Disney World Here We Come!

We just got back from Florida ... actually we have been 4 times, starting when my son was 18 months old. I have a son, 6, and daughter, 2.

On the plane, here are the things I did: brought toys (I even gift wrapped a few small things for added distraction); lots of snacks, books, etc. We also went ahead and bought a seat for the kids when they were under two (even if they could ride for free), just to give some more room. We gave them decogestant, so the ears didn't hurt and to encourage sleep.

Also, we talked A LOT about it before hand. I went to the Disney website, read Disney books, talked about the plane ride, etc.

Remember, too, that you can stress for days and days, but it's only a few hours and then you are there. The hum of the airplane drowns out some of the noise and crying. And you will never see the other passengers again, so it's just not worth being too worried about.

The other thing - especially if you are worried about your daughter - is to be excited as possible. I think - on our first trip - my son totally picked up on my anxiety. She will look to you for cues, so I would be as happy as can be.

Once at Disney, I would recommend going at least one day in the evening. Less waits. Use the FastPass option. You might try and get in on a character breakfast or other meal - my kids loved it.

Like I said, we just got back and it wasn't very busy, but I think it heats up after Thanksgiving. In any event, the weather is PERFECT this time of year - it was 75-80 degrees, so the kids didn't get hot and cranky.

Also a stroller is a MUST.

Good luck - it will be fun.

Last April we took our girls on a trip (4 & 1 at the time), the one thing that I found that helped us that has not been mentioned is a portable DVD player. YOu can take those-They are great for on the plane and even in the airport. Make sure you remember to bring the plug in cord and the Car charger. For most of them you can buy extra batteries, like at Target. Especially if your daughter has some special video's that she likes, it may make the transition alot easier for her-I used to work w/autistic children, and simple little things like that seemed to help them alot. Something that brings them comfort, like her blanket also. Yes, we took big blankets with us through the airport, but it made things easier for the girls. Also, depending on their ages, if smaller, take a DOUBLE stroller.....It could save your life and that of your girls!Hope you all have a great trip-Just relax, take your camera, give them lots of hugs and kisses and remember you are part of a huge club now! WELCOME!

My sister took her kids and my oldest daughter there 3 years ago. I was highly paranoid about it, but my daughter loved the plane ride. My sister had some reading and activity books for the kids during the flight, which they didn't use much since looking out the window was more exciting to them. I have never been to Disney World, so I can't offer any words of wisdom there. Have a great time and if you are a memory saver, take tons of pictures. I wish my sister had taken more for me so that my daughter had pictures to go with all of the stories she told me when she got back. She was 5 at the time, and she still loves telling us about that trip!

Just make sure your children get plenty of time to burn off energy before being required to sit for a long time on a plane. If they take naps than a flight right at naptime is an excellent way to go. Regardless make sure you have plenty of little snacks and maybe some paper and crayons or a pencil to color or doodle. My boys had legos they played with quietly and that kept them busy during their awake time in flight. They were only 3.5yrs and 2yrs at the time...they had a good attention span even then at such a young age and didn't put things like that in their mouths. They played quietly while I held my 10 month old daughter on my lap.

Many airports have a play area now. If you do not have one, then making sure the kids can play before going is important. Also when you get there walk them all around....don't just sit and wait at a gate. They will be sitting long enough on a plane. Take them around and show them the airport. You can look out the windows and look at planes or the people guiding them and tell the girls about it and what they are doing...loading luggage, etc. After that the most important thing for us was to start with a snack shortly after take off (some flights no longer offer descent snacks....we brought healthy snacks for the kids to maintain healthy blood sugar levels - pretzels are not good for blood sugar as they are high glycemic or turn to sugar in the blood fast). This was our plan only if we flew at some time other than naptime. Our nap follows lunch so most of our flights consist of grabbing a sit down lunch, immediatly followed by play at the airport or walk around and discover things there, then nap on the plan for the 1st hour and a half or 2 of the flight. Then snack and play quietly. We also allowed the kids the chance to get up and walk to the restroom so they could stretch on the flight, but not more than 2 times. If you are going on US Air/Frontier, most flights now have sattelite tv at $5 for the duration of the flight. They also have 2 movies to choose from for $8, one adult and one disney type. On some of the flights you pay for headsets, on others you pay to get the tv turned on and they give you cheapo head sets for free. You can use standard headsets as the jack you plug into is standard size. We also took along an ipod with ear phones for the kids to listen to their music. Plus I always make sure my kids are either chewing gum or more preferably drinking something during take off and landing. Not sure if sippy cups are permitted on board but perhaps you can buy something for them to dring prior to boarding or ask for something on the plane before take off. Some flight attendants are helpful and some are unbendable.

I just flew a couple of weeks ago (without the kids this time) and as of then the rule for what you can and cannot take was anything can practically go under the plane or be checked in (they x-ray every piece of checked luggage), or any carry ons may have small toiletries but they must be placed in a clear plastic bag (travel size shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, even a tide to go stick). You cannot bring any liquid item thru security checkpoint that is larger than 3 oz...even a brand new purchased bottled water that is unopened. They will confiscate it. Some airports have plastic bags at the security checkpoint, but the St Louis airport had REALLY REALLY ignorant people working there. I had a tide to go stick in my purse, they took it. I asked why and they said it was because it was not in a clear bag. I wonder if they were afraid I would open it on board...oh wait, I could have done that if it had been in a plastic bag too. LOL. Politics! Good luck and I hope you have a fun and safe trip! Oh, and Congrats on your adoption!

B. :)

How exciting!!! How old are the girls?

As far as the flights, take gum with you. The worst thing for children is the air pressure when the plane is taking off and landing. Give them some gum or something that requires a lot of chewing to help thier ears and heads handle the pressure changes. Also, take a long a head set for each of them to listen to thier own music. This will help keep them quiet on the flight.

As far as Disney, there is a pager type device (I dont remember the name sorry) you should get. It will be a life saver when it comes to standing in the long lines. The device is usually good for 4-5 people. You take it to the ride you want and swipe it on the machine at the line. Then the pager gives you a set time to come back (about 30 minutes usually) and you get to bypass the entire line and go straigt to the front. You do not have to wait or stand there with your kids complaining about the lines. This will give you more time to see everything and more chances to ride the rides instead of waiting. It is really a great life saver and well worth the little extra cost. Especially with the kids.

I am not sure what you can and can not bring on the plane but make sure you have bubble gum for the children to chew as you land. And not just Wrigley's. I used stick gum for my daughter and she had terrible ear pain. She was screaming. On the way home, I got her gum like Bubblicious and it worked.

I also brought crayons and colorbooks for the kids to use.

Call the airport and ask them how you are suppose to package your items, so you don't hold up the line. They've been talking about it all weekend on the news, that everything should be in qurt size ziplocks. but check and see first. As for the kids, they'll be fine as long as you are

Keep a close eye on them. hopefully you got park hop passes and went through a travel agent. my sister and her husband their two girls and part of his family went and it was like $65.00 per person for one day. When I went 10 years ago I had a blast. There were rides that I wasn't too sure of; then I went on them and when my girls are older I will be taking them. Enjoy it and please let me know how the trip went and how the girls enjoyed it. ____@____.com it my e-mail address so I can get updates if ya fell like giving them to me.