Disney World with a Toddler: Tips and Advice!

I feel like a trip to Disney World is like a wedding, you plan and plan and then it is just over :( We took my daughter who had just turned two and I had heard "don't do it, it's not worth it, she won't remember it, etc." We had the absolute best time and I wouldn't trade it for the world. As stressed as I was ahead of time to plan the "perfect Disney trip," it all turned out perfect in the end. Here are my tips for traveling to Disney with a toddler  . . . (FYI we went during the beginning of February . . . this is considered their "dead time.")

1. Pick the best week for your family! Everyone knows that Disney during Spring Break, summertime, and Christmas are crazy. If you have the freedom to travel whenever, check out some of the crowd calendars online. They will tell you weeks when the crowds are low and high. We chose to travel during a "dead time" (the 2nd week of February, right before President's Day). The crowd calendar said to expect a 2 (10 being the most crowded) . . . honestly, it felt like a 10 sometimes! If this was considered a 2, I can't imagine a 10 in terms of waiting in line for rides with a 2 year old.

2. Plan ahead - it is NEVER too early to start planning for Disney. Things there fill up quick (character dining, boutiques, etc.) and I believe that they start booking 180 days out. Sounds crazy, but people start booking that far ahead. You don't have to have an agenda, but simply have an idea of things that you must do and go ahead a book them as soon as you can. Plus, planning ahead can save you some serious money, I'll explain in a minute.

3. Save some money! Who doesn't want to save money? Disney can add up quick, with $5.00 bottles of water, $15.00 parking, $90.00 park passes, etc . . . it can get a little out of control. Anywhere I could save some money, I wanted to! Here are a few ways I did . . .

> Get Creative and make things: You know you want an autograph book but lets be honest, the Disney ones are ugly and way overpriced! Make them yourself for half the price. I made Kinley's for about $5.00 and bought cute scrapbook stickers to put on the pages ahead of time where the character were going to sign.

> Bring things with you: Anything you can bring or fit in your suitcase, DO IT (especially if you fly Southwest and it is free.) As expensive as Disney World is, I will say they are fantastic about letting you bring things in. They will check your bag as you enter, but they are only checking for things like weapons/alcohol/etc. They will let you bring food, water, etc. (you just have to be willing to carry it around - which I will get to in another point) The Electrical Parade at night is amazing! All of the kids want glow sticks and for 15.00 you can get one from one of the Disney carts and it will last you 2 hours :) Go to the Dollar Store and purchase them ahead of time.

> If you are flying and allowed free bags (thank you Southwest!), pack smart and whatever you can!: When I say bring things with you, bring things with you! Disney World is expensive! So is every grocery store and drug store around there. If you are wanting to have food in your room (especially if your room has a kitchen), pack some things ahead of time that you will want and won't go bad on the plane. If you are going to a grocery store around the Disney World area, don't be surprised when a tiny thing of mayo is $5.00. I went ahead of time to the grocery store and grabbed a few small things that I knew we would want in the room that could be purchased ahead of time (ie: mayo/mustard/snack chip bags/goldfish/etc.) If they want to send your bag for free, load it up!

4. Fast Pass - This was new to me! If you are staying at Disney Resort, you will get a bracelet that you can just scan. Find a Fast Pass kiosk as soon as you get there. They will allow you to pick 3 things to get a Fast Pass for (if they are available). Characters book up first thing in the morning and the Fast Pass system is first come first serve. When we went about 1pm, we weren't getting Fast Pass times until that evening. Simply snap a pic of the screen to remember your times, and you are good to go!

5. Download the Magic Guide App (a timer of all the rides) - I downloaded several Disney wait time apps and this one is by far the best! It provides maps, wait times, park dining, hours, etc. I can't remember if it cost or if it was free, but either way it was well worth it. Nobody wants to hike across the park to find out their destination is 120 minute wait. Plus, the maps and other features really come in handy.

6. The Stroller Debate: BRING IT! You may think your 3 year old has all of the energy in the world, but trust me after all of the walking you do, if I could've fit myself in a stroller I would have! It is a fantastic option for tired kiddos that need a nap, a place to snack while you are moving, or even to carry bags around. There are few options for strollers if you want one . . . .

. . . . You can always rent one at the park, not sure what it cost. I will tell you it is a solid piece of plastic that doesn't recline, have any storage, and is terrible to steer. Do people do it all the time? Yes. It is completely up to you. 

