Our family recently visited Disneyland and I thought I’d share some tips and things I found helpful. I am not being compensated in any way for the links that I share, I just want to share what worked for us.  Maybe you are planning a trip to Disneyland for Spring Break or Summer Vacation, I hope you find this post helpful.  

I am by no means a Disney expert and I find Disney frequently changes things up so I strongly encourage you to find a frequent Disney goer, a Disney blogger or website for the most current and updated information.  My sister-in-law and her family recently visited Disneyland in January and the security/bag check area was moved and completely different from when we visited in September.

My favorite site to follow on Social Media and go to for Disney information is Casey over at Disneyland Daily.  She visits Disneyland weekly and I found her site very helpful in planning and preparing for our trip.  You can also find a ton of tips on Pinterest.

My first tip is to go during a non-peak season if you can, I love to go in January and September; I have found those times to be great when it comes to crowds and weather. 

We purchased matching t-shirts ahead of time from ThePerfect Number on Etsy.  I loved our shirts; they were great quality and great price!  A lot of people commented on them and asked where I found them.  It also made it super easy to spot our group when they were getting off a ride and throughout the crowd.  We actually wore our matching shirts on day one in the parks, then everyone wore Mickey Mouse shirts that I purchased at Target on day two, on day three we all wore Star Wars themed t-shirts but they were not exactly the same and they were different colors, which was fun but I quickly realized the matching colored shirts worked so much better for spotting our group and keeping us together. 
Vacation Countdown – I made a paper chain countdown for our kids leading up to our vacation and it was a lot of fun counting down the days till our Disney vacation.  It also helped from them asking how many more days till our trip you know how kids are when they know about a future fun event. 
Packing – I packed each of my kids clothes in their own kid size backpack.  This makes it simple so you don’t have to sort through whose stuff is whose especially with multiple children.  I also packed their daily outfits in labeled Ziploc bags for each day.  This enabled each child to know exactly what they were wearing on any specific day and to get dressed on their own.  This is such a time saver for a mom with four little ones.
Road Trip – If you are driving to Disneyland one of my favorite things we did was use a fishing tackle box for snacks for each kid to have near them.  The kids loved these and made it easy so someone doesn’t have to dig in a bag for a snack or keep passing back snacks, each child had their own travel snacks.
Where to Stay – When I have visited Disneyland in the past we love to stay at an Embassy Suites whenever possible, we love their cooked to order breakfast and have always had an enjoyable stay.  This time we went in September we found a great Vacation Home Rental.  You can read more and see pictures about our stay on my Vacation Rentals blog post.   You can also check out Disneyland Daily’s great list of hotels and information on Choose Where to Stay.
Make a ride game plan. – There is a lot to do at Disneyland and California Adventure and especially if you are not a frequent goer than you want to get the best use of your time in the parks and see and do as much as you can.  As a family we talked about what rides were most important or the ones each person was most looking forward to riding.  Then we utilized Disneyland Daily’s Plan ParkTouring as a guide.  Of course you want to stay flexible and also visit the Disneyland website or download their App which I loved to find out which rides may be in refurbishment on the day you are visiting.  We actually ended up switching days we were attending one of the parks because closer to our trip we discovered the Indiana Jones Ride was going to be closed on one of the days we were visiting Disneyland and that was a ride some of our group was really looking forward too.  You will also find sometimes they close down rides unexpectedly, many times they re-open later in the day so you may have to adjust your plan but I loved having a list and checking off our favorite rides and getting those in first.  When we went in September we were able to ride our favorite rides 3-4 times in a day and get in extra things we had not planned on.  I think because we had a game plan and utilized the Fast Pass System and Ride Share System and were there during a non-peak time it worked out great for us.  You also want to know the height requirements; the Disney App comes in handy for this too, if you are traveling with little ones.  Nothing worse than getting a child excited about a ride, to only find out they are not tall enough to ride it. 

