Travelling with Toddlers - TOP TIPS NEEDED!

[Disney2010]

Morning friendly Dibbers,

Whilst I have been a member of the Dibb for 10 years & have picked up many wonderful tips along the way... I have never had to ask for advice on travelling with kids. So please... Help me guys!

BACKGROUND ON THE TRIP:
We travel in August, flying from Doncaster into Sanford with Tui. No car this time as we're staying onsite at Coronado Springs for 14 nights. Only doing Disney this trip.
Family of 8 (ages at time of travel):
Me: 35
DH: 34
Eli (son): 2
Jean (my mum): 68
Jess (niece): 25
Jord: 26 (birthday whilst we're away!)
Lillie (great niece): 5
Luna (great niece): 2

This is my 8th trip to Florida. We have travelled as a family group before but not with toddlers.
We took Eli to Spain last year so he has been on a flight before but the other kids haven't. And Jorden has never visited the USA or WDW before so he is super excited/overwhelmed by it all.

Really I'm looking for any top tips for things like:
- Keeping kids amused on the flight/in the airport?
- Any generally useful tips from those who have stayed at Coronado before?
- The 'must pack' items for kids?
- Do we stand a chance of keeping the youngest two awake for evenings shows/fireworks?

We have the QSDP included in the trip & have done the DDP before so have no problem in what to book/where to eat. The kids are quite
adventurous eaters so we're already on top of that aspect

Thanks in advance everyone

Zoe x

[wifey]

Wow that’s a good mix of ages and plenty of help too. I would say that whilst on the plane there will be plenty of kids tv shoes available to watch with the little ones and some airlines have games they can play too. However I would also take some colouring books and cheap water based felt tip pens they can use that’s also easy to wash off. Perhaps take some card games like snap etc that don’t take up much space that the little ones can also play with the adults. Maybe some comics too. The time will go by fairly easily when you take into account the meal services. As for in the parks don’t take a stroller from home unless the little ones can’t settle in anything else. The Disney ones are very stiff and robust but not comfy in the heat. However a stroller from home can be moved and sometimes folded up by Cast Members whenever they move the stroller parking areas which is quite often. It’s also much easier to use the Disney buses without having to haul your own strollers on board each time and far easier to find seats too. Remember they also board people in ECVs on those buses first so they take up a lot of space and you may need to wait for another one when it’s busy. It’s no fun wrestling with strollers & kids and trying to keep hold of the hand rails and not trip up over anyone else. We often waited for another bus in those circumstances .. they will keep the buses running for up to an hour after the parks close so don’t worry about getting back to the resort. We haven’t used the new gondola system yet and I’m not sure how often they run after parks closing but they will give you a really informative welcome pack explaining it all with timetables when you check in. Disney want your family to enjoy your vacation so they will help whenever they can. Make sure if you don’t have it already to download the MDE app that keeps you updated on any changes at all whilst you are there. There are plenty of places for the kids to cool down if they get cranky and tired and there’s a first aid station at each park if you need anything else for them. As the younger ones are under three no one is going to say anything about them sharing your meals either you can ask for an extra plate to pop food on for them when you dine. There will also be plenty of iced water in the quick service restaurants sometimes they even flavour it and some resorts have free water and cups in the lobbies to help keep everyone hydrated. Just make sure everyone has good sunscreen on even on any overcast days there’s still strength in that sunlight. Enjoy your trip.

[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.

[Belfastgal]

Flight - a new cheap small toy for each hour of the flight, snacks, colouring in books, stickers, and a tablet with programmes downloaded that they like to watch

Packing - small lunchboxes. Do a shop at Walmart or order online at somewhere like Garden Grocer for delivery at your resort, fill them each day with snacks for the parks. I filled tiny lunch boxes with raisins, wotsits, fish crackers etc and handed them to my daughter while we were in the queues. Helped keep her mind off waiting and kept her occupied for a while!

Also packing, sort daily outfits for the kids into large clear ziplock sandwich bags. Makes it much easier getting them dressed every day and you can lift a spare one and pop it in your bag in case a quick change is needed during the day because the one they're wearing has got wet/dirty etc.

Buggy - either take your own, or buy a cheap one on Gumtree - one that you don't mind getting dirty or possibly leaving behind when the holiday is over. Make sure it's one that reclines! Those kids will need naps during the day and a reclining buggy is a godsend!

Fireworks - they might see them, they might sleep through them lol! My daughter slept through the Epcot fireworks the first time we went to see them.