. . . . You can rent one and have it waiting for you at your resort. I have heard of people doing this and loving it. I personally have not tried it because the thought of being in an airport without a stroller sounds stressful for me. But like I said, I have heard people doing it and loving it. The most popular rental company that I know of is Kingdom Strollers. * * Click here to go to their website * *

. . . . You can bring your own, which is what we did. I personally like to fly with mine and have it with me in the airport which is why we brought ours, which brings me to my next point - Stroller Parking and what to pack for the park! 

7. Stroller Parking & What to pack in your stroller:  Strollers are not permitted in all areas of the park. For example, if you are going to ride Dumbo, you will "park" your stroller in a designated area near Dumbo but not directly next to. There are designated Cast Members that are in charge of strollers that are constantly moving them to squeeze more in. Which brings me to my first point. . . 

. . . . . Identify your stroller. You are not the only person in America with a black/red/brown stroller. When there are hundreds of strollers, literally hundreds, you want to be able to identify your stroller quickly and move on. I made a tag for mine * * see my Crafting before Disney post * * and had several things hanging from it that made it quick to identify. People use balloons also which are a great idea, but they are $8.00-$10.00 (which would be about $50-$60 a week :) 

This was a small section by a restaurant we were eating at. Fantasyland and the carousel area are crazy! 

What's in my stroller? Well, let me show you.  .  . 

To start, I purchased a basic velcro carrier for extra accessible storage on the go which is what you see hanging from the back of the stroller. (From left to right) 

. . . Binder and Autograph book. The binder contains all important info (where to see characters, restaurant menus, hours, rides with no heights, flight/travel info etc.) I wanted the Autograph book accessible so that you are ready when you see characters - I also always had a pen handy in the stroller tray. You can see all of the details of the binder and autograph book * * here * *. 

. . . Velcro carrying bag: I purchased this a Babies R Us for about $12.00. I just wanted something quick and accessible for items I would be using throughout the day. 

. . . Hand Sanitizer: Trust me, you will want it throughout the day! I kept it in the center of the velcro carrying bag. 

. . .  Johnson&Johnson Baby Hand/Face Wipes: Traveling with a toddler we went through a lot of these. 

. . . Sunglass Wipes: These little packets are super handy and do not take up a ton of room. 

. . . Clorox Wipes: Disney is a very clean place in terms of image. However, there are so many people eating and going quick, the cast members can't keep up with wiping down the tables. It never hurts to wipe down the table :) 

The rest are self explanatory: K's sunglasses, pacifier, extra pen for the autograph book, brush, gum (FYI Disney does NOT sell gum anywhere on location), and sticky table placemats (I LOVE these things). 

Next, I decided to skip out on the "diaper bag" and go with a backpack. As you leave your stroller, I honestly didn't stress about anyone stealing anything, but in today's world you never know. I wanted something I could just throw on my back to take on the rides. This is also where I carried my wallet and my husbands wallet. Lastly, I baggie everything, which is why you see baggies. It is so much easier just to pull out the baggie I need and go. (From left to right) 

. . . Water and bottle: K can not go to sleep without a small bottle of water. Just in case she wanted to nap, I wanted to be prepared. 

. . . Extra sunscreen: You will need it! 

. . . Changing pad cover: The black folded up mat in back. 

. . . Blankets (2): K can not sleep without her snuggle blanket. I also brought an extra to completely cover the stroller once she fell asleep. 

. . . 3 Baggies: First, a baggie of all the diapers and things you will need for a change. Next, a baggie for extra snacks and pouches. Lastly, a baggie of extra clothes or pjs if you are going to be out late. 

Lastly, I did purchase cheap ponchos before we left - just in case. However, we were very lucky with the weather.  

Hanging from the stroller on a "Mommy Hook" are two other things (which also make my stroller even easier to identify). 

 First Aid Kit and Snack Container (seen hanging from the stroller) 

Disney World has several First Aid/Medical stations. I didn't see any for myself but I have read that they have them. However, I always like to carry stuff with me when I travel. Plus, I am not even sure if they sell Advil, Tylenol, etc. It is always good to be prepared and if you need a band-aid, do you really want to hike to find a First Aid Center? 

I found this snack container on Zulilly.com one day and am obsessed with it. I usually always have it on my purse but the handle makes it great to clip to a stroller. Even better, you can grab snacks for the snack tray while you are walking, no need to stop. 

