If you’ve had a chance to read my post on the 16 Essentials to Purchase Before Heading to Walt Disney World, you know there are so many items to get. The essentials list barely skims to surface of items to pack for your Disney trip. It’s a good start though!
I shared the list with my 4-year-old son and, while he approved, he did mention that it didn’t include everything he would bring on vacation for himself. Curious as to what he thought was the Ultimate Preschool Disney Packing List to bring to Walt Disney World, I sat down with him to have a little chat.
Scratch that, because if you have ever interviewed a 4-year-old, you know that one does not just ‘sit down’ to have a chat. Truth be told, I chased him around the house while playing on his make-believe pirate ship that turned into a spaceship once we were on board. After my ‘interview’ with him, I put together a little list of all the Ultimate Preschool Disney Packing List 4-year-old says we need to bring along to Walt Disney World. Ultimate Preschool Disney Packing List if you are four, that is…
1. Sunglasses
I am really good at packing my own sunglasses. Even packing my husband’s sunglasses. I do, more often that I care to admit, forget to pack my son’s sunglasses. A lot of kiddos won’t keep sunglasses on their face, but this kid has been obsessed with sunglasses from the beginning.
Therefore, if I happen to forget his sunglasses for vacation, he lets me know about it. Or, rather, he steals mine and I go without for most of the trip. It does, however, surprise me that it’s high on his list of items to bring to Walt Disney World. It’s a sunny place after all. I think it’s because he think he looks super cool in pictures with his sunglasses on. I have to agree! If you’re looking for a great pair of Mickey Mouse sunglasses, these ones are super cute.
2. Legos
If you plan to spend anytime at Disney Springs, odds are you are going to come across the Lego store. It is an AMAZING store if you or anyone in your family are Lego fans. The problem? You might not go to the Lego store until the end of your trip. This is great for bringing home Legos to complete after you return from Disney. What happens if you want to complete a few Lego sets while you’re at Disney? You know, when you take your rest day?
Apparently to a four-year old, this is a big concern. Especially since he’s currently on a Star Wars Lego fix. Enter my son’s solution: Bring along your own Lego sets! You’ll have something to do and you’ll probably make some really cool things while you’re at it. Plus, if you already have Legos on hand, you won’t be tempted to break into the new boxes of Legos that you most likely will be purchasing at Disney Springs. Trust me, I’ve tried to resist and not buy any. It’s hard! His logic is flawless, by the way.
3. Lunch Box with Snacks
Walt Disney World allows you to bring small soft sided coolers into the parks with you. We have found that bringing along a smaller personal sized cooler (or in reality, a lunch box) for my young son has been a huge hit. If it is Mickey Mouse or Disney themed, bonus! Like this one. He loves having his own individual, special snacks to be able to bring with him to the parks. Plus, it gives him options of items to eat once he powers through the Mickey bar, the Rice Krispie treat and the Dole Whip we inevitably purchase within an hour of being in the park. The kid has a bottomless pit for a stomach. But, seriously, isn’t this one cute?
4. Backpack
Remember the back pack I linked to in my 16 Essentials to Purchase post? The super cute Loungefly Star Wars one, right here? It’s so cute! Well, my son insists on having his own back pack for our Disney trips. The Star Wars backpack is a great fit! He loves to load it up with toys, books and chapstick (yes, chapstick. The kid is a fan.) for our airplane ride. We make sure to lighten the load before he heads into the parks. A light load helps to keep him carrying the bag while in the parks which in turn helps our arms!
5. Disney Stuffed Animal
My little man loves sleeping with stuffed animals, or what he calls ‘buddies’, at night. There are nights when I have a hard time finding him in his bed due to the plethora of stuffed animals. He has one special buddy that is with him at all times, Lambie. But, Lambie doesn’t usually come with us most places (because we don’t want him to get lost) and any ol’ stuff animal, but usually a Mickey Mouse, will do the trick when we are on the road.
