Having a Magical Vacation with Kids

With summer fast approaching, so do family vacations. For most of us, it is a time of intense planning, followed by the holding of breath that all of the money and effort was worth it. This is especially true for the parents who decide to take their children to The Happiest Place on Earth - aka Disneyland or Disney World. The majority of families envision a vacation there that is truly magical, everyone is happy and smiling all of the time, and every moment will have a perfect memory attached to it. What most don't realize is that children can become overly stimulated, hot, tired, and irritable at even the most Fantasmic places. Here is a list to help avoid those break downs, and keep the trip running smoothly!

1. Get your child (or children) a pin. If they are celebrating a first park visit, birthday, or some other event it will help them feel special, and will notify any guests and cast members that something special is going on. Not only that, but the pins are free, and a form of a souvenir that all kids love and will still use once them come home.

2. Bring snacks into the park. Yes, there are venders galore who will happily sell you Mickey bars (and healthy snacks, there is also a bounty of fruit available), but having a few snacks stowed away in case of a cranky emergency is essential regardless of the age of kids you are traveling with. Kids always seem to get hungry at the worst times (i.e. after waiting in line for a while, not at a point where it is easy to get out), and that hunger can quickly make even the most angelic child become a whiny mess. Bring snacks!

3. Remove any expectations about your child happily greeting characters. My own two children are ages 6 and 8, and neither one would approach a character let alone pose with one. Prior to our trip we had purchased autograph books and pens, and simply had to put aside our disappointment and remember that this trip was for the kids too, and then let all expectations go.

My kids walking away from the line to meet Minnie Mouse

4. Give independence where possible. Kids are always trying to prove they are old/big/smart enough to do something and this does not stop while on vacation. As a matter of fact, it is even harder for most since mom and dad watch them like hawks to make certain nothing horrible happens (which we should do, no doubt about that). So, if your son or daughter has the chance to show they can do something, let them. For example, while standing in line at Autopia, we realized my daughter was tall enough to drive herself and we decided to let her so long as my husband was directly behind her. My son, sadly, was not able to do so, but we allowed him to drive while I reached the pedals for him which let him proudly announce to the world "I drove my mommy".

5. Even if everyone in the party is tall enough for all of the rides, they may simply not be interested in them. When that happens, Fast Pass what most of you want to do, and let the others take off during the fast pass time. They can choose to ride their own ride then, people watch, shop for souvenirs, or take in the sites. This way, there is no pressure on any child/adult to do something they don't feel comfortable doing, and that will create a much happier atmosphere. On this last trip, my daughter and I fast passed Space Mountain while my son and husband went off and looked around Fantasyland, and another time she and I rode Space Mountain while they went on Winnie the Pooh. In the end, all four of us were happy!

6. Regardless of where you live, California and Florida are hot. And where there is heat, there is crankiness. Try to do as much as you can at the parks in the mornings and late afternoons/early evenings. Leave the parks in the middle of the day and go for a swim. Not only will this help in removing all of the none stop sites and sounds from coming at your children, but it will cool them off and leave them feeling refreshed and ready to go back at it later that day.

7. Just because you're at Disney it does not mean you have to eat every single meal in the parks. Though most true Disney fans will argue that the food is one of the highlights of being at the Most Magical Place on Earth, pick and choose a few places to dine at the parks or resorts, and balance it with quieter places outside of the parks. Kids usually feed on other's emotions and actions, and a lot of the quick service places in the parks are loud and chaotic. By choosing to remove your children from that atmosphere a few times over the trip it will allow them to regroup, calm down, and enjoy a quiet meal.
 8. Let them be silly. Yes there are a lot of people around, and yes they are probably watching how you and your kids are behaving, but oh well. This is, after all, a vacation and your children should feel free to let loose and be silly while away from home. Let them try on the different ears, make faces, create their own silly photo bombs, you name it (or, in my son's case, take a video of the family's butts going through the parks).

9. Set expectations. If you are on a tight budget, let your children know. Once they are on that Disney property they will have the sites of things for sale coming at them from all angles. Being prepared in advance on what they can, or cannot, have will lower disappointment for them. Being aware of a budget can also help your children put a lot of thought into the souvenir(s) that they end up choosing, and will make them more excited when they do finally decide to make a purchase.

10. Follow the advice of Mrs. Incredible and try to be flexible. Your trip will be much more magical if you allow yourself to give up blocks of time to let your children be happy. They may end up begging for time to play with Legos at Downtown Disney, want to try on every ear hat that they see, or go on rides that you really don't think you'll enjoy. Just do it. Be flexible. Let them have those chunks of time to explore and push their own limits. They may end up learning things about themselves that they wouldn't have otherwise, like how to be courageous in getting on a scary ride, or how to stretch their creativity. In the grand scheme of things, 20 minutes here and there for your child is not much, and will make your trip much happier at the Happiest Place on Earth!

My obsessive mouse ear baby girl.

Finally tore him away from Lego creations to pose with the Hulk.

About to ride Splash Mountain, eek!