Research the Fast Pass System and Ride Swap System. – Also be aware of Single Rider lines. This will all help you spend less time waiting in lines and more time enjoying the parks.  Using the Fast Pass and Ride Swap System together worked out great for our kids they rode all the Ride Swap rides back to back without waiting in line.  My husband and I would ride the ride with our 3 older boys while my sister waited with our one year old, then with Ride Swap as soon as we got off the ride, my sister then got back on the ride with the 3 older boys again and we stayed with the baby, so she didn’t miss out on riding and the boys benefited.  Disneyland Daily has all the details you need on their Fast Pass Guide.

As a family with little kids these are some things I am so grateful we brought into the park. 

Snacks – Visit the Disneyland website for the most updated information.  On the site it talks about those with dietary restrictions and they also will tell you when going through security about their lockers outside the main entrance and designated picnic areas for outside food.  I have found though as long as you are not bringing in a rolling ice chest or something they pretty much let you bring in things like fruit snacks, small bags of chips, individually wrapped product, fruit, Capri suns/juice boxes and sealed water bottles from my personal experience.  We personally planned on eating breakfast before we entered the park and then eating lunch and dinner at the parks but I know food is pricey and I saw many people who took in sandwiches’ and even some people in line with us had purchased sandwiches’ at Earl of Sandwich at Downtown Disney to take in for lunch and they had no problems.  Again if I had older children I wouldn’t probably bring snack food in, but with little ones and my middle child who takes after me who needs to eat every 3-4 hours or we battle “hangry”, bringing in snacks was a huge help.  We also brought in a bag of Dum Dums, perfect small lollipop again for when you are waiting in line or for a show/parade to start.    We still purchased churros, and Mickey Mouse shaped ice cream sandwiches’ and plenty other Disney treats in the park, but it helps to have some of those smaller things to tie them over between meals.  That's another tip if you have a child who needs to eat frequently or nap, don't try to over push them, this is the one time we had a meltdown, we wanted to do a few more things until we had lunch and this did not do well with one of our children.  Thankfully we learned our lesson from the first day and then never had a problem the other days. Nobody wants to be that family with the kid in tears having a meltdown at the "happiest place on earth".  You know your family best, if they need a nap or need to eat, schedule that in, it will help you in the long run, you won't have a child with a major meltdown.  If you need to go back to the hotel for a break and then return at night, plan to do that.   

Bubbles – This is a great distraction if you have to wait in line, wait for a parade to start or even if you are waiting while some of your group is on the ride and you are staying with a little one.  You can purchase their $20 bubble wand if it’s in your budget and you want to do that.  I have four boys and appreciate saving money on certain things so I can splurge on other things.  Let’s be honest if you are going to Disneyland it’s not the most frugal, budget friendly atmosphere, everything costs and it’s not cheap.  I found Star Wars Bubbles at the Dollar Store and purchased one for each of my boys, we used it mainly to keep my one year old and four year old entertained and it worked great.  I even ended up blowing bubbles for other kids who were near us and they loved it, it even helped calm down someone else’s child that was sitting near us while we were waiting during part of our group was on a ride.

Glow sticks – Another thing you can purchase from the Dollar store and take in that come in handy at night.  They are great when your group is walking in the crowd to spot your kids with their glow in the dark necklace.  Again, there is a ton of light up toys and spinning things you can purchase but purchasing glow sticks ahead of time is an inexpensive way to go, and you don’t have an extra thing to carry around or travel home with.

