Help packing tips for a 5 year old

[ellie05]

We are less than 60 days to our trip. This time our friends and their 5 year old daughter is coming with us. DH and I don't have kids and the mom just asked me for packing tips and well I have no idea. They have never been to any Disney parks. Other than confortable shoes and the usual I don't know if I am missing something. This will be her first plane ride as well any tips/ideas welcomed!

 

[FigmentFinder]

Help packing tips for a 5 year old

Five year olds are very hard to pack. Too squirmy.


I just took my 5 1/2 year old daughter in September. We flew Southwest, and I allotted two suitcases for her. She wanted to bring every costume she owned. I have no good tips, unless her DD owns no costumes. The Tinkerbelle wings were the worst.

 

[bcinohio]

One thing that worked for us when my kids were small was to pack each days outfit in a ziploc bag. Include top, shorts, undies, socks and accessories (for girls). Then when the morning arrives all I had to do was throw the bag on the bed and they knew what to put on. It sure saved a lot of time in the mornings.

 

[glk2009]

Extra clothes, unless there is a plan to do laundry mid-trip. We don't do the ziploc bag a day, but I bring ziploc bags b/c they are so handy to have for extra snacks, wet clothes, etc. while at the parks.

We're actually working on letting the kidlets pack for themselves, at least for clothes. And beyond toiletries, there's not much else that they will absolutely need.

If you're asking for tips beyond the usual, if the 5 yr old likes/needs specific snacks, throw those into the suitcase too, unless you're doing a grocery order. I also pack a few small toys for the room and the princess dresses, but that's about it.

Good luck! And if anything is forgotten, it's probably very easily purchased on-site.

 

[loves to dive]

I never packed any different for my kid than I did for myself with the except of a couple of extra outfits (boys can be messy). As far as the plane, you don't say how long the trip will be but I'm guessing she has some sort of device to watch movies on, that would work. My kid was a reader so he had a book. Nothing extra needed for the parks, there is enough going there to keep anyone occupied. I also never took toys with us, it is WDW, he would usually watch about 5 min. of cartoons at bed time and was out like a light.

 

[FlyingBelle]

One thing that worked for us when my kids were small was to pack each days outfit in a ziploc bag. Include top, shorts, undies, socks and accessories (for girls). Then when the morning arrives all I had to do was throw the bag on the bed and they knew what to put on. It sure saved a lot of time in the mornings.

I do the same thing for my 5 year old and 9 year old. Quart-sized bags work well. I write the day or park on the outside of the bag with sharpie - and just dump them all in the drawer at the hotel. In the am the kid shuffle through and find their bags for the day. I always have an extra bag with a change of pants/underwear for accidents. At the end of the trip you have a ton of little bags to pack up wet bathing suits, smelling items, etc!

My kids are also responsible for carrying their own backpack through the park. We get the $5-10 ones from Walmart with Disney characters. They carry their own lightweight hoodie (for cool evenings in March), sunglasses, refillable waterbottle, snacks, and glowsticks/bracelets for nighttime. I also attach glow bracelets to their backpack at night for easy spotting in crowds.

Really no need to pack a lot for kids. The less you need the easier it is!

 

[FlyingBelle]

Oh - and I also pack a small umbrella or $1 poncho for the rain. Target sometimes has really tiny, lightweight umbrellas that are perfect for Disney.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We are less than 60 days to our trip. This time our friends and their 5 year old daughter is coming with us. DH and I don't have kids and the mom just asked me for packing tips and well I have no idea. They have never been to any Disney parks. Other than confortable shoes and the usual I don't know if I am missing something. This will be her first plane ride as well any tips/ideas welcomed!

• It may get hot in March so something to keep her cool (we got mini mister fans O2 cool or something like that).
• A hat to keep sun off.
• Sunglasses.
• Kid sized ponchos for rain days.
• Glow sticks are fun and cheap while waiting for fireworks.
• Light weight jacket
• Activity books (with stickers) can be helpful on the plane if she likes those.

I can't think of anything else at the moment.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

I packed the same for my kids as I do for myself, with a few additions...
- at least one extra change of clothes
- Costumes/special shirts
- snacks
- glow sticks/wands

 

[Lvsdisney]

If that 5 year old is not used to the amount of walking they'll do, tell your friend to budget for stroller rental, either at the parks or another company. My DS is used to walking around long distances and his legs still got tired at 5 years old. Just something for them to think about!

 

[DopeyDame]

Nothing really unusual or out of the ordinary is needed for a five year old. (They're finally in the range of not needing special food and equipment - it's awesome!)

Definitely a few extra sets of clothes, because things will get dirty or messy or they'll just want to change outfits for no apparent reason.
We don't let our kids wear costumes in the parks because I'm mean and crotchity like that, but if the child is a huge princess lover, there will be plenty of little kids walking around in a princess dress. I always thought the PJs that look like Princess dresses would be the best and most comfy options.

I agree with the glow sticks, because it's such a cheap and easy way to bring some excitement if you get them at the dollar store ahead of time, and soooooo expensive in the parks.

For the plane, snacks, snacks, and more snacks. By age 5, the mom knows what the kid needs to stay occupied in a reasonably quiet setting - whatever works at restaurants or church or government offices would work on a plane too. Generally, my 4 and 7 year each get a small backpack that they can fill with whatever they want for the airplane - small toys, crayons and coloring books, etc.

 

[Imagineer5]

I do a grocery bag/day with an average of 3 outfits for each day - we do a lot of character meals though and my DD absolutely LOVES dressing up so costumes and dresses and such, she likes changing clothes based on what we're doing.

We have a stroller and I hope they are planning on one for their kid!

