Travelling as light as possible in parks with toddler

[orangecuse]

Anyone try and bring as little as possible while in the parks?

The plan right now is to have my husband use a small crossbody bag and I will wear a fanny pack. That should hold some water, diapering needs, and phones/money stuff between the two. Our son will be 1.5 so we will need a stroller for our two full park days for sure. Can we hack it with just the baby carrier for the four days we are only going a few hours at a time? (Either taking half days or doing a long afternoon break). Carrying a lot of stuff around just seems like a PITA but I am not sure if I am being naive.

 

[Chrislovesdisney]

We went when my dd was 2 and packed very lightly. Just wipes, some diapers, and I rolled up a onesie (in case of accident) and a bumpkin bib. I brought trial sized tubes of sunscreen. We carried it all in a diaper changing purse no bigger than a fanny pack.

You can’t go in line with strollers anyways so babywearing is fine. You know more than anyone else your comfort level for max hours babywearing. Keep in mind some parks require more general walking from gate to attractions (ie Epcot) than others. I personally found that at MK, the attractions especially in fantasyland are so close together that the stroller was more of a nuisance.

 

[Aliceacc]

I would add a poncho or plastic tablecloth for the stroller. Nothing like coming off a ride to find puddles everywhere, but your stroller nice and dry thanks to the dollar store poncho you covered it with!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Anyone try and bring as little as possible while in the parks?

The plan right now is to have my husband use a small crossbody bag and I will wear a fanny pack. That should hold some water, diapering needs, and phones/money stuff between the two. Our son will be 1.5 so we will need a stroller for our two full park days for sure. Can we hack it with just the baby carrier for the four days we are only going a few hours at a time? (Either taking half days or doing a long afternoon break). Carrying a lot of stuff around just seems like a PITA but I am not sure if I am being naive.

In a few words, yes, you can do it, and no, you are not being naive from my POV.

In another century (literally), the ex and I bicycle camped during the summers with a child under the age of 5. The need to carry less from those trips translated into my future travels with ease.

Your post sounds like you are covered for half day outings and could actually be fine for a longer period of time.

Have fun out there!

 

[KrazeeK120]

We took our diaper bag when our son was 1.5, but didn’t overstuff it.

I wanted to make sure I had our changing pad because I just couldn’t lay my kid down on a bare public changing table. Too gross for me!

In addition to diapers, wipes, and a change of clothes, I also packed some snacks and his sippy cup. It was hot and he wasn’t very good at drinking from an open container yet.

I also had sunscreen in the bag at all times! Sometimes it needs to be re-applied!

The bag wasn’t heavy, and we didn’t encounter issues taking it anywhere we needed to.

He’ll be almost 3 when we go back and I plan to take the bag again, unless he decides to go #2 in the toilet between now and then, in which case I can ditch the pull-ups and other diaper changing items...

 

[NYCgrrl]

We took our diaper bag when our son was 1.5, but didn’t overstuff it.

I wanted to make sure I had our changing pad because I just couldn’t lay my kid down on a bare public changing table. Too gross for me!

In addition to diapers, wipes, and a change of clothes, I also packed some snacks and his sippy cup. It was hot and he wasn’t very good at drinking from an open container yet.

I also had sunscreen in the bag at all times! Sometimes it needs to be re-applied!

The bag wasn’t heavy, and we didn’t encounter issues taking it anywhere we needed to.

He’ll be almost 3 when we go back and I plan to take the bag again, unless he decides to go #2 in the toilet between now and then, in which case I can ditch the pull-ups and other diaper changing items...

Goes w/o saying it but nothing wrong w/ saying it again.

Your age group has conveniences mine did not, so enjoy those newfangled goodies like sunscreen and 'skeeter wipes since they certainly cover more skin than sprays. I never carried a separate changing pad since lining an area with paper worked just as well for DGD and was less to lug around. As for her father's generation, we were "blissfully ignorant" and used receiving blankets + cloth diapers for just about everything except bibs and and psst they hadn't even introduced public changing tables in this country yet.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Goes w/o saying it but nothing wrong w/ saying it again.

Your age group has conveniences mine did not, so enjoy those newfangled goodies like sunscreen and 'skeeter wipes since they certainly cover more skin than sprays. I never carried a separate changing pad since lining an area with paper worked just as well for DGD and was less to lug around. As for her father's generation, we were "blissfully ignorant" and used receiving blankets + cloth diapers for just about everything except bibs and and psst they hadn't even introduced public changing tables in this country yet.

The changing pad is very, very light. A few oz. at most. Not much to lug around at all. And if I’m remembering correctly, the Disney bathrooms have air dryers, not paper towels. So there wouldn’t be paper available to use to line the area.

I realize that previous generations had less (although I did have sunscreen when I was little, and I know I wore disposable diapers). However, since we now know the link between sunburn and cancer, and we have sunscreen available, it’s really important to use it. (I use a mineral sunscreen lotion on my son as I think it’s safer than chemicals found in other sunscreens.)

 

[NYCgrrl]

The changing pad is very, very light. A few oz. at most. Not much to lug around at all. And if I’m remembering correctly, the Disney bathrooms have air dryers, not paper towels. So there wouldn’t be paper available to use to line the area.