Scarf or Ribbon for your stroller.  – I am so glad I took a bright orange scarf to tie around my stroller handle.  There are a lot of strollers and when you park them in stroller parking while on an attraction they often get moved not necessarily by other patrons but I often saw a Disney employee straightening, organizing and moving strollers, so when you get off your ride many times you will not find your stroller right where you parked it.  Having a Scarf or Ribbon on the handle will help it stand out in the sea of strollers so you can quickly spot yours.
See our orange scarf on our stroller.
Small blanket for parade watching. – This is another thing that has changed since we visited, they no longer let you save a spot for parade watching for a long period of time, I think I read somewhere that 30 minutes before a parade they will let you sit and save a spot.  Which is about the time I think we saved our spot, we did not camp out hours before for parade watching, we found a great spot near the restrooms by Matterhorn, the parade started at It’s a Small World and went right past us.  It was a win, win, because we were near the restrooms too, comes in handy with little ones.  Even with that new policy, a blanket to mark out your spot comes in handy.  I don’t think people mean to crowd you or take your spot, there just is a lot of people trying to find a spot to sit and watch the parade.  If you have a blanket it doesn’t have to be huge, even if you took a sheet which is another great idea because it’s thin and easy to fold up and take in, you can also fold it to sit on and not have it all the way spread out but it will help from someone parking a stroller right in front of your kid.  It also helps if say you and a little one are scoping out a spot while the bigger kids are on a ride, it’s not like you want to lay across a spot and say this is for my party of 6.  So the blanket helps non-verbally secure a spot for your group. 

If you have a stroller with a basket at the bottom, it makes it easy to bring this stuff in, but I realize some of you reading this might not be going in with a stroller, I would take a small back pack in that case.
We brought a crib sized blanket.
Ponchos for wet rides. – If you go during summer than it’s no problem to get wet on a ride, its actually fun, but if it’s a chilly day and you have little ones, it is no fun if they are soaking wet and cold.  I found we only used our Poncho which I purchased at the Dollar Store ahead of time on the Grizzly River Run Ride at California Adventure, which I was grateful we did, or we would have been soaked and the day we visited it was overcast and rained in the morning.  The great thing too, with getting it at the Dollar Store is we used it and then tossed them right in the trash.  Again if you frequent Disneyland often, then I think it is worth it to purchase Disney’s more durable and decorative ponchos’, but if you are visiting once a year or less, than I would rather purchase the Dollar Store ones.
Photo Pass System – This is a great Disneyland system so everyone in your group can be in the picture as well as a great quality photo by a professional photographer.  It also gives you access to all those ride photos taken on an attraction and photos taken with Characters.   I am so glad we purchased our Photo Pass package, I love the way our photos turned out.  I only wish I would have utilized more of the photo opportunity locations but again it takes more time.  Also keep in mind it takes time to get your picture taken with characters; it is another thing you have to wait in line for.  So plan as a family if that is something you want to spend your time on, or maybe save if you are at the park for multiple days.  Another tip use your cell phone to take a picture of the picture of a ride attraction as you exit the ride so you can later add that photo to your photo-pass; you need the reference number to link your photo.  Find out all the details you need on Disneyland Daily Photo Pass.

Plan a Day of Rest – If you can plan a day in-between parks to rest and swim either at the hotel or even visit the beach.  There is a lot of walking involved in visiting the parks, I found we needed our Beach Day to rest our feet and bodies before going back to the parks for more.  
A nap on the beach :)

The main reason I love Disneyland is it works for all ages; it enables parents and grandparents to have fun right alongside their children.  I am so grateful that there were so many rides my one year old could ride with all of us and partake too.  I love that it brings out the kid in those who have kids and don’t have kids.  I also love that everything they do, is done with great excellence.      

I recommend every family should visit Disneyland or Disney World if you can.  My husband visited Disney World as a teenager, I have never, I would love to go with my family.  I encourage you to save, budget, and plan to make a trip.  You will have memories that last a lifetime.  My husband did not want to visit Disneyland with our kids until our oldest was older, which I understand toddlers won’t remember other than pictures.  I get his perspective and it is easier to travel with older children, and there are many benefits to going with older kids.  Though now visiting with my one year old in tow, I would say do not let having little’s stop you from going to the park or wonder if you will get to enjoy the park.  I am so grateful my sister went with us to help with the kids it was such a blessing.  Even if you don’t have another adult with you to Ride Swap on the big rides, there is so much to do that a one year old can get on with you and the shows, parades, and character visits I think it’s well worth it.  To see their little eyes light up when they see their favorite character, those memories are priceless. 

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