Help with a 4 year old!

[eeyoregirl]

I've been to Disney so many times, yet this will be the first "real" time that my daughter and I will be going (we went when she was a baby) with the family. What's your best tip on keeping such a young child happy, especially since she is extremely headstrong! Note: she hasn't taken a nap in a long time!

 

[akrake]

we went this past thanksgiving with our 3yrold & 6 yrs old...first off, rent or bring a stroller....after going all day long & being up alot of nights, i found both of mine slept for a while in the stroller...you would really be surprised....our inpatient 6yr old waited in line without complaining.....make sure you plan on buying snacks or bringing them bc they get really hungery when you least need them too....10 minutes before you finally get to the front of the line!

a friend of my brought colors & mini coloring books to distract her kids during the lines.

my best advice...if this trip is for her, then do the things she wants to do....we skipped space mountain bc we would have had to do parent swap and the kids would have had to wait for 45 minutes or so...we did buzz light year with them instead.

have fun.

akrake

 

[sconstantz]

Went 2 years ago when DS was 3, then went last year when DS was 4, going next week and he's now 5.

Keeping him happy? Go at his pace, not yours. Have a stroller. We bought a citylight one (easy to use and very light) instead of an umbrella, because it is more comfortable. It also has a tray on the front. He brings 2 small toys with him (dinosaurs, or animals, or buzz and woody.. you get the picture). When he is "overwhelmed) he gets in his stroller, puts up the tray, and plays quietly. He even says, Mom you go on that ride, I'll just sit here with GaGa and wait.

He is also comfortable enough to sleep. From a kid who NEVER takes a nap. Was the worst napper in the history of his daycare.

Have fun. Your daughter will be in heaven.

shelly

P.S. It's a small world really won't kill you, although your sure it will. It's the first thing he wants to do in the World, AGAIN!!! LOL.

 

[madthemouse]

Being a single dad, I remember the first trip I had taken with
my DD to WDW, she too was 4 years old at that time. The best
advice I have is: 1) take a stroller with a pull top ( need to keep
them shaded) and it's easy to identify your own stroller. 2) take
time to return to your resort to swim. Kids love it, and it will keep
them cooler and more refreshed. 3) A little mini fan that they can use. 4) Remember to have a great time. You should come away
from this experience with some awsome photos. I've yet to
capture that same first magical moment on her face. But I'm
not giving up. This will be our 9th trip back, who knows what
the camera will find. Have a great time.

 

[eeyoregirl]

Thanks for all of your advice! I am so excited to see WDW through her eyes, especially since I have had the pleasure to visit many times pre-DD!

 

[jwfla422]

Just thought I'd add that my 4 yr old dd has been to WDW 6 times since she was 2. The last 2 times I took her myself which was actually a pretty good experience (only me to listen to). She can be somewhat headstrong and she's going through this "afraid of everything stage" so some things can be quite challenging.

The best advice I can give you is to just take your time at the parks. Don' t do commando trips to the park or try to see everything.

We try to get to the parks fairly early and go to attractions we really want to see, have lunch and then head back to the resort room for a nap. DD does NOT take naps anymore at home (we stopped this back in October), but she will nap at WDW. Give it a try, if she doesn't want to nap just have her spend some quiet time in the room for an hour, even if she watches tv. Just let her have some "unwind" time.

Then maybe take her to the pool if it's "swimmable" weather. Then head back to a park for dinner and fun after or have dinner at a resort and then head to a park.

You'll find the quiet time will pay off even if she doesn't nap and she just might surprise you. The parks are VERY overstimulating so a little down time away is SO IMPORTANT.

 

[Coll0610]

Before we took DS when he was 4, we talked about some "rules". One of our rules was that one person stopped to go to the bathroom, everyone had to try. Another one was that sometimes we would do things that only one of us wanted to do. It was everyone's vacation, and if that meant that Mommy wanted to see the Beauty and the Beast show, then we would do that. Of course, at his age, most of things we did were things he wanted to do. We also didn't force him on any rides that he didn't want to go on. It was his first trip to WDW and his first big vacation and it did take him a couple of days to adapt to everything, but I think the talking ahead of time helped.

