Share your Disney parenting hacks (packing, etc.)

TinaLala · Jun 15, 2017

First before we'd go to Disney we watch a ton of movies so toddler has some reference for rides, etc. Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Alice, Mickey shorts, toy story, they're already watching playhouse Disney!

I pack juice boxes, snacks but put them into a sealable container, lots of baby wipes (still bring those today for teenagers!), a stroller fan, cool towels that cool down when you add water, extra sunscreen, a facecloth and small towel, small inflatable pillow for naps in the stroller, purel. If you can get the placemats that stick to the table I think I got them at baby r us.

MissMet · Jun 15, 2017

In the months leading up to the trip, watching Youtube videos of kids interacting with the characters, ride "walkthroughs", and the fireworks. My 2.5 year old son is very timid with anything new so watching what "he's in for" helps.

quandrea · Jun 15, 2017

Snacks are so important. Cut up fruit, fruit leather, raisins, crackers, cheese strings, water, my dh likes yogurt, jerky. I think the kids like these more than our meals; especially my dd with the peanut allergy. She likes food from home best.

Wet ones or baby wipes. They are good for a multitude of uses. I always carry a back pack at Disney. I use the LeSportsac Disney themed ones. Mine is Small World. It has pouches for water!

Don't over do it. The parks are fun but my kids' best memories happen during the unstructured time. We are dvc and have been more times than I can count and this is universally true.

Be willing to switch it up if you aren't having fun. No need to stick to the plan.

Wash your hands often--stay healthy!

Kjbbach1 · Jun 15, 2017

I bought light up wands from Amazon and brought them along with dollar store glow necklaces. They lighted wands in the park are a small fortune

Also, we picked out our hairstyles for BBB ahead of time....otherwise it would have taken 30 mins to pick at BBB.

tcufrog · Jun 15, 2017

When my kids were younger we instituted the concept of the "just in case potty." If we were going to be in the car for awhile we all did a just in case potty trip before we got on the car no exceptions. The kids quickly learned to go potty just in case if they wouldn't be near a potty for awhile. St WDW we stop whenever we see a potty. Because of the just in case potty rule we've never had to leave the line to go potty.

As for souvenirs we choose one or two things we know they will really want and let them get that. During the last trip that was a build your own droid and build your own light saber. Since we had talked about how special those were and how we couldn't get that at home they were very excited about those and didn't whine about other stuff.

Another friend had their kids start travel collections. One collects pressed pennies, another collects pins which she pins to a wall hanging in her room and the third collects snow globes. That's what they get on trips and they get excited about finding the perfect ones to bring home. For them it's about the hunt as much as the acquisition.

Now that my kids are older they complete travel journals. I found a template online that I print out on cardstock for every trip and get it bound at Kinkos. I pack scissors, a glue stick, pencils, crayons, and clear tape. During our daily quiet time before dinner (when either my dh or I nap) the kids write about what they did on the trip and tape or paste paper tickets, pictures and logos from brochures, napkins and other free items from the places they went into their journals. My younger sons also draws things he see on the trip. When they get home they will print out photos we took to add. They love looking through them when they return and seem to care more about them than anything they could buy.

melpeltier · Jul 2, 2017

TOBS2010 said:
We carried a regular back pack--but I had five different ziplock bags. Made it incredibly easy to find things through out the day---also made it easier to repack when we went through security and have to take things out to quickly put back.
Bag 1: Change of clothes for DS
Bag 2: Snacks for all of us (goldfish, granola bars, peanut butter crackers, fruit snacks)
Bag 3: "Entertainment" (match box cars, crayons, random little toys) to keep him entertained when we were out to eat
Bag 4 (sandwich size): Wash-ups, bandaids, suckers (for it I needed a please don't melt down now bribe), kleenex etc.
Bag 5: Autograph book and pen (super nice to grab quickly at a character sighting)

It was also a huge bonus that if and when we got stuck in the rain I didn't have to worry much about anything getting wet because it was all water proofed. Each morning/evening when we went into the parks I could easily see what I needed to replenish.

Did you have to open all of the bags to get through security? I love this idea. Just wondering how much extra time it would take getting into the park.

DrunkJam · Jul 3, 2017

LISmama810 said:
Last time we went, I took "Grumpy Chips." They're circles of card stock with a sticker of Grumpy on each one. Each member of the family is assigned the same number of chips, and each one is worth 5 minutes of being grumpy.

Want a Mickey bar and can't have one? You can be okay with it, or you can use a Grumpy Chip and be as angry as you want for 5 minutes. The thing is, once you've used up your Grumpy Chips, you can't be grumpy anymore.

That begs the question: What happens if someone is grumpy even after running out of chips? I don't know. This worked really well for us last time, so I never got to find out what would happen. But the idea is that it kind of makes you stop and decide if something is really worth throwing a fit over, and usually it isn't.

I realize it won't work for every kid/family, and I don't know if it'll work for us this time (kids are all two years older now) but it's worth a shot. This time I've coordinated the chips to match the color of each person's Magic Band, and I've allotted 10 chips per person. We're driving from Chicago so I hope it's enough.

