101 Dream Vacations

Disney with Toddlers

If you are traveling to Disney with toddlers, there are some helpful hints that will help make your vacation less stressful.

If you are traveling with toddlers or any young child who does not meet the height requirements of some of the rides, you can get a rider swap ticket.  The way to obtain one of these tickets is to go to the fast pass entrance and let the cast member know your child is too small to go on the ride.  You will have to have the child visible for the cast member to see so they can verify that the child is not tall enough. They will give you a paper rider swap ticket that is good for up to three guests to come back and ride again.  When you are ready to use the ticket, you enter the fast pass entrance and give your ticket.  This allows parents traveling with small children to be able to go on the popular rides that they might otherwise have to skip.  When I traveled with my family, my daughter was too small to go on the Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train.  My mom stayed with her while my husband and I rode with my son.  After our ride, my husband stayed with my daughter while my mom and I rode with my son.  We only had to use one fast pass and my son and I were able to go on the ride two times!
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is to prepare your young toddler or child months ahead of time to meeting the characters.  My family frequents local restaurants for their kids nights where they have characters.  Usually the kids can eat free (win!) and they get to have interactions with characters (another win!).  It may take a few times, but hopefully by the time of your trip, your child will be more willing to take pictures and give hugs to the characters.  While we are on the topic of characters, instead of getting autographs in an autograph book that then sits on a shelf when you get home, try something different.  Last trip I brought white photo mats- 8×10 and 5×7.  I brought these with us for our character meals and when we got home, I was able to display our autographs in a frame along with a picture of our trip.  I brought the 8×10 photo mat to the character meals we did on non park days.  For example, on our pool/rest day, we went to Chef Mickey’s so I brought the larger photo mat.  This way I wouldn’t have to worry about it getting ruined in the bottom of our stroller in the parks.
A trip to your local dollar store can also help aleviate antsy toddlers on the plane, in the car, or standing in lines for attractions.  I bought light sticks for the nightly parades so my children would have something fun and hopefully not want the more expensive options being sold in the parks.  I also bought plenty of new books, coloring books and games at the dollar store.  It was very cheap to purchase, but for my children, it was something new, exciting and helped distract them.
Another lifesaver that I found so helpful was packing each of my chldren’s outfits in ziplock bags. I used gallon zip lock bags for each complete outfit- underwear, shorts, shirt, accessories, and a sweatshirt if you are planning on staying at the parks for the entire day.  I would throw the sweatshirt in the zip lock bag into my backpack for the day, along with an extra outfit in a separate zip lock.  The zip lock worked out great because it’s also waterproof for those unexpected Florida rain showers.  I had a zip lock bag for each child for each day of our trip, in addition to warmer outfits for cooler nights.  It saved space in my luggage and it worked out perfectly once we arrived at our hotel because each morning I didn’t have to go digging through our luggage to find pieces of each child’s outfit.  All I had to do was pull out a zip lock bag.  I also used the empty bags for wet clothes, leftover food, etc.
While in the parks, a great tip is to bring a shower curtain to put on top of your stroller while you are at a show, eating, or waiting for an attraction.  Weather can be unpredictable in Florida and a rain shower can pop up at anytime.  The shower curtain is waterproof and will keep your stroller dry.  I brought clothes pins to keep the shower curtain from blowing away.
If you are traveling with small children during the warmer months, a great way to have fun and keep cool while at the Magic Kingdom is to enjoy Casey Jr.’s Splash and Soak Station.  It’s located in the new Fantasyland near Dumbo.  Be sure to bring a bathing suit and towel.  Believe it or not, none of the gift shops when we visited sold bathing suits!  It was one of the highlights for both of my children.
Every family is different, but for my family we went back to our resort everyday for naps and relaxation.  We cooled off in the pool and then headed back to the parks for dinner and nighttime fun.
Finally, my last tip applies to everyone, not just those traveling with toddlers.  The MyDisneyExperience app is very useful, but between using the app, taking pictures, and the many other ways you utilize your phone throughout the day, the battery will quickly drain.  A great tip is to screenshot your daily itinerary on MyDisneyExperience.  Use this screenshot as your wallpaper so you only have to use a limited amount of battery to view your fast passes, dining reservations and other things on your daily agenda.  Change the wallpaper for each day of your vacation.
I hope these tips will help make your trip with youngsters less stressful.  More than anything else, remember to sit back and relax.  There is nothing more magical than seeing your children’s expressions while walking down Main Street, USA, seeing the castle for the first time, or meeting their favorite character.
No matter if you are traveling with toddlers, older children, or just adults, using a Disney Focused Travel Professional can be a valuable asset. Contact me for a free no obligation quote.

Erica Sprague
Erica lives in New Jersey with her family. When she isn’t traveling and making memories with her family she is making dreams come true planning vacations for other families. Check her out here and don’t forget to follow her on Facebook.