Tips for traveling with toddlers?

[Fantasy Girl]

I've been thinking about taking my son to DL for his first time. He'll be 3 in June but we'd probably travel this Spring. Any tips that would make this trip extra special? Certain rides to avoid? Best places to stay? Any tips would be great!

(I tried searching the board archives and couldn't quite figure it out. Sorry... I'm new here!)

*Mandy*

 

[princessnicchia]

I would say to just go with the flow with a youngster---don't try to do everything.

One thing that is good to know is if your kid is anything like mine, avoid the scarier dark rides in Fantasyland. We went on Snow White's Scary Adventure the 2nd ride on our trip----huge mistake. I actually had to drag my child onto IASW because she was so afraid it was going to be like Snow White again. BAD MOMMY ---but I read online (somewhere else, not here) that it wasn't too bad. She was actually CRYING by the time we got out of that ride.

Sigh.

Also, even though you may here they won't let you have food at Disneyland, they let us bring small snacks through and with the food lines that we aren't used to, that was really good.

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

This will be my first trip, but I've gotten tons of tips from this board (mostly from back when the search function was WORKING!!!!), so I will share what I can think of.

- definitely bring snacks - granola bars, fruit snacks, crackers, etc.... I think the only thing they object to is a cooler with complete picnic lunch - snacks, juices, water, etc should be fine.

Know the location of the baby care centers in each park - good place to unwind with young ones - there are apparently microwaves, high chairs, comfy chairs for a rest and a snuggle, etc...

Agree with pp on the dark rides - I've been warned about Snow White, Toad, Pinnochio, and I think that's it....also, the show It's Tough to be a Bug is apparently supposed to be rather intense for some youngsters (we're steering clear, personally) Our basic rule of thumb is going to be - if in doubt, don't ride!

Bring a change of clothes/shoes for the little one (and maybe you too! ), since there are various water play areas where a kid can get fairly soaked, and spring can still be cool in wet clothes.

Save time by applying sunscreen when in line to get into park (if you are up and at it that early) Keeps young one occupied while waiting.

Bring along various treats/toys for bribing while waiting in lines. Bubbles also have been recommended for keeping little ones entertained in long waits.

That's all I can think of for now - will post anything else if I think of it.

My kids will be 5, 3 and 1.5 for our trip in May, so I've done a bit of research on this subject!

Carm

 

[Monkey Monkey]

PP had some great tips!

My DS will also be 3 in June, and we have a blast when we go. I make sure to expose him to a lot of Disney movies and shows (LMAO!) so it's really exciting for him to see his favorite characters. Probably not the best parenting tip , but it has proven to make our Disney trips extra special.

He has been going to amusement parks since he was a baby though, so it's not so novel anymore for my spoiled boy. His favorite ride sometimes is the tram from the parking garage!

How many days will you be spending at DL?

 

[Yakety76]

We are taking our first trip in a couple of weeks. My DD is 3 and DS is 1.5. Another DIS member suggested youtube to me. That has been great. I have shown them some of the rides that we are going to go on as well as some character interactions.

I am also having Mickey call the house with the Enchanted Calls the night before we leave. Another DIS member is being a Fairy Godmailer to my kids, so they should also be getting a postcard from Mickey before we leave.

Have a great trip!!

 

[Brady's Mom]

I love the previous posts. I am also traveling with a 3 year old in just a few weeks. We travelled to DLR when he was 2 and his older brother 4. We took it easy and rode what they wanted to ride. We went on Heimlichs chew chew train about 5 times in a row one day. They still talk about how much fun that was. And they love to look at the pictures of our time there. Even though it was almost a year and a half ago.
Some suggestions - stroller, in case he is tired, a lightweight blanket to put over the stroller to keep off the sun if he happens to be snoozing. Take lots of picutres! Especially if he is in them. Watch the parades. One other suggestion is one of the leash backpacks. (ours is a puppy) this way he can walk and you can keep track of him. We took ours to San Francisco last summer and it was great in a crowd at Pier 39.

 

[nutshell]

When my son was 3 the first ride he went on was Space Mountain.

 

[pumpkin5156]

I only briefly scanned the other replies. I used YouTube and it was a great prep tool.

I also have a son who is not scared of anything (ie the dark, loud noises), but we did avoid Snow White, Toads and Pinocchio. He loves fireworks and lights. Play it by ear with your child.

My toddler neds his naps, and frankly we all enjoyed taking it easy for 2 hours. Once we went back to the hotel for his nap, and once we slept him in his stroller in the park and ate yummies and people watched on a bench. That was fun.

You know your child, so just stay super in tune with his/her needs throughout the day. It will make for an awesome and fun vacation!

 

[pumpkin5156]

I forgot to add:

His favorite thing is to just run around Pirate's Lair and Toon Town touching and looking at everything. So don't be disappointed if he's not into rides all that much.

 

[PoohBearFriends]

One thing to make sure of if your child is almost 3 go right before they turn 3 because 2 year olds are free. We went 2 months before my youngests birthday and she did well.

