Best tips for when you don't have another adult to 'share' duties!

[MommyMeNDisney]

My biggest tip as a single parent with an only child is to have lots of stuff to do in my backpack. I always had small toys, paper a marker, snacks and a water bottle with me at all time. For her and really for a lot of kids a nice protein snack can either head off a melt down help shorten one. Of course not all kids but cheese sticks and slim jims were/are lifesavers for us!
When I needed a break I brake out the activity. Once in line at the Nemo show at AK I had about 10 kids making pictures with the 3x5 cards and colored pencils! Now that she is getting older I can shove the phone at her for a few minutes, but when I need 30 of peace I still bring a craft for her to do. Michael's has these wooden frames, door hanger things that come with little markers, they are complete junk but for a dollar I get 20 minutes and a glass of wine in peace!

Also I am unapologetic that I use TV or DVD as babysitter when necessary, and LOVE that the Disney channel is on 24/7 in the hotel! Haters can hate but sometime you just need to clean out the dishwasher or finish something for work! Now that she is older Netflix is my friend!

I love it!

I'm looking forward to a glass of wine.

 

[Carie Baker]

I have found I have better control and an easier time with dealing with things alone if I talk to my DS about things. Get him involved with the planning and letting him know he has a say in what we do and when we do it... to a point. He seems to respond better we he gets a say.

 

[Carie Baker]

Oh and him having his cell phone with his games on it helps too.

 

[GoinghometoWDW]

I have taken 3 trips with my daughter. Things that have worked for me are; letting her have some say in planning-especially restaurants. Midday breaks have always been a must (even though she is now a teen). One of the best gifts I ever received from my mom was setting up an evening at the child center at the poly. I was able to have a grownup dinner and do some shopping for her Christmas presents. Everything was delivered to the resort, and she never knew.

 

[Carie Baker]

I've never been brave enough to leave him with one of the babysitting options and go out alone. I guess b/c we've always truly gone just the two of us... no other family or friends. I'd love to go with someone sometime and really enjoy going out too. No fun when you are by yourself. Going to the spa or pool or lounge for a drink alone... ok but out to dinner... can't do it.

 

[GoinghometoWDW]

I've gotten used to it. I just bring my book and go. Sometimes I just can't face cooking for one. It was really hard to do at first. If you are considering it, WDW is a great place to do it. DD had an incredible time at the center. For me, there are so many people going solo at WDW, and everyone is so friendly there it was the easiest place ever to go solo.

 

[englanddg]

My biggest tip as a single parent with an only child is to have lots of stuff to do in my backpack. I always had small toys, paper a marker, snacks and a water bottle with me at all time. For her and really for a lot of kids a nice protein snack can either head off a melt down help shorten one. Of course not all kids but cheese sticks and slim jims were/are lifesavers for us!
When I needed a break I brake out the activity. Once in line at the Nemo show at AK I had about 10 kids making pictures with the 3x5 cards and colored pencils! Now that she is getting older I can shove the phone at her for a few minutes, but when I need 30 of peace I still bring a craft for her to do. Michael's has these wooden frames, door hanger things that come with little markers, they are complete junk but for a dollar I get 20 minutes and a glass of wine in peace!

Also I am unapologetic that I use TV or DVD as babysitter when necessary, and LOVE that the Disney channel is on 24/7 in the hotel! Haters can hate but sometime you just need to clean out the dishwasher or finish something for work! Now that she is older Netflix is my friend!

Netflix...oh...Netflix.

On our 2013 trip my kiddo found the new Scooby Doo series on that (I had an iPad with the HDMI dongle, so we could connect it to the hotel TV). And, it's actually a really good show (if you like Scooby Doo), so I recommend it.

Anyhow, we watched a few episodes while we munched on snacks from the food court at POFQ and put together her new "Lego Friends" sets that she'd gotten at Legoland earlier that day.

Went to bed.

