Tips about ChildId and Souvenirs

We just got back from Disney World. We bought our son a Magical Moments pin, which lights up at the various shows and on rides. (A secret bonus was that on the dark or scary rides he just pushed the pin, which lit up so that he wasn't scared.) Unfortunately, even though the pin comes with replacement batteries, we went through three parks before we found that the jewelry store on Main Street USA had the screwdriver necessary to remove the back panel. Our tip: bring your own small screwdriver with you. The batteries can be purchased anywhere in the park for $1.49 + tax for one, but you need two batteries per pin. It is a wonderful keepsake. - Tracey and Mackenzie

EDITOR'S NOTE:: If you are flying to WDW and plan on bringing a screwdriver, please remember to pack it in your checked luggage, NOT in your carry-on luggage.

I work with elementary school-age children and have many friends with kids in that age category. I buy postcards when in the World and bring them home to use throughout the year. I send them to my own kids (at college), and to my nieces and nephews scattered around the nation. But my most fun postcard use is sending one to someone I know is going to Disney with a message like, "We are so excited you are coming to see us! Please stop by and get my autograph when you are here. And don't forget to bring your camera so we can take our picture together. See you next week! Mickey." My friends have told me how fun it has been to have the kids get this sort of mail and I love being the secret Mickey spreading a little pre-Disney pixie dust. - Terry Heyward

I just wanted to add that it's best to use older pennies in the pressed penny machines. Starting in the middle of 1982, the US Mint switched from copper pennies to zinc pennies with a thin layer of copper. When you put these pennies through the pressed penny machine, you get a kind of "marble cake" appearance with the zinc sometimes peeking through. Some people like this effect, but I prefer to search through my pennies and find the older ones to use. - John Hayes

The images on new shiny pennies are a lot clearer than old used pennies! I suggest you roll up your pennies and head right to the bank to exchange for a brand new roll! - Cathy

Last year one grandchild got the postcard I sent from Walt Disney World, and the other one never did, so this year I took a business envelope and sent them both to their mom. They both got their cards. I also took a small padded envelope and sent a group of postcards to the first-graders in a class where I am a volunteer. (And the money saved on postage paid for the envelope!) - Deborah L.

Another idea to control the "I wants" from your kids. My daughter earned money before going on our trips. Sometimes she collected cans to recycle, sometimes she did chores around the house. She was much more selective about her choices and valued her souvenirs much more. - Suzanne P.

Another idea to control the "I wants" from your kids. My daughter earned money before going on our trips. Sometimes she collected cans to recycle, sometimes she did chores around the house. She was much more selective about her choices and valued her souvenirs much more. - Suzanne P.

Now with Magic Bands you can write your cell number inside of the band of your child.

We tried to make it easy for someone to contact us if our child was to get lost. We simply put a piece of paper in my son's shorts every day that simply said "Daddy's cell phone," and the phone number. If he was to get lost, we told him to give it to a security guard or a store clerk and that they would call us right away. - Julie

We just got back from Orlando, where my 9-year-old son got temporarily "lost." We purchased a "Who's Shoes ID" before the trip and entered our cell phone numbers on the ID band. Within minutes, after our son showed his ID band to a Cast Member, he was back with us. This product is a must for anyone going to Disney, or any other place with large groups of people. We found ours at: http://www.whosshoesid.com/redirect.serv?00006613 - Bob Franklin

We secured one of those D-ring keychain clips to the stroller handle with a Velcro strap. It was a handy place to hang all of our souvenir shopping bags that we would accumulate! - Jackie Beering

While my children were young, I would always dress them in the same color or same character (e.g. Tigger) that I was wearing. If you get separated, one of the first things the Cast Member will ask you is what are the children are wearing. [When this happened to me] in a pre-panic state I couldn't remember anything except that they had on Tigger shirts. Fortunately that was enough. - Denise

I was a lucky kid -- visited Disney three times before graduating high school... One of my favorite souvenirs from Disney is my sterling silver Doc charm. My sisters and I got silver charm bracelets while in elementary school, and whenever there was an "event" or trip we'd get a silver charm to commemorate it. I've since married and have three daughters of my own. The girls each have a silver charm bracelet and plan on adding another character charm for each of our visits to Disney. Who knows? Maybe someday we'll be adding charms to their daughters' bracelets! - Suzanne Vallillo

I bought my kids inexpensive Disney character watches before we left home. I wrote their names and my husband's/my cell number on the inside of the band. I explained to them that if they got lost, they could take off the watch and show the phone numbers to a Cast Member (or a person from the airline in the airport). One of my daughters is extremely shy and would probably start to cry and not talk to a stranger if she was separated from us. This gave her a way to communicate in both the parks or the airport. - Hope

Just call 1-407-363-6200 -- WDW Merchandise Guest Services! You can order just about anything they sell at WDW! Holly