5 Tips for Taking Preschoolers to Disneyland
theme parks & cruise vacations • tips for traveling with children
Taking preschoolers to Disneyland can be a fun, rewarding, memory making experience! It doesn't have to be frustrating or hard with just a few simple tips.
1. Arrive the afternoon before you go to the park. Let your little one explore the hotel room, swim, and run! If you've been in the car or on a plane, they probably have a lot of wiggles they need to get out.
This last trip we took, we spent the afternoon at the hotel pool. We ate a light dinner and all slept great! We woke up rested and ready to tackle the park.
2. Go with the flow. If your preschooler is great in the morning, take advantage of it! Get in to the park and hit those rides!
When I start to see Riley slow down, that is the perfect time for a snack and a rest. The Enchanted Tiki Room is dark and cool. Riley always enjoys getting a little Dole Whip and watching the birds sing. (A small warning: there is a simulated thunderstorm, so it your little one doesn't like storms, that may be a ride you'd like to avoid.)
3. Speaking of rides to avoid - Do your research! There are rides that preschoolers could find stressful. If yours don't like the dark, then the Haunted Mansion is probably not their speed.
Disneyland has an amazing resource for this. Click on 'things to do', then 'attraction'. You can click your child's age and height and find a list of rides that will be just perfect for you!
4. Enjoy the characters and performances!
This is the perfect age to enjoy the parades and the characters! If you are having a hard time finding any characters, ask any cast member! Let them know who your little one would really like to meet, and they will give you great advice on where to head in the park.
5. Be willing to split up.
This tip is hard for me. When we go to Disneyland, I want everyone to stay together, all the time, for all the things for "the perfect family Disneyland vacation". But, sometimes we can have a better time when one of us takes the older kids to the rides they'd like to do and the other one of us takes our preschooler for a trip on the Mark Twain.
Do you have any tips you can share? Let us know in the comments!
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