Things to take for a 3 year old and advice

[keely21]

When we go my little girl will be 3 (first visit) shes never been on a plane either. It will be just me, my little girl and my other 2 children going. Im really nervous to go it alone to be honest and although I have a rough idea what im likely to need I'm pretty sure I've missed lots of things that only those parents who've been with a little one before will know is essential. So any tips will be great. I've had a few tips before but the more there better. Things for the journey, best backpack, bag for travelling. Best park days, rides etc, things to pack. Anything really you think a single mum travelling with a young child should know. Also my little girl has a different surname to me so do I need anything from her dad to travel? Thank you

[irnjaw]

Hi. We flew with our kids last year for the first time to Florida, my son was 5 and my daughter 2. We had everything: Trunki filled with teddies, colouring books, sticker books, snacks, neck pillows and tablets with headphones.

All we needed was the headphones. And the snacks obviously. Nothing else was even looked at. Once they got plugged in to the in-flight entertainment (BA) they were happy all the way from London to Tampa.

Even if we thought about taking some books etc for them next year, they will most definitely not be in a Trunki. What a waste of money. Big and cumbersome. We thought we could let them sit on them and tow them along - nope! They don't go in a straight line and you end up carrying them anyway.

So I'd say from my experience that less is more. But you know your own kids. The little ones seem to be easier amused maybe? Who knows. Take some stuff, but I'd say you don't need to go OTT.

[Simon & Suzann]

A pushchair is a must.
Easy to take on plane as u go right to the door with it and then they put it in the hold. It's normally first off on the luggage.

It's ideal for going in the parks as u can put things on it or in the net thing underneath.
There'll be tired times so great for refreshing the little ones legs.

U can also pick them up really cheap in Walmart and leave at your accommodation.

[Princ3ss D]

My daughter celebrated her 3rd birthday in Florida and she absolutely loved it.

I'd definitely take a pushchair or pick one up when you get there but to make life easier take one with you, it will get you through fast-track security if nothing else My daughter didn't really like being in a pushchair but it was a godsend for carrying things round and for her to sit in when watching the parades. A few days in she was in more than ever as you do walk an awful lot.

As well as all the usual things to entertain them on the flight i'd take a waterbottle/their favourite cup as we used to fill the drinks cups up at the water stations round the parks and I even picked up the little juice bottles to take to make up juice for them too. It saved a fortune buying drinks in the parks where they had a few sips and left the rest

I'd also take some fancy dress outfits with you as they can cost a fortune. We used to take them into the parks in a bag under the pram and got her changed just before going to meet the princesses.

It depends if this will be allowed when you go or not but i'd also invest in an autograph book, my little girl wasn't too keen on the characters where she couldn't see their face but loved all the others and we spent a lot of time going round meeting/seeing all the different characters.

I'm sure you'll have a lovely time. Have fun creating lots of wonderful memories

[Wonder]

Agree with prior poster, don't bother with a Trunki.

We took my twins last year before they turned 3 and it was fantastic.

If your smallest is a bit of a fussy eater take food with you for the flight. I took cooked sausages, mini Babybel, cheese crackers, chopped up fruit and a few other bits. You can take food it's just liquids that are an issue.

Take refillable bottles (for all the kids) and take Robinsons Squashed juice (or equivalent) to flavour the water from the water fountains. Take more than you think you'll need, we go theough about 3 or 4 bottles per fortnight for 4 of us.

Headphones for the entertainment on the plane, sticker books and small colouring set (pencils and small sheets of colouring pages).

Definitely take a pram or buy a cheap one when you're there, take a backpack to the parks with all the stuff you'll need and then you'll have the pram to leave it in (Do not leave any valuables in the backpack if you intend to leave it with the pram... Only snacks and things like wet wipes). You'll need a waterproof cover or large poncho for the pram... Rain storms are a serious business.

If your littlest is still in nappies, familiarise yourself with where the baby care centres are in each park as these are a far nicer place for changing nappies.

Even if you intend to go to Target/Walmart we would take the kids breakfast cereal and some snacks with us next time we go. Lots or things are different and we found that getting a cereal that wasn't full of sugar meant bland cardboard taste! So we would be taking Shreddies (enough sugar for a holiday) with us next time we go, and some packs of mini cheddars (goldfish crackers are not my thing), boxes of raisins etc.

Oh for the flight we also got the aldi yogurt pouches as these are just Greek yogurt with fruit puree and travel well... We got the equivalent in Walmart for taking to the park for snacks too.

Useful to have a change of clothes and one of those tiny compact microfiber towels with you too in case they get wet in the parks (some of the parks have water play areas).

Finally, and most importantly, if your child would only take calpol (like ours), bring a couple with you. We took 1 Calpol and one of the twins came down with terrible chicken pox and an incredibly generous Dibber brought us out 2 more bottles of Calpol from the UK. I will never forget that kindness and in future we will always be bringing 3 bottles of Calpol with us!

[OrlandoNick]

What an exciting trip you’ll have. I agree with the comments about using a buggy (a cheap one is fine). Even if your child is a good walker at home the buggy really comes in handy for the longer days. I packed a few items of food for the first morning so that I didn’t have to nip to the hotel shop straight away. One thing that wasn’t great for me were the automatically flushing toilets that Disney has. My daughter, who was 3 at the time, was petrified and wouldn’t go to the loo until we got back to the hotel. There was a work around where she would use the disabled toilets or wear nappies but this could have been avoided if I had of packed my daughter’s portable potty that we used when she was younger.

The small concentrated bottles of Robinson’s dilute juice also came in handy.

[OrlandoNick]

Also carry a small ziplock bag in your park bag with a couple of plasters, sachet of Calpol, couple of painkillers etc (the main medical bag can be left in the hotel room), this will help you deal with the odd ailment that may crop up in the parks. I used my headache tablets after riding the Hulk at Universal

[sheluk]

Following along with interest - my two will be turning 4 & 2.5 when we go next year.

We bought a pram we can take on the plane as hand luggage for this years trip (obviously now cancelled) & is a general overall great help as it collapses down so small.

[HappyHaunt13]

1. A pushchair that folds relatively small.

2. Snacks (I can’t stress this one enough!) not just for the plane but for your bag too... really useful for stopping meltdowns!

3. Some sort of squash for flavouring water

3. Spray on suncream... Asda do a spray sun cream for like £3.50 and it is so much easier to apply to small wiggly children in the morning. Not one of us has burnt using this.

4. Lots of spends! Some people say we are OTT but I love seeing their little faces.

5. Depending on if you have boys or girls... Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique! Was the highlight of my three year olds visit... so special.

6. Make good use of the photo pass photographers

7. Don’t plan full on park days, it’s cruel to expect them to cope in the heat. Always go back to the hotel early afternoon to allow everyone a bit of down time, you can always go back out later if everyone is up to it!

8. Bring calpol from home, you never know when you’ll need it and the American flavours are a bit weird. Grape anyone?!

9. A good plan is essential but prepare to be flexible also... don’t stress the little things

10. Don’t forget the little details, Disney is so much more than rides... take time to appreciate all the little things that most people just walk on by.

[cheekytink]

I don't know if you have found the Great British Mickey Waffle Podcast (it's associated with the Dibb here) but on episode 2 we discussed exactly this issue and Lloyd talked through some of his tips and hints about travelling with a small child.
It's from July 2019, but not a lot has changed with kids!