We have never been those parents that left the park midday (unless to go to the pool or to switch parks) to go back to the hotel for our kids napping time (I am not even sure they have one). We have been lucky or maybe we haven’t been doing it right, but our kids can fall asleep anywhere as long as we bring the right conditions (binky, travel clip on fan, blanket to block out the sky…ta-dah…napping commence). A big reason why we bought the tank of a Graco tandem stroller was because the sun shades close over much like Grogu’s in the Mandalorian.
Perfect naptime conditions and we are able to just continue on with our day, plus packing kids up…napping for two hours after driving back to the hotel room only to pack them up to go to the park again when they wake up sounds exhausting and honestly counterintuitive (unless you are looking forward to that naptime too and then…#beenthere #afternoondisneynapscanbethebestnaps #noshameinyourdisneygame). This just works for us so if you are looking for tips on how to make that happen. let me introduce you to my diaper bag of follies and everything you will need to survive or at least for your kids to survive a day in the park.
I talk a lot about my Tokidoki (pictured below) and it was worth every penny, but with us using the tandem stroller now, having a wider bag (more duffle than backpack) it does not make it easy to access for essentials, so we have returned to our UpSimples Diaper Backpack.
I talk a lot about THIS diaper bag HERE!
As the kids have gotten older and their needs have changed, so has what we needed to put in our bag. As we get ready to go back to Disney for the first time in a year (we are officially going into the parks). How long we will stay or even if we will make it through the day or even the parking lot is a different story altogether. We are still being VERY VERY cautious about this and are prepared to not do it at all if need be.
For a side-by-side reference of the two
My love for storage and organization is exemplified in the many pockets and organization tools that are equipped in this bag. As anyone that has packed a diaper bag regardless of style or company can tell you it can be really easy to overpack and even more difficult to go into said overpacked bag to get the one thing you need that is inevitably at the bottom of the bag and in a corner. I am able to get everything comfortably in this bag and have room at the top for anything I need to drop in like rain jackets or light sweaters.
In the mesh pocket, I traditionally put the kids utensils and reusable straws.
Above is quite literally still my favorite section of this bag. It is so clever and I do not see many diaper bags/backpacks that have this. The kids are officially off bottles so in these cooler pouches, I tend to put fruit pouch packets (the kiddos are particularly found of Happy Tots or Once Upon a Farm) as I sometimes put them in the freezer for fun slushy snacks and these cooler pockets will keep them just that…cool or I put the kids fruit juice boxes in there. We mix fruit juice and water so I just take one of the boxes and drain it into their thermos that is already more than half full of water.
My second favorite part of this bag is this…I apologize for the creepy hand pic (below), but it just demonstrates what it is and how it is used.
Check out the back of this bag and all the amazing bibs and bobs. There are straps to connect to the stroller handles rather than putting it in the bottom of the stroller and padded straps that are not overly padded to make it comfortable and disperse the weight nicely and finally my FAVORITE…there is a half zipped what looks like is a pocket at the bottom and back of the bag.
Except…it is NOT a pocket, it leads into the actual bag…cue creepy hand picture…
Why is this awesome and useful you ask?! Because if you have two kids and everything is in one bag, it can be really difficult to get the thing you actually need without upheaving everything you so meticulously packed. For this reason I back up the very thing that I use the most to this zippered area so that it can be the first thing that I get. I know you are waiting with baited breath to find out what that is…drumroll please…wipes. Great for hands, booties, spills and everything in between so it is the thing that i am constantly getting out which means that this pocket makes it easy. I do not put it on the top because right behind the wipes I line up their diapers, so when we go to the bathroom, all I am doing is grabbing the wipes and both their diapers (I actually interchange so it is one EV, one Commodore, etc.). This has been a game changer and has kept me from having to take the entire bag and the kids to go change them. I absolutely love this part of the bag and I had no idea that this was something that would be so necessary.
