Travelling with Toddlers - TOP TIPS NEEDED!

[Disney2010]

Some great tips so far, guys. I knew you wouldn't let me down xx

[Goldcoast]

Not much to add apart from Luna, what a fantastic name

[Sew109]

Originally Posted by Nannad

We are taking my gd and gs so we will be taking our own strollers, for use at airport before we go and when we arrive at Sanford,as for leaving them in the stroller park outside rides we will be taking a bike lock, as suggested by a dibb er a few months ago. I think my gd especially will need a nap in the parks, even though we intend to return to our hotel early afternoon. Hope this helps. Just to add my gd 2 and my gd 4.

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You will be the odd one out with a bike lock we have done WDW 3 times with a buggy and DLP probably 7 never had a lock always left bag on buggy with cooling fan food etc never had a problem and sen CSR more expensive buggy’s than ours there. The cast members often move them around to manage space and if locked you are preventing them from doing this.

On two occasions we did (as paranoid parents) clip a gps device inside DD T-shirt so if she wondered off we could get her quickly though this was probably a bit daft.

[Wonder]

There have been some great tips so far! We went in October last year with our nearly 3 year old twins and the things I took away from it are:

Take your own nappies and wipes if you have space (i like the tip about buying from Boots after security) as the nappies were very expensive- luckily I had checked this before going so we were able to pack our own Aldi nappies.

Crayola Colour Wonder books are great as the colouring pens are clear unless used on the specific paper in the colouring book. So your kids can't colour you or the plane or themselves.

Sticker books were the absolute winner for our two and kept them entertained for hours.

Take Robinsons Squash'd or similar if you can- very useful to encourage extra water consumption. Mine drink water at home 90% of the time but while on holiday in an attempt to get them to drink more we used these concentrated juices. You can buy them in the supermarkets over there too but be careful as some brands have caffeine in oddly enough.

Take lots of snacks for the plane. I had a packed lunch packed for them which helped as when the meals came round they only fancied about half of it- and the cheese they put on the kids meal is basically just plastic so I was very pleased to be able to whip out a couple of Mini Babybels and some savoury muffins etc

Use the babycare centres- they are little oasis of calm and so much more pleasant for nappy changes.

Aldi suncream as someone else said.

Take full coverage UV suits with hats for the pool/waterpark... honestly it just saves any worry about whether you've "missed a bit" and saves having to reapply suncream every half hour to a whole wriggly body.

Take something super warm for when you land back in the UK- after you have been in the heat for 2 weeks, when you get off the plane and everyone is tired your littlies will feel the cold a lot more than you'd think.

Take some Calpol with you as if your kids run a temperature at least you'll know they will take their home brand medication.

Visit the Disney Outlet store at Orlando Premium Outlets for cheaper souvenirs, or even better, bring a few from home to surprise the kids with so you won't be tempted by as much of the high price tag stuff in the parks.

Take antibac wipes and wipe down EVERY surface of the place you will touch. Tray, arm rest, opening of the little seat back pouch, button that you press to recline, the tv... everything. Plane seats are gross... follow Passenger Shaming on Insta for gross updates.

With the QSDP the kids QS credits (for the 5 year old) will count towards an adult meal, so if you're somewhere that all the kids would eat the food, you'll be able to get an adult portion with all your QS credits and share it among you all. Also one QS credit can often be used against 3 snacks, so if you look like you'd have QS credits left over, use them against snacks in the parks or sweets to bring home.

Ear Defenders are useful for fireworks.

When you go to character meets try not to focus on getting the perfect picture. There were some characters we met that the girls were simply so in awe of they only wanted to stand and stare at them or have a cuddle and they weren't bothered at looking at the camera... don't get upset at the lack of photo... just embrace the fact that your littles are feeling the magic!

Finally- and this is very much up to the individual obviously- consider the chicken pox vaccine if your kids haven't yet had chicken pox! One of my twins got a terrible terrible bout of chicken pox while we were away and she and my husband had to be left behind for an extra week. It hugely impacted our holiday and has left my poor little girl with scars and it was an awful thing to go through while away on holiday. A wonderful lady from The Dibb brought more Calpol out to Florida for us, and without her goodwill I'm not sure what we would have done as when ill my little girl refused to take anything else! Just something to think about.

Most of all though, have an amazing time!

[jonsgirl80]

Originally Posted by Sew109

You will be the odd one out with a bike lock we have done WDW 3 times with a buggy and DLP probably 7 never had a lock always left bag on buggy with cooling fan food etc never had a problem and sen CSR more expensive buggy’s than ours there. The cast members often move them around to manage space and if locked you are preventing them from doing this.

On two occasions we did (as paranoid parents) clip a gps device inside DD T-shirt so if she wondered off we could get her quickly though this was probably a bit daft.

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I've never felt the need to lock mine either, that said it's not an expensive one. Somebody stole the batteries out of our fan which we left on the buggy once - which was very random and bizarre so we don't leave anything much on there now .

PP If you do decide to take a lock make sure you only lock the actual buggy eg through the wheel, don't be tempted to lock it to anything like railings. The cast members have to be able to move them for space and safety reasons and they will cut the locks off if they need to.

[Rabel]

Originally Posted by Wonder

There have been some great tips so far! We went in October last year with our nearly 3 year old twins and the things I took away from it are:

Take your own nappies and wipes if you have space (i like the tip about buying from Boots after security) as the nappies were very expensive- luckily I had checked this before going so we were able to pack our own Aldi nappies.

Crayola Colour Wonder books are great as the colouring pens are clear unless used on the specific paper in the colouring book. So your kids can't colour you or the plane or themselves.

