How do you manage all the toys?

[Rory607]

I love this thread! So many good ideas. I am totally using the picture strategy on our upcoming trip. We usually have gift cards for each of our kids, between $150-200 each. In addition, we buy them a pair of ears or hat if they want. We try not to buy them anything beyond the gift cards, but sometimes we do. Our oldest is 9, so she has gotten a lot better about choosing things she really wants. The younger one, 5, is still in the instant gratification stage.

On one trip, several years ago, we went with some extended family. One person bought her son any and every souvenir he asked for, so basically after every single ride. I have no problem with how other people spend their money. That’s their decision. However, her son made a point to come show our daughter each thing he got and brag that she didn’t get anything. And believe me, our kids get plenty of stuff, just not after every ride!

My H and I were getting so irritated and our daughter was upset, although she really handled it well for a kid. His mom would literally turn her head and act like she couldn’t hear what he was saying, even when other extended family members started asking him to stop. It honestly put a damper on the trip and we ended up going to do our own thing so we could enjoy ourselves more. And we way overspent that trip because my H was so annoyed and was trying to make it up to our daughter.

 

[EACarlson]

I've been having my kids 4 and 7 find all the lose change in the house and put it in a big jar since we booked our stay almost a year ago. Whatever they have in that jar is what they have to spend on whatever they want. We will buy them ears and t-shirt, maybe one other thing. My in-laws are giving each of us a $100 GC as an early Christmas present when we're there. Judging from the weight of the jar, I'm going to be shipping home a big box.

 

[KateMW]

Honestly? We bought him pretty much what he wanted within reason on our last trip. That was usually one thing a day. I had to ship it back. But dangit it was magical. LOL We do have all our purchases sent back to the hotel so that helped with wanting something that he couldn't actually have right then. The only things we kept were ears and bubble wand. So if he asked for something and I said well you have to send it back to the hotel and play with it tomorrow, a lot of the time he said never mind.

 

[MNDisneyMommy]

Our own tips:

*Each kids gets one shirt OR hat/ears... and one (big, amazing) toy. We take pictures of things they want to add to their wish list, and we will let them pick around mid-trip. (Picture tip is BEST tip for stuff-obsessed kids like ours...works at home now too). We get ONE fancy drink with the light up toy at the start of the trip and take them/rinse them/put them in our bags for future meals. Snacks come when mom and dad get snacks, we're pretty lenient on what they get though. We mostly limit ourselves to those rules too BTW, so it works all fair.

Also, we took a trip with two sets of grandparents, one of whom would have bought them anything and everything they asked for, and the other who is more reasonable. We set a limit of one treat or snack or glow thing or whatever per day per grandparent set, and it had to be pre-approved by us (and if it was too big for our luggage they had to get it home themselves). It definitely cut the jealousy/spoil factor down, and we told the "buy everything" grandparents they could buy extra stuff and take home with them to give as gifts for Christmas or birthdays or whatnot.

 

[ClapYourHands]

On one trip, several years ago, we went with some extended family. One person bought her son any and every souvenir he asked for, so basically after every single ride. I have no problem with how other people spend their money. That’s their decision. However, her son made a point to come show our daughter each thing he got and brag that she didn’t get anything. And believe me, our kids get plenty of stuff, just not after every ride!

My H and I were getting so irritated and our daughter was upset, although she really handled it well for a kid. His mom would literally turn her head and act like she couldn’t hear what he was saying, even when other extended family members started asking him to stop. It honestly put a damper on the trip and we ended up going to do our own thing so we could enjoy ourselves more. And we way overspent that trip because my H was so annoyed and was trying to make it up to our daughter.

This isn't a spending problem. This is an ******* problem. In a case like this, I would have spoken directly to the mom, because you can't pretend you can't hear, when someone says, "listen to what little Billy is saying to Susie. He just put his stuffed Mickey in her face while bragging on it." And if she said nothing, I'd correct the kid myself. And if nothing worked, I would just stop spending any time with them, like you did.

I don't get enough vacation time to spend it with *******s.

 

[LBHouse]

I work in retail and cant imagine spending my vacation time in a gift shop. We will walk through the store and if we see something cute or fun we will let the kids "check it out" but we wouldn't even think about actually buying it. The kids know that too. So they don't ask. With 5 kids the idea of giving each of them a "budget" and then having to wait while they shop would drive me crazy. I make a great living, but wouldn't dream of spending it on "stuff" to remember a trip, just not my cup of tea.

