What are must takes to the parks with a three year old?

[jacobsmommy]

Last year we went to WDW with our two year old and I packed way too much stuff in his diaper bag. This year at DL he'll be three, potty trained (although we might use pull ups just in case) and I want to travel a lot lighter. What are must haves for a three year old small bag in the park?

 

[lilpixie]

For our young girls -- we took some snacks (granola bars, etc) bottled water (they have smaller bottles for kids), wet wipes (to clean faces and hands after meals, etc), tissues, sunscreen, lip blam (my girls love it) -- really that is about it for the 3 year old.
We made sure we had our camera and sunglasses and cash -- and we were good to go!

 

[PrincessAbby'sMom]

IMO: If you do underwear, just take another pair of underwear & shorts/pants (depending on when you go) And if it is summer, it sounds like there are a few places to get wet at, so you would want a change of clothes anyway. Snacks, snacks & snacks......my daughter was 5 when we went to WDW & it saved on alot of $$$$. Just smaller stuff, gold fish, fruit snacks, suckers, sweat tarts, those cheese & cracker packs, chips, etc. Anything to keep her occupied when waiting in long lines, etc. Wipes for dirty hands, sun screen (small bottle), small beach towel to dry off if you plan on him getting wet, water, autograph book, etc...
Just a small list, but we almost needed it all!!

 

[misscampbells]

I just wanted to add that when we took my 2 year old at Christmas, the biggest lifesaver we brought was a travel magna-doodle keychain (about 3x4 size). So when we were waiting in line or wherever, that kept her occupied for 75% of the time. If you have a wal-mart near you, you can usually find them in the checkout aisles for a couple of dollars.

 

[bumbershoot]

My guy isn't three yet, but he will be for our September visit. I'm planning on bringing a few sets of extra clothes, as we plan to go to the water-play areas in DCA (I'm assuming they are open in September) and I'm sure he'll get soaked (perhaps we should bring extra clothes for ourselves, too?).

Sunscreen, a few hats (he likes changing them), some little books, perhaps. Water (though he likes drinking from big bottles of water so it'll probably just be community water), perhaps some snacks...I like the idea of the magnadoodle, though knowing him like I do, he'll probably succeed in taking it apart by the second day. So, hmm, extra magnadoodles.

On a camping trip last summer, we bought some cheapie disposable cameras and let him take pictures. We never did get them developed, b/c we were fairly sure there would be nothing unblurry in there (though we still have them in case of sudden windfall). But I bet we'll get him another pack of disposable cameras, since he LOVES the action of taking pictures, and this time maybe we'll develop them.

That's probably it for our for-the-park packing list.

 

[tmatthews]

I have a 3 year old and we are going Friday. For the parks he will need an extra set of clothes (just in case!!), wipes, snacks, cup,and sunscreen! I always overpack too; then I can't find anything!!!

 

[dizzyami]

Call me crazy for loading the kids up on sugar - but heck it is DL. I will not travel without smarties (at least when they were younger). They do not make a mess, they do not make anyone sticky and they are great to stash a few before waiting in a line.

 

[bclydia]

Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and a change of clothes. Oh, snacks and a sippy cup too. That should do it.
You'll find kiddy potty's in the baby station at the end of Main Street on the right hand side as you look at the castle and in California Adventure park, near the tortilla factory, I think. I've heard there is a kiddy potty in the secret bathroom too. Haven't found that one yet myself.
The little potty's are a lifesaver!! Little children find the "magic toilets" at Disneyland very scary as the automatically flush. It's noisy and scary. Hmm, may pick up one of those folding potty seats for the bag too. We'll be there in 2 weeks.

 

[tinkerbelt]

We bring the usual snacks, clothes, etc.

Also, I like to take a ziploc bag with crayons in it. And then I grab a few sheets of paper and fold them up and put them in the baggie, or we take an extra coloring sheet or two with us from the Princess Fantasy Faire - coloring keeps DD occupied in long lines or when we wait for parades/fireworks.

I also pack a blanket for her. Not a huge one, but one small enough to fold and keep in a backpack. I can use it to put over the canopy of the stroller to block out sun, and if she gets chilly at night or wants to take a nap, she has a blanket.

 

[hrhlaurie]

You might also want to grab a bottle of the Purell to wipe off hands once in awhile.

We're doing all of the above and we have to worry about changing out of a princess dress at some point one day so we'll definitely get a locker for spare clothes!

We're taking the water bottle flavorings too just because plain water can be boring after awhile and flavored water is cheaper than sodas!