Tips about Kids and Souvenirs

Alea Laughery shares some of her favorite "kids" tips:

-- In a zipper-type bag, we pack an easy to rinse bib and kid-sized plastic "silverware" and take them to the parks each day for our little guy. You can also pack a plastic table cover. Forks at Disney restaurants can be huge!

-- I bring special glow stuff (necklaces, bracelets, etc.) for every night we are going to be at the parks after dark. It's so much cheaper, and the kids love it just as much. Often people will ask us where we found it.

-- Find something fun to take pictures of in each country at Epcot. For example, I took a picture of my 3-year-old in a different hat that reflected the type they would wear in that country. We looked for hats in each gift shop as a family challenge.

-- Bring a small bag of toys for the kids so that they can play in their downtime at the resort. Kids need time to just play! Toys that can be played with in the tub are great because you can kill two birds with one stone! You can bring matchbox-sized cars to the park in your bag for the kids to drive around while waiting for shows, parades or in lines. Small posable plastic figures work well, too. Four crayons and a tiny dollar store sticker/coloring book are also great for a long wait.

-- At 10, my daughter feels too big to dress like a princess, but I found a cool tiara headband that she agreed to wear and she loved being recognized as a princess. For our breakfast with the Princesses, she wore an outfit we put together that I called a modern-day Belle. She wore a blue, ruffled skirt, and a white ruffled shirt, and completed the look with her hair in a ponytail of curled ringlets off to the side, a blue bow in her hair and a French-inspired necklace. I let her wear makeup and sprayed her hair and outfit with glitter spray found in the party section at a discount store.

Alea Laughery shares some of her favorite "kids" tips:

-- In a zipper-type bag, we pack an easy to rinse bib and kid-sized plastic "silverware" and take them to the parks each day for our little guy. You can also pack a plastic table cover. Forks at Disney restaurants can be huge!

-- I bring special glow stuff (necklaces, bracelets, etc.) for every night we are going to be at the parks after dark. It's so much cheaper, and the kids love it just as much. Often people will ask us where we found it.

-- Find something fun to take pictures of in each country at Epcot. For example, I took a picture of my 3-year-old in a different hat that reflected the type they would wear in that country. We looked for hats in each gift shop as a family challenge.

-- Bring a small bag of toys for the kids so that they can play in their downtime at the resort. Kids need time to just play! Toys that can be played with in the tub are great because you can kill two birds with one stone! You can bring matchbox-sized cars to the park in your bag for the kids to drive around while waiting for shows, parades or in lines. Small posable plastic figures work well, too. Four crayons and a tiny dollar store sticker/coloring book are also great for a long wait.

-- At 10, my daughter feels too big to dress like a princess, but I found a cool tiara headband that she agreed to wear and she loved being recognized as a princess. For our breakfast with the Princesses, she wore an outfit we put together that I called a modern-day Belle. She wore a blue, ruffled skirt, and a white ruffled shirt, and completed the look with her hair in a ponytail of curled ringlets off to the side, a blue bow in her hair and a French-inspired necklace. I let her wear makeup and sprayed her hair and outfit with glitter spray found in the party section at a discount store.

I read the information about birthday buttons that one of your readers sent in. I thought of that tip when we went to Target last month to get items for our daughter's gift bags. This is where we found a ribbon that says "Birthday Girl" on it. It looks like a first place ribbon and can be found in the party supply aisle. She wore it to school and on her birthday. We are saving it for our trip to WDW next year. Thanks to your reader's tip, even if we don't make it to City Hall in Magic Kingdom to get our daughter a Birthday Button, at least she'll have something to wear for the four days we will be staying at WDW. Thanks for all the great tips, readers. I've been saving a lot of newsletters to refresh my memory for next year. - The Schroeder Family

We just returned from a GREAT week at WDW. My family and my sister's family took the trip together. We purchased glow sticks from an online auction and carried them with us for night visits to the parks. It was a great way to keep up with five kids, four parents and two grandmothers. We saved money this way because the park glow sticks are very expensive -- especially when everyone wants one for their arms, legs, ears, neck, etc. These were a life saver! - Kelli Brown

We have a 3-1/2 year-old daughter who is at that toddler stage of learning how to do things for herself. We thought for every time she helps us out by cleaning her room, helping me make her bed, putting on her clothes, (fill your own chore in ), we would give her spare change. She gets to put it in her specially marked coffee can, then when a bit of that change accumulates, we make a trip to our local Disney Store and redeem it for Disney Girt Cards. She is a lot more helpful around the house now! - Stacey Hoover

We've made "sticker charts" for our three children (ages 11, 8, and 5), and for each chore they do, they earn a sticker. Each sticker is worth a dime and once their charts are full, Mom will count the stickers and trade them in for Disney Dollars. We've posted the charts in the kitchen and they've made it into a competition to see who can earn the most stickers. So now instead of fighting over who HAS to walk the dog, they fight over who GETS to walk the dog and earn a sticker! - Bill and Tina Crane

We have two infants still in diapers, so when we go to the parks, we make "diaper packages" for each child. We take a gallon Ziploc bag and put in a diaper and a smaller bag Ziploc bag with a couple of wipes. Then we write the name of the child on the outside of each package, since they wear different sizes. When it is time to change one, we just grab a "diaper package" for the right child and head straight for the bathroom without having to search for everything. - Kate from Colorado

