| My name is Glenda and I'm in my mid-thirties. My husband, Charlie, and I have two children, Alex (6) and Laurie (3 1/2). You could say Disney is in the blood in my family. My grandfather helped build Disneyland (construction), and the story in my family is that he was the crane operator who lowered Monstro into the Storybook Canal. So, as you can probably guess, there have been are a lot of whale pictures taken throughout the years. I'm the "Disney Expert" of my family and friends. If they have a question, they call me, and are surprised if/when I don't know the answer. There's always more to learn. I've been going to Disneyland for longer than I can even remember, and still wish I lived closer so I could go more often. And I'm doing everything I can to turn my kids into "Disney Nuts" too. I have to pass it on right? It's part of the family :-)
- Use a child strap for children under three. Instead of putting the strap around your child’s wrist, make sure they’re wearing pants with belt loops, and then just put the strap around the back loop. Your child’s hands will be free, but he/she won’t get more than 3 to 4 feet away from you, even in a crowd where they can weave better than you. You may think you’ll get negative comments, but I found exactly the opposite, from other parents and Cast Members. One of the princesses even said it was a “Wonderful Idea”.
- Lighten up on the eating rules your children have at home. Remember, they’re on vacation too. If they want Mickey Nuggets at every meal, let them have them. Let them have a cotton candy, even if they didn’t eat all their dinner. Heck, eat ice cream for lunch!
- Let your child pick what ride he/she wants to go on, and when… even if it is Dumbo for the 100th time!
- There are toddler sized toilets in the Baby Care Center.
- Buy the $7 balloon and take a picture. The balloon won’t last, but the memory of that smile will.
- Stand in line for two hours to meet Mickey, or Minnie, or Cinderella, or…
- Plan on either leaving the park for a couple hours in the afternoon for a rest period, or leaving early. Cranky children aren’t having fun, and neither are the parents.
- Look for Hidden Mickey’s. My son still find’s them everywhere we go.
- Give your child a disposable camera, or an inexpensive real camera, and let them take their own pictures. It’s interesting to see things from their point of view. And don’t forget to take pictures yourself; lots and lots and lots of them.
- Have Fun! Skip down Main Street and across the bridge on Tom Sawyer’s Island. Wear your Mickey Ears or Goofy hat. Give the characters a big hug yourself.
Above all, have fun!
See you at the park!
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