Traveling with triplet toddlers

[extravaganzamom]

Finally my dream of taking my triplet granddaughters to Disney World is about to come true! My daughters and I have been planning this trip since the girls were still in their mom's womb. Along with this excitement comes a bit of fear...the "how are we going to do this?" or "wonder how this is going to go?" My loves will be 4 months shy of turning 3. The identicals are potty trained but the fraternal has not yet reached that point. They just finished watching about 15 minutes of the 3D Frozen movie before attempting to remove their glasses so I think they'll do fine with the 3D movies in the parks. I have been their daytime caregiver since they were 3 weeks old. It was a spontaneous multiple pregnancy. Completely surprised us. I haven't had time to research traveling to Disney with triplets and could use any helpful advice. Staying at the French Quarter January 28-February 4.

 

[jaceraden]

Do your research to get a feel for a few things you would be upset if you or <insert other travellers here> missed at each park. Depending on how many adults are coming, you may appreciate a double and a single stroller rental or maybe 3 singles. For sure *and I can't emphasize this enough* follow the toddlers' lead. Making them yield to your plans is a recipe for disaster. 3 year olds find magic in all kinds of Disney experiences that we often don't think to plan. And, there's nothing worse than feeling pressure because you need to be at X by a certain time and triplet a, b, or c is not having it - you start feeling stress and pressure and of course you know those girls are going to feed off that. There is so much magic in doing a toddler led WDW vacation.

 

[kmb584]

Finally my dream of taking my triplet granddaughters to Disney World is about to come true! My daughters and I have been planning this trip since the girls were still in their mom's womb. Along with this excitement comes a bit of fear...the "how are we going to do this?" or "wonder how this is going to go?" My loves will be 4 months shy of turning 3. The identicals are potty trained but the fraternal has not yet reached that point. They just finished watching about 15 minutes of the 3D Frozen movie before attempting to remove their glasses so I think they'll do fine with the 3D movies in the parks. I have been their daytime caregiver since they were 3 weeks old. It was a spontaneous multiple pregnancy. Completely surprised us. I haven't had time to research traveling to Disney with triplets and could use any helpful advice. Staying at the French Quarter January 28-February 4.

Oh, wow! I only have one daughter (cannot imagine triplets!) so I'll just share what worked for me when my daughter was a toddler. First, always keep in the mind that the best laid plans often go awry. You can plan to the moon and back, but toddlers can be tough, so I always found it was much, much easier to simply go with the flow. We looped IaSW I don't know how many times just to prevent a meltdown. Eventually, though, my daughter was fine with moving on to another attraction and so we did.

At 3, my daughter still took an afternoon nap but since that nap was only an hour or so long, I let her nap in her stroller while I either pushed it through shops or sat in a shady spot. Going back to our resort never appealed to me or her (she'd spend the entire time asking when we were going back to the park) so a stroller nap is just what worked best for us. Little kids have little legs and get tired easily, and falling asleep while being pushed was never an issue. The only time we went back to our resort was if we had late night plans, and then we'd spend 3-5 hours at the resort before heading back to the park.

Keep them hydrated and lather on the sunscreen.

Put ID on them. You can find all kinds on the internet, from removable tattoos to IDs that hook onto their shoelaces. I never lost my daughter, but if I did, she had her name, my name, and my cell phone number on her upper inner arm. She knew where the tattoo was.

 

[gap2368]

Finally my dream of taking my triplet granddaughters to Disney World is about to come true! My daughters and I have been planning this trip since the girls were still in their mom's womb. Along with this excitement comes a bit of fear...the "how are we going to do this?" or "wonder how this is going to go?" My loves will be 4 months shy of turning 3. The identicals are potty trained but the fraternal has not yet reached that point. They just finished watching about 15 minutes of the 3D Frozen movie before attempting to remove their glasses so I think they'll do fine with the 3D movies in the parks. I have been their daytime caregiver since they were 3 weeks old. It was a spontaneous multiple pregnancy. Completely surprised us. I haven't had time to research traveling to Disney with triplets and could use any helpful advice. Staying at the French Quarter January 28-February 4.

try to keep on there schedule as much as posable if they are not morning people do not plan on RD if they are not night people do not plan on staying late but if they are morning people then use this ( getting to the parks early helps) find things you think they will like and FP that pooh, under the sea, PP are a few this age might like an afternoon swim in the pool followed by a nap and then maybe back to the park in the evening. memeber to be flexible things will changes and will and hopefully this will just be the first of many trips to Disney for you.

a few other things rider swap if there is a ride that you want to go on but the littles are to little to go on

baby care center

and you will not be able to do every things It is OK to take things slow and just take in you are at Disney with you grandkids if they find something interesting let them play ( I saw a child that was more into the line at pooh then the ride it self.)

you are going at a good time of year but remember the weather can be all over so plan for hot and cold and rain

 

[momto2js]

You have 2 main enemies avoid them at all costs!! One is hunger, this is not the trip for a bunch of ADR's this is a trip for a stroller with enough snacks to feed an advancing army. Feed them, well, all day long!! The second is tired, this one is harder to plan around, but in a lot of cases, late nights are not a good idea.

How many adults will you have? From a practical standpoint, the triple stroller you use at home may not be the best bet. A double and a single will be more practical and will allow one adult to abscond with one child for some alone time when needed. The other practical thing for me would be driving to parks and avoiding the bus at all costs, waiting for the bus and then having to get everyone on and off again doesn't sound like a lot of fun. In almost all cases it is possible for one adult to leave a few minutes early and go get the car and move it closer so you can just load it up. We have compared Disney transit and driving a couple of times and in every case the person in the car arrived ahead of the others at least 45 minutes earlier.

