Tips about Kids and Photography

ALL PARKS - While standing in lines for rides that might have a long wait, my children bring along a deck of cards and take turns playing magician and guessing which card the other one picked. They also have a note pad each to write on and I get them to write down their favorite part of the day so far. Having some small snacks on hand also helps to keep them from getting bored. We bring animal cookies, crackers etc. -- nothing that is too messy. - Jackie Pluim

My daughter, Kathleen, had a wiggly tooth on our recent trip to Disney World and the Tooth Fairy normally leaves her a gold dollar in return for her tooth. However, the Tooth Fairy had a momentary lapse about Kathleen going to Disney World and left the gold dollars at home. After searching high and low for a gold dollar, the Tooth Fairy was about to give up when a Cast Member suggested a Disney Dollar. Lo and behold, here was the answer! The Tooth Fairy went searching and found a wonderfully crisp Cinderella Disney Dollar to place under the pillow. Not only was my daughter thrilled to get a Cinderella Disney Dollar, but it also has this year's imprint on the dollar. Additionally because she was at WDW, the Tooth Fairy obviously thought that losing the tooth there meant an even more special reward. My daughter is still talking about her Disney tooth. - Roxanne

I thought I would share my son's way of spreading Disney magic. I carry small surprises for him on vacation. One day while waiting for a bus, I gave him a sheet of Disney stickers to keep him occupied. To my amazement and delight, my son gave every one of his stickers away. He gave them to the bus drivers, cast members in the parks and at the resorts, and he even gave them to the characters at Liberty Tree Tavern. He gave one to Chip, Minnie, and Goofy, but forgot to give one to Dale... a few minutes later Dale pulled Chip by the hand to our table and points at Chip's sticker. Our son asked if he wanted one, too. Dale nodded his head and when our son gave him a sticker Dale started jumping up and down and made a really big scene. Everyone else was just staring and laughing not knowing what was going on. It just goes to show you that even Chip and Dale need some magic, too! - Kelly Adams

EDITOR'S NOTE: Editor-in-Chief Deb Wills has carried Disney stickers with her everywhere she goes for quite some time. As she notes, you just never know when a child (or even an adult, for that matter) will need a happy diversion!

Make an index card with your name, cell phone number and/or e-mail address, and take a picture of it on each digital camera media card. This way, if the camera is lost, someone may see the first picture and be able to contact you. (Don't use your home phone or address in case it is found by someone who may use that info to break into your home while you're away.) You should also keep the index card in your camera bag in case it is lost. - Bret Sohl

Taking teens to Disney? Pack waterproof watches with alarms! (The cheap discount store version is fine.) Other watches/cell phones can't be taken in the swimming pool, on water rides, etc. Waterproof watches with alarms are the perfect tool to allow responsible kids to succeed when given a bit of freedom -- and therefore to let parents nap during swim time! - Sterghe

Always, always, after purchasing a disposable camera, make sure the first thing you do is put your name and cell phone number or hotel information on it! Even easier is an address label. They only make so many different brands of these cameras and they all look alike! Along the same line is to put your child's name and hotel information on the autograph book! If the Fairy Godmother hadn't written my child's name one year, we would have lost her book forever! If you're lucky enough that it is turned in to Lost and Found, claiming these items will be a lot easier. We've lived and learned! - Janet H

When we traveled to Hawaii with my young sons, ages 4 and 7, I discovered a company that makes temporary "Lost and Found" tattoos with a space to write in your telephone number. Various bands, lanyards, cards or pins can get lost during a day in the parks, but a tattoo applied to your child's arm or hand is always there. And kids love them! There are also tattoos available for allergies, autism, Alzheimer's, etc. I always use these tattoos on my children when we visit Walt Disney World now. Even the teenagers will still wear them! - Becky

A wonderful way to keep toddlers entertained is to purchase inexpensive disposable cameras for them to use. My son was 2 when he made his first visit to WDW. He loves having his picture taken and usually cries for my camera. Rather than risk losing or damaging my camera, I found disposable cameras at our local dollar store. I bought a package of four for $8. Needless to say, we have some priceless pictures! - Charlotte

A wonderful way to keep toddlers entertained is to purchase inexpensive disposable cameras for them to use. My son was 2 when he made his first visit to WDW. He loves having his picture taken and usually cries for my camera. Rather than risk losing or damaging my camera, I found disposable cameras at our local dollar store. I bought a package of four for $8. Needless to say, we have some priceless pictures! - Charlotte

When we go to WDW I want my kids to look nice; after all, they are in more pictures on vacation than at any other time. This means that they will wear good clothes into the parks. Of course, my kids are as messy as the next, so I always carry a tube of stain stick around with me. This way, I can rub it on as soon as the kids make a mess and their clothes are pretreating while they are wearing them. This has really saved us from a lot of ruined clothes! - Jenny Longwell

Disney character toys are so expensive. We have found a great way to save money on our trip and let the grandchildren enjoy the characters on the way to Disney. We buy the toys on eBay for a fraction of the price, sometimes for as little as 99 cents plus shipping. I know it gives us more spending money and our grandchildren are just as happy. - Susan Smeltzer

In response to Betsy Vancura's scrapbook idea, since every couple of years we take an "adults only" vacation at Disney, we also wanted to try something different for our scrapbook. We tried beers in every country at Epcot (not all in one day!). Most of the beers were very good. We then had our picture taken with the server in that country, next to the stand. Some of the Cast Members actually peeled the label off the beer bottle for us to keep and we added that to our pictures as well. The last country was Germany and we bought the stein to take home. I've heard of someone else who did "wines around the World." It is a lot of fun for adults and gives you the opportunity to enjoy many different tastes. - Dawn Hewitt

After doing Disney for years and years we decided to do a photo scrapbook of Disney Dining... We started doing just the desserts everywhere we ate; now we've added other edible items of interest and fun. We're hoping to add some Happiest Celebration desserts to the album in May! - Betsy Vancura

Epcot - Since we're passholders, the kids have been so many times it can get boring for them. They've done the masks and passports at Epcot over and over. What I do before each trip is make up a new passport. I include a picture on the page and certain facts about the country that they need to find. It's interactive with the Cast Members in that country and they enjoy teaching the kids! For instance, in China, learn how to count from 1 to 10 in Chinese. In Germany, have a Cast Member tell you about the wall that used to separate their country. In America, what does the Liberty Bell stand for? As I said, the Cast Members love the interaction with the kids. They are proud to talk about their countries. As a prior homeschooling mom, I am always trying to sneak in a learning experience when I can and Epcot is the perfect place to do so without the kids realizing it! - Julie Turbide

Epcot - Since we're passholders, the kids have been so many times it can get boring for them. They've done the masks and passports at Epcot over and over. What I do before each trip is make up a new passport. I include a picture on the page and certain facts about the country that they need to find. It's interactive with the Cast Members in that country and they enjoy teaching the kids! For instance, in China, learn how to count from 1 to 10 in Chinese. In Germany, have a Cast Member tell you about the wall that used to separate their country. In America, what does the Liberty Bell stand for? As I said, the Cast Members love the interaction with the kids. They are proud to talk about their countries. As a prior homeschooling mom, I am always trying to sneak in a learning experience when I can and Epcot is the perfect place to do so without the kids realizing it! - Julie Turbide