Keeping the children watered...

[Electra2D]

Two boys, 3 and 6, and we'll have a double stroller (yep!). Going at the end of June/beg of July and wondering how to best keep our kids cool and hydrated, along with a good touring plan, misting fans, cooling towels, wet attractions, ACed meals/attractions, and sometimes taking a break at the hotel (if we're at MK, since we're staying at CR). I know that when we're going to nearby attractions we won't have the stroller near us, and might want water while we watch a show or wait in a line.

I don't want to be a sherpa and plan on only carrying a very small crossbody bag myself for my phone. DH will have a similar, small bag. I'll have changes of clothes, rain jackets/ponchos, extra sunscreen, snacks and whatever cooler Kingdom Strollers provides in the stroller, but I am thinking about having my boys each carry their own water in one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/NEOSLING-Adjustable-Neoprene-Bottle-Racecar/dp/B004VAABZ4 I don't want to leave a bunch of $30+ water bottles in the stroller (except maybe in a cooler?), and initial test run found them favorable among the users (though they were novel)!

Each boy has an insulated stainless water bottle (12 oz each?), but I'm wondering if we should have bottled waters or a jug (I have a 64 oz Kleen Kanteen, not insulated) in the cooler, along with ice (if ice will even stay ice in these little coolers?), so I can refill them and keep the water cool. Or should we have larger capacity uninsulated water bottles instead (like Camelbak Chute et al)? Or just buy packs of bottled waters, keep them in the "cooler", and totally forgo the reusable bottles, which will be a hassle to keep clean in a hotel? Should we just plan on getting water in the QS places? That seems like kind of a time suck, since we can't do rope drop to close. I don't want to "waste" too much time while we are actually IN the parks. Also, do your kiddos seem to drink more water if they have something like the "Liquid IV" or "Stur" to add a little flavor and maybe electrolytes (not sure how I feel about Stevia with kids....)? I only have a Yeti cup-style insulated thing myself, so I would need to BUY something ELSE for this trip (maybe DH won't notice the 75th Amazon package arriving......?) if that won't work for me. I personally prefer drinking cold water even when sitting in an ACed office. Of course the trade-off of them carrying their own water is more potty breaks, but that's probably not a bad problem to have.

My oldest also has one of those backpacks with a water bladder/straw tube, but I would think that water is going to be hot and nasty as will his back, plus I think it will be a hassle for him to deal with it getting on and off rides and I don't think it will be easy to clean that out in the hotel. The little slings are small and lightweight.

DH says I'm overthinking this (OBVIOUSLY), which is why I came to this support group, er, forum. But seriously what tricks do you employ for keeping your little kiddos hydrated in the heat? I'm clearly knee-deep into the minutiae of this trip since I have nothing else left to do before we go.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

We take a lot of breaks near counter services restaurants so we can get a bunch of ice waters. We go a lot slower in the summer time because the breaks are necessary. Someone needs a potty break? Send another adult to get some waters. Someone needs a snack? Get some waters! Someone sitting out a ride bc they are too short or too scared to ride? Send them to get waters! We bring a sippy cup or small water bottle per kid and just keep handing it to them every chance we get. Adults just drink from the CS cups.

 

[rg35]

This isn't a trek through the Sahara desert lol

We have been doing WDW (in July and August - the hottest months) w/ our triplets since they were 4 years old. We have three insulated water bottles that I partially fill the night before (about 1/4) and freeze so ice forms on the bottom. The next morning I fill them up w/ refrigerated water. When they finish water we fill them up at fountains or elsewhere.

We do TS lunch and dinners, so that's always a good break as well.

Finally, get them used to wearing baseball hats (or any kind of hat with a brim), which will keep the sun off their head and out of their faces. While you're going to have a stroller, expect that the 6yo might not want to actually sit in one so he won't be afforded the shade that comes with it.

It seems like you're really going for a commando touring style, but I've learned over the years that's not really feasible with kids. You should moderate your expectations to include the need to take breaks - both for refilling water/refreshments and using the bathroom.

 

[goodeats]

We went last August and in the daytime hours DH wore a camelback that we filled with ice water at the resort and we all shared. It stayed cool. I had a refillable bottle too, but I'm not sure if I carried that as well. Maybe during the day? The girls definitely didn't carry around their own water bottles (9 and 6 so no stroller). We made sure to make everyone drink and at meals everyone drank cups and cups of water.

We also, without fail, took breaks at our resort during the hottest hours.