Something else to think about - DS, who had been dry at night for months, wet the bed the first three nights we were there. After the second night I bought pull ups from the resort store for him. He wasn't happy but I was tired of having to wash his blankies every day! If you have a similar problem, remember to leave a note for Mousekeeping to change the sheets. They don't change them every night any more.

 

[jilljill]

A bottle of bubbles to use while waiting in line can be a great distraction. In fact we have had several parents thank us for entertaining their kids too.
Have fun!!

 

[April in Disney]

Your DD sounds like my DD when she was 4 " now 7 going on 37" . Get yourself ready. She will run you ragged on this trip. My DD has not been in stroller since she could walk and her first time in wdw her walking looked more like marathon walk to us. Bring twice as many films as you planned to take with you, with battery for camera. I tend to change my DD outfit everyday in parks not because they are dirty but to get a change in pictures. Depending on the time of the year you go if she can swim or not we have found out swimming was actually making her tired and she would nap for a short time afterward something she does not do at any other place. Buy the autograph book and pen as you enter the first park, you will be standing on lots of lines taking pictures and getting autograph. Make time to see the parades. Bring in every medication known to man and your pediat #. Do as much planning as you can ahead of times, and when you get there take a deep breath and let the fun begin.

 

[jennz]

You've got some great advice! We've been twice with DD who will be 5 in March. First time she was almost 4 (1 month away) we went for the day to the MK only, it was dreary and rainy but she had a blast. We had breakfast at the castle. We ended up on only a few rides (Small World, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Grand Prix and the Carousel (sorry about the spelling!) and spent the rest of the time waiting in line for autographs and she LOVED it! It took all of our patience to not drag her on rides and we kept telling ourselves "this is for her!".

Second time was in September, she was 4 1/2. She loved pin trading (first time we had done it), the cm's are very kind!, getting autographs, swimming in the pool, the night time stories and wake up calls from Mickey. We had her stroller - we bought an umbrella that is larger than most - and used it for either her or the backpack - and a fan that clipped to it -that was a SUPER tip we got from the boards! We went to the pool every day from about 1 - 3 (forget about napping, even though I wanted to! Too much excitiment for a 4 year old to handle! ) Chef Mickey's was super and we were able to skip some waiting on meeting them at the parks. She made a list of "must-do's" before we left.

Oh one other thing that was fun, gave her a disposable camera, she got some great pictures!

DD's pretty risk-adverse but she did try some new rides and had fun. She wore her princess costume to the castle and her minnie costume to Chef Mickey's.

Hunting for Hidden Mickey's is fun, she's still at it.

Waiting in line wasn't a problem as there were no lines anywhere!

Hope your getting some good ideas!

 

[eeyoregirl]

Your tips are AWESOME!!! Thanks to all!

 

[katiemegcz]

Hi!

We did it with our 4 yo DD and more (including a 4 yo nephew). Here were the secrets...

Bring snacks and drinks. They will want them only at the times, when no booth is available. My DD didn't nap either since shortly after birth. But time out of the sun and heat helped immensely-especially at AK, which can get unbearable in the hotter months. I highly recommend Bull Frog sunscreen, which is water proof and sweat proof, and hats and fans. Have cool water at all times.

Choose an umbrellar stroller with a sunshade over larger bulkier versions, as it is easier to take on Disney transportation to and from the parks.

Ride Small World often, and watch her face. This will be a memory that will last you for a lifetime.

If you are like me, and love Epcot World Showcase, here's the trick-buy her a Passport at the entrance, and she will be even more into it than you are! You take the passport to each country, and a CM native to that country signs it, and your daughter puts stamps in the book. Also at each country, there are Family Fun tables set up where children can do a craft relevant to that country. My DDs made masks in France, and at least 4 other brief but fun crafts. Their Passports are actually prized far above their autograph books!