The padded pocket in the back is made for tech and what I am assuming is a laptop. This feature also make this backpack great for babes and traveling on a plane if you need to have your laptop with you. I am of the less is more when it comes to what I take on a plane with me. I want everything in one bag where I can slip it under my seat and be done. However, this clearly goes against my more is more when it comes to EVERYTHING else.
I use this pocket also for tech. I put a bag that holds all of our chargers (phones, USB fans, Kindle, etc.) at the bottom of this pocket and EV’s Kindle on top. I was always of sound mind that I was going to be one of those parents that did not let their kids use a Kindle while in Disney because…well….it is Disney! However at the end of the day when you have Disney dinner reservations and if you had just done a full day sometimes you just need something for your kids to veg out in front of so you can have a glass of wine without interruption or to keep your kiddos from breaking down. Also, as mentioned I have since found out that EV does not do so well on the Skyliner (she now equates it to a rollercoaster), so having something for her to focus on is paramount. The only negative is that because the bag has the Kindle, I tend not to leave it in the stroller unattended, so it comes on rides with us. Just some more #firstworldproblems as usual.
There is a really small pocket on the opposing side that does not hold much, but I put a a couple of small packets of toilet seat covers (the turquoise and gray packets) and tech cleaning wipes (I love these and have multiple packets for my purse too) that I got from the Bullseye Playground. I wish I had gotten more of the toilet seat covers (something I never thought I would say outloud).
Another awesome feature is this USB plug. Basically, the phone goes into the pocket and you take your phone charger and plug in as you would in any USB port.
Then the pocket that leads into the bag is for the charging pod. This way you can be hands free, not worry about finding a spot to charge your phone or spend time looking for one of those quick charge spots in the park. That green zippered bag you see has several charging pods in it as well as two quick charge ones that I purchased off of Amazon (I love THIS one). The zippered bag was actually purchased from Target (again the Bullseye section) several years ago and came with one pod, but there are pockets for two more and enough room for two of the flat square ones. I always purchase one or two from this section so that I never have to worry about losing charge as I take A LOT of pictures (big surprise I know) and it allows friends of ours to use one if they need or we can charge the fans at the same time. Asking each other constantly “can I plug this in yet” is not how we want to spend the day, so yes, multiple charge pods are a HUGE help and a 100% mandatory for a full day in the parks (I know you were silently asking if so many were necessary…the answer is yes lol).
The clip although useless to many and honestly was to me too is traditionally used for keys (or I would think), but since Hubs tends to put the keys in his pocket, I use it for THIS instead. Although we tend to use the baby changing station to change the kids or we just toss the kids diaper in the receptecle in the bathrooms it has been quite useful when staying with family or in a hotel room where they are not cleaning the rooms every day. It keeps the waste basket from smelling especially overnight and it is more congenial. Plus, we tend to stay with friends who have a house in Orlando and who do not have kids, so it is really just kinder to them as well ;).
On the other side of the USB pocket is another pocket (LEFT) which I put Boogie Wipes in and pacifier cleaning wipes (totally not necessary), but for quick fixes and quick drops it allows me to feel like I am sanitizing it quickly and able to give it back to the kiddos. Especially if we are somewhere where I cannot just rinse in water (like in line for a ride).
Where the cooler pocket it is, there is also another small pocket in the front (see above)
I recently bought this small “jewelry bag” from the Bullseye playground over the weekend. Normally, I take the entire emergency kit with us into the parks because it is just easier, but the reality is that it is really big and we RARELY use anything in it. I bought a small bag that I can transition paramount items from the emergency kit to this and keep everything else in our suitcase. It includes or will include; bandaids, kids nasal spray, kids tylenol, adult tylenol, neosporin, Benadaryl roll on for bug bites, two kids pedialyte hydrating packets (plus it makes water taste yummy), and a tidestick. Again the answer is yes, it fits everything comfortably with room to spare and for anyone that has tried to get any of these items from the first aid station, trust me, it is better that you had your own. Also, this bag is small enough that I can just keep it in the emergency kit too (obviously sans items) when we actually leave Disney so that everything stays together for our next trip and I am not scrambling to find things I separated.