Sticker books were the absolute winner for our two and kept them entertained for hours.

Take Robinsons Squash'd or similar if you can- very useful to encourage extra water consumption. Mine drink water at home 90% of the time but while on holiday in an attempt to get them to drink more we used these concentrated juices. You can buy them in the supermarkets over there too but be careful as some brands have caffeine in oddly enough.

Take lots of snacks for the plane. I had a packed lunch packed for them which helped as when the meals came round they only fancied about half of it- and the cheese they put on the kids meal is basically just plastic so I was very pleased to be able to whip out a couple of Mini Babybels and some savoury muffins etc

Use the babycare centres- they are little oasis of calm and so much more pleasant for nappy changes.

Aldi suncream as someone else said.

Take full coverage UV suits with hats for the pool/waterpark... honestly it just saves any worry about whether you've "missed a bit" and saves having to reapply suncream every half hour to a whole wriggly body.

Take something super warm for when you land back in the UK- after you have been in the heat for 2 weeks, when you get off the plane and everyone is tired your littlies will feel the cold a lot more than you'd think.

Take some Calpol with you as if your kids run a temperature at least you'll know they will take their home brand medication.

Visit the Disney Outlet store at Orlando Premium Outlets for cheaper souvenirs, or even better, bring a few from home to surprise the kids with so you won't be tempted by as much of the high price tag stuff in the parks.

Take antibac wipes and wipe down EVERY surface of the place you will touch. Tray, arm rest, opening of the little seat back pouch, button that you press to recline, the tv... everything. Plane seats are gross... follow Passenger Shaming on Insta for gross updates.

With the QSDP the kids QS credits (for the 5 year old) will count towards an adult meal, so if you're somewhere that all the kids would eat the food, you'll be able to get an adult portion with all your QS credits and share it among you all. Also one QS credit can often be used against 3 snacks, so if you look like you'd have QS credits left over, use them against snacks in the parks or sweets to bring home.

Ear Defenders are useful for fireworks.

When you go to character meets try not to focus on getting the perfect picture. There were some characters we met that the girls were simply so in awe of they only wanted to stand and stare at them or have a cuddle and they weren't bothered at looking at the camera... don't get upset at the lack of photo... just embrace the fact that your littles are feeling the magic!

Finally- and this is very much up to the individual obviously- consider the chicken pox vaccine if your kids haven't yet had chicken pox! One of my twins got a terrible terrible bout of chicken pox while we were away and she and my husband had to be left behind for an extra week. It hugely impacted our holiday and has left my poor little girl with scars and it was an awful thing to go through while away on holiday. A wonderful lady from The Dibb brought more Calpol out to Florida for us, and without her goodwill I'm not sure what we would have done as when ill my little girl refused to take anything else! Just something to think about.

Most of all though, have an amazing time!

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I remember you posting. How are your girls now?

[Wonder]

Originally Posted by Rabel

I remember you posting. How are your girls now?

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They are doing great, thank you for asking!

Ingrid (who got ill) stayed out with my husband for just under an extra week and Disney were so lovely to them (they got put up in AoA resort) and actually they had a fab time towards the end when Ingrid felt better. She has a lot of scarring though, including on her face, which we are hoping will calm with time- my husband thinks they are already fading but I worry!

Lila either got the words mildest case of chicken pox that Noone noticed (including her) or she has some mad natural immunity as she was never ill. But we are very tempted to get her the vaccine "just in case"!

Thank you x

[Rabel]

Originally Posted by Wonder

They are doing great, thank you for asking!

Ingrid (who got ill) stayed out with my husband for just under an extra week and Disney were so lovely to them (they got put up in AoA resort) and actually they had a fab time towards the end when Ingrid felt better. She has a lot of scarring though, including on her face, which we are hoping will calm with time- my husband thinks they are already fading but I worry!

Lila either got the words mildest case of chicken pox that Noone noticed (including her) or she has some mad natural immunity as she was never ill. But we are very tempted to get her the vaccine "just in case"!

Thank you x

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So glad that they are running you ragged again!

It was your story that prompted me to sort out the vaccine for my son, so I will always be grateful to you and your twins. You can never tell how individuals are going to react to chicken pox - I have an identical twin and we both caught it when we were 5 ish. I don't remember whether we were both as ill as each other but those were the days of chicken pox parties!

It is possibly worthwhile talking to your GP about the scarring and seeing if they have any suggestions to help. I like mine as I can use it to tell the difference between me and my twin in photos.

[kitjos]

Originally Posted by Wonder

Take antibac wipes and wipe down EVERY surface of the place you will touch. Tray, arm rest, opening of the little seat back pouch, button that you press to recline, the tv... everything. Plane seats are gross... follow Passenger Shaming on Insta for gross updates.

See more...

Glad im not the only one that wants to do this . I may look odd but hay-ho. Ive packed a small pack of dettol wipes (slim 20 pk), can i take these through security if i put it in the clear liquids bag? . cheers! xx

[Rabel]

Originally Posted by kitjos

Glad im not the only one that wants to do this . I may look odd but hay-ho. Ive packed a small pack of dettol wipes (slim 20 pk), can i take these through security if i put it in the clear liquids bag? . cheers! xx

See more...

If these are the wipes then you shouldn't need to put them in your liquids bag. I did this for the last two times, but then DH "forgot" to pick them up last time - guess who now has a cold! Make sure that you are the one to pack the bag.

I also have antibacterial hand wipes as getting a small child to use hand sanitiser is not very practical. I think they were from Tesco.