Tips about Kids and Pins

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!

Before my last trip i stocked up on pins to trade. I was very excited my first day in the World and asked a cast member to trade pins. When the cast member said "No," I thought she was teasing me like others had done before. However, I was shocked when I realized she was not kidding. When the shock wore off I asked why and she said it was because she was wearing a green lanyard. I soon found out that cast members who wore green lanyards can only trade with kids 12 and under, and cast members who wore yellow lanyards could trade with anyone. Another cast member (wearing a green lanyard) explained to me that there are some people who get to the parks early just to trade and take all of the nicer pins. Having this rule lets the little ones get some nice pins. (I then asked this cast member if I could trade with her if I stood on my knees, but she still said no!) - Carolyn Kiss

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

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

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

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

I have noticed that you have been getting a lot of tips about buying inexpensive pins from Disney Shopping or the shopping malls around Disney World, and then "trading up" at the theme parks. My mother has found an even better way of doing this. A few months before we leave on vacation, she starts scouring eBay for inexpensive Disney pins, which are often available in large lots. She has been able to get as many as 20 pins at a time for around $5. Then, the day that we leave on the trip, she gives each of her five grandsons a bag full of pins to make trades. They get very excited about being able to do this, and as other readers have mentioned, it is a lot less expensive than buying pins in the parks! - Jennifer Hoshowski

I read the Tip of the Week from Rachel regarding purchasing cheap pins from outlet stores near WDW. What a great deal, to find pins for just 99 cents! Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?), when we're in Disney World, we never leave the property until we head back to the airport. My tip for saving money on pins is to check the Disney Shopping website (www.disneyshopping.com). If you're registered to get emails from Disney Shopping, you will be notified of their Semi-Annual Pin Sale, with some pins up to 50 percent off. If you buy sets on sale you tend to get a better deal than if you buy individual pins on sale. I recently purchased three sets (total of 11 pins), using a 10 percent coupon code, for a total of $43.97 including shipping. That came out to just $3.97 per pin, which is less than purchasing at the World. Since we like to trade, I just bought whatever pins gave me the best value, regardless of whether we'd like the pin or not. Now, if only we could get to Disney World to trade them! - Vicky Braun

We are planning a trip to WDW over spring break in April. My children, ages 7 and 9, purchased lanyards during our last trip and enjoyed pin trading with the Cast Members. I took advantage of the pin sale on the Disney website and purchased 10 of the cheapest pins I could find ($3.99 each with free shipping). We will take those pins with us and "trade up" when we get there rather than part with the cool pins we got last time or pay for new expensive ones at the parks. - Jennifer Aist

Wanting our kids to have the items they "needed" at WDW but wanting to build the magic before and during the trip, we decided to bring our own treat box and let the girls "shop" from that box before each day's activities began. I gave each girl a fanny pack or small backpack, water bottle and an autograph book/pen on the airplane. I packed a small shoebox with treats (gum, mints, fruit roll-ups, cookies, etc.) and another with Disney-related trinkets (keychains, playing cards, stickers, personal fan, etc.). Each morning the girls "shopped" for edible treats to place in their backpacks and a trinket -- this sometimes eliminated them even wanting to shop at a gift shop during the day! I saved countless dollars and had a great time selecting the items for the treat boxes. - Diana L. Maslowski

I am not a "ride person," so when we are at the parks at night I'm usually waiting somewhere in the crowd when my husband and son come off the rides. I stock up on glow sticks at our local dollar store, and as long as I remember what color my son is wearing, can spot him easily, especially when he waves it in the air! Perhaps I should be wearing one as well? - Cindy Strong