It is Florida and if you are not traveling with an umbrella than you are clearly not from Florida. I like the super small compact ones and this one is about the size of my hand.
As per usual…multiple wetbags. I like to have more than one in case one of the kids gets sick so those clothese are separate from clothes that might just get wet from whatever reason (rain, splash areas, etc.). Very rarely do we end up using bothing, so I use one of the bags to house everything the kids need for being outdoors, such as Sun Bum sunscreen (we do not use anything else), Aquaphor for diaper rash and chafing, and Babyganics insect repellant. Not pictured: Sun Bum After Cooling Lotion (we have only one of these and it is in current rotation since we have been outside a lot). When we park the car it is easier to just pull out this one bag, slather everything on the kids and drop it back in the bag. I also keep the sunnies for the kids in here too. You all know what a fan of the theme I am, so having a Summer themed bag that houses everything that aligns with it, just makes our life easier and we are able to get into the park that much sooner without scrambling trying to find everything and getting the kids settled in the stroller besides.
I told you, easy-peasy
These are the wipes that you see above that we take with us.
I absolutely stan ANYTHING that is seventh generation
The Tokidoki pod carrier is for pacifiers/binkies (I can fit about three in here), but I am sure you could use it for headphones/earbuds, etc. Our charging case as talked about above, reusable straws with case (awesome for $1) and the plastic cover to the right is my waterproof pouch for my phone. If we are going to the pool or somewhere where I will have to worry about our phones getting wet I automatically have two of these in our Summer wet bag. My phone has been SUBMERGED in this and NOTHING has happened to it (just double and triple check that everything is locked and sealed) and it has taken fantastic pictures to boot…as seen HERE
Obviously snacks and lets take picture bribing mechanisms are ALWAYS necessary
Not pictured; several Ziploc baggies (just because, but we always end up needing them)
I recently bought THESE travel lidded tumblers from Target. I love the print and I love that they are perfect for travel, plus if Sean and I get a cocktail instead of worrying about it spilling all over the stroller and everything else (if you haven’t had this experience then you do not travel with a stroller and have tried to get drinks in Disney…plain and simple) we can just put the drink in these and there is already a lid and straw if needed. The travel containers are perfect for any leftovers or extra food that you think the kids will eat or snack on later. I always have about three of these on hand in our bag. They are really small and compact so they do not take up much room. I had gotten the ones above when EV was born from the baby section at Target, but Glad and Ziploc make so many variations, you can just as easily grab a bundle of those.
Also not pictured: their snack cups and thermoses, but these items tend to stay in their stroller with them.
A rinsable bib for those messier dinners and a change of clothes for both kids. We normally stop off at my MIL’s on the way to Orlando just to give the kids a break (it is only a 3 hour drive and I am making it sound like we are crossing state lines) but the last time we drove straight through because (#pandemic) and somewhere between the 2 hours in and the cup of Cheerios, the car ride made Commodore sick and I hadn’t thought of packing a change of clothes since it never happened before. There was no way I could get to our suitcase, so he rode shirtless which I hate considering he has the car seats straps directly on him. Lesson learned…now there is an immediate change of clothes and as mentioned in other travel to Disney blog posts, I keep this bag behind their carseat for easy access.
Here is everything in the bag (minus the Kindle)! As you can see or maybe not, there is still a good amount of room, nothing is overly cramped and everything is in there that we could possibly need. It may not look like it, but the bag is quite light and not cumbersome once on your back, so it makes it that much better.
What about you?! are you an overpacker when it comes to going into the park or are you a small bag and done kinda parent?! I am not sure even when my kids are middle school aged that I would be able to not have a backpack. You would think with my preparation skills and love of packing, I would be a much more outdoorsy, woodsy, camping kind of girl…Anywho…digressing…I hope this helps if you needed an idea of what to bring into the park and make your day a little bit easier. It can be difficult to make the decision of staying in the park and what to do and bring especially with the new reservation system. At the end of the day, a day in the park should be fun and not stressful and having all the right tools at your disposal can make those days just a little bit easier.
