Taking 10 year old.. What's the one thing you wish you knew before?

[tka]

Hey!

Travelling with DH and his 10 year old in April 2019. DH and I have been before but this will be SDs first time!

What's the one thing you wish you knew before you went with a child? Anything from clothing, food to day to day at the parks!

[natanddaz]

That on about day 3 you need a rest day or at least morning/afternoon. My 3 were still in full on excitment mode on day 3 so we didnt take a break and by day 5 we had 3 very tired children who were starting to struggle. I think if i had ensured we had taken the break this may have been preventable!

[suehen]

If you find that you are tried go back to the hotel for a while as sometimes when you are hot, tired and hungry it can stop you enjoying the day, so take a break or change of plan before it gets to breaking point. Ours liked about 5 hours away from the heat of day but we had to July so we planned in swimming, have some food and a rest on the bed for an hour then in evenings you are all ready for the parks again. Make sure they drink enough just enjoy being there.

[shack69]

Your DH's son triggers. By this i mean most children give signs of some sort when they are getting tried, hungry or bored. So find these out and it will save a lot of pain. Once our son is hungry there is no doing anything and if he gets too hungry the day is done.
Also know what 10 year old likes and wants to do and plan accordingly with a few of your own wants mixed in.

[Rescuer]

Pool time. Make sure they know when their next pool time is. My ds loves the parks but is always keen for pool time.
Involve them in the planning, my ds likes to think he’s helped and his likes and dislikes are part of the plan.

[princess allie]

Be prepared that they will want to buy lots of things, so maybe have a chat about what they will be able to have before you go. DS is 10 and although this was his 6th trip, there are always things he would like. This year we knew it would be an interactive wand and a cloak at US from a Harry Potter shop. We agreed he would save some of his birthday money and Xmas money to get those, as I did not feel like paying out approx $160 on those items. He was happy with this and we, of course, bought him a few other things, but an Orlando holiday can be a money pit with a 10 year old. We also find that he loves a pool day as a rest from all the rushing around.

[Mrs sun]

All I would say is sit down with the kid and make all the plans together, be sure you all agree and plan pool time as that's what my kids loved the most !

[NewtoOrlando]

My DD was 10 the first time we went, and the biggest thing for us was recognising that she (and her 8 year old brother) enjoyed their down time round the pool just as much as they did the theme parks. I agree with the day 3 rest - it hit us hard on day 3 both times we have been so we made sure we had some pool time and a chill out. Recognise the signs when they're tired, if they've genuinely had enough then again, take some time out. Doesn't have to mean leaving the parks early, but go and find some shade, rest your feet for half an hour and get an ice cold drink to refresh yourself.

Take about spending money - she will want to spend, especially as it's her first trip! We've always made sure with ours that they save some of their xmas/birthday money. Does she know you're going? If so it's much easier to work out a way to save some money! We let them buy their souvenir's (they're less likely to buy Cr*p if it's their money and not yours!) We buy all their clothes if they want some, and food snacks etc.


And just enjoy it with her - sit back and watch her reactions/interactions with cast members/characters, watch her face in awe. I have a picture of my son on our first trip, he was 8, and he was mesmerised, and that to me is what going with kids is all about!

[deb286]

Originally Posted by Rescuer

Pool time. Make sure they know when their next pool time is. My ds loves the parks but is always keen for pool time.
.

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This. Our first morning on the way to catch the monorail to a park our children (10,8,6) saw the resort pool. All morning all I heard was 'can we go to the pool now'.

[firsttimemouse]

Really comfy shoes (Skechers for us). Don't overdo it, particularly in the first few days. Like others have said make sure they eat and drink.
We agreed what spending they had at the start of the holiday and they were allowed to spend it as they saw fit but once it's gone it's gone. That worked well for my two kids age 6 and 11.
My two were not interested in the planning stage, they just couldn't comprehend what it all meant even after looking at things on YouTube. We just told them each day what the fastpass bookings were and when we'd be back at the pool. It worked well but with hindsight we needed to take things much easier than we did in the early days. Funnily enough day three (as someone else said!) tea time my 6 year old became really unwell with a migraine and rash. He had to go to bed. He was fine the rest of the holiday but would have benefitted from a down day, probably day 3.