Kate's Take

The only thing standing between my family and a trip to Disney World is a couple of days and a whole bunch of packing. I’ve been planning this trip for months and daydreaming about what I would pack for the kids for at least as long probably even longer. I love coordinating the kids outfits every chance I get and a trip to Disney is no different, if anything it has only enhanced my obsession. One could say I’ve gone down a rabbit hole - Disney gear is a whole new level and the merchandising has sucked me in! Join me as I share my TAKE on what on theme items I’m packing for the kids for our trip to Disney World.

Backpacks

When we travel the kids always get a backpack full of books, activities and snacks. The contents are generally a combination of new and old items and always are a surprise to them i.e. no opening your backpack until we are seated on the plane. For this trip I’ve gone full out Disney all the way down to the Mickey Mouse Goldfish and Frozen fruit snacks. Here’s hoping that the kids actually notice the theme.

See below for some of my favorite finds:

Clothing

Typically I dress my kids pretty plainly meaning that their wardrobes are full of solid colors, stripes and if they are lucky stars, polka dots and an occasional floral applique. So I think they will be pretty surprised when they see some of their new Disney gear. I mean I didn’t want them to be the only ones in the theme park without a Mickey Mouse shirt on. Over the course, of a couple of months I collected a few items for each kid and naturally, at the last minute felt like my husband and I needed something too so I placed an Amazon order for sweatshirts!

A lot of what I purchased is no longer in stores but here are some of my current favorites:

If time allows, I’d highly recommend personalizing some basic items from Primary or a denim jacket with some Disney patches. We opted for Minnie Mouse and Star Wars themes and sewed them vs ironing to ensure they were properly attached.

The only thing I don’t plan to pack but probably should, is raincoats. It often rains in Orlando even if just for a bit, but I can’t bring myself to pack the raincoats. For one, I’m always short on suitcase space and there is something nostalgic from my youth about of those yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos that they sell in the parks! They are indeed a photo op waiting to happen.

If you’re on your way to Disney or just thinking about a future trip, I hope you have just as much planning and preparing as I did!

A compilation fo Katestake.com Disney Posts:

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It’s official, we’re going to Disney World! It’s a secret we had been keeping from the kids for at least six months and shared on Christmas morning. It was a challenge to keep from the kids and personally, I feel that sharing news of a trip to Disney World is a pretty big deal. If you’re kids are into Disney it can be one of those magical moments. I mean we’ve also seen the videos on YouTube when the kids find out they’re going to Disney and start crying, right? But when is the right time to share? Do you do it when the trip is booked months in advance or do you share the day of departure? We netted out on sharing Christmas morning as this really was their big gift and we felt that it was close enough away that they would still be vested. I was excited and nervous to share both because of the amount of planning that goes into such a trip and the fact of the matter was, I wanted a big reaction. Please read on for my TAKE on sharing news of a trip to Disney!

Not surprisingly, I read up a bit on this topic and the majority of parents agree that if you plan to share this news prior to the day of departure it’s best to include some sort of book or toy to further excite them. Because, our kids had never been to Disney World and don’t understand exactly what such a trip means or what to expect I agreed with the advice. I knew this would especially be true for my 2 year old and somewhat for the older ones and the bottom line was, I wanted them to be excited!

In order to accomplish this goal, I came up with the following plan. On Christmas morning the first gift of Christmas would be a gift for all of them announcing our trip to Disney World (inclusive of a note about the trip and our magic bands) and then each child would open a Disney themed box full of presents geared towards their interests. It was really fun to collect the Disney themed items leading up to Christmas and share with them on Christmas morning along with the news. We made sure to reiterate that these gifts were from Mom and Dad as I certainly don’t want to be the parent of kids who spreads rumors that Santa gives out trips to Disney World! :)

Disney Themed Goodies

Each kid had their own Disney themed Christmas present to open that included a variety of books, toys and clothes appropriate for them. Here are some of my favorite finds: Mickey Mouse pajamas, LEGO DUPLO My first Mickey Build, LEGO Steamboat Willie, Disney Pixar Cars Die Cast Set, Disney Princess Ultimate Sticker Collection, Minnie Mouse Lip Smacker, Where is Walt Disney World?, Birnbaum’s 2020 Disney World for Kids Guidebook and finally, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney.

Without a doubt, the Birnbaum’s 2020 Disney World Guidebook for Kids has been the most popular because it shares photos of most of the rides in every park, ranks them, offers tips and planning guides all based on a child’s perspective. Literally, this book is read or the pictures looked at by one of my kids every single day and it will absolutely be coming with us on our trip!

Counting Down the Days

When we shared the news we were still a month plus away from our departure date so we made a paper chain, which was included in the first box they opened (see below) to help the kids count down the remainder of the days. It has continued to help engage them and works as a daily math lesson!

Needless to say, the reveal was a hit. I was kind of hoping for jumping up and down or spontaneous tears but regardless, the kids were very excited and their excitement has intensified especially as we are less than two weeks out from our trip. All of the planning has paid off and while we know it will be exhausting we can’t wait to experience the magic with them and hopefully, some sunshine!

A compilation fo Katestake.com Disney Posts:

We’re Going to Disney World
Disney or Bust! - A Packing Guide
Walt Disney World Guide
Walt Disney World Park Review

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