I found it fairly easy to fly with a baby- I carried him in
a front carrier (I used a Moby Go carrier, which I loved!) through the airport
and onto the plane, and then he would sit on my lap for the 2-hour long flight,
and I would nurse him several times, especially during take-off and landing.
Once we arrived in Orlando, I would place him back in the carrier, and off we
went. He really enjoyed being close to his mommy in the carrier, and I enjoyed
traveling with him in there as well- I actually will really miss using the
carrier this year.
Now that we have a walking (sometimes running!) toddler, I
have a sneaking suspicion that flying is going to be a pinch more difficult
than it was with a baby. I keep reminding myself that my brother and his wife
flew with their toddler last fall, and they said it went very smoothly, but I
still am anxious about this year’s flight. My husband, son and I fly out of
Indianapolis, but the rest of my family flies out of Chicago, so I won’t have
them to help out on the flight.
Due to my skepticism, I have been researching items to bring
for several months now to keep my son busy on the airplane. I believe I have
come up with some ideas which he’ll find fun and entertaining. Most of these
items are from Dollar Tree. I wanted to have several options of activities for
him, while still being a bit frugal.
Sandwich Bags: The first item won’t keep him busy, but are
useful to me- the ‘Frozen’ sandwich bags. 20 bags came in the pack, and I
figured that I can use those for items which he may not finish at our meals-
for instance if he eats half a cookie, I can throw the other half in the bag
(which is better than my current method of putting his leftovers in a napkin
and hoping for the best). These bags would also come in handy to throw your
cell phones in when on a water ride such as Splash Mountain at the Magic
Kingdom, or Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom.
Post-it Notes: There are 5 pads in there, which I figure may
hold his attention for a few fine moments- he loves ripping the papers off the
pad. I know it may seem like a waste of paper, but it’s something he enjoys,
they were only $1, and I can recycle all of the papers when we get to the
resort, as Disney is very Eco-Friendly and places small recycle bins in each
guest room.
Playskool Sticker Pad: These stickers remind me of Toy Story
Midway Mania! I figure he can put the stickers on the post-it pads, mom, dad,
himself, the barf bag- hey whatever works!
Planes Sticker Pad: These were a few bucks from Walgreens,
and I got them before I found the Playskool stickers- but I decided to keep
them for my nephew and Camden to enjoy when we are at the resort. I’ll probably
save one of the post-it pads for my nephew as well.
Crayola Color Travel Set: This was a bit of an investment,
as it was $9.99 from Meijer. Since Camden is only 1-1/2, he may not get much
out of this, but then again, he may. He does like doodling with my pens on
notepads, and so I figured it was worth a try. I did the Color Wonder marker
set so he can’t doodle on the tray table and seats on the plane. If he doesn’t
get as much out of it this trip, I am sure he will on future trips. I can also
let my nephew use it in the mornings while his mom and dad are busy getting
ready to go to the theme parks.
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Stickers: These are 3D stickers, but
I have a different use for them- below them in the photo is a medication
container, and I figure that we can place these cardboard stickers in the med
container. The stickers are a bit small for him, but since my husband and I
will be right there supervising/ playing along with him, I am not too concerned
about him getting any in his mouth. I’ll store them in one of my small pieces
of Rubbermaid that I purchased at Sam’s Club last week.
The small police car is just a fun little toy that I can
break out any time- he loves cars and trucks, and this one is compact, so I can
put it in the seat pocket in front of me to bring out when needed.
Blue Painter’s Tape: I found this on my husband’s workbench,
and I figured he may have some fun with this. We can place the tape on the tray
table and the arm rests, and it’s incredibly easy to take off before we land.
*Edit: my husband said I couldn't bring the tape. He said the TSA would think it was weird and deny me entry to my gate. Party pooper.
Lysol wipes: Anything goes! For a buck, I couldn’t help
myself from throwing them into my basket at Dollar Tree.
Flash Cards: I didn’t include these in the ‘group photo’
because I had bought them on a different trip to Dollar Tree. I plan to punch a
hole in the corner of the cards and place them all on a binder ring. I thought
they might be fun for the boys to use while we are waiting in line at the
parks. Dollar Tree has a great assortment of Disney flash cards, which are even
educational! While I know my son won’t get much out of these cards, and I
initially bought them for my 3-year old nephew, I think I will go ahead and buy
another pack- if my nephew has something, chances are my son will want his own
as well, and we don’t need any temper tantrums while we are waiting in line for
Pirates of the Caribbean!
Another great idea I found was to bring some breakfast items
for my son to enjoy in the hotel room in the morning. We typically eat
breakfast first thing after waking up when at home; on park days while on
vacation, I don’t know that we’ll be heading down to the resort’s food court at
all. I don’t think my son will want to wait an hour or longer before eating his
breakfast in the morning- this way, I can set him up on a sheet on the floor,
turn on the Disney Junior channel on TV, break up a breakfast bar for him, and
my husband and I can get ready and make sure we’ve got everything packed for an
exciting day at the theme parks.
As you can see, I will be flying with the breakfast bars in
a Rubbermaid container. I have made the mistake of throwing a breakfast bar in
the diaper bag, only for it to be completely crushed- and frankly, inedible for
a toddler- one too many times. I found a great deal at Sam’s Club on 62 pieces
of Rubbermaid, and so far I have found many uses for them.
