"What’s in my Bag?" Disney Parks Touring (with toddler) Edition
One of my favorite columns in the celebrity gossip rags is “What’s In My Bag?” – the inspiration for this blog post.
Back in the days of DBB (Disney Before Baby), I took GREAT pride in being able to spend a day at the parks with no bag whatsoever. Just my driver’s license, Chase Disney VISA credit card, chapstick and sunglasses shoved in the pocket of my husband’s cargo shorts could get me through.
Enter Ronan. Rather than carry his diaper bag AND a purse, I’ve scaled things back considerably. So what’s in this bag? I’ll tell you:
Diapers (obviously) – at least three plus 1 swim diaper during warm weather trips
Wipes (obviously) – one travel pack, can be used on bottoms, tops and everything in between.
Wet Ones – in the red package. Used for wiping hands, faces and dirty tables at Quick Service restaurants.
Snacks – something that all three of us can enjoy, in a quart-size Ziploc bag. I also back toddler-only nibbles such as a food pouch (or two) and fruit snacks or a rice cereal bar.
Hand sanitizer – for grownups to use, whenever necessary.
Sunscreen – something we can all use, because you can get a sunburn at Disney even on a cloudy day.
Water bottle – for grownups to stay hydrated…free refills of cold, filtered water courtesy of baby care centers.
Sippy cup – for the kiddo so we don’t share germs – see #7 on refills.
Boogie wipes and tissues – we all have allergies, so these come in very handy.
Ziploc bags – for taking the extra-large cinnamon roll from Garden Grill breakfast or storing wet clothes
Two plastic ponchos – one for kid, one for mom. Daddy is on his own.
Mommy essentials - ID, credit card, Disney gift cards, loose change for pressed pennies or throwing in fountains, chapstick, sunglasses case.
There are a lot of websites that tell you to pack a towel and a lot of other stuff for touring the parks. A towel is a great idea – but choose wisely. A large beach towel can be heavy and take up a lot of space.
And don’t forget that ALL bags are searched when entering the Parks, plan accordingly (translation, leave yourself an extra 10-15 minutes to wait in a security line) and ALWAYS have your bag open, all zippers undone, etc., BEFORE you get to the security Cast Member working hard to keep guests safe.
What's in YOUR park touring bag?