Tips and Tricks for Taking Kids to Disneyland

Meltdowns can and do happen; even at the Happiest Place on Earth. As a parent it is our job to try to prevent this from happening if we can.

Tip #1: Souvenirs can bring on whining from all age children. Before arriving at Disneyland make sure you have already decided what souvenirs you might want. Are you willing to buy your child something in every store you enter? Do you realize that some rides at Disneyland have you exit right into a store? Knowing what you are willing to do and discussing the rules with your child ahead of time is the best way to prevent hearing, "but I want this", "can I have this", "why not?". With each of my trips I have had different rules. Luckily for me my nieces were flexible and handled the rules well. On one visit I had the rule that I would buy each of them a small, medium, and large toy. I didn't care what day we got it, what it was, etc. It was entirely up to them; but they knew that they were only coming home with three toys so when they had all three they wouldn't be asking for anything else. I have also used the "you will get one toy and we will buy it on the last day of our trip". If you have older kids consider giving them Disney Dollars and letting them buy what they want,. When the money is gone then their shopping is done.

Tip #2: Rides. What to ride, who gets to ride where, who gets to stand in front of the lines, etc. These are all potential areas for arguments among your kids. What has worked well for me is that we stay in one "land" but then take turns on picking the rides. I had two kids so one would pick the ride and the other would stand in that ride's line first. The next ride they switched. This seemed to work well in the 4-8 age frame when sharing seemed to be an issue. I would pick the "land" and then they got to choose the rides.

Tip #3: Mid-day rest breaks. Young children need a break. As an adult I even needed a break. Do not make the mistake of going "commando" and trying to do everything from opening to closing. Arrive when the park opens. The weather is usually cooler and there will not be as many people around so you can get on more rides with a lot less waiting in lines. Eat an early lunch around 11am or 11:30 and then head back to your hotel for a nap, a swim, or both. By leaving the Park all of you will get refreshed. This is a routine for us. I remember when my oldest niece was ten she actually asked me on our first day if we were going back to the hotel after lunch. I replied, "yes". To which a smile spread across her face and she said, "good, I love our afternoon naps". Now this came from a girl that fought taking naps five years earlier at home and will not take a nap anytime, anywhere, or for any reason. But at Disneyland it was all different; she recognized what a nice rest break it was.

Tip #4: Rides. Every child is different. A 3 year old might love riding the Matterhorn while an 8 year old is terrified of Splash. Know your child's limits and do not push. Nothing good will come from forcing your child on a ride that you want to go on. All that will happen is that he or she will throw a screaming fit, make the people in line hate you, ruin the ride for you, and ruin the ride for others around you. Respect what your child is willing and capable of doing. Remember that you are visiting the Happiest Place on earth, don't force your child to do something that they do not want to do. If you have two or more adults in your party you might be able to utilize child swap (to be explained later).

Tip #5: Snacks. Everyone will get hungry at some point during the day. Are you planning on buying snacks at the Park? Are you bringing snacks in with you when you come? Again, snacking should be discussed before arriving at the Park. As long as the kids know what the expectation is you will not hearing any whining or "I want". I always take snacks with us. The kids know that I will not spend my money on food (except lunch) while in the Park. With each visit however I usually decide that I want a snack (churro or ice cream) so at that time I will ask them if they want one as well. They do and we are all satisfied.

Setting down the rules and discussing them with your kids does prevent whining, meltdowns, and temper tantrums. I have discussed rules with 3 year olds up thru the teenage years. I have never had any problems. Everyone wants to have a good time, and knowing what is expected of them in advance helps everyone enjoy themselves and Disneyland. Stay tuned for Part III.

Disneymom