We have taken our kids to Disney at all different ages and stages of their lives. Currently, our oldest is about to be 8 so when we go again next year, we will have 2 four year olds and an 8 year old! It can get expensive and stressful but it doesn’t have to be! Here are some helpful hints to doing Disney with young kids:
Buy gifts / souvenirs ahead of time
Souvenirs can be very expensive at Disney! I would buy ours ahead of time at the Dollar Tree, Target, and Wal-mart. Every morning, my kids would wake up to a bag (use the same bag over and over along with tissue paper) that had a small gift and usually a shirt or pjs in it for the day. Just a fun little thing for them to get excited about each day. They never once asked if they could buy something else at Disney.
With my oldest, we did give her a gift card of $25 that she could pick what she wanted from Disney. She really enjoyed this. You can get Disney Gift Cards at Kroger and get double the fuel points 🙂
Prep your kids ahead of time about rides.
The first trip we did, Lizzy was 2 and she did GREAT. She wasn’t afraid of the dark or anything. We told her about each ride before we did it and if she started getting nervous, we just told her to look down at her cool glow jewelry. Also, you can You Tube all of the rides and they can get an idea about them ahead of time.
Glow sticks / bracelets
This was so helpful not only at night but during the day as well. As I explained above, it was the most helpful during the really dark rides. That is when most kids get super afraid!!
Also, every night, Disney brings out all of the really awesome lighted toys (with a pretty price). You can buy pretty neat little glow sticks with fun characters at the Dollar Tree.
Eat lunch in lines
This will save you SO MUCH TIME! We just bring in sandwiches and snacks into the park and then eat them while waiting in line. This helps give your kids something to do while waiting in those lines.
Work around sleep schedule
If your children take naps during the day, then plan on going back to the room or house during nap time. I found that when my kids were younger, I could only skip nap maybe 1 day and the next we would need to take a nap. Nothing is worse than trying to convince a tired child to stop being a brat and have fun!
Also, it is okay to not close down the park every night. We plan to stay late for just a few nights. On the nights that we stay late, we have gone back to take naps (or just rest).
Don’t push too hard because then it isn’t fun for anyone!
Strollers
Strollers are a MUST! We will probably take a stroller until my kids are just really not okay with it anymore…like when they are 13! It is so helpful to get through the parks and to store items such as a book bag and cooler.
I will say this, DO NOT TAKE A STROLLER TO THE PARADES AT NIGHT! It was so much easier to maneuver the crowds without the stroller. If your kids are likely to fall asleep in the stroller, then I would say you might want to bring it.
We used a sit and stand when our son was really small because our daughter loved riding in all kids of different ways around the park. When our family grew to 3, we had to use a double stroller and the kids switched out who rode when.
Nursing Infants
Disney has great places where you can go and nurse your child but I highly recommend just having a carrier that your like or a nursing cover that works best for you and the baby. The stations are usually located towards the front of the parks which was not usually convenient when my son needed to eat! Instead, I just nursed him while we walked from ride to ride.
