What to take into the parks

[ban26ana]

We are planning a trip for late winter/early spring. We will have a 4 year old and a 1 1/2 year old. So we'll need diapers, etc. I am a notorious over-packer, and I hate that. But I also panic at the thought of not having something if we need it.

Parents of little ones, what do you pack? I'd like to have diapers, wipes, toddler sticky placemats, toddler silverware, sippy cups, snacks, jackets, changes of clothes, sunscreen...it's like I'm dragging a suitcase! I'm thinking of maybe taking 2 bags. One diaper bag to just keep in the stroller on rides (because if someone steals a diaper bag, it's not a huge deal) and one smaller backpack for our wallets, camera, etc to keep with us on rides. Is this a good idea?

 

[Lori1960]

Why would you need to take todler silverware the restruants would have silverware

 

[ban26ana]

Why would you need to take todler silverware the restruants would have silverware

Because my 1 year old tends to stab herself with a metal fork.

 

[Snappy in OK]

We went last year with DS4 & DD2. I took a small diaper bag each day for the kids' stuff - enough diapers for the day, wipes, sippy cups, sunscreen, and I keep a small container of hand santizer attached to the strap. I took an extra change of clothes along early in the trip, and found I didn't need them and started leaving them in the room. We had been working on potty training DD, but she was not really interested. However, at WDW she did great! I carried diapers & pull ups for nothing. We did use the wipes for hands, etc.

I would think that you should be able to have a small - medium diaper bag with enough stuff for each day - diapers, wipes, a fork or 2, sunscreen, and maybe an extra shirt for each child. We left the diaper bag on the stroller when we went on rides, etc, and we never had a problem. We did have a camera backpack - the camera equipment was in the bottom section, and wallets & other valuables went in the top section. This bag went with us everywhere.

Good luck!

 

[matheke]

Don't panic if you forget something. There are Baby Care Centers in each park. You may have to pay more for things there but it is better than a trip back to the resort for a tube of diaper rash ointment!!! They are fairly well stocked and offer a quiet out of the way place to relax/decompress.


Dan

 

[aewdw]

Not sure if you're flying or driving but when we flew down I had placed an order with Garden Grocer that was delivered to the resort. Diapers, wipes, juice boxes, snacks, etc. Saved a lot of room in the suitcases.
HTH

 

[dunbarfamily]

I used to take a TON of stuff into the park with us. Everything you mentioned and then some, and I have a lot of little ones. My husband was always afraid he'd hit someone with this GIGANTIC backpack we carried around. A few trips ago, I downsized to a small backpack. I packed just the essentials....table toppers, sunscreen, five diapers, a travel pack of wipes, a camera, a snack sized bag of crackers or cereal or something like that, and a thin blanket to throw over the stroller if someone was sleeping in there. I am SOOO much happier that we've downsized to the bare-bones minimum. I don't spend forever hunting for something in the cavern of a backpack that I swear ate the things that I put in there, its a lot lighter, and I finally realized I didn't need all that "stuff".

Also, I used to overpack too. But with so many people and baggage fees being so high, I've had to really scale back on what I pack, or I'd have to go to work just to cover the extra checked baggage fees. Sooo....what I do is lay out everything I'd like to bring. You know, three extra outfits per kid in case they spill, another extra so they aren't wearing the same things in pictures, extra books, sippy cups, pacifiers, water wings, coloring books, snacks, toys, blankets/lovies, etc. And I lay out all the stuff for my husband and me. THEN, I stand there and look at this pile that's overflowing off of our california king bed, and challenge myself to put at least half of it away. I've gotten to the point where I figure I can wash stuff while we're there and if I forget something, I can always buy it if we really need it. (Like the time I forgot deoderant for both of us. Yeah, lets just say make sure you bring it. A little travel-sized container of it in the WDW gift shops is $4!!)

Good luck!!

 

[robinsegg]

Our 16mo now drinks from a straw (seems like any straw), so we're not taking sippies.
I'd just take the fork, or let her use her fingers.
We plan to use fannypacks for carrying things in the parks. We also plan to rent a locker the 2nd day (our 1st will be a half-day) to keep extras in and see if we need them. What I plan to carry:
Diapers
Wipes
Disposable changing pads (2 with us for if 1 gets soiled)
Tylenol, teething tablets, sm. diaper ointment, pacifier
Bandana (to cover when too much sun or nursing, has so many other uses)
Straws (2 per day I think)
Extra onesie
Camera
KTTW card
Maybe hand sanitizer?
Walkie-talkies (in case we get separated, instead of cell phones)
Card with daily info (meal reservation #'s, must do's, etc)
Photopass card
Autograph spiral-bound index cards & marker (the older kids will carry their own, we'll handle the toddler's)
A couple of band-aids

Hubby & I will carry big fannypacks, the older kids have small ones. We will not have a stroller all the time, we'll be using a baby carrier (baby *hates* a stroller, but we'll plan a length-of-stay rental).

 

[DreamLiveLoveDisney]

I bring Purell wipes. They're so much easier for the kids than the gel, and I don't have to worry about them spilling in my bag.

 

[dpisaacs]

this is a great idea!

 

[dpisaacs]

love the idea of doing laundry there to reduce how much we pack!