Child safety at Disney. Any advice???

[gordon21]

A bigger worry may be dehydration. Little kids don't always tell you when they are thirsty. They get so wrapped up in the fun, they go too long without liquids. We all know what kind of killer headaches come from being dehydrated. The little guys will eventually complain of feeling bad and their head hurting. Parents don't always make the connection with lack of liquids and a complaing child. They often think about the three corndogs, cotton candy, 6 (diruretic) sodas, soft pretzel and milkshake when a child complains about not feeling good towrds the end of the day.

 

[frank_f15]

Hey, Thanks for all the great ideas. I think we are going to take the girls 2 seat wagon ( that has straps they can't get out of) The picture idea is also great . I wish i had time to track down the transponders that RonMar suggested. The unique colored shirts are also a very good idea. I'm glad i asked the TBN crew this question !!! Thanks again.

You have done one of the most important things, THINKING about it Before there is a problem. have fun and take tons of pics as they are only little for a short time.

 

[scesnick]

Thanks Frank f15, I will do just that. Can't wait to see the looks on their faces when we pull into Disney. They think we are just going to see Grandma in Florida.

 

[JoeR]

Strollers are great. It keeps them with you when you are moving between attractions. Hold hands when in line. Luckily the lines are narrow and the kids can't get too far. Disney has very tight security. If your child gets away from you, notify the first employee you come across. They can lock down an entire park, and there are actually very few exits from the park. I know from personal experience that their security is much more robust than you think, and it is very transparent. Kids are always getting seperated from their parents, and Disney is really good about finding them. Just remember what they are wearing, and take a picture of them when you enter the park. This way you have a current photograph they can use to find him or her.

Joe

 

[MossRoad]

When and if you ride their bus system, late at night, when everyone is going back to their rooms, make sure your kids don't get sat on. I say that from experience, as several times I had to tell adults not to crowd my sleeping kids with their fat behinds when they thought they could squeeze into a seat next to them!

 

[MossRoad]

One tip, hold hands
Jim

That's the best advice, yet!

 

[California]

That's the best advice, yet!

Do you guys really have kids? After a few hours of kids spinning like pinwheels our arms always gave out. Amusement parks are overwhelmingly exciting. Some kids are not naturally docile in the best of times.

I think better advice is don't take a kid who is too young to appreciate it. He will simply occupy 100% of the attention of everyone in your party. We just survived a weekend like this - friends brought a 3 year old to 'help' harvest apples. It took the full attention of 5 adults to keep him from harm. I finally abandoned trying to use a ladder because I found him beneath it every few minutes.

I like the suggestion to take a digital photo after arriving at the park. The likeness would be exact, if you had to share your photo with Security.

Amusement parks aren't a high-risk environment, it's just that any incident gets tons of publicity. scesnick, relax and have a good time.

 

[1bush2hog]

You may also want to try the buddy system - Your wife watches one of the kids, while you take the responsibility of the other. That way as parents you don't assume the other parent was watching both.

I also liked holding hands with my kids alot better than using the leashes.

Laying out some ground rules beforehand with the kids helps too.

Have fun, as I know your kids will!!!

 

[dmccarty]

FYI

I have not been to Disney World in a few years but there used to be a big Kodak pavillion at the gate. It was in the first building I think once you go past the gate on Main Street. It was on the right hand side walking in. They had cameras and computers set up. You could take pictures and they either sent it via email or put it on a website for later retrieval.


Later,
Dan

 

[MossRoad]

Do you guys really have kids? After a few hours of kids spinning like pinwheels our arms always gave out. Amusement parks are overwhelmingly exciting. Some kids are not naturally docile in the best of times.

I think better advice is don't take a kid who is too young to appreciate it. He will simply occupy 100% of the attention of everyone in your party. We just survived a weekend like this - friends brought a 3 year old to 'help' harvest apples. It took the full attention of 5 adults to keep him from harm. I finally abandoned trying to use a ladder because I found him beneath it every few minutes.

I like the suggestion to take a digital photo after arriving at the park. The likeness would be exact, if you had to share your photo with Security.

Amusement parks aren't a high-risk environment, it's just that any incident gets tons of publicity. scesnick, relax and have a good time.

Yes, we have two children. When we went, one was 5 and the other was 10. They both still talk about it. We were worried that the 5 year old was too young, but she wasn't. Both girls are very well behaved. The little one is quite active. Both are sharp as a tack and don't miss a thing. We went by air, so we took lots of activities and snacks on the plane. you'd be surprised how many folks do not take anything to keep their kids' brains stimulated on long flights! Then they start fussing, the folks around them get upset and it makes for a bad time for all. I am amazed at the compliments we get for our children's behavior, seeing how I am not the best role model for them. I think they take after their mother.

At Disney, we used the Fast Pass system quite a bit. You go to an area, get your Fast Pass for the big attraction in that area, note the time you have to be back and hit all the small attractions in that area until it is Fast Pass time. Then go cut in front of everybody in the Fast Pass line, do the big thing, finish off that area of the park and move on to the next. We were usually able to do 4-5 Fast Passes a day and hit too many of the smaller attractions to count. The meals there are usually expensive, but oversized. We could feed four of us on two meals very easily at lunch jsut by spliting a sandwich or burger. Breakfasts and dinners were eaten at our resorts and were very reasonable with good selections.

Be sure to schedule a meal with the characters at least once. Whether it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, the kids really enjoy the characters. The characters also make it a point to make the kids feel welcome and Miney Mouse even stopped me from taking a bad picture of my kids with her by letting me know my lens cap was still on! She was a sweetheart and I know why Mickey thinks she's the girl of his dreams.

For as much as I hate to give people a pile of my money, I actually had a good time there.