Let’s face it – Disney is a very popular destination.  My parents took our whole family in June which was such an amazing gift.  With two kids I wanted to be prepared – especially with a four-year old that doesn’t have any fear.  Here are my top 10 things I found helpful.

1.  ID tattoos:  Loved them.  You order them from Safetytat.  They did stay on and my kids did not pull them off but my niece did – she is 9 so probably better for younger kids or kids that won’t pull on them.  The one thing I noticed is the tattoo over time becomes quite wrinkly on the skin and the edges did pull up a little.    I still loved them and they did give me peace of mind.  http://www.safetytat.com/  This is a picture off their site.  I put mine on the inside of their arms.  I don’t know why – I just liked it better.  I didn’t necessarily want it super visible.  **my little tip.  waterproof band aids work too.  One day we were at the Mall of America and I just wrote my cell number on the band-aid in permanent marker (my kids don’t pull waterproof band aids off either).   They aren’t as permanent but they work for shorter periods of time.
2.  Band-Aids – and moleskin (I never knew about this before).  A must have.  The moleskin was used on my daughter and my sister.  They are great on blisters.  Just stick them on the part of your shoe where the blister is rubbing and you don’t feel the blister.  You can put it right on the skin too.  It seemed to work better by putting it on the shoe.  I had never used them before – a total life saver.
3. Spray bottle with fan.  Another must have.  I got mine at Walmart for $8 or $9.  http://www.walmart.com/ip/O2-Cool-Deluxe-Water-Misting-Fan/15992437.  The bottles at Disney are $16-$18.
4.  Ponchos – when it rains this is great for keeping your clothes dry. 
5. Umbrella’s that fold up small – I didn’t bring umbrellas and I regretted it.  Some other family members had a poncho and an umbrella and were completely dry.  I would get the type that fold up small.
6. Take a photo of your child everyday on your phone in case they get lost.  No one can remember every detail of what their kids are wearing.  (You may want to do this with your husband too..ha ha).
7.  Use the rider switch service if you have little kids or kids that are scared to go on certain rides.  https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/ .  We didn’t have to use this as our kids were tall enough and wanted to go on all the rides we did (with the exception of Space Mountain).   It’s really cool.  You wait in an area while one parent goes on the ride and when they come off the other parent goes in the fast pass line.
8.  Baby wipes – for sticky hands and dirty tables.  We have three large bags of baby wipes that were left over so I just put a stack in a baggie for my purse and filled it up every day.
9. Touring Plans.com for crowd tracker.  This is probably my #1 must have.  Disney is so busy and with fast passes you have to know what rides have them and when the fast pass time is.  This app also gives you wait times and they are very accurate.  I’m not sure how they do this.  Must be magic.  Super cool!
10. Stroller – we brought a double stroller as our youngest is 4 and we knew she would get tired.  If you don’t want to bring one you can rent them at Disney or for a less expensive option rent from a place such as Kingdom strollers.  They will deliver it to your resort.  Obviously not everyone needs a stroller and they can be a bit of a pain getting around but we definitely needed it.

Bonus tip!

I know this is technically #11 but it’s hard to carry everything so my sister did the best thing and had a light weight backpack that wasn’t too large.  It fit the ponchos, small umbrellas and I think sweatshirts.  It gets cold when you go into some of the air-conditioned places.  What I love to use instead of a bulky sweatshirt is an infinity scarf – in a light weight fabric.  You can leave it around your neck and then when you’re cold, cover your shoulders with it.  Plus they hardly take up any space in your bag.  I love this site – it shows you different way to wear an infinity scarf.  I know this isn’t really Disney related – it’s just cool.   http://www.henkaa.com/blog/fashion-styling/12-days-christmas-ten-ways-wear-infinity-scarf.

Disney is such a magically place – so do a little planning and it will even more magical!  Make sure you make your dinner reservations way ahead of time too.

Thank you Mom and Dad for an absolutely amazing trip – one we will never forget!