A New Series! Disney with Little Ones

It's the end of May and the beginning of summer.  Families are heading out in droves for Disney, the happiest place on earth.  In January, we had the opportunity to spend a few days at Disney World, and with the help of a few friends, I was completely prepared for just about everything.  I'm kicking off a new series today  so that I can share what I learned with you and hopefully glean some insight from you all as well.  If you ever plan on going to Disney, you won't want to miss it!

When we decided to take a big family trip to Disney so that we could watch my twin sister run the Disney Marathon, I have to be honest that I was incredibly intimidated at the idea.  How would this work with a 4 year old, a not quite 2 year old, and a 5 month old?  To me, it sounded more like a recipe for disaster than a vacation!

I had not been to Disney since I was a young kid, and since so many years had passed, I wasn't sure what to expect.  What would we do for naps?  And what about my toddler's nut allergies?  What would we do with the baby when we wanted to go on rides?  I figured my husband and I would take turns sitting out with the baby and maybe our toddler while our preschooler rode the fun stuff.

I was wrong!

Everyone I asked said that the little ones would be able to do just about anything the 4 year old could do, and that was a lot.

I started doing my homework on Disney so that I would be well-prepared for our trip.  I knew it would be the only way I could survive such a big trip with so many little kids and still have a shred of sanity.

The Friends

First, I asked a few friends and family about their experience going to Disney World with a few little kids.  They gave me their best tips, told me about their highlights and horror stories so that I could learn from them, and then one friend dropped a book off on my door step.

The Book

The book, my friends, is The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids.  You'll want to check out the latest edition because things change all the time, and Disney World just opened up a huge expansion to Fantasyland at the end of 2012.   

The book, like the Fantasyland expansion, is phenomenal.  I spent a lot of time poring over the book on various winter road trips so that I could prepare for Disney World, and when the time came, I really was ready for it.  I knew what challenges we would face and what events I didn't want to miss.  I'll be sharing my experiences with you throughout this series.

My Series

Throughout the series, I'll tell you about the following, among many other things:

• Disney with an infant, 
• Disney with a toddler, 
• Disney with a preschooler, 
• Dealing with nut allergies, 
• and How to pack smart so that you can save time.  

In these posts (and possibly others), I'll also answer questions about stroller issues, what rides were surprisingly scary for the kids, the best restaurant in the park, amazing spontaneous moments of fun, the great nap debate (in which I disagree with the authors of the above book!), how to make sure your toddler doesn't scream when he meets the Disney characters, and I'll share a clever Pinterest idea that I tried and loved.  

Are you ready?

Your turn!  Have you been to Disney recently?  How did you prepare for your trip?