 

[Rory607]

This isn't a spending problem. This is an ******* problem. In a case like this, I would have spoken directly to the mom, because you can't pretend you can't hear, when someone says, "listen to what little Billy is saying to Susie. He just put his stuffed Mickey in her face while bragging on it." And if she said nothing, I'd correct the kid myself. And if nothing worked, I would just stop spending any time with them, like you did.

I don't get enough vacation time to spend it with *******s.

Yes, in retrospect I should have said spoken directly to his mom. But it’s a relative on my H’s side and I felt it wasn’t my place. This was several years ago. Since that trip we have had some other issues with her son and I do speak up now. My H can be quite non-confrontational. And we actually did correct the kid, but of course he didn’t care. We haven’t vacationed with them again, lol!

 

[skippytx]

Late to the party but this is what works for us.

1- We give the kids a gift card with a set amount on it. They can use this for whatever they want. Doing this removes the issue of "I'm not paying for that it's a waste of money" on my end, and other friction. It doesn't stop me from asking if they're sure they want to spend their money on that, or pointing out we have 5+ days left maybe we shouldn't spend all your money the first 2 days here, but it takes most of the stress away from things. It also makes them really think about their purchase. They think differently about spending money when Dad isn't paying for it. We cover all meals, snacks, and sometimes a few other things, so this is 100% their discretionary money.

2- They have to carry whatever purchase they make. If they buy something at 10AM in the morning I'm not carrying it around all day. This helps get us out of the ride gift shops quicker. We do most of our shopping at the big store at DS, or on the way out of the parks. My kids are out of a stroller and there is limited backpack space. They don't buy anything early in the day anymore.

3- Whatever they buy has to make it home on the plane. It either has to fit in their backpacks, or in the extra luggage space we have. (We usually take 3 1/2 full pieces of luggage with us so we have room for stuff on the flight home). This stops them from buying massively bulky items like the giant Stitch plush my daughter wants that I'd probably have to buy an extra airline seat to get home.

4- I've taught them how to value shop over the years. We hit the Disney Outlet close to home a few times a year, and I'll price compare things on Amazon or Walmart when they want something. My son will want a little playset of figures or something which will be like 24.99 at the parks or it could be 13 bucks on Amazon. I'll offer to buy it on Amazon for him and have it waiting at home if he wants it. Most of the time this works, but last trip he had to have an Avengers set he paid a pretty premium for. He made the decision though.


I grew up poor and really spoiled my kids when they were much younger, and that was a mistake. My son broke a toy once and told me it was no big deal because "daddy can just buy another one" It's been rough trying to get them to understand the value of a dollar but they're 9 and 7 now and we're making progress.

 

[grossmansr]

Great thread! I'm trying to come up with a strategy for my next trip with DD8 and DS4. I'm thinking of doing a first day/last day thing, where we go to downtown disney and buy a few things each time. This way, we start the week on a happy note with some "things" and also have something to look forward to at the end.

The rest of the time will just be a hard "no", so we don't even go down that rabbit hole in the theme parks. Of course, they can use their snack credits in the parks, so that might satisfy the urge to spend.

Now, I just need a way to budget/divide the spending so that both kids understand. It's hard for a 4 year old to understand dollar amounts, but my 8 year old sure can. This makes it tricky. If I give a dollar limit, DS won't understand why DD gets more or less "things", but if I give a "thing" limit, DD will be quick to point out that his costs more or less.

 

[mickey520]

2- They have to carry whatever purchase they make. If they buy something at 10AM in the morning I'm not carrying it around all day. This helps get us out of the ride gift shops quicker. We do most of our shopping at the big store at DS, or on the way out of the parks. My kids are out of a stroller and there is limited backpack space. They don't buy anything early in the day anymore.

This is the best tip! When I tell my kids they have to carry it themselves, it's amazing how quickly they don't need it anymore!

We also do the "put it on your wish-list" thing which works really well for us.

 

[Lilsia]

We just put a number on what they could get. Something like you can get 3 items but they can't cost more then $50 each. Know what you are willing to spend and tell them the limits.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

When he wants something see if taking a picture with him holding it or wearing it will work. When my granddaughter was 7, she expected me to buy everything. She was happy with just the picture.

Put money in an envelope, yes cash, whatever you think is appropriate with their name on it. Explain that is the souvenir money and when it's gone, it's gone. Have them pay for their own souvenirs, they will see the money exchanged. Why cash? Because at that age even if you give a set amount on a card, they think you just need to get to a bank machine.

