Walt Disney World Resort - Tips for Mums/Moms and Dads

[Wendy]

I thought it might be useful to make a list of all the things that you have found useful when taking children to Disney. Anything at all from taking snacks to rides and shows.

As I don't have any children and have only been with friends' that have, I can only think of a few things, but I'm sure there are a lot of other ideas out there

What I was thinking was, that when we had a good list of ideas, a page could be set up on the main site with all of these ideas as well as having this thread.

So what do you all think fancy having your name on the main site next to your suggestion

[Kate]

Put the rain cover down on the pushchair before you go into a show - you never quite know when its going to pour down!

Im sure i will think of a few more but that was the one that came to mind first!

[Mari]

excellent idea!!!

ok.. some of mine...

Take your own stroller, or rent a nice one... you want one with a big hood, that reclines, has a raincover and is easy to fold and carry on WDW transportation

Take advantage of character meals... perfect character interaction in an A/C room, and you get to eat no standing 45min in line under the Sun!

Sunblock and sunhats are a must

For easy snacks in the parks, take some ziplock bags and fill them with: crackers, cereal, grapes

Enjoy the little things

Be realistic, you will NOT be able to see all the shows and go on every ride, but it will still be the perfect, magical trip, if you let it

Try to respect your child's schedule... for eating, napping and bedtime.... cranky, hungry and tired kids will not have fun!

[Shellyamc]

Ok October 2011 was our first trip with kids, so we learned A LOT in those 2 weeks!! Here are some things that worked for us or that we should have done

*NAPS! We never missed. We were at the park when it opened and we stayed until lunch time. After lunch in the park we went back to the resort and slept for around 2 hours. We headed back to the park around 4 and everyone was happy and our kids ( 4 and 2) were able to see every night show and firework without complaint. This made our trip

*We picked a few things in each park that we could not miss. Once we got those done we did whatever the kids saw that they liked. We did push them a little bit and they rode POC and HM with no problems, but we made sure we respected their limits.

*Adult rain ponchos fit great over a stroller

*We always had a small soft sided cooler with juice and water. Made for quick stops and happy kids.

* If they want to swim..let them. I know you paid a ton of money to be there, but if the kids are crying and angry..what is the point?

* We had lots of snacks in the room. They were often a little hungry before bed and it was easy for them to have a pop tart or munch on cereal in the morning while getting ready rather then us dragging them out to a formal breakfast.

* kids love to get ice from the ice machine..LOL

* We packed a folding stool and it was a lifesaver!! Some of the beds (we drove and stayed in a few different hotels) were high!! Our kids felt much better using the stool to get in and out of bed and they liked being able to brush their own teeth etc.

* We got Katie (4) a cheap digital camera of her own and she was never bored! She took pictures of everything in line and each night we let her look at her shots. By the end of the trip she was taking pretty good pictures and we only had to deal with keeping her brother busy I think the camera cost around $20.

*Don't push pictures with characters. Katie was fine where Marc had his on and off moments. As long as we didn't push him he would high 5 and usually end up running to greet them the 2nd time around. He wouldn't get near Goofy and we just decided it wasn't worth the drama to force him.

I'm sure there are 10,000 more things, but my mind is all over the place right now. It was a lot more work than we expected, but it was so much fun seeing their faces. Let them explore..you only get this time once. Our kids have memories that Dh and I don't remember at all, but they were small things that had a huge impact on their trip. Just enjoy it and try to have some fun yourself

[Wendy]

Thank you so much Kate, Mari and Shelly This is just the sort of advice we need

Keep them coming folks

[Sam]

Here are a couple of things we did as well as some of what others that have been suggested.

• Even if your little one is past the toddler stage still take a pushchair. We took and old one over with us for our 4 year old, it was a god send. Not just great for his little legs but also somewhere to put the bags on.

• We made and took a big selection of name badges for all the kids to wear around the parks. It was great as the crew members and some of the characters addressed them by their names which made them feel very important.

• Each child wore a lanyard with our contact details on just in case they got lost.

• Make sure you take advantage of the photo pass photographers. It's free until you decide whether you want to buy the pictures after you have viewed them. You can view them on the photopass site for up to 30 days after you get home from your trip. They are worth doing as the service also includes putting in characters in the pictures. For instance the kids were made to look down at the floor and point with a surprised look on their faces. When we got home Stitch had been added to the picture coming out of the floor. The photopass site is also great for the kids as they can edit the photos themselves adding what ever frame, etc they want.

I hope these help.

[Wendy]

Thank you Sam this is brilliant, we are going to get a nice list going

[dizkidzmom]

I always take the little drink mix packs like Crystal Light or Kool Aid that you can add to water bottles because my kids aren't too fond of water and I don't want them drinking soda all day.

I wear a small backpack and take the lunch sized bags of cookies and crackers because it is always when you are standing in line for a ride that the kids say "I'm starving"!

Utilize the PhotoPass Photographers, before I realized this gem of a service, someone, usually me, was missing from the pictures!! You can pre purchase the CD at a discount from Disney on their web site. You can also upload your own digital pics from your camera before leaving and use the "add-ons" from photopass once you get home. Little sayings and boarders. Makes beautiful pictures!!

Here's a big one, when you are leaving the Magic Kingdom using the monorail, the monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center is always more crowded than the one to the resorts, but heres the secret, if you take the monorail to the resorts it stops at the Contemporary Resort and the next stop is........you guessed it the Ticket and Transportation Center.

Hope this helps and have a Magical Trip!!!

[Dawn]

Use the Baby Care Centers in the theme parks. Even if you don't have a baby. It's an airconditioned area with masses of changing tables for taking care of those needs. They also have microwaves and bowls, cups etc for warming and eating food. I remember the Magic Kingdom one had a seperate little room with Disney cartoons on a TV for the bigger kids. Truly a lifesaver in the heat of the day to get the children into a cool area where we can all just chill for half an hour.

[Tink]

Remember that Disney allows you to carry in most food (no glass, no alcohol) and that can be a budget saver and a tummy saver. When the boy was very young (up until he was about 7) we carried in most of his food. Kept him from eating greasy, or sugary park food that would upset his stomach.

Let the child lead the way! We had more fun when we let the boy lead us, and simply followed. You'll be amazed at what you see!

Try really hard to bring your own stroller. The park strollers are hard, don't recline, are low, and often quite dirty. Also, having your own stroller will allow you to have transport for exhausted children on the way out of the park to whatever transport you are taking.

If you need a double stroller consider on in tandem instead of side by side. Try to have your stroller in as light a color as possible. Dark absorbs the heat and little bodies can get burnt. (If your stroller is dark, keep a light colored, light blanket to throw over the hot seat).

Carry washcloths with you. Any fountain can be used to wet them to keep faces and necks cool.

If you freeze your water bottles, they'll keep other food items cool, and thaw as you go so you have cold/cool water to drink for longer than you would if you didn't freeze the water bottles.

If you don't want to carry in water, get a brita water bottle with a filter. They make all the difference in the taste of the water. Remember too, you can ask for a cup of water (and ice) at any counter service. No charge.