However, if we forget to bring along a stuffed animal and then head to the World of Disney store at Disney Springs, it’s game over. He MUST have every single stuffed animal he sees so he won’t be lonely at night. In a hotel room. Less than a 10 feet from my own bed…
I can’t really say I blame him for wanting all the stuffed animals. They are really cute. If I wasn’t a responsible adult I’d probably buy one of each. In every size they come in. Especially the huge ones, because they are so squishy.
Alas, I am a responsible adult (most days) so I usually try to resist the temptation of buying all the ‘buddies’. Instead, for my son’s sake, we bring along a stuffed animal with us on our Disney trips. Usually a Disney themed stuffed animal. To make the stuffed animal a little more ‘special’ we usually buy a new one before we hit the road. This way little man has the buddy with him for the entire trip and we don’t end up buying the 50″ Mickey Mouse from the World of Disney store. …not that we have before, or anything…
6. Coloring Books
Coloring books, or even better, Crayola Color Wonder books are big hits in the entertainment department. If you’ve never tried out the Crayola Color Wonder books before, you are seriously missing out. I’m not sponsored by them, just obsessed. The books allow you (I mean your kids) to color on the special pages in the coloring book with the special markers, but nowhere else. That means no, ‘opps, I got marker all over my new shirt mom’.
They are pretty amazing.
Yet, why bring along a coloring book to Walt Disney World? Well, no matter how crazy packed your Disney days may be, there will always be a little downtime for your little. Let’s say you want to jump in the shower and your little has already had way too much screen time for the day. Just whip out the Crayola Color Wonder book and you have at least ten minutes to shower and possible even get dressed. Don’t push the envelope for having time to get your hair and makeup done though…
7. Mickey Puzzles
The dollar store always seems to have a plethora of Mickey Mouse and friends puzzles. These puzzles are great because they are small, portable and very inexpensive. I love having my little one complete these on the airplane ride down to Disney. The smaller puzzles, like these usually fit perfectly on the little airplane tray tables. Just be sure to check the puzzle dimensions on the box if you’re planning on this route.
8. Cars:
Cars, trucks, buses, and airplanes: if it has wheels, odds are my son is going to love it! These little toy distractions provide countless hours of entertainment. Whether it be on the airplane, while we wait for a bus or even while standing in line for a ride. A four-year old’s imagination is boundless and the cars offer way for him to create little worlds of entertainment while we are moving from one activity to the next. Be sure you aren’t bringing along any priceless heirlooms as cars have been left behind. We usually try to stock up on a few before we leave and are okay if one or two go missing!
9. Disney Shirts:
Our son is currently obsessed with Star Wars. Anything and everything that involves Star Wars he loves. When we head down to Disney this means he wants alllll the Star Wars items. He especially loves the shirts. To help us not spend his entire college savings account on Star Wars t-shirts we try to buy two or three to bring along on our trip. It’s getting to the point where he is refusing to wear anything but Star Wars shirts in Disney. Is that a bad thing? Eh, probably not.
10. Ballon
A balloon! Okay, so this one really isn’t a suggestion about what you can bring with you to the parks. Instead it is more of a tip of how to preserve a Walt Disney world balloon and bring it home. I’m talking about the big mylar balloons that are iconic and everyone loves. The ones that have Mickey Mouse on them or are shaped like Mickey.
Did you know that you are able to deflate them? You can untie the bottom and slowly let the air out. Then once at home you will be able to re-inflate them by using a straw and sealing the bottom with a zip-tie. The balloon won’t have helium inside, but you’ll still get your giant Mickey back! My son was thrilled when we discovered we didn’t have to pop his balloon and he could bring it home. Made for one happy little Mouseketeer. So, I guess the number 10 suggestion would be a zip tie! Ha!
There ya go! 10 essentials my four-year old preschooler thinks is Ultimate Preschool Disney Packing List of items to bring on his Walt Disney World trips. Do you have a little one? Do they feel like anything else is something they can’t live without when they head to Walt Disney World?
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