Go right for FL with Dumbo, casey train, teacups. We spent a lot of time in mickey's toontown and Tons in Bugs Life area. If you take a nap and go in the evening DCA bugs is much quieter. Don't miss out on bringing swimsuits and the 2 water areas there, nice cooling off and easy. Just bring waterproof shoes because they require you to wear them. Skip it's tough to be a bug because it pokes you in the bottom along with all the other effects, my kids still are scared of it years later.

Stroller is a must. Don't just rent one. You need one to push all the tired ones home. Our older one needed to be carried and the younger one got the stroller, now we use a double stroller for night even though the older DD barely fits.

Nap time is a great time for single rider lines. I got to walk on Splash mountain and Cal screaming. This is really useful, just go through the exit areas to get on single rider lines.

Now the DD's are big enough for all the rides so we FP.

The snacks and tips were great but I just added my extras. Have fun.

 

[Lillybelly]

Last year we went with kids 5, 3, 1, & 1. Here is what worked for us

1) Snacks & plenty of them, don't forget water bottles.
2) Baby Center has little potties as well as diaper changing stations. They are wonderful.
3) Baby Swap, Baby Swap, Baby Swap.
4) Keep trying if he gets scared - My DD got scared on Star Tours and didn't want to ride anything for a while, but then fell in love with Juming Jellyfish. So don't get discouraged.

Good luck & have fun!

 

[princessnicchia]

Thanks for the tips on the little potties. My youngest is potty-training and I just figured she'd have to "use" her pull-ups instead of the potty all day since she is so tiny she can't even perch on a regular toilet like my older daughter could at her age.

I agree with PP, CA is a great place to get out of the crowds and relax. The Princess Dot Puddle Park is great--we probably spent 4 hours there on our last trip and rode Heimlich over and over. The lines are shorter and its also got more shade on a sunny day if you don't come from a warm climate.

 

[Fantasy Girl]

Thanks so much for all the tips! We will be going for 4 days in April.

 

[nunzia]

We are going in May with grandkids 7, 5, 3, 2 and 1. S L O W and easy will be our mantra. The train is a nice easy see the park ride, but the diorama may be scary. We plan to start very slow and work up. Too bad It's a Snmall World is down but my DS (27) is so glad because he remembers getting stuck on it when he was a kid and never wants to ride it again. Storybook Canals, Casey Jr, Pirates Lair, all the little bugland things (Tough to be a Bug..uh..no..not unless we see alot of courage). I'm hoping we can do dark rides, start with Peter Pan. Hope they can make it through Pirates.
A little tip..warn the kids and prepare them for the size of the characters. They can freak out when they see how big they are. We have an old Sing A Long VHS called Disneyland Fun that shows the park and characters..cheesy, but it helps.
We are staying at GC for ease in returning for nap time and maybe water time.

Gotta have leashes..I don't want to get whiplash looking for them all the time.
...and strollers.

 

[lillybug]

Taking a break in the afternoon was a huge lifesaver for us.

And as far as what to do with your toddler, just play it by ear. Not every kid is the same. I've read a lot of posts about certain attractions to avoid that my little ones happened to LOVE. (It's tough to be a bug, toad, pirates, were all favorites of theirs).

Have a great time!

 

[Mommy2PrincessAbby]

nap every afternoon... (we usually napped from 1-3) and lots of snacks... my dd was 3.5 when we went in October, and although shy, LOVED every dark ride... she's seen all the movies though... so we'd talk about the movie while we were walking to the ride or in line (although our lines were so short--there wasn't much time in line.) I think her two favs were snow white and mr toad... and I can remember my little brother crying to get off mr toad at 4.

--Lisa

 

[4_Churros_Please]

At age 3 patients can be a real challenge. I would go when the crowds have died down and all the kids are back in school. Trust me, the lines can get totally out of hand in the summer months, enough to kill the magic very quickly for your little youngster. You want to make his first trip special. Generally the winter months are really nice for crowds Jan through Mar (avoid MLK Holiday) as well as October and November. Go during week days, Tuesday through Thursday is prime.

For "break in rides" I recommend Dumbo or the Carousel. Than maybe Casey Jr followed with a little Story Boat ride, than over to Small World. By now your ready to take him into other rides in Fantasy Land, but avoid Snow Whites Scary Adventure! Sounds kind of sissy, I know, but trust me on this one. Try Peter Pan or Pinocchio. He'll probably love the Winnie the Pooh ride as well. I just got back from a trip with my twin boys (2 1/2 years old), they freaked out on Pirates of the Caribbean, but everything else was very fun for them.

Hope this helps!

 

[tkitty]

I made the mistake of taking my "just turned 4" DGS on BTMR for his first ride. I forgot how fast it was... , and rough. We spent the rest of the day convincing him to go on rides, promissing that they were smoother and slower.
The idea of watching the rides on Utube is a great one. My DGS watched, and says he may ride Splash with me this time!

 

[jennifur25]

We took my twins last year at 16 months and the only thing they were scared of was the carousel LOL

 

[DSNY4ever]

Oh I love all the tips in here because I am about to take my two nephews this spring and one is afraid of everything. I guess we'll just see what he decides to try. And Monkey Monkey....that is the cutest picture ever for your avatar.