Who likes packing lists? :) 1-3 year old

[Angrose]

Post-it notes for the plane. You can stick them all over the place, on each other, draw faces on them, my son loved them when he was that age. And the GoGo sueezey applesauce pouches, no mess and they are 3.2oz, so will make it through security to take on the plane.

 

[crystal1313]

OP, you have gotten some really great advice! I'm glad you've decided to go with a stroller. We clock from 12-15 miles or more a day at DL. A stroller will be really helpful!

I agree with all that has been said! Extra clothes in the parks are a lifesaver. As are extra diapers! The baby care centers are amazing! And if your 3 year old is potty trained they have mini training toilets you can use. There are only 2, but they are great and DO NOT have auto flush. Plus, the changing tables are so nice in the baby care centers compared to the ones in the bathrooms.

I'm guessing the 1 year old will be using a bottle still? I would always bring a bottle brush and a small travel size bottle filled with dish soap so I could clean the bottles in the hotel sink.

I would also bring a blanket for in the stroller too. We always use one when my youngest DS falls asleep. Sunscreen and hats are a must! Hand sanitizer and wipes are something I always have on hand as well. I always grab a bunch of napkins wherever we are eating because someone always spills something either on themselves or the table we are eating at, etc. I bring my oldest DS allergy meds, plus Ibuprofen for the kids and DH and I because never fails, we always will need it! Plus I pack a small first aid kit with band aids and neosporin spray.

And as others have said, snacks, snacks, snacks! My boys tend to get overwhelmed by the parks. They are overstimulated. So we take a break every couple of hours and MAKE them have a snack and drink WATER!! It helps them from melting down and gives us all a nice break. When they were little we would go to the baby care center, then take a break on the benches and eat our snacks. We take a whole backpack dedicated to snacks! LOL. We also bring a soft sided cooler with waters, gogurt, grapes, applesauce, etc. We try not to stray from our normal routine/diets while in the parks. We limit to one treat a day and let the kids choose. DS6 always picks ice cream while DS4 always wants a lolly pop. I also bring a bunch of sandwich bags to make individual servings of the snacks too.

Another tip I like to share, probably more for your 3 year old, is that some of the attractions exit you out into a store. For my boys, they had a hard time at first because they would want ALL the toys they saw. LOL. So we had to make a rule that they could look, but needed to wait to buy something until closer to the end of our trip. We would give them a budget and only allow one purchase. It helped SO much and some trips we don't even buy anything now! So you may want to start preparing your 3 year old now so it's not a big deal when you are there. I sure wish someone would have told us that ahead of time!

Last tip, take TONS of photos!!!!!!! My kids cannot get enough! They love looking back when they were little and so do I! Make sure whoever is the photographer gets in some photos too Have an amazing trip!!!

 

[geergirl]

We're going in September with our twin 2 year olds and I was debating taking the stroller. You all have me convinced we need one, but I'm still on the fence about taking ours. How concerned do I need to be about our relatively expensive double stroller disappearing while we're on a ride? Or all the stuff loaded into the bottom of it?

So take the stroller we know works for us or rent one when we get there? I'm not concerned about gate checking it exactly, but because the seats have to come off to fold it flat we do end up with extra pieces that are more likely to be lost or damaged.

 

[lovebug33]

You shouldn't have to worry too much about the stroller. Although somebody stole a water bottle out of our stroller. I figured they desperately needed it. So I wasn't too mad.

 

[agamble]

We will be brining a double stroller. DS (1) needs the stroller of course, and I think DD (4) will end up needing it eventually. After 7+ trips the last 3 years we've learned to pack less. If we have the stroller we usually don't bring a bag any more. We throw the food, clothes, diapers, etc. in the bottom of the stroller. I keep the tickets and other cards in my pouch, and the camera in my pocket. We've never had anything taken. If someone did steal our food, well then I guess they need it. I don't think people go to Disneyland to steal strollers. I think the CM moves strollers a LOT, and people who rent strollers from Disney often grab the wrong one since they all look the same. Your own stroller will likely be just fine.

 

[geergirl]

We will be brining a double stroller. DS (1) needs the stroller of course, and I think DD (4) will end up needing it eventually. After 7+ trips the last 3 years we've learned to pack less. If we have the stroller we usually don't bring a bag any more. We throw the food, clothes, diapers, etc. in the bottom of the stroller. I keep the tickets and other cards in my pouch, and the camera in my pocket. We've never had anything taken. If someone did steal our food, well then I guess they need it. I don't think people go to Disneyland to steal strollers. I think the CM moves strollers a LOT, and people who rent strollers from Disney often grab the wrong one since they all look the same. Your own stroller will likely be just fine.

Logically it doesn't seem like many people would try to steal a stroller. It's just a matter of overcoming the conditioning that you can't leave it unattended! I intend to take as little as possible with us. Some water bottles, sunscreen, and a camera.

 

[JennLen]

Great thread! We are going to DL at the end of the month and now I am second guessing my decision on our stroller situation! Good thing I didn't hit submit on my amazon order just yet!

We have a very active 18 month old and a 3.5 year old. The 18mo old hardly tolerates the stroller but she is a bolter so we were going to rotate single stroller, back carry in a toddler tula and harnessing her when she wants to run. My older one was sooooo chill at that age that I am terrified of this trip with the younger one!

Anyway, I thought getting the glider board attachment for my single city mini would be a better idea than bringing my double city mini. Am I making a mistake? We are only at DL for 3 days before we move on to a more all inclusive resort for a week where we won't be having extended periods of walking other than 1 day at the San Diego Zoo.

 

[peterpanandwendy]

Hi, OP here! We leave in just over a week for our trip, and we are super minimalists coming from Canada, we have opted to:

Bring our small umbrella stroller and an ergo and rent another stroller in the park if we need to. My 1 year old has special needs and is not crawling and is very tiny, so she is still very portable in an ergo. My 3 year old is a highly spirited boy who walked at 8 months and never stopped running or climbing, even in his sleep lol!

So, we are thinking we are going to have the umbrella stroller for him for the morning, and have her in the ergo, and then after our afternoon rest when it gets hot we will rent another stroller for the baby and just return it at the end of the day. This way we arnt dragging 2 strollers around with us all the time, but we have the option if we need it.

I hope that helps! You can rent strollers from citystrollerrentals if you need to, but their pick up/drop off times didn't really gel with our flight schedules.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

More diapers than you think you'll need for the day, tons of baby wipes, 2 extra outfits for each kid in quart size Ziploc bags [1 if you're staying within walking distance] - you can put dirty clothes back into the Ziploc, and several disposable changing pads to line the Ergo and/or the stroller - one accident and the Ergo/stroller is ruined. If you rent a DL stroller you could exchange it for a clean one, but that would be a little awkward!

DD was prone to diaper failure when she was a baby - all of the above saved my sanity at DL many, many times!

FWIW I would never consider not having a stroller with non-potty trained little ones at DL. 2 adults cannot carry 2 kids and all of their diaper related gear all day! I mean, I guess they can, but why would they want to?