Anyway, I also pack one of those super thin extra absorbent towels, moleskin pre-cut into various sizes to prevent blisters, those handheld mist things that you can pump by hand, ponchos, baby wipes, a travel thing of deodorant for the grown-ups, and sometimes a couple mini canisters of Play Doh for waits at restaurants.

I totally love this idea, and will definitely use it for our trip! Thank you!

DrunkJam · Jul 3, 2017

Definitely snacks. I bring familiar ones from home. The claws Fruit and vegetable snacks are ideal. healthy, and unbruisable and easy to carry.

The other thing I will say is. Know when everyone has had enough. Yes, you might have plans to watch fireworks, or even prized FP+s. but if people are whining, too tired, too hot, too hungry or just verging on sensory meltdown, then, no one is having fun. GO back to the room, go for a swim, just get away, change the scenery, get a rest. Park hoppers come into their own here, because, you CAN go back later, or go somewhere else.

We try and do a travel journal.

For the long journey I do a bag for each child with a few wrapped gifts. Can be sweets, or a book, or a colouring set, quiet things they can do alone, which break up the time, and being wrapped, seem like a surprise treat.

DrunkJam · Jul 3, 2017

Oh, and, we have hand sanitiser each, and bug spray, sun screen and after sun.
And water shoes.

vratiana · Jul 3, 2017

Daniela Rose said:
What do you do to make the trip easier with toddlers?
Ex: packing daily outfits in zip locs, etc.

This is a spin off to my must have travel things with a toddler thread.

I bring a small backpack into the parks that I carry onto each ride- this has only the valuables and essentials. I put all the extra snacks, diapers, emergency outfit, ponchos, etc. into a cheap grocery plastic bag and leave it in the stroller all day. I do not like carrying a huge heavy bag all day. I refill snacks and diapers into my small bag as needed. And if my stroller bag was ever stollen, I wouldn't be devastated, it's all replaceable stuff.

springtime · Jul 3, 2017

Snacks. Lots of snacks.

Cooling items. We used Frog Toggs and O2 necklace fans. We had no idea that my daughter would be so sensitive to the heat, and it was only May

Take a pic of the kids before you leave each day. I also made little ID tags with my contact information and pinned them in pockets. The kids knew if they got lost to look for someone with a Disney name tag and where their information was. As a side note, make sure your phone is on. My nephew did everything he was supposed to do when he got lost, and his dads phone was off. Luckily grandma had her phone on.

Dollar store ponchos on Kali River and Splash Mountain.

My kids were thrilled with the pressed pennies as a souvenir. Saved us a ton of money. My husband put holes in them and the kids each have a necklace

Vowelmommy · Jul 13, 2017

Use a big blue IKEA bag in the bottom of the stroller. When you have to get a hot cranky kid out of the stroller along with everything you have shoved in the basket all day, and fold it up to get on the bus, it's a life saver to just grab the handles and have the stroller empty.

andera42 · Jul 23, 2017

TOBS2010 said:
We carried a regular back pack--but I had five different ziplock bags. Made it incredibly easy to find things through out the day---also made it easier to repack when we went through security and have to take things out to quickly put back.
Bag 1: Change of clothes for DS
Bag 2: Snacks for all of us (goldfish, granola bars, peanut butter crackers, fruit snacks)
Bag 3: "Entertainment" (match box cars, crayons, random little toys) to keep him entertained when we were out to eat
Bag 4 (sandwich size): Wash-ups, bandaids, suckers (for it I needed a please don't melt down now bribe), kleenex etc.
Bag 5: Autograph book and pen (super nice to grab quickly at a character sighting)

It was also a huge bonus that if and when we got stuck in the rain I didn't have to worry much about anything getting wet because it was all water proofed. Each morning/evening when we went into the parks I could easily see what I needed to replenish.

dmea10 · Aug 14, 2017

ChasingLeslie said:
We used those vacuum space saver bags for packing our suitcases. Also, I brought a pop up hamper for dirty clothes (the best plan ever!!!).

I also picked up glow wands from the dollar store as small surprises, and brought a small baggie of trinkets for Jawa trading in HS.

The kids carried pocket fans in the parks. They aren't as great as the mister fans, but they are cheap, lightweight, and got the job done.

How did you pack to go home with the space bags? Don't you need a vacuum?

Smittolis · Aug 14, 2017

You can buy a really useful inflatable mattress vacuum pump for around $12 from Amazon, does the job very well and is nice and small! ;o)

Share your Disney parenting hacks (packing, etc.)

TinaLala

Hold My Table at Ohana's I'm on My Way!

MissMet

DIS Veteran

quandrea

DIS Veteran

Kjbbach1

Mouseketeer

tcufrog

DIS Veteran

melpeltier

Military spouse and mom of two little gals

DrunkJam

DIS Veteran

DrunkJam

DIS Veteran

DrunkJam

DIS Veteran

vratiana

Mouseketeer

springtime

Earning My Ears

Vowelmommy

Mouseketeer

andera42

Mouseketeer

dmea10

Dmea10

Smittolis

DIS Veteran

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