I realize that previous generations had less (although I did have sunscreen when I was little, and I know I wore disposable diapers). However, since we now know the link between sunburn and cancer, and we have sunscreen available, it’s really important to use it. (I use a mineral sunscreen lotion on my son as I think it’s safer than chemicals found in other sunscreens.)

Previous generations had nothing, walked 30 miles uphill to school and 50 back through the coal mine. They were thankful for everything they didn't get and worried if they got too much.

 

[DizneyMommy]

We have been taking only one small backpack with us to the parks since ODD was born 13 years ago. I refuse to leave anything in the stroller. And we have worn baby and ditched the stroller for short trips many times (when they were under 8ish months and not walking) If it doesn’t fit in the bag it doesn’t go! We use a good padded backpack from REI, but it is not large. I also put everything in clear bags to make security quicker. Here’s what’s in mine:

Diapers and a tiny travel pack of wipes (Honest makes a great slim 10 pack at Target!)
2 disposable changing pads (we usually try to go to the baby care center or change in the stroller when they are under a year)
A tiny change of outfit (one dress)
A snack bag with a food pouch, spoon, disposable sticky placemat, and snacks
A pack of wet ones wipes
Water bottle/cup for baby (and empty take and toss sippy cups before they could drink from a straw)
Water bottles for us (in outside bottle pockets)
Wallet/keys
Tiny travel size sunscreen
Camera

And that’s really it! Anything else we need we can get in the parks in a pinch.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

We had a stroller for our whole trip, but we did full days. I only had one crossbody style backpack with my toddler's stuff in it and that worked great. We have a travel changing case thing that unfolds into a changing pad and has two large pockets that carry diapers, wipes, and diaper rash ointment. That, 2 extra pair of shorts,a sippy cup, sunsreen, and a few snacks went in the bag. Oh, and a receiving blanket. They're great to drape over the stroller to block out the sun more if little one is sleeping, as well as a million other uses.

You will be perfectly fine with what you're planning.

 

[MomOTwins]

What time of year are you going? Baby wearing gets HOT in the summer/fall months.

 

[orangecuse]

We went when my dd was 2 and packed very lightly. Just wipes, some diapers, and I rolled up a onesie (in case of accident) and a bumpkin bib. I brought trial sized tubes of sunscreen. We carried it all in a diaper changing purse no bigger than a fanny pack.

You can’t go in line with strollers anyways so babywearing is fine. You know more than anyone else your comfort level for max hours babywearing. Keep in mind some parks require more general walking from gate to attractions (ie Epcot) than others. I personally found that at MK, the attractions especially in fantasyland are so close together that the stroller was more of a nuisance.

This is so helpful! I think we will skip a stroller in MK for sure then. Epcot is our one very long day so that works well for being a stroller day.

@MomOTwins Late November!

 

[sponica]

I went with a 21 month old. We used the diaper bag one day...then my husband realized how heavy it was....I had brought my messenger bag and that fit the changing pad/diapers/wipes/sunblock.

I don't think I could have gone without the stroller but we were at the parks from open to 7ish every day...and babywearing wasn't feasible (she's about 3 ft tall and 30ish pounds).

 

[Minniemouse07]

If you go for longer stretches (we would use the carrier for them to nap in and keep going in the afternoons)... we found it easiest to put 1-2 diapers and a pack of travel wipes in our diaper bag (it was a backpack w/ a built in slot for the changing pad) along with a change of clothes, sippy cup, sunscreen, snacks, etc. We then put more diapers and wipes in a grocery bag under the stroller and used them to replenish the ones in the diaper bag as they were used. It made touring the parks easier with a lighter bag, and we weren't worried about anyone stealing diapers from under the stroller. Having the extras in a grocery bag made it easier to grab when collapsing the stroller for buses.

 

[Maggie at the Fort]

When we only had one kid (she was 19 months), we would use stroller during the day and if we went back to the park in the evening we just used the ergo and a back pack. It was great. One evening it was drizzling and my husband just widened the neck of a disposable poncho so her head stuck out too. We wouldn't have wanted to do it all day or in the heat. This was a Nov trip.

 

[2019TripIdeas]

We travel super light with our three (everywhere, including vacations- and all are age 4 and under). My husband and I have backpacked Europe with small (weekend-sized) bags for long periods of time, and it worked out great. Ever since, we joke that we are chronic underpackers, including with three kids. Sure, sometimes you find that you need something- but in a place like Disney, it's available.

Our "day to day" includes my Kavu bag (a thin cross-body bag with a few pockets), with 2 diapers for each of the little ones (age 10 months and just turned 2), a small sunscreen stick, a thin pack of wipes (or a plastic bag with a few wipes in it), a small wallet and my phone. That's it. No diaper bag, no backup outfits.

On the changing pad thing, the 2 year old can be changed standing up (and he's been good with that for maybe the past 6-8 months). Younger than that, I would sometimes bring the thin fold-out changing clutch (I liked the SkipHop ones).

We don't bring jackets, extra shoes, etc unless the weather TRULY necessitates it. We don't bring snacks. The kids do sometimes bring their reusable water bottles. We DO bring our ergo places with us and I thought it was SO valuable at Disneyland when our son was 11 months. We'll use it on our next Disney World trip when our littlest is 18 months.