Imagine chasing your toddler around the local playground, the mall, or even your own backyard. That can be quite exhausting. Now picture that in a place as large as Walt Disney World®. At the same time, you know how squiggly that toddler can be if they are cooped up too long. They need to expel that energy. We are going to give you some helpful tips for traveling with toddlers
Kara Brown, Vacation Specialist with Coasters & Castles Travel, is a mom of twin toddlers who will be 2 in July. They were born preemie. Although they are doing well, they are still smaller than other toddlers their age but still a single toddler can be a handful, two is double trouble.
Here are some tips that Kara has shared as well as some others we are adding:
Strollers & Carriers: Even if your toddler wants to walk a lot, have a stroller and carriers with you. These little ones can walk a lot but their strides are much smaller so they are walking many more miles than an adult would based on the number of steps they take. Having a stroller/ carrier with you gives you an easy way for your child to take a rest.
April Botta, co-owner of Coasters & Castles Travel remembers having strollers for her kids when they were little. She loved the stroller as it was an extra place to keep your stuff while walking giving your back a break from the backpack and a great place to keep your water bottle or cup. Her son was an escape artist. Every time the stroller stopped, he slid under the bar and off he was running. She bought a luggage strap and strapped him into the stroller with the buckle at the back of the stroller. He had learned how to release the regular strap on the stroller.
Plan for short attention spans: When kids get hungry, they are hungry and want to eat now, not when the food is ready. Kara plans ahead for this and chooses restaurants that will have distractions for both before and after the meal. She will choose a restaurant that has an area the girls can run around in or has some entertainment like character meals. You may not be able to hug Mickey & friends but you can still see them around the restaurant. Have some little snacks with you that you can help tide over their hungry little bellies until the food comes.
Are your toddlers potty training? Bring post it notes!, Wait, what? Post it notes, you say? Yes post it notes. Many of the toilets on property have the sensors that automatically flush. Honestly, they scare me sometimes when they go off and I am still using it. If you put a post it note over the sensor then it will prevent it from flushing while your little one is still sitting there.
Stay tuned next week for more great tips!
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