, glow bracelets/necklaces, etc.

 

[Wendybird55]

I totally agree with those who suggested the play areas in the parks. We went last September (aond going again this year) My son was almost 2 last year and is VERY active. He LOVED the play areas. They were great places to let him run off all his energy - he had fun playing with the other kids and with only one entrance / exit area it was a bit easier to keep track of him - but be prepared to be running around with him - DH and I took turns keeping watch.

For our flight I brought a knapsack full of quiet toys, books, etc. and his portable DVD player. Fortunately he fell asleep on take off!

I found active and noisey restaruants the best. He LOVED dinner at Whispering Chanyon in WL - especially when they yelled for the ketchup bottle because he would just yell along with them. He got ansty in Coral Reef and Le Cellier.

I brought along some of his favorite snacks and had some delivered by Gardengrocer to our resort. I made sure we had plenty of water and juce bags to keep him hydrated (ordered that from gardengrocer as well - September can be hot).

I used our own stroller - remember at the end of the day when you're leaving the parks and wiating for buses and such that's when he can be the most tired and if you rent a stroller you will have to leave it at the park and treck to transportation and your resort without it. I know a 4yo active boy can probably run around forever, but heck, there are times I wished I could be pushed around for awhile at Disney! And if he's out of the stroller more than in it, you can always use it to store your bags and souveniers and such.

As others hav suggested - let him set the pace - take your time and enjoy.
I also suggest doing EMH if you can. I usually don't pay attendtion to EMH - it just happened one of our MK days was EMH and we had breakfast resseis in Crystal Palace so we went for EMH and got SO much done that morning. We got to do Peter Pan TWICE and IASW before breakfast then after breakfast we got in all of the big kiddie rides in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. It was our most productive day.

Have Fun!

 

[susykt4]

When age 4 (now 6) my very active son HATED all of the shows at MGM. He did NOT want to sit and watch people singing, he wanted to go on rides! (Oh, he did like Lights, Motors, Action) I think we went on Big Thunder Mountain at least 10 times and the Goofy coaster even more. Strangely, he loved everything at Epcot, including World Showcase. Riding the monorail (or even the buses) was as exciting as any of the rides in the parks. We scheduled one character meal but no other table service. It was so much easier to eat when we were hungry and never have to worry about being at a certain place at a certain time.

As far as the stroller, we took our own cheap umbrella stroller he was WAY too big for from home. We used it to get from the bus to Fantasyland, parked it until we moved on to Tomorrowland, parked it, etc. We didn't use it at all at MGM or AK. It was wonderful to have at Epcot. COULD he have made it without? Of course, but I honestly believe the stroller saved us a ton of whining and potential meltdowns. We also got a lot more park time because he wasn't exhausted from walking. We used a stroller for DD when she was 4 as well. That trip we stayed at POR and the walk from our room to the food court or bus stop was so long she would have been exhausted before we ever even left the resort!

 

[DISNEYNV]

Rides, rides, rides! My four year old DD just wanted to go on rides, play on the playgrounds, and go swimming in the pool. She hated all the stopping to eat and all that adult stuff. Plan lots of character meals like Crystal Palace, Tusker House, Chef Mickeys, etc. The Sci Fi diner is really cool for kids. I would limit shows and parades if it's not his thing as well. DD did love the shows this past December though. Mostly she just complained when we were not going on a ride We did bring a stroller for her and she did sit in it pretty much towards the end of the day. We have a Macclaren Volvo for her which works great.