Has anyone taken their LO to an amusement park?

jarebearsmom · May 2012

If so, prep me for taking J to Dollywood. We love amusement parks and roller coasters so ILs are going with us so we can still ride rides. But Idk the basics like if I need to bring his stroller, baby wearing thing, or rent a stroller from there. Should we do the Q2Q pass so we can skip lines? Is there a better time to go?

It's always been us with other young people so we have no problem going and staying all day but idk that J or ILs will be up for that

lswivel · May 2012

We took C to Disneyland in Feb. We were there a day and he did really good. I brought his stroller a few bottles of water to fill his cup and plenty of snacks. We let him walk around a bit so he wouldn't get restless. He just took a nap in the stroller and he was fine. Good luck! Hope you have fun!

onlymeggan · May 2012

We have yet to take our J to an amusement park (he's going to Sesame Place in a few weeks), but the one upside to renting the stroller is that most places keep track of which stroller is rented to you, and if someone else takes it and turns it back in, you are still ok. If someone takes your stroller from home, you are completely out a stroller.

The queue jumping pass would probably be a good idea, the less your J is stationary in a line the less likely he may be fussy (something I noticed heavily in Fantasyland in WDW when we last went... nothing melted a kid down like a long line to stand in), plus if the ILs won't be looking to stay all day, it'll let you ride more of what you want to do before it is time to call it a day.

LibberDuck · May 2012

We took John to SeaWorld in February and he loved it! Granted, they don't have a ton of rides, but he really enjoyed watching the whale, dolphin, and sea lion shows. I rode two roller coasters, one I did by myself and DH and SIL watched John, the other one DH did with me and SIL watched John by herself. Everything was fine. We went opening day and it was cold, so it was less busy than normal. We loved having our stroller since it provided a place for J to nap. We also let him walk a little by holding hands (he wasn't walking on his own yet). I think you guys will have fun! I just agree with PPs, take lots of snacks and you will be fine!

jarebearsmom · May 2012

I thought about getting a "leash" but DH is adamant about never using those because "he's not a dog" but at the same time idk that hes patient enough to hold our hands

WDYT?

LovesMM · May 2012

jarebearsmom:
I thought about getting a "leash" but DH is adamant about never using those because "he's not a dog" but at the same time idk that hes patient enough to hold our hands
WDYT?

We didn't go to an amusement park but we did go to the zoo. I bought a "leash" to use on her and H was the same way but it worked well. Granted she's a big hand holder so even though she was on the leash she still held our hands as we walked around. only a few times did she try to drop hands and run but the leash would only let her get so far.

LibberDuck · May 2012

jarebearsmom:
I thought about getting a "leash" but DH is adamant about never using those because "he's not a dog" but at the same time idk that hes patient enough to hold our hands
WDYT?

I have always been pro-leash, just because I'm paranoid about something happening, but I read something a few weeks ago that made me think twice. It said that experts who are anti-leash are not that way because of the dog reference, it's because children learn that when they are on the leash, they cannot run away, but when they are off the leash, they can run around as they please. I'm not sure how true this really is, but my DH and I have made it a rule that if John does not want to be carried, he must hold our hands in public, end of story. He is starting to get to the point where he reaches for our hands when we put him on the ground. You could always start practicing now, then hopefully by the time you go, he will be a hand-holder. You also have to be prepared for J to get tired and not want to walk the entire time. I guess you could do both the leash and hand holding, that way you have that extra reassurance.

lrn327 · May 2012

You've seen the pics of my happy kid with his lion leash on right? Big Smile Seriously though, I understand, but it doesn't hurt to have one on hand if you need it. I saw several at a local consignment shop for a couple dollars and Target recently had the Eddie Bauer ones on clearance.

Also, I'm just itching to tell you my only Dollywood memory. It was actually Silver Dollar City back then, and I was three years old. My mom took me into this little leather stamping "class" for kids that was in the tiny ramshackle (sp?) wooden house. There was even a woman in period clothing that was teaching the kids there. We each got a little leather circle that we were going to stamp our initials in. We sat in these tiny, old-school desks but each got to walk up to the front to dip our leather disks in a bucket of water before we did the stamping. Well, apparently I decided my leather disk wasn't wet enough or dried out to quickly because I burst in to tears in my little desk in front of this huge group of people and the lady had to stop the class so I could go and re-dip my leather piece. And all was right with the world then. Ha ha! Ahh, to only have three-year-old problems again!

GrayGhost13 · May 2012

We live in Central Florida, so we've been taking DS to Disney since he was a couple months old. We just spent a long weekend there this weekend.

In regards to the walking vs. riding vs. carrying thing, honestly, this is kind of a tricky age because they do want to get down and stretch their legs often but they don't have the maturity to understand why they have to hold your hand and stay close. We alternated between a little time in the stroller--which was useful for hauling our diaper bag and drinks even when LO wasn't in it--and carrying him and, in small doses, letting him walk with us. Basically, we let him walk when he was cooperative and we weren't in a hurry. If he refused to hold hands or we were hurrying he got picked up. We also tried to stop regularly in an area that was un-crowded or designed just for toddlers, so he could run around and explore a little bit. I think those little breaks helped a lot too. I have no experience with the "leashes" but I can absolutely see why you'd want one.

On the other hand, this is such a FUN age to bring your LO to a theme park. DS is finally old enough that he really appreciates the attractions and it's so cute to see his reaction to seeing all these different things for the first time.

Have fun and GL!

MrsDe2008 · May 2012

We've taken Sam to Disney World twice, but it was before she was walking.

I would definitely bring the stroller and it couldn't hurt to try the leash thing.

Have a wonderful trip!

OhSewCrafty · May 2012

We've taken C to Hershey Park, but he loves his stroller so he stayed in there most of the time. We went with MIL, so between the three of us we were able to switch off and ride a few rides. C did great considering we were there most of the day. He napped in his stroller for a bit and then mostly just watched the crowds.

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Has anyone taken their LO to an amusement park?

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