8. Be flexible with your timing: When you travel with a toddler your normal routine is already out the door. Don't stress if they don't go to bed until 10pm enjoy the week. We did days very differently as far as time and I can give one suggestion. Most families with young kids have the same idea in mind (we were one of those families at the beginning of the week). Get to the park when it first opens and leave around nap time. I will say we did that several times - the crowd to get in is crazy and Fantasyland is packed! We finally got smart and tried a different approach. We spent the morning sleeping in then enjoying the resort (pools, lunch, etc), then after K had a decent nap, we would head to the park about 3:00 or even 4:00. The crowds with young kids were done for the day and heading out and we were just getting there. Fantasyland was still busy (it is always going to busy, it's Disney World) but it was nothing compared to what we saw in the morning. 

9. Let the Cast Members take your pic: There are Disney photographers everywhere to capture that "perfect picture of your family." Yes, they are kind of annoying but they are also handy so that someone isn't always left out of your picture. They give you a card to use for your trip and they literally just scan it. As your trip goes on and a month or so later, you can view them online and order what you want. 

10. Enjoy yourself and try it all!: Disney World is like your wedding, it is not going to be perfect. Let things go and enjoy yourself. If you don't make everything in one day or a line is too long, just go back a little later. Try everything you can! We thought K would be terrified of the Haunted Mansion but decided to give it a whirl, she LOVED it. She kept waving and wanting to see the ghosts again. 

Check out my other posts regarding Disney World . . . 

* * Disney Momma Style * *

* * Crafting before Disney * *

Hope that this was helpful for you! Would love to hear feedback or any advice that you have for our next trip. I am already planning it :) 

Kinley's 2nd Birthday

I can't believe my sweet baby girl is already 2 years old. With a Disney trip on the books soon we decided to skip the craziness of a birthday party this year and just take a trip! Of course, I wanted to do something small . . . nothing big but it had to be celebrated :) When we were home for Christmas with my family, we had cake and celebrated with my family as they wanted to share in the celebration. On her actual birthday, we planned a trip to the zoo but the weather didn't cooperate and Houston decided to shut down for the day because of ice. Finally, a week later, we celebrated her birthday with my husband's side of the family. As I have told you, she is obsessed with Minnie Mouse. So we had a Mini-Minnie Mouse party just the six of us. It was perfect :)

 Pics from our  little celebration in Indy over Christmas. 

 Uncle Craig and Aunt Amy 

 Of course, no one was leaving my house without a pic in their ears :) 

Kinley and Mimi 

I loved her cake! Check out cakes4tay on facebook. She does awesome work! 

She clearly loves birthday cake :) I love this pic! 

Monica's Baby Shower

I love baby showers, bridal showers, pretty much any excuse to get together with a bunch of friends :) I along with some help from 2 other fabulous ladies (Monica's mom and her best friend Alisa) hosted one of my dearest friends Monica's Baby Shower. Monica was literally one of my first friends in Houston when I moved here in 2008 and new hardly anyone (besides my husband's friends of course). So, when the opportunity came my way to host, of course I was honored :) The shower was supposed to take place outside in the backyard around the pool with pretty tables, linens, chairs and beautiful weather. However, up until the shower (about 30 minutes before) it was a complete downpour outside. We had to get creative and move everything inside last minute and make the most of it. Everything turned out perfect, thank goodness!

Me and the mommy to be! 

Favors: I am a sucker for good party favors and I love to when they go along with the party theme. The colors of the shower were pink/orange/yellow. I decided champagne would be a great favor with a cute toast! All of the champagne bottles were tied with coordinating ribbon to match the invite. The best thing about champagne is if you have some left, it would go to waste :) 

Entry table with party favors. 

The puff balls are super easy to make and they were also on the invitation (which is why I made them in the first place). I will say it took me a few times and lessons with my neighbor to perfect making these tissue balls but they ended up being so easy and cheap to make. They are an excellent "filler" and cute decoration for any party! I will post directions soon! The pointy tissues paper were hostess gifts that Monica brought. The banner was made with my Cricut. I literally can not live without it. 

Kinley's "Big Girl" Room

Ahh! I can not believe I officially have a 2 year old in a few weeks. I always envisioned making this "big girl" room when she was like 3 or 4. . . but since she refuses to stay in her crib without a fight and climbs up and jumps out - it looks like we will be doing this now! 

