Tips about Health and Kids

We have just returned from a week in Disney World with our almost 4-year-old granddaughter. With the help of PassPorter and AllEars® we were able to do it up right. Our own saving grace was purchasing a pair of "earmuffs" (sound protection earmuffs) for our princess. We kept them easily accessible on the top of our knapsack. The excitement, loud noises, fireworks and scary rides were a piece of cake. We saw and heard lots of little ones crying from the noise. Our granddaughter has always been scared of fireworks and we wanted to make the whole experience positive. She enjoyed everything and was so proud of herself that she wasn't afraid of anything, because nothing in Disney World would hurt her! - Diane Russell

Magic Kingdom - On my last trip to WDW I had my 9 month old with me. After running out of formula, I asked around and none of the cast members knew where I could get any within WDW. After taking a $30.00 cab ride to the nearest grocery store, I found out that WDW does stock the popular brands of formula, among other baby necessities, at a small baby store by the Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom. - Cara Nelson

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each of the 4 theme parks at Walt Disney World have a Baby Care Center (usually located near the First Aid building). They have a variety of items for sale.

We Recently took our 4 year old daughter to Disney for the first time. Before we went I bought foil wrapped chocolate coins with the Princesses on them at the Disney store. Each morning I put a coin, along with a note from Tinkerbell somewhere in the room so our daughter would find it as soon as she woke up. Our last morning she found a Cinderella coin purse with the remainder of the coins and a note that said thanks for visiting Cinderella at the castle (we did the breakfast there). It was so fun to watch how excited she got when she discovered her treats from Tinkerbell each morning!! She couldn't wait to show the other family members who were there with us. - Nancy Bush

When I drive to WDW (or anywhere) with kids, I give them each a roll of quarters at the START of the trip. They can spend the money any way they want when we get there. Oh, every time they ask any question resembling "Are we there yet?", they have to give me back 25 cents. Either way, I win. - Larry Herman

Disney goes out of its way to accommodate people with mobility issues, but for those who opt against the motorized scooters, please remember: Although one doesn't think of the parks as having significant ups and downs, the truth is those walkways and lovely bits of landscaping often disguise some serious slopes and inclines. If your wheelchair rider has some weight, don't expect him or her to be able to propel that chair all day long at a fast clip. Feet, backs, and legs are going to get really tired. Before you get to the parks, consider whether renting a scooter would be more practical and/or fit into your budget. If you decide on the push chair for whatever reason, don't expect to cover as much ground as you might have, unless you have several adults who can swap off providing the extra boost (or ballast!) needed to get up and down those slanting pathways. I mention ballast because what goes up laboriously will come down the same slope at a frightening speed if someone doesn't act like a drag chute on a race car! - Joyce A. Deen

Parents should remember to shorten their strides to match their child's stride. The little kids are taking 4-8 steps to your one step. - CMarlan

I carry corn pads and antibiotic ointment (Bacitracin) in my bag. If you get a blister, put the corn pad on so that the blister is in the hole in the center. Squirt the ointment in the hole and put a band aid over the whole thing. The corn pad, since it is cushiony, keeps pressure off the blister, and the ointment heals and cools it off. - Lynn LaMunyon

To prevent blisters (we did alot of walking and no one had an issue with their feet) use bandaid blister pads and put them on normally where you would blister. Prevention is better than reacting to a blister. If you don't remember, feel the feet for some hardened areas. The biggest tip that I did was buy Dr. Scholls foot powder. The key is to keep the feet dry at all times. I put the powder on our feet and in our shoe and always had a pair of clean socks. - Terry Ammirati

If you have someone in your party who is allergic to bug stings, etc., purchase (before the trip) the "new" Benadryl Tabs that can be taken without water. My son was stung by a wasp while waiting in line for "It's Tough To Be A Bug." We were very thankful that we had thought to pack some of these in our bellybags, as we were able to give him the Benadryl immediately, instead of getting out of line and running to buy a drink!

A tip for parents is to carry a few changes of clothes for the kids. There are a few places where there are fountains that come out of the ground (like at the bus stop entrance to Disney Markeplace) and some rides on which you can get very wet. This way the parents can take their kids into a restroom and change them into dry clothes so that they'll enjoy the rest of the trip to the park without having to run around in wet clothes or underwear. - W.V. Daniels, Jr.

I have been going to WDW for the last 25 years... Three years ago I took my children for the first time when they were 7, 3 and 6 months. We are going back this year in June and I have already started the planning. The best thing I have found are the Disney Deals on eBay. Last time my kids loved the souvenir light-up Pooh bears. In the park they were around $7 each. They have long since disappeared. I found them on eBay for only $2.99 each and have ordered three. I also bought T-shirts for around $5, candy, ball caps, etc. I have put all this in a suitcase the kids have not seen. When we get to Disney, I will give them a new treat each morning. This way, we have already saved more than $150, and we haven't even left the house yet! - Aimee F.

Our daughter is not yet 2, but we have gone to WDW twice in her short lifetime. Every time we go, we stop at our favorite resort, Wilderness Lodge, and take her picture with the totem pole right in front of the Trading Post store inside. This way we can see how much she's grown since our last trip. There are a lot of places you could use as a "heightchart". Just look around at your favorite Disney spot. The Indian on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, any one of the thousands of signs, the tile wall inside the castle... just make sure it's something that's going to be around for awhile! - Alea Laughery

Just back from our first trip with a toddler. He goes down for a nap each afternoon. We were unsuccessful getting him down in the Magic Kingdom (too much stimulation) so we headed out for the buses through Tommorrowland. As we strolled through the Tomorrowland Terrace, we realized less noise, no visual stimulation, and protection from the sun! It was the perfect place for our son to finally fall asleep. It probably saved us an hour to the hotel. - Doug C

Whenever we traveled with the children we would make up "airplane bags". I would pack snacks and small surprises for them and things they could do during the flight. The rule for the bags was that they could not open them until the seat belt sign went off. This kept them attentive during takeoff and patient for the first part of the trip which was always the hardest. We kept seat belts on during the entire flight and if there was in issue with unusual turbulence so the sign would remain on we would pick an appropriate time and let them open the surprise bags. They loved it and so did we!

Don't forget the First Aid Centers. Before a trip to Disney World in October my daughter had her braces adjusted. While in Disney she began having problems. She asked me for wax and I hadn't brought any. On a whim we stopped in to the First Aid Center and lo and behold they had wax! I just couldn't believe that they had even thought of that. It was a great save and definitely helped our trip. - Amy Oliger