Big tip, routine goes out the window so don't be too hung up on trying to stick to one. If they need a nap, let them nap. They'll always sleep at night because they'll be so exhausted from the heat and just from being on the go all day. We tended to go to the parks early morning, head back to the hotel at about 2-ish, had a swim and a snooze and then head back to the parks for dinner time. It worked a treat and we'll definitely do it that way again next time we go

[Nannad]

Ooh thank you Belfast girl, and wifey, excellent advice, I will certainly be passing these tips on to dd and dil as it’s the first time taking toddlers with us too, and thank you disney 2010 for asking question
A tip a picked up from the dibb a few years ago, was to take hand sanitiser or antiseptic wipes, as little ones are always touching and putting fingers in mouths, especially with what’s going on at the moment

[Rabel]

Some great points about taking snack containers - they are also good for picking up leftovers if you do meals in the parks and don't finish them. Also take water bottles that they will drink from, and make sure that they stay hydrated. Try and book yourself in for Restaurantasaurus family style - lots of food for everyone - and Be our Guest (they are both QSDP credits).

Someone posted about the playgrounds in the parks on here the other day - these are brilliant for the little ones as there isn't much space to let them run around otherwise. If I remember correctly they are at Dumbo and Splash Mountain, outside the old Mousegear and Mission Space, and the Boneyard at Animal Kingdom (which is brilliant but will be hot).

Some of the rides that you think are kiddy friendly don't turn out to be that way, so be prepared to split up (philharmagic and haunted mansion were both "too scary").

The transport cast members also have cards of the different buses/trams that they will give out on request - it might be nice for the younger kids to try to collect them (and they are free). We also had a lovely day trying to do as many different forms of transport around the parks (skyliner, boat, bus, tram, walking, train) which was good when it was very busy.

Unfortunately I have yet to do fireworks with our little one - when he was 1 he fell asleep, at 2 1/4 he developed a strong dislike to the light and noise and it hasn't got any better at 3 (plus the fact that he fell asleep too early again). If they do fall asleep try to put them in the pushchair and enjoy yourselves.

[DanLees]

Take little presents wrapped up for each hour on the plane to keep them entertained and for bribery for good behavior.

[Rabel]

Additional thoughts... pack some gaffer or masking tape in the luggage (fix things if they rip and you can make roads and cover electrical sockets with it as well). Pick up autograph books here as they are generally cheaper (and maybe get personalised ones for each child, ditto for wands etc). Get a special blanket or snuggly for the plane journey home. Buggy fans are great when it is hot.

Elastic cords for special toys are useful, particularly if they insist on taking them to the parks. FYI the Disney photopass photographers seem to have been told not to take photos of anything that isn't a Disney toy.

Someone else on here suggested to pack each set of clothes in a separate bag so that at the beginning of the day you just grab one (and put one in your bag for the park) and there is no searching for socks etc. I found that a great suggestion.

Nappies and wipes seem to be very expensive on site so you might want to look into taking them or getting them delivered. Ditto swim nappies.

[kikimouse]

Hi, I've traveled with kids and toddlers all over the world and they loved their Disney hols so much.

For the flights, I would echo the small toys and presents you can take out one at a time. Please order in-flight kids meals. Often they are served earlier. If you are taking TUI or Virgin Atlantic to Florida, don't worry too much about the kids bothering other passengers. What I love flying with them is everyone is bound for Disney and there will be other kids on the plane too. Have sweets for the toddlers to suck on at take-off and landing. Help them pop their ears.

Strollers - we used lightweight Mclaren umbrella strollers with a hood. The heat and the sun can get a bit much. I would highly recommend having a mini battery operated fan that clips onto the stroller.

The sun can be harsh especially when the toddler is tired out and trying to sleep. I used a light cotton sarong/shawl to drape over the hood to keep out the sunlight whilst they napped in the stroller. Just add a couple of clothes peg to keep the sarong in place.

Another tip, staff usually rearrange strollers when you leave them to go on a ride/show. Slung an orange Sainsbury plastic bag at the back of the stroller and you can spot yours a mile away. Plus the bag is handy to hold stuff in.

Bus or car
Personally, with toddlers, I'll take the car. It adds to the journey but you can nip out of the park and go back to the hotel if everyone gets too tired and cranky. What we found, doing the parks early and getting back in the hot noon is the best - everyone can relax and have a dip in the pool and then be refreshed for dinner and fireworks.

In the parks
Make full use of the baby/toddler swap for rides. It's amazing and the staff are so pro at doing this. No fuss.

Use the baby rooms and facilities to its full. They are a haven of tranquility. Cool, airconditioned, tv playing Disney movies and books. It's a lovely place for a time-out whilst changing and feeding babies. There's one near Casey's Corner. We hung inside them until it's time for fireworks. It's not the best view with some tree branches in the way but it was stress-free.

Most of all, enjoy! It will be a slower Disney trip than normal but it will be so great to see the excitement on their faces

[kikimouse]

Whoops! Forgot that you are staying in Coronado. Absolutely loved the resort. I went some time back - the kids playground is really great and they had water fountains last time I'm there. The grounds are lovely and great to stroll around.