1

1 and 2: I love the Brigette Quilt from Pottery Barn Kids but absolutely hate the sheets and pillows which is why I found these white and gray polka dots (also at PBK) and am going to do a little mix and matching. 

3. I LOVE a good lamp. I want some crystal very simple lamps with simple shades. 

4. Catalina Daybed from Pottery Barn Kids . . . I would love to do a regular twin bed but the bedroom that Kinley will be in is not huge. I want an open feel and I also want her to be able to have some toys in there etc. I love this daybed because it has a matching wooden toddler rail (of course not included) and matching trundle bed. Since we are planning on having another child eventually, Kinley moving leaves us with only one guest room left. For most, this is not an issue. For us, with my family all out of town this is kind of an issue. I am choosing this bed for the few times they are all here at the same time. The trundle and daybed aren't ideal for my sister and husband but it gives them something besides a blowup mattress. Plus, how often are they ALL here at the same time? 

5. Monogram Pillow: Since I hate the pillows that come with the quilt, I want to mix in some throw pillows and other pillows to add some more color. Everyone loves a good monogram :) 

6. The room will have built in bookcases and a window seat, the shelves will be filled with books. K and I LOVE reading before bedtime, plus I have a small/teensy weensy addiction to children's books. 

7. I found a really cool vintage old dresser for 120.00 on our neighborhood Facebook page. I am going to sand it down and paint it/antique it a gray color to accent the bed. 

8. Sherwin Williams "Cityscape" is my go-to gray in my house! 

9. Beadboarding/Wainescoting: Thank goodness I have a super handy husband. He doesn't know it yet, but I think a nice accent to the wall like wainescoting/beadboard will complete the room. 

Crafting before Disney

Two things about me are true . . . I LOVE crafts and I hate to pay for something that I can make myself for way cheaper. With that being said, I refuse to pay top dollar for ugly things at Disney World when I can make them myself . . . who doesn't love saving money ?

Just a few things I made (from left to right): Binder with all of our plans + a few extras, middle is is a luggage tag (showing the front and back - I made 4, we aren't lite travelers) top right is a stroller tag, bottom right is her autograph book.

Those of you who know me know I have a binder for EVERYTHING. This is my binder for the week :) It includes flight/hotel information and confirmations, tickets, directions, rides and descriptions that are toddler friendly with no height requirements, ride closure schedule (traveling in February is "off season" and some rides close for refurbishment during this time) and event schedules. I went to the Disney website directly for most of this information and just put it into a word format. * working on attaching printable documents *

I have read a ton of blogs about Disney with toddlers and one of the number one things I see is label your stroller. You will have to park your stroller in a designated area outside of the rides and believe it or not, there was more than one black stroller made. I made this cute tag that I am going to tie on with yellow ribbon to the handle for easy spotting. It says "this carriage belongs to: Kinley Rozell (with our phone number below it)"

front of her autograph book 

back of her autograph book 

Lastly, I grabbed a few pieces of cute scrapbook paper and cardstock and made my own autograph book (which will save me about 20.00 from purchasing one at the park). I had it laminated (along with everything else with heavy duty lamination - especially the luggage tags) and had it binded at Office Max. Total cost for lamination of 4 luggage tags, 1 stroller tag, autograph book and binding = $9.42. 

Disney Style

With a Disney trip coming up quick I am super pumped (in case you couldn't tell). I love all things Disney and know that we will be taking lots of pictures andddd doing a LOT of walking. I refuse to do a few things . . . A. wear a fanny pack and look like a tourist with sunscreen on my nose B. look like a slob in pics that I will treasure forever (plus I don't want Kinley making fun of me when she is 20 C. be uncomfortable! 

With that being said . . . I think this is my style for the week. Yes, some of you are thinking "Disney? Jacket? Pants?" Well, we are traveling in the beginning of February. 

1. Obligatory Disney Tee > Of course I have purchased plenty :) 

2. black skinny pants > I LOVE to roll the bottom 

3. jean jacket > perfect in case it gets chilly! 

4. Ray Bans > I am a sunglass brat and can't go anywhere without them. I am usually prancing around with them on my head at 10pm. These just happen to be a pair of my favorites. 

