3 tips for planning your first Disney Vacation with Toddlers!

The biggest response I got when I told people we were taking the boys to Disney World from fellow mamas of little ones was “I’m waiting until my kids get bigger to go.” So as you read from my first recap, Mike and I had the chance to take this trip, and we didn’t want to miss it. And you know what, I would totally go again! Even with small kids, planning truly is what made this trip worth while. I got such great tips from friends and Disney travelers, I hope to share some with you! Especially to encourage you that there is a way even with young kids to enjoy something as big as Disney World.

Three things I learned that allowed for this experience to be one with no regrets were:

1. HAVE AN ITINERARY! You may not stick to it all, but having an outline of what we wanted to do each day allowed for enough expectancy and flexibility to keep us all excited to see and enjoy as much as possible. I had posted on my facebook asking for any and all Disney Expert advice, which came in handy! Things like buying some toys from the Disney store ahead of time, doing a character breakfast, and a few tips of being able to bring food into the park were so so helpful.

2. PACE YOURSELF! With a four year old and very active almost toddler, I knew we couldn’t do it all…which is hard for me. BUT it made me slow down and just enjoy the simple things we did like play in the pool at the hotel, take a long nap (the simple things), or just sight seeing after bedtime. Vacation gets so hectic, you can forget the point is to relax…so relax.

3. IT’S OKAY TO KEEP A BUDGET! Disney can bring the best AND worst out of your kids – no matter how much money you spend. I realized that quickly as my kids still had meltdowns and tantrums…because they’re kids. Knowing that, I know that the best moments we had were when nothing was purchased, but lots of laughs and pictures were taken. Knowing we were doing specific things allowed me to save on trinkets and items that I knew my kids would care less about once we returned home. So I didn’t buy the $18 sparkling light saber, but I did find a $3 one at target! But we did splurge on face painting and other things that I knew Kai would never forget.