My wife and I have two very rambunctious children -- an 11-year-old son and a 7-year-old daughter. We'll be taking them on their first trip to WDW in November. As a "reward" system for good behavior, as well as some Disney fun, we have created a "Good Point" program. Every week, my wife and I reward the children with a "Good Point" if they behaved well during the week. A good point is nothing more than the WDW 100 Years Icon, printed about 1/4-page size on my color printer, then cut out into little points. At the end of each month, the child with the most Good Points is awarded a "WDW Ride Pick." This is another image (this time Mickey Mouse), which I cut and slip into a trading card holder. They keep these in their travel packs and can use them at the parks to choose the first attraction we go to. We've run this for three months now, with each "Ride Pick" numbered, so #1 can choose the first attraction the first day, #2 the second day, and so on. The kids absolutely love it, and their behavior has improved! We just have to say "Good Point" when they're being a bit wild, or resistant to homework, etc. -- and they suddenly become angelic. Give it a try! - Mark Wilkinson

For anyone with small children (we have a 5-year-old and a 4-month-old), please, please, please take advantage of the Baby Care Centers available at each park. They are convenient, have all that any parent would need (diapers, changing stations, nursing rooms, cold water), as well as AIR CONDITIONING. They were a great way for us to take mini-breaks, eat snacks or lunch, and chill out before going out again to the parks. - Cosmo and Lis Digneo

We secured one of those D-ring keychain clips to the stroller handle with a Velcro strap. It was a handy place to hang all of our souvenir shopping bags that we would accumulate! - Jackie Beering

I wanted to share a tip that we stumbled onto during our first trip six years ago when the kids were 11, 11, 8, 8, and 2. It was the 11 day/10 night "Disney 'till you puke" tour. Or so I thought until I got the WDW bug!

Anyhow, about the second day the four older kids started WHINING. You know what I mean: "I don't like that ... Do we have to go there ....he didn't have to ...." You get the picture. Ohmigosh, we were at the funnest place on the planet and they actually found things to whine about! I was stunned. And not about to go through the rest of the vacation with THAT going on. So, with perhaps the only moment of true brilliance I have ever had, I had an idea and the Whine Fine program was born.

It's pretty simple: we gave each kid a little ticket every morning. The ticket said "1 Free Whine". When they whined it would cost them a ticket. If they'd already used their ticket, the whine cost them $1 (of their own hard-earned spending money). If they didn't use the ticket for the day, they would still get a ticket the next day and now would have two free whines coming. Oh yeah, if, at the end of the vacation any of them actually had any tickets left, we paid them $1 for each ticket.

Kids are soooo funny. It took another couple of days for them to really "get" the program, but they did. Although one never really would admit she ever whined and you'd have to pry the ticket out of her hand. Then there was the one who slapped down two tickets AND a dollar so she could blast us about something! And I do believe there was some sort of black market trading going on too. But the rest of our vacation was MUCH more peaceful and relaxing.

And now, just imagine, these same four are all TEENAGERS. What were we thinking??? - Linda Cobb

We have been to Disney World several times now and have found that a small hand-held, battery-operated game can keep the kids busy during the long wait in the lines for the attractions. These fit nicely into their fanny packs. Every time we were in line for any length of time, they would pull them out and play as the line moved. It keeps them from complaining about the wait and they don't even realize how long they have been standing there. - Rhonda Cotham

I loved the tip about bringing along small electronic games for kids to play, but would like to add a postscript: Please, parents, turn off the sound if the game offers that option! Otherwise, other kids in line will be jealous and make their parents feel guilty for not having thought ahead. There's also the fact that some of your fellow line-standers could be driven quite nuts by the constant beeping of the games. - Richard S. from NJ

My tip is a simple way of helping the children keep within their spending limits. My two daughters both save well for their WDW trips, but spending their money produces different hazards for each of them. The youngest (12) would spend her savings for the whole two weeks in the first shop she visited; the eldest (16) would still be deciding what to spend it on in the airport going home, worried that she was spending too much, too soon!

To overcome their separate *difficulties*, we came up with this plan, which helps them both: At the beginning of the trip, they each divide their savings by the number of days they will be on vacation - this gives them a guideline as to what would be a sensible amount to be spending each day. They know that if they spend more than that amount one day, it will leave them less for the remaining days, and vice versa. Every morning, we count up how much they have left and divide it by the number of days remaining, giving them a new guideline for the day.

They know that if they've seen something expensive they want to buy, it's sensible to have a couple of 'lean' days to make up for the big purchase they want. On the other hand, if they've been frugal for a while, a couple of days of overindulgence won't break the bank. Of course, I'm always willing to negotiate a loan if they just *have* to have that extra something they can't afford - oh, and it all helps with the math homework, too! - Wolfe

I was a lucky kid -- visited Disney three times before graduating high school... One of my favorite souvenirs from Disney is my sterling silver Doc charm. My sisters and I got silver charm bracelets while in elementary school, and whenever there was an "event" or trip we'd get a silver charm to commemorate it. I've since married and have three daughters of my own. The girls each have a silver charm bracelet and plan on adding another character charm for each of our visits to Disney. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be adding charms to their daughters' bracelets! - Suzanne Vallillo

After reading Sherry Theriault's tip about writing postcards while waiting in line or in restaurants, especially the part about, "I am about to ride Rock N Roller Coaster and you wouldn't believe how my heart is beating", I thought: what a great way to remember our own trip! I'm going to print out labels with our own address on them and mail postcards to ourselves for us to enjoy and relive the magic once we return. I keep a plastic storage box for each of my two children in which I put their artwork, school pictures and yearbooks, birthday cards, and special notes. It will be great to add postcards from our Walt Disney World vacations for them to read when they are adults! - Amy Mason