Planning
- Make a plan before you go and involve your children in the planning process.
- Some of the parks are so large you may not be able to see everything even if you have more than one day at the park.
- Some rides are so awesome you may want to try to ride them more than once.
- Since you may have different ideas than your children about what will be the best rides, planning ahead will give you time to make compromises so everyone enjoys their time at the park.
- Some rides have height restrictions and other health warnings for items such as bad backs or heart trouble.
- Motion sickness and scare factors also need to be considered when planning your park rides.
- It is better to plan in advance that you’ll have to skip a ride than to build up a ride as a must see only to find a restriction that keeps some from going on the ride.
- Remember that your children may find plenty of enjoyment in the simple pleasures the park has to offer. Small ones may have lots of interest in the fountains, parades and the characters.
Keeping Kids Comfortable
- Check to see about availability and cost of renting a stroller from the park. Many have them available and even if your child hasn’t used one in a while, remember that there will probably be much more walking and standing than in their usual schedule.
- Cover your child (and yourself) in a strong sunscreen. You’ll be exposed to the sun much of the day. If you want a tan, build it slowly. A burn will ruin your whole trip.
- Consider giving your child a fanny pack so they can carry some of their own items. You can also give them a small toy for something to play with while they are in line.
- Go at your child’s pace. Their little legs don’t move as fast as yours and you don’t want to tire them out too quickly.
- You and your children will be tempted with tasty treats all day long, try to keep these to a minimum. Rich foods are harder to digest, and will stress the body even more with the walking and standing all day. Fill your hot and tired child’s stomach with lots of ice cream, put them on a few rides, and you’ll find out why it’s a good idea to bring a second pair of shoes.
- Take an afternoon break and allow everyone to cool off and rest. Mix some indoor air-conditioned and water rides in the mix to cool everyone off. Don’t save the water ride for the very last or you’ll have a soggy ride home.
- Give your child lots of water to drink throughout the day. It will be much more helpful for them to deal with the heat and stress of the day than sugar drinks.
- Be careful not to push your children to ride on rides they say they are not ready for yet. It may only cause them to become even more cautious about trying the bigger rides.
Theme Park Tips