The next morning, we went to Hollywood Studios, and she was a complete grump. Complaining and whining and generally frumping about. It was so bad, it's the ONLY time in all our trips (average 10 - 14 days since 2010) that I've called something off. As in completely. She needed an attitude reset, and quickly. So, we left. (she whined as we were leaving "but we didn't even get to do a ride!"). Nope, missy, we are going back to the hotel for an attitude reset!

Get in the car, and she passed out asleep quickly. I had to carry her to the room and tuck her in bed...she slept nearly all day.

And, while she was sleeping, I happened to find the iPad. Not next to the TV, where I had left it charging the night before, but tucked under a pillow. And, what was the app that pulled up? Netflix. And, what did Netflix show me? Yeah, apparently after I had gone to sleep, she watched the rest of Season 1 on the iPad the night before and got NO sleep.

Well, at least that explained her grumpiness! (and, I also changed the password on my iPad )

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

I have two kids, and in January I left my youngest behind with his babysitter, and took my oldest for his 4th birthday on a "Mommy and Me" trip. With just the two of us, it was easiest and least stressful to just think of it as his special trip. So I didn't really do any adult things (well, maybe grabbed grown up bevvies here and there), but I also didn't have to listen to anyone complain about not doing grown up things. If he wanted to go on a certain ride a bajillion times in a row, we did. If he wanted churros, we got churros. We did do room service and I let him watch some videos on the computer a few times while I read a book for down time.

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

I have two kids, and in January I left my youngest behind with his babysitter, and took my oldest for his 4th birthday on a "Mommy and Me" trip. With just the two of us, it was easiest and least stressful to just think of it as his special trip. So I didn't really do any adult things (well, maybe grabbed grown up bevvies here and there), but I also didn't have to listen to anyone complain about not doing grown up things. If he wanted to go on a certain ride a bajillion times in a row, we did. If he wanted churros, we got churros. We did do room service and I let him watch some videos on the computer a few times while I read a book for down time.

Yep, I make my vacations with DS all about him and things that allow us to bond and create lasting memories.

 

[Tiffylv]

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[MommyMeNDisney]

Wait...they have childcare at WDW?

 

[Tiffylv]

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[Tiffylv]

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[MommyMeNDisney]

Oh yes girl. They have childcare centers where you pay by the hour (and they feed them!) on you can get a sitter for the hotel room from kids night out. The in room sitter was out of the question for me.....I was nervous about the childcare center but as I said above I chose a restaurant right down the hall and popped in between courses to check on him. Very nice and I highly recommend!

WOW! I had no idea. I'm learning something new everyday.

 

[Tiffylv]

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[honeybunches]

I've taken 2 trips as the only adult (even though I'm not a single mom). One was a designated mommy/daughter trip, and the other was made so because my DH got sick at the last minute. Both times I was a little nervous, but we always had a fabulous time! I never felt overwhelmed or regretful of trying to do it. We just took it at the kids' pace, and I didn't overplan. If they wanted to order pizza and watch TV one night, no big deal. Normally, I would fuss about spending all this money to watch TV, but I tried to relax and just enjoy being with them.

My biggest lifesaver was using my phone to video some fun moments during each day. When my kids got antsy in line, I let them watch the video and relive the fun moments. Worked like a charm!

 

[terri33inne]

My best tips are several that have been mentioned;

• Let THEM set the pace... My daughter will be ready to hit the pool after 2-3 hours in the park... so when we're at a park & she asks to go back to swim.. we typically head out (the exception would be if we have a dining reservation, then I say after that)... we head back. If she wants to stay in at night & have a 'pizza & movie night' that's what we do.
• Mid-day breaks! Just as important to avoid adult melt-downs.
• A Disney gift card before we go, and any spending money she may have saved from chores, bday $, etc. She knows this is her money to spend on souvenirs, and once it's gone it's gone. She really will think about it... ask me how much something is.. how much will she have left if she buys it, etc, and there have been many times she's opted not to get it. This has worked out great for us, and we have completely avoided meltdowns.