We also did the pic thing... i had my sons take a picture of everything they liked. We still do that at walmart. There were a few things that we knew were park only items, my dh would pay for it and have it sent to the room with out them knowing it for a little extra surprise.
The gift card did not work cause they just didn't understand fully and it made problems later.

 

[Taylor'sMom]

Just wanted to share what a friend did, that worked for her. On their last day (or near the end of the trip) they planned some time at Disney Springs. So all week, when they kids saw things they liked they just responded "we're shopping on our last day" and the kids quickly learned they could only LOOK at things until their shopping time. Bear in mind, most of the "typical" stuff can be found at the World of Disney or Once Upon a Toy, but ride specific stuff likely wont be. But by the time they get in the store to shop, they are distracted by the current options and not dwelling on whats NOT there. Thsi friend also had a gift card dedicated for each kid. $50 or $100 i think.

For our family, I pick up gift cards when I can (grab one at the grocery store on a particularly cheap week, etc). I dont notice the cost so much that way. I combine to 1 card before the trip and tell DD her allotment for souveniers. Knowing its a set limit makes her very selective. Usually $100 or less.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

I give my DD a gift card at the beginning of a trip. When she was younger, I would tell her she had $x to spend each day, and it worked out well. As she’s gotten older, she’s beginning to understand budgeting, so sometimes we will go into a gift shop and she sees something she really wants but is more expensive than her typical daily allowance. She usually decides to think on it over the next day, and if she doesn’t see something else she really wants, we go back and she combines the allowance for both days to buy the more expensive thing.

I also tell her that I will buy (within reason) one “gift” each trip, which has to fit into our luggage (so giant stuffies are out of the question). She’s not too into clothing so I don’t have to worry much about that. We occasionally bring home a Disney shirt or two (which I just buy for her; since she’s not especially into clothing, I’m content to buy a shirt for her if it’s something she especially loves. I don’t include ears in that— she has to buy those with her gift card), but luckily she’s more into other things. Right now it’s pin collecting.

 

[MomOTwins]

Our rule is one item per park, $20 maximum per item. When they see something they want, they have to hold off and we'll come back later to get it later to make sure they are still sure that is the one toy they want, so they don't have buyer's remorse when they see the next gift shop.

 

[starearedkid]

I also before the trip pull up different souvenir pictures and prices for her to budget/get an idea of cost

We leave on Monday and she has a gc with 100 dollars. She DESPERATELY wants the frozen II advent calendar. So I told her if they are out of it at the store we can order it online. But if they out of it, and you decide to spend your money else to get something just to get then you won’t have money left for what you really want.

 

[MouseMama11]

I have a now 8.5 year old and 5 year old, both girls. What we do is ask for Disney GCs for Christmas/birthdays and they usually get a few. If they want more money for the trip, they empty their piggy banks and take the coins to exchange for cash at the bank. And that is their allowance for souvenirs. Now that they're a little older, and have a better sense of money and spending, I push for a couple "bigger" souvenirs.. Our last trip, they both bought a "real" princess costume before our reservation at CRT. And that was a HUGE deal since I wouldn't ever get them one myself, and they were so excited they had enough! They play dress up all the time at home so I thought that was much more worthwhile than little toys. Our next trip is planned for 2020 and they are already planning on saving their GCs for another one!

 

[JessaK]

All kids are different so what will work with one kid may not work with the others. You said your kid is a collector, right? Mine love collecting things too, especially my youngest. I think the most effective strategy would be to do pin trading or Stamped pennies..or BOTH! I also agree with the photos. Last time we allowed our daughter to get one pair of ears. That didn’t stop us from trying in every pair and taking pictures!

My kids love gift shops too but I have spent their entire life denying them so they are very comfortable with leaving a gift shop empty handed I may sound silly but I just assure them that the thing they want won’t make them happy but the next experience will. They will start to mimic your words and feelings. It’s worth it when you say yes to that item that they really want and aren’t just asking for it because it’s in front of their face.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Our kids do chores and ask for gifts cards instead of gifts leading up to the trip. We add a set amount to their savings, usually $15. During the trip they take pictures of things they want and at the end we go through the pics so they can think about what they “really” want and we go back and buy it. They often realize things they wanted at the beginning they no longer want or they remember something they really did want. Just make sure if you aren’t going back to that park and it’s “park specific” merchandise that you keep that in mind.

 

[DisneyOma]

When my kids were little, Disney had Disney Dollars as a viable currency at their parks. It was great. My kids earned Disney Dollars doing chores, reading, etc. Before each trip, they got their earned Disney Dollars, and that was their spending money for the trip.