Snacks (I pack enough for about 4 snacks/day, stuff like cheese its and goldfish and granola bars), milk cup (like a thermos or whatnot), glow sticks, any other costume accessories, swim suits, sun glasses, sun screen, rain cover for stroller...

Looks like you're going early March, so LAYERS as it can be cold (or super hot, who knows) - socks, pants, sweatshirts, jackets, etc.

Oh my DD also likes to pick out a couple stuffed animals to bring, that go with some characters we'll be meeting She loves bringing them out at meals.

 

[ellie05]

If that 5 year old is not used to the amount of walking they'll do, tell your friend to budget for stroller rental, either at the parks or another company. My DS is used to walking around long distances and his legs still got tired at 5 years old. Just something for them to think about!

Thanks for all the suggestions these are great!

I did tell her that although she said she will be fine. I think first timers have a hard time grasping how big WDW is. I told her we will try the first morning without a stroller but I think we will probably need it after the afternoon break.

 

[disnut8]

We took our then almost new five year old granddaughter on her first Disney World trip 13 years ago (her mother was proposed to on the trip by our son). They drove down to Atlanta to meet up with us and then we all continued on in our car. They WAY overpacked for her and the one thing I can tell you that we all learned was very simple. Cut down on the toys they want to bring. She had every single Barbie she owned (which was a lot since her birthday was the week before) plus all outfits and stuffed animals and blocks and books and crayons. Because they drove, they thought it would be fine. I think she touched about ten things while at Disney World. My daughter-in-law said the rule should be one toy for every year in the child's age.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Oh and if you think she would like meeting characters, an autograph book and marker (clickable sharpies are great). You can get them in the park of course but there are more options online.

 

[bcinohio]

I would agree, budget for a stroller. I think my youngest was 7 when we went without one. I no longer have little ones but we just got back and we averaged between 7-8 miles a day. My DH liked to track it on his watch to see how much we did each day.

 

[DopeyDame]

Thanks for all the suggestions these are great!

I did tell her that although she said she will be fine. I think first timers have a hard time grasping how big WDW is. I told her we will try the first morning without a stroller but I think we will probably need it after the afternoon break.

Every kid is different, and she really might be fine! We're going with our kids in a few weeks, who will be ages 4 and 7, and we aren't planning on a stroller. If we end up renting one for a day at some point that's fine, but I'm confident we won't need it most of the time. The 4 year old has been twice and the 7 year old has been five times, so we're not newbies with WDW for kids and have reasonable expectations of what our kids can handle.
All of which is to say, just go with the flow for the stroller - if she's doing fine (and if mom is willing to carry her sometimes and take breaks as needed), then great! And the option is always there if it's needed.

 

[lynzi2004]

My DD is 5. I would want her to have a couple cute Etsy shirts and I would bring her favorite costume. Other than that I would make sure she has a shirt for each day, jeans or shorts that could be mixed and matched with different outfits, a jacket, swimsuit and some cute Disney jammies! It never hurts to pack an extra outfit just in case, but there are laundry facilities there. I would also include an autograph book if she wanted to meet characters. I wouldn't worry about a bunch of extra toys and things. Disney is fun and exhausting and the likelihood that she would have energy left at night is pretty slim. At most I would bring a new coloring book and a doll or something. A stroller should definitely be considered for a 5 year old. People have very different views on it, but we loved having the stroller to get around between parking lots, hotel walks, etc. Most times we parked it at each "land" of MK and then picked it back up to move on to the next "Land". We picked a spot early for FoF parade and Wishes and it was a great place for the kids to rest. She is the perfect age to go to Disney! The magic is "real" and she is tall enough to do most rides she would want to do! Have a great time!

 

[DisneyCAL]

We are less than 60 days to our trip. This time our friends and their 5 year old daughter is coming with us. DH and I don't have kids and the mom just asked me for packing tips and well I have no idea. They have never been to any Disney parks. Other than confortable shoes and the usual I don't know if I am missing something. This will be her first plane ride as well any tips/ideas welcomed!

We went with our 5 year old twins in Sept. 2015. We ordered new sneakers (brooks on 6pm.com) a couple months before on the big side and spent the summer walking at the high school track to "practice". This helped tremendously, not once did I hear a whine or complaint about feet or walking too much. We didn't do strollers (what a pain in the butt that is). Packing wise we used large ziplock bags and planned outfits ahead of time with underwear, socks, top, and shorts or skirt, each day put in a bag and labelled so the night before I would throw it on the room desk for them to get into in the morning (quick and easy). We were there for 8 days so I packed enough for 5 and did laundry once while there. I don't know when you are all going but for hot months we went with t-shirts and shorts. We packed one hoodie for the week, 2 swimsuits, underwear and socks for each day plus an extra. They also each had a mini back pack thing for the park, big enough to fit chapstick, tissue, snack, and water bottle. I also packed powerade drops to add to water for extra electrolytes and we used garden grocer for sunscreen and water bottles.
For the plane they had their own backpacks from school filled with a kids magazine, deck of cards, disney grab n go packs, a lovee, and their iPad and headphones. If they haven't flown with their little girl before suggest chewing gum for take off and landing. Hope this helps.

 

[Jennytoon]

I know it's March, but I would bring at least one extra pair of shoes / sandals. There are splash 'n' soak stations in every park (exc. HS?), and water rides. Although it's March if it's a warm day you may do a water ride -- even if wearing a poncho on Kali, sometimes it's impossible to keep feet from getting wet.

In my experience, kids socks and sneakers always seem to get more thoroughly soaked somehow than those of any accompanying adults, so that they don't dry for hours. And of course, you could always just say no ... and no ... and no we can't ride that ... and no you can't play there ... but personally I find it's easier to just be prepared.