The one that is not potty trained will likely be the easiest one to manage. For the others make the mantra " everyone goes every time to come a cross a bathroom." There is honestly nothing worse than being 90% through a long line and having to leave to potty!! If this does happen talk to a cast member they can some times help get you back where you were.

Evaluate their tolerance for loud noises. At 3 my kid suddenly did not like them and I became aware of how many attractions feature thunder as an effect. Bring noise reduction ear muffs if necessary. It is possible to have a good trip, but it will be really different that other trips you have taken.

 

[EllieBride]

You can do this!

We've taken our 4-year old twins five times so far and we've survived

As others have said, try to follow their schedule as best as you can. Our kids are early risers for school, so that makes rope drop easy for us. We have a full breakfast (either in the villa or at a sit-down restaurant) every morning to get us started, then we keep them fed throughout the day (DH and I might just snack until dinner). Between rope drop and FP, we knock out a lot before noon, then it's back to the room for naps since our kids don't nap in strollers. I agree that a double and single stroller might be a good idea, regardless of whether you'll have two or three adults in your group. We find the busses easy to use, but I can see where having three kids and two strollers would make that trickier to navigate, especially if there are only two adults in your group. A car might be the way to go... If you can budget some table-service meals, either lunches or dinners, I would recommend that. I always appreciate air-conditioning and having someone wait on me. Also, not all of the character meals are buffets. I prefer the ones that bring the food right to the table. Ohana breakfast and Garden Grill come to mind.

Have a great time!

 

[bumbershoot]

I haven't had time to research traveling to Disney with triplets and could use any helpful advice. Staying at the French Quarter January 28-February 4.

It's coming up this fast and you haven't researched that aspect of it? Eep!

My daughters and I have been planning this trip...

Sounds like there will be at least 3 adults? That's good.

You have 2 main enemies avoid them at all costs!! One is hunger...Feed them, well, all day long!! The second is tired...

True true true. Absolutely. I DO like ADRs, but make sure you have snacks as well, and LOTS of water. Dehydration can also be the enemy.

And bring clothes for all weather! It could easily be quite chilly during the trip, and little feet get cold especially if they are in strollers. My son's bottom used to get cold when we were out jogging on colder days.

From a practical standpoint, the triple stroller you use at home may not be the best bet.

I very much agree.

But if there will be at least 3 adults I'd just go for single strollers. That makes you guys sooooo much more maneuverable in crowds. Know where you're going, be OK with someone going right and another going left etc in a crowd, and it'll be easier IMO.

The one that is not potty trained will likely be the easiest one to manage. For

So true, too! Our first trips after DS worked out the toilet were really hard.

If this does happen talk to a cast member they can some times help get you back where you were.

Yep.

Evaluate their tolerance for loud noises.

YES.

Just the overall, all-day ambient noises of the parks can get exhausting.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Finally my dream of taking my triplet granddaughters to Disney World is about to come true! My daughters and I have been planning this trip since the girls were still in their mom's womb. Along with this excitement comes a bit of fear...the "how are we going to do this?" or "wonder how this is going to go?" My loves will be 4 months shy of turning 3. The identicals are potty trained but the fraternal has not yet reached that point. They just finished watching about 15 minutes of the 3D Frozen movie before attempting to remove their glasses so I think they'll do fine with the 3D movies in the parks. I have been their daytime caregiver since they were 3 weeks old. It was a spontaneous multiple pregnancy. Completely surprised us. I haven't had time to research traveling to Disney with triplets and could use any helpful advice. Staying at the French Quarter January 28-February 4.

not sure what you use as a stroller but remember wagons are not allowed at any Disney park. if you rent strollers at the parks remember that the strollers must be left inside the gates and walk to transportation. if you are flying and plan on using carseats airline might not let you put more than one carseat per row and seats must be by window adult can not sit between 2 if allowed

 

[TheHamm]

not sure what you use as a stroller but remember wagons are not allowed at any Disney park. if you rent strollers at the parks remember that the strollers must be left inside the gates and walk to transportation. if you are flying and plan on using carseats airline might not let you put more than one carseat per row and seats must be by window adult can not sit between 2 if allowed

Two car seats per row are allowed by FAA rules as long as they do not block egress of a non-car seat seat. For example window middle with an adult on the aisle. Large planes with the block of seats in the center are also fine if 2 (or 3) car seats are in a row.

There is a Facebook group 'Mickey with Multiples' with never ending threads on triplets and stroller options you may find useful.

 

[PollyannaMom]

You've gotten some great advice already! I agree that the most important thing is to go at toddler pace, and not let anyone (adults included) reach the level of "meltdown hungry"! If the kids will nap in the strollers, that will be a huge help, but don't forget to monitor the adults' energy levels too. Taking a break before you "lose the magic" is as important as it is for the kids.

And if you have three (or more) adults, don't be afraid to split up at times so each granddaughter can do what she wants/needs to at the moment! This means single strollers (or at least a double and a single, if you will be splitting 2 and 1) and a small bag for each child, rather than one huge one. Being newly potty-trained, don't forget to include spare clothes and a plastic bag to put any wet things in as well.

Have a great trip!

 

[Terapin]

1) Pack a lot of snacks and water. I find that snacks at the ready buy some time when they are starting to melt down
2) Kids pee their pants in Disney a lot. Bring extra clothes.
3) Sit down meals can be a great break, but pricey. I liked that a waiter brought me food and as the mom I could just sit and relax for a few moments
4) The childcare centres are a great place to take a break and have a snack, and use tiny toilets and change facilities.
5) Plan some time each day (and a place) to just let the kids run around and burn off some energy, without an agenda.

Hope that helps!

 

[extravaganzamom]

I want to thank everyone for all of the help! I appreciate your time and effort to help!