Toddler tips needed

[Dysni]

Hi there...newbie here! My husband and I are taking our 3 yr old daughter to Disneyland and I need a few tips! With a 3 yr old, should we bring a stroller (we're flying in), rent a stroller, or go w/o one?? We will be there for 5 days, so will have plenty of time to take breaks, take a nap, etc. My husband thinks it will be too much of a hassle to bring one on the plane, shuttle, rental car, etc, and I am budget obsessed and don't want to rent one if I can just bring one!

Also, if we do take a stroller, what do we do with it while on rides, since we'll all be going together on them?

Another questions, Disneyland doesn't have any rides where sandals are prohibited do they? We recently went to a different amusement park and couldn't ride several of the rides because of our sandals.

Any advice you could give will be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks!

 

[Annette_VA]

Welcome to the DIS!

As for the stroller issue, it's really a matter of personal preference. To some, it's worth it to pay to rent one each day instead of bringing their own. I'm not one of those people! LOL

I will bring my stroller from home. Simply because I want to be able to use the stroller in the airport (I'll gate check it) and in Downtown Disney, etc.

All of the parks have "Stroller Parking" areas outside of attractions, just leave your stroller there.

I'm not sure about the sandals question. Weird that that other park wouldn't let you ride because of wearing sandals. At the parks around here, you can just take them off & sit on them while you ride.

Also, if you haven't checked it out yet, there's a Disney for Families board here on the DIS - it has tons of great info about doing WDW w/ kids

 

[Dysni]

Thanks so much...I'm glad to know about the stroller parking, and I hadn't thought about having a stroller at Downtown Disney etc...good point! I have been and will be scouring the boards for tips and planning advice...thanks again for the quick reply.

The picture you have on your reply is THE cutest thing I have ever seen!! LOVE it...thanks for sharing!

 

[alloyd1170]

I would bring your own and umbrealla types are the easiest to deal with on buses. 1. You can use it in the airport: if in a hurry you can get around faster with your daughter in it, or use it to haul bags, and gate check it so its there when you get off. 2. Its great to have for walking around the shopping areas. 3. The ones in the park are not very comfy looking, all look alike making it hard to find yours, theres the cost involved for renting for 5 days, and then theres the hassle if someone takes yours, then you have to backtrack to get another one. If your daughter falls asleep in the park, she will be more comfy in her own stroller, and if you decide to leave while shes sleeping, you have to turn it in and risk waking her up (and carrying her back to the hotel). When you go on a ride, just park it at the stroller parking area. Realize that CMs will sometimes move them to make more room so if you come out and dont see yours, most likely its there. To make it easier to spot, affix something bright to it. For example, I got a bright yellow bandana (stroller is bright blue), and bright blue iron on letters to spell out our last name. I put the letters on the bandana and pinned it to the top of the stroller shade. When I parked it, I made sure the shade was up, and when we came off of rides, the contrasting colors and brightness made it easy to spot in no time. Getting it out of the mass of strollers was another thing! It also helped set it apart from look-a-likes and no one ever mistakenly took ours. Just dont leave any valuables in the stroller basket. I left a shopping bag with wipes and a few diapers in it and our jackets, but had a really nice large padded hip pouch for the cameras, small souvenirs, etc. Hope this helps!

alison

 

[Dysni]

Thanks so much...what a good tip about putting something bright and contrasting on the stroller!! I'm getting so excited to go...I keep dreaming about it and my husband just laughs and laughs at me! heehee, I think I'm more excited than my daughter is!

Thanks again!

 

[don8life]

Hi there,
Take your stroller or carraige. I just went in June wiith my 2, 8 and 11 year old. No hubby just me. It was a pain getting the carraige ona nd off the bus(by myself) and holding on to my 2 year olds hand. But it was worth it. You can roll it right up on the boarding ramp to the plane and they will have it ready for you when you get off the pain. Also getting back and forth to the parks it would be nice to have the little one sitting.
If you bring the carraige you will also have a place to stick things(if you have abottom net) That is why I decided the carraige versus the stroller. Definitely much easier. Plus when you rent a stroller from Disney it is such a pain in the butt(haven't done it in a few years so I don't know if procedure changed) waiting in line to get one and to return it BLAH!