 

[Smrtalec33]

We just got back, and it was brutally hot.
For our four-day trip, I had a 24 pack of water delivered to our hotel, and I bought a 32 ounce simple modern brand insulated water bottle. Every day I would fill it with ice and add in one bottle of water, and bring several other full plastic water bottles with me to the parks, so when the steel water bottle was empty, I would add another plastic bottle. We took afternoon breaks at the hotel every day, and I would fill it up again with ice and water before leaving. This worked great for us. Our water was very cold and tasty, and it never slowed us down having to get refills anywhere.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Two boys, 3 and 6, and we'll have a double stroller (yep!). Going at the end of June/beg of July and wondering how to best keep our kids cool and hydrated, along with a good touring plan, misting fans, cooling towels, wet attractions, ACed meals/attractions, and sometimes taking a break at the hotel (if we're at MK, since we're staying at CR). I know that when we're going to nearby attractions we won't have the stroller near us, and might want water while we watch a show or wait in a line.

I don't want to be a sherpa and plan on only carrying a very small crossbody bag myself for my phone. DH will have a similar, small bag. I'll have changes of clothes, rain jackets/ponchos, extra sunscreen, snacks and whatever cooler Kingdom Strollers provides in the stroller, but I am thinking about having my boys each carry their own water in one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/NEOSLING-Adjustable-Neoprene-Bottle-Racecar/dp/B004VAABZ4 I don't want to leave a bunch of $30+ water bottles in the stroller (except maybe in a cooler?), and initial test run found them favorable among the users (though they were novel)!

Each boy has an insulated stainless water bottle (12 oz each?), but I'm wondering if we should have bottled waters or a jug (I have a 64 oz Kleen Kanteen, not insulated) in the cooler, along with ice (if ice will even stay ice in these little coolers?), so I can refill them and keep the water cool. Or should we have larger capacity uninsulated water bottles instead (like Camelbak Chute et al)? Or just buy packs of bottled waters, keep them in the "cooler", and totally forgo the reusable bottles, which will be a hassle to keep clean in a hotel? Should we just plan on getting water in the QS places? That seems like kind of a time suck, since we can't do rope drop to close. I don't want to "waste" too much time while we are actually IN the parks. Also, do your kiddos seem to drink more water if they have something like the "Liquid IV" or "Stur" to add a little flavor and maybe electrolytes (not sure how I feel about Stevia with kids....)? I only have a Yeti cup-style insulated thing myself, so I would need to BUY something ELSE for this trip (maybe DH won't notice the 75th Amazon package arriving......?) if that won't work for me. I personally prefer drinking cold water even when sitting in an ACed office. Of course the trade-off of them carrying their own water is more potty breaks, but that's probably not a bad problem to have.

My oldest also has one of those backpacks with a water bladder/straw tube, but I would think that water is going to be hot and nasty as will his back, plus I think it will be a hassle for him to deal with it getting on and off rides and I don't think it will be easy to clean that out in the hotel. The little slings are small and lightweight.

DH says I'm overthinking this (OBVIOUSLY), which is why I came to this support group, er, forum. But seriously what tricks do you employ for keeping your little kiddos hydrated in the heat? I'm clearly knee-deep into the minutiae of this trip since I have nothing else left to do before we go.

When we first went to WDW we did much like your thinking and carried containers to refill with us. This got old (and tiring) fast so by the 2nd trip so we stopped carrying and opted for the cold refreshing cups of water readily available at the QS eateries and various convenient spots along the way.

Now that they are older (aged between 10 and 13) nobody wants to carry a bottle of water and I'm not playing Gunga Din for them. Like others we just get cold water at the counter service places and various water dispensaries through out the parks and resorts. We still use the cooling cloths (get them from your local box store in the construction aisles; cheaper than the online versions advertised by some Disney blog or the other) but the spray bottle fans remain at home gathering dust since none of the kiddos want to carry them either. I'm not worried about the family being dehydrated since they are only allowed one soda a day (Oh look, Noonie made a vacation allowance and when we get back home we can go for the norm which is one a week, LOL). They tend to have that at dinner time and constantly drink water whenever they want the rest of the time. Get them used to this in daily life and they'll never "under drink".

I think the water carriers you found would be great for a camping trip or city touring but it really isn't needed for WDW.
Unless you just want to spend some money.

 

[scrapquitler]

Two boys, 3 and 6, and we'll have a double stroller (yep!). Going at the end of June/beg of July and wondering how to best keep our kids cool and hydrated, along with a good touring plan, misting fans, cooling towels, wet attractions, ACed meals/attractions, and sometimes taking a break at the hotel (if we're at MK, since we're staying at CR). I know that when we're going to nearby attractions we won't have the stroller near us, and might want water while we