5. Toms: Ok confession time, I absolutely DESPISE these shoes and think they are the ugliest things on the planet. They do however look cute on kids and I do think it is cool what they do with donating a pair of shoes. Anyways, a pair of flats is what I was going for, any cute/black/comfy flats. Plus, with flats you can throw in some ugly thick support soles for extra comfort and nobody will know :) When you have had 3 foot surgeries, Dr. Scholls isn't quite the grandma lingo anymore. 

Kinley's Playroom

When we purchased this house and saw a large awkward room at the top of the stairs, my husband instantly envisioned his man cave (filled with a pool table, giant TV, poker table, etc). Obviously, I gave him a reality check that we were planning on starting a family and this would be the perfect playroom. Also, I was going to be staying home with our daughter and no longer teaching (which I was obsessed with) so I needed a place to make my "mini classroom." Long story short, we turned that large awkward room into Kinley's playroom (of course, you didn't think my husband was going to win that battle did you?)

Overall view of the room with terrible lighting. 

This is Kinley's chalkboard and alphabet wall. The letters are homemade (you can see directions below) and the bottom of the wall is chalkboard paint. The paint color of the room is "Cityscape" by Sherwin Williams. I am OBSESSED with it and it is my go to gray! 

Kinley loves this Little Tikes table! When we have friends over, they love to have a snack there and color. The perk is it is only about 35.00 so when it is covered in crayon and destroyed, no biggie. 

I love an alphabet wall (I was a teacher, duh!) I kept searching online to buy one and was blown away by what people were charging on Etsy- so I was determined to figure out how to make it for much cheaper and just as cute. Thanks to Pinterest and patience, I made it myself. * * CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW TO MAKE IT * *

This is the other side of the playroom. I LOVE children's books and the teacher in me can never have enough. They are currently separated by fiction/non fiction and raised to the top of the shelf where Kinley can not grab them. We are still working on "loving a book and not ripping it apart (literally). I love that she loves to read as much as I do and can not wait until she can read and pick a book herself. The shelf is the classic IKEA bookshelf seen in 95% of American homes and is attached to the wall in fear that it would've fallen on her. On the floor are her current favorite toys, I am constantly rotating and switching them out so she doesn't get bored. To the left is the magnet wall. We are working on letter identification which will later roll into phonemic sounds etc . . . Teacher in me rambling . . . Long story short, the magnetic pan is an Auto Drip Pan from Walmart and the Foam Magnetic Letters are Lakeshore Learning. The boxes on the bottom of the shelf are filled with typical kids toys (they were also purchasd at IKEA) and are perfect to throw toys in quickly! 

Alphabet Magnetic Wall 

TV area (ignore the wires, we just switched TVs and haven't hidden them yet) and another IKEA shelf. I love having the boxes for storage and toys! I will organize them eventually when Kinley understands, but for now they are all just randomly filled. 

This is Kinley's Step 2 Climber. She climbs EVERYTHING and I wanted something that she could safely climb in the house. Although it is technically made to be outside, I love it inside. She can use it everyday - rain or shine. Above it is another Pinterest project! See the pic below for more details. 

Underneath the climber is a designated "sand box" if it was going to be placed outside. I purchased a bag of those plastic balls and just turned it into a ball pit.

Confession time: I really wanted a canvas in this particular spot because a thermostat was there. I HATE HATE HATE thermostats in awkward places in the middle of walls. I wanted to find something to cover it and never did. Worse part about this story, another thermostat had to be installed and was relocated to the wall next to the canvas (you can see in pics above). Now I have 2 ugly thermostats :( Once again, I logged on to Pinterest and saw this. It was SUPER easy to make. 

Quick and simple instructions: 

1. Glue the crayons in whatever pattern you want with a hot glue gun 

2. Use a hairdryer and watch the crayons melt! You would be surprised at how quickly the crayons melt. 

3. The only tip I can give is to keep the hairdryer about an arms length away and angle it down. You can then control the run of the crayon - if you go straight onto the crayon IT WILL SPLATTER. 

Here is her kitchen/house area. I love this kitchen because it can grow with them, takes up minimal space, and doesn't cost $300.00. 

As you know my family is my life. Kinley doesn't see them all everyday and it is very important to me and them that she knows who they are. Every day or so we always look at their pictures and say each of their names. As the days have gone on, she now knows all of them and gets so excited to see them (even after not seeing them for months at a time). I love when she calls them by their name!