Also, I bought with us a harness for my little one(I was afraid I would lose her in the summer crowd or at the airport) and she loved it because she could walk around without me holding her hand. (Wild child needs to be buckled in her carraige or hand held at all times, she is a runner)

Irene

 

[Dysni]

thanks so much! I definitely decided to bring a stroller...mine is a huge travel system one, so I might try to borrow a family member's that might be smaller, but still with a storage net, etc. A harness is also a good idea, I've seen those used and it looks like it really would help for that toddler that wants a little freedom! Thanks for the tips, and best of luck on YOUR next Disney trip as well!!

 

[LisaZoe]

I went to Disneyland last year with my DD, then almost 2. I thought I'd just rent a stroller at the park each day because it would be too much of a hassle to try to handle a stroller as well as our luggage getting through the airport. However, after the first day at the park, I regretted that decision because I hadn't considered the walk from the park to our hotel and how tired we'd both be at the end of the day. I ended up going to a nearby Wal Mart (I had a rental car) and bought their cheapest umbrella stroller - cost was about $14, the same as 2 days rental. That was the best money spent.

This one didn't have a storage basket underneath but we did hang a lot of "stuff" on the handles. We just made sure to swing them to the seat when DD got out (or the stroller would tip over backwards). This "stuff" also helped us identify the stroller after rides. We never had anything disappear from it but we always took anything of value on the ride with us. I think we even left on it some bags with souvenirs we'd purchased that day.

A note about harnesses. Make sure to check that it fastens securely. I bought one and with a velcro closure. I had problems getting the velcro to hold tightly enough to stay fastened when my DD tugged against it as she walked. It never came off but I didn't feel comfortable relying on it to hold if really needed. Mine may have been defective since I've seen others use similar ones without problem.

 

[DisFam95]

Be sure to practice the harness before hand. DS wanted nothing to do w/it and caused more frustration. He actually did well walking holding our hand.

 

[Dysni]

Thanks to both of you above...the "princess in training" is adorable!! I agree with the harness comments...since we've not used one before, I think we'll just go with the stroller and holding hands as well...especially since we only have one child to look after. Thanks again!

 

[alloyd1170]

Dont get the wrist leash that is elastic. It restricts the childs arm movement, and the stretching can get in the way of people walking around you! I didnt like the idea of a harness showing up in pictures of my son. I took the leash part off the harness and attached it to the back of a childs fanny pack. This way my son could lighten my load by carrying his own snacks/toys. When we didnt need to use the leash or for pictures, I would just tuck the leash into the back of his shirt. It was easy to retrieve in a hurry too (like when he started to bolt) and the only thing you saw in the photos was his fanny pack.

alison

 

[alloyd1170]

My husband refused to put a leash on our son, but when you have to ditch the stroller to stand in line, you learn real fast how good the harness is! Our son would try to leave the line, which meant we could lose our place. Dont get the wrist leash that is elastic. It restricts the childs arm movement, and the stretching can get in the way of people walking around you! I didnt like the idea of a harness showing up in pictures of my son. I took the leash part off the harness and attached it to the back of a childs fanny pack. This way my son could lighten my load by carrying his own snacks/toys. When we didnt need to use the leash or for pictures, I would just tuck the leash into the back of his shirt. It was easy to retrieve in a hurry too (like when he started to bolt) and the only thing you saw in the photos was his fanny pack.

alison

 

[Dysni]

Great idea!! I agree about not wanting the harness in all the pics! Thanks!

 

[DisFam95]

Good thought about the harness in the pictures.

This was my favorite item that we took w/ our 17mo old. So easy to put on. It snaps around your waist, then hold your kiddo on your hip and pull the seat flap up and around your neck. We wore it all the time and have used it at festivals and things other than disney. It says up to 40pounds. Not sure how it would work w/ a 3yr old but thought someone reading this w/ younger ones might benefit. My son slept in it while waiting in lines.

http://www.onestepahead.com/product/27213/751/117.html

 

[alloyd1170]

I got one to try with my 2.5 yr old ~ 35 lbs. Didnt work for us. I dont know who was more uncomfortable him or me! Looks like it would work well with a smaller child who wants to be held.

alison

 

[crazywig]

ds was just 2 when we went this past june. the harness was the best thing i brought on our trip! i got the red one with elmo on it that you can find in walmart and other stores for about $6. it has a swivel hook on the back that reduces tangling.

it was a really lifesaver while waiting in the queue's and when he demanded to be let out of his stroller. he had never worn one previous and was a bit peeved when i first put it on him but he got over it quickly.