Don’t forget to pack the diapers! You can find Huggies
diapers and wipes for sale at all of the resorts and theme parks, but they are
much more expensive there. I personally prefer Pampers, and while I would
happily use Huggies if I had to, I like to bring what I’m most comfortable
using at home (I’ll admit, though, I do always look at the cute Huggies diapers
with Mickey on them and consider changing- there is a diaper for every child,
though, and I have just found that Pampers work better for my son). Here is one
exception I made- I bought this cute Huggies Mickey Mouse wipe clutch at Babies
R Us- how cute is it for toting around wipes?!?
Also keep in mind that you can
use the room in your suitcase that you used for diapers on the way down to tote
home souvenirs on the way back home!
In a previous post, I mentioned buying clothes beforehand
for kids. I bought the red t-shirts at Target for $8 each, and I bought the
blue sets from Wal-Mart for $10 each. I figure my mom will love having some
photos of her grandchildren in matching Mickey outfits!
While at Dollar Tree shopping for activities for the trip down, check out the gum and candy selection
if you wish! I already have a 24-piece pack of gum ready to go, but I did see
that Dollar Tree sells gum. If you like chewing gum on the airplane during
take-off and landing, and/or you’ll want some during the trip (Disney does not
sell chewing gum anywhere, and last time I checked, Orlando International
Airport does not, either), make sure to bring a sufficient amount with you. I
also like to bring some candy for my husband and I to enjoy on the plane- I
bought our candy from Wal-Mart for 98 cents per box, but I did notice that
Dollar Tree has a decent selection as well. I do bring some chocolate, making
sure that we eat that before we get to Disney, and then I’ll bring some fruity
candy, too (this year I bought Dots). My husband has always been pleased when
I’ve brought out the candy at various points on our journey to Disney!
Stroller-wise, on our first trip to Disney, we brought an
umbrella stroller and then rented a jogging stroller for use on property. The
only time we used the umbrella stroller was our last night, when we left Disney
and stayed at a Marriott hotel near the Orlando airport. We used the stroller
to walk to a BBQ restaurant for dinner, and that was it. One our next trip, we
didn’t bother bringing the umbrella stroller, and that worked out just fine.
We’ll probably bring the umbrella stroller on this next trip, mostly just for
use in the airport. You can gate-check the stroller, so there isn’t much
hassle, and I can just stow it away in the closet once we reach our resort
hotel room, and it’s out of our hair for the week while we use our rented
stroller.
Speaking of renting a stroller: I would highly recommend it!
We’ve used Kingdom Strollers multiple times, and I recommend them to everyone.
There are several different strollers to choose from, but I have always gotten
the City Mini, and am VERY happy with it every time. The seat reclines, and so
when Camden is tired, we can just recline the seat so he can nap, and be on our
way. There is a nice-sized storage area underneath, and a place for drinks and
even a deep pocket for parents near the handle. Kingdom Strollers also clearly
labels your stroller with your last name on bright paper so you can find it in
the sea of strollers in stroller parking. One tip for you is to also bring
ribbon or a bright bandana to make it even easier to find your stroller in
stroller parking. There are literally HUNDREDS of strollers in each stroller
parking area, and anything you can do to make it a bit easier to spot your
stroller is a wise idea.
The best part of renting from Kingdom Strollers is that the
stroller is waiting for us at our Disney resort when we check-in. We just go to
Bell Services- which at Port Orleans Riverside resort, for instance, is right
in front of the main entrance to the lobby- and tell them we are there to pick
up our stroller rental. Bell Services will retrieve it for us in minutes, and
we are on our way. The same goes for departure day- right before we get on the
Magical Express to take us back to the airport, we simply hand our stroller
back to bell services- it’s that easy! Kingdom Strollers delivers to all of the
Disney resorts, and certain off-property resorts as well.
I know this post is getting lengthy, but I’ve got just two
more tips: these apply to my fellow crafters. Recently I’ve seen some really
wonderful-looking custom Mouse Ears online. However, the steep price tag
(upwards of $30, plus shipping) prevented me from buying a pair. After a trip
to Hobby Lobby, where I used a 40% coupon I found online, I was the proud new
owner of a black headband, Disney Princess fabric, foam board, and adhesive
spray. I googled ‘Mouse Ear Patterns’ and got one that was perfect- I have not
finished my own personal Custom Mouse Ears yet, but I’m halfway there with one
ear done! I will say that they are FAR from perfect, and I won’t be opening my
own Etsy store anytime soon- but I’m just looking for a few cute photos, and
these will do the trick for sure!
Finally, let’s talk about Magic Bands! These beauties are
sent to you a few weeks before your trip, and can I tell you, that it’s a REALLY
exciting moment to find them sitting in your mailbox, as it means that your
trip is getting close! Once you are on Disney property, you will find many
accessories to purchase to make your Magic Bands more customized. These fun
items don’t come without a hefty price tag, however. If you are looking to customize
your Magic Bands on a budget, then I’ve got a great solution for you- temporary
tattoos! Place these on the Bands the same way you would place them on skin,
cover with clear nail polish, and voila- you’ve just made your very own
customized Magic Bands! You could also use colored nail polish to color in
parts of the band if you prefer.
I thank you for reading this month’s post- thank you for all
of those who have shared my blog, as I am shocked to have nearly 700 page views
thus far! As I always say- if you have any Disney-related questions, please
feel free to email me at dana_aimee@hotmail.com.
Happy Travels!