Waiting in line with toddler

[MickeyMinnieMouse]

Heading to DL next week with our 3.5 year old and I was curious what folks do to pass the time while in line. I suspect our toddler may grow impatient and I'm looking for some unique ideas to keep her mind occupied and not focus on the line. Thanks for any ideas.

 

[dsneygirl]

Heading to DL next week with our 3.5 year old and I was curious what folks do to pass the time while in line. I suspect our toddler may grow impatient and I'm looking for some unique ideas to keep her mind occupied and not focus on the line. Thanks for any ideas.

My DS just turned 3 the week of our trip. We just don't get in any lines longer than 20min. And 3x we had to get out for an emergency potty break. CMs and other guests were all very nice and let us meet up with the rest of our party in line.

I would go early, you can easily get 4-5 things done in that first hour (especially in Fantasyland) and use your baby swap/FP as needed. Most big rides with long waits (Indy, RSR your little one may not be tall enough for anyway)

 

[figment_jii]

I just got back from a trip with an almost 3 year old. Like the PP, we tried to avoid long lines, but there were a few and for the most part he did very well. We had a couple of his favorite small toys (e.g., hot wheel sized car) with us that he could play with while in line. We also had some snacks for him to munch on if he got hungry. We didn't need them, but we also had a few picture books, a video player, and a magnetic storyboard game with us.

 

[YukonMommy]

We liked saving snack time for the longer lines. We would bring along a drink and small snack for each kid to eat while moving in line.

I also had a few suckers, gum and tic tacs stached in my purse. We also played a lot of eye spy and guessing games.

My youngest was 3 1/2 the 2nd time we went and he even ended up having a quick nap or two while waiting in lines.

One thing not to bring are bubbles. Not only do some people not like them to pop on their clothes, no one likes them to pop on their glasses. I have seen kids have a melt down because there bubbles were popped by other kids in line.

Have a magical time!

 

[stampinshauna]

We keep little ones happy with occasional snacks. We also play the alphabet game (where we look for all of the letters in the alphabet on any signage).

 

[rms123]

I agree with the above - avoid long lines and lots of snacks you can pull out of your pockets when they get antsy.

 

[crystal1313]

I agree with the above. A trick that used to work well for us too is to point out all the little details in the queue/and surroundings. Helps to distract them from the actual line and focus more on other things. Now that my kids are older, they point out these details to me now!

 

[Kristina4109]

I find pipe cleaners are fun to bring in line. They're small and easily stashed. You can pull them out of your pocket and try making different animals/shapes out of them.

Small containers of Play-Doh work well, too. Again, you could make animals or shapes out of them. You could turn it into a guessing game: "What animals is this?"

And agree 100% about the snacks! If you save snack time for lines, that can occupy a small child for a while and distract him/her from the line.

 

[SweetAlex]

Honestly, we worried about this with our daughter when she was exactly that age and she never ever expressed being bored in line once. There is so much to see, so much going on, so many people to stare at (hey! We'd do it too if we could get away with it like little ones can).

I think what's most important is to make sure they are getting enough sleep (let them nap if they still need one and get them to bed at a decent time) and make sure they don't get hungry. You know, similar to how we treat our spouses

It did help that we went at a quieter time so we didn't see lineups longer than 30 min.

 

[JandD75]

I'll echo a previous poster--when my DD was little, I would talk to her about the ride, ie, "What color Dumbo do you suppose we'll get to ride in when it's our turn?" or at Storyland, "That boat was Feline, the one before it was Merriweather, what do you suppose will be the name of the next boat?" If there are families with small children near you in line, you might facilitate a conversation between your child and their children. Snacks and drinks work well, too. Also, letting my DD hold the map, I would ask her to point to the attractions we had already seen and tell what she liked most about each one. Good luck!

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm looking for some unique ideas to keep her mind occupied and not focus on the line.

The line can easily keep her occupied. Enjoying it, looking at things and people, etc etc.

And not getting into a line that's very long to begin with.

Honestly, we worried about this with our daughter when she was exactly that age and she never ever expressed being bored in line once. There is so much to see, so much going on, so many people to stare at (hey! We'd do it too if we could get away with it like little ones can).

I think what's most important is to make sure they are getting enough sleep (let them nap if they still need one and get them to bed at a decent time) and make sure they don't get hungry. You know, similar to how we treat our spouses

It did help that we went at a quieter time so we didn't see lineups longer than 30 min.

Everything about this is a big yes.

And with the part I marked in blue, a bigger yes. Disneyland trips really taught me how important regular water and real-food stops were for DH! Helps the rest of us, but DH especially.

 

[Kristina4109]

A thought - when my daughter was 3 and a half she could recognize all her letters but wasn't reading yet. Still, she loved to look at the park map. The two of you could look at a map together and discuss what you'd like to do next while waiting in line.

 

[mrsbicewdw]

My preschooler has sensory processing issues, and as a result is the most antsy and wiggly child I have ever seen. So any type of waiting results in issues if we are not ahead of the game.

Other than food (since eventually most kids will stop eating when full!) we have found a variety of "busy bags" to be really helpful. We have also used these for other kids and cousins on different trips, airplane rides, etc. (I'm the mom that will throw your kid a busy bag to share in line )

Things with a lot of small parts don't work well, but you can have some pieces since they are all in bags.

Pipe cleaners and foam beads - these are LARGE foam beads, like as big as my eyeball. My son makes bracelets or necklaces, or we practice patterns. The beads are large enough that he doesn't drop them often and when he does they are easy to see and grab.

Rubic's Cube or similar hand puzzles. We have found a lot of things in the dollar section of target or the dollar store.

Stickers. We have rules - stickers on clothes or the stroller, okay. Stickers on walls, not okay.

Small figurines/stuffed toys. We have a couple travelers that go with us most places, one is a small Mickey. We act out scenes or I ask him to show Mickey what he sees in line/out the window/etc.

For other places you have to wait (there is a LOT of waiting in this world, isn't there?) like waiting on food or waiting on a parade, you can use bags with more pieces. We have a bag that has a princess figure with the snap on clothing. A busy pack that has a coloring book, stickers, and crayons (I find them at the dollar store or target, they are in little mylar type bags). Small party-size jars of playdough. Felt play sets (making sandwiches, cupcake decorating, etc).

Just do a search on Pinterest for "busy bags"!

 

[MickeyMinnieMouse]

Thanks to all for the suggestions! It gives me quite a few ideas to work with.

 

[Malcon10t]

We just got back from Thanksgiving weekend at Disneyland with a 3yo. We used FP for most of the longer lines, but for the most part, we just kept her engaged talking and looking at the queue. She was so much fun. Her new favorite ride is Grizzly Rapids.

 

[bcla]

Didn't have it the last time we visited DL, but we've got an iPad Mini. That with a digital download of Frozen kept our then 3.5 YO occupied on a long international flight. It's also helpful to have short movies as well as games. The nice thing about it is the battery life is enough to handle at least 8 hours, and can be boosted with a USB battery pack.

I do remember Mickey's House in Toontown. That basically kept our toddler occupied because the line has all these things designed to keep a kid interested.