My biggest challenge is the pool... I would LOVE to just be able to sit on a lounge chair with a drink or a book, or close my eyes, but 1) Obviously I have to watch her in the water, and 2) She wants me to play (which I know someday I will miss).

 

[Mindertaz]

Our first trip was tough - it was me and my then 6 & 8 year old. I thought it would be the only trip for years and I feared doing it by myself - especially because my son is on the Autism Spectrum and tends not to do well with waiting, crowds or disruption to plans. We stayed onsite and he struggled more with leaving the parks for the afternoon break I tried to force than he did just taking smaller breaks throughout the day (just away from the crowds - sitting with a treat or a snack). So, I switched gears and let him direct the duration of the day - he is pretty good about telling me when he is overwhelmed or he doesn't think he can handle a line. I watch for signs of crankiness and we grab a drink (or a dole whip - never underestimate the power of the dole whip!) and a spot of shade and chill until he is regulated again. Every once in a while I push him out of his comfort zone, mainly so his sister can do something she wants, and most of the time he is ok or asks us to modify or trade something he wants to do for something she wants to do. They usually work it out and we move on with both. I also schedule at least one sit down meal each day - those are a great break that the kids enjoy too, and I get to enjoy a decent meal

Now, almost 2 years and 5 trips later, we have annual passes and it made things even easier. If something is too busy or crowded, he just says "we will do it next time". If it is important enough for him, he will give it a try (Hiro and Baymax 2+ hour wait) and we have a book and snacks for him to do in line. Plenty of snacks. My daughter has no such issues - keep her hydrated and she will wait in a line or a crowd indefinitely - especially if she is into something. She just can't make it to fireworks - too late for her. So, we get into town in time to see them that night and skip them on a park day.
They will both get a solid 9-10 hours of park time in, so we are getting in a rhythm. We go back in October because the heat just makes it harder for DS to regulate, so we took a break for the summer.

 

[ChloroformSdxn]

My older son is also on the spectrum. It's the reason why I've been really hesitant to take advantage of childcare options. I want to try Aulani with both kids next year (early December 2016), because they have daytime childcare and I can try to enroll both of them. I think my oldest will be a bit better suited to it, and that would give me the option of alternating with them in there, or having both in if I want to have some quiet time in the hottub.

 

[KikiFan]

My best tips:
- make the first day a "No Park" day. Between the anticipation, the getting ready to leave, then getting up early to travel (after getting no sleep) we were starting our trips tired and grumpy. So I started getting the earliest flight out, we'd arrive around noon and spend the whole day at the resort. Just hanging at the pool, the arcade etc. That way we'd get a good night of sleep and start the parks rested and happy. Rushing off the plane to the hotel and then to the park is just way too much imo.

- I always brought a few surprise things to entertain my daughter at the hotel - a little art project, new coloring book etc. Then if I needed some quiet time, I had a way to keep her occupied.

- Really watch her sugar intake. Too much sugar and she'd end up crashing and getting really cranky.

- Part of our planning ritual included our "Do or Die" list. The 3 things in each park that we absolutely positively could not miss. We'd hit those first - after that if we needed to go because she was tired or cranky it was no big deal.

- I know this doesn't work for everyone, but I totally recommend scheduling the longest trip you can. Just so that you're not rushed. So you don't feel like you have to race to and thru the park like a mad person. One of my favorite days, Tropical Storm Fay had parked itself over WDW. The rain was just ungodly. We stayed in bed all day reading. ( my daughter and I are both big readers and never travel without a book or two) We were there for 2 weeks so losing a day to the rain wasn't a big deal. In fact. a lot of days we'd get up late, spend the day at the pool and not even make it to the park till around 5 and take advantage of the Extra Magic hours.

- I also tried to remember that this trip was *my* trip too. We'd do the stuff she wanted but I tried to always do some of the things I wanted too. I felt like making the trip all about her set a bad precedent. Plus the fact was all our vacation dollars went to that trip - it was usually the only trip I took So I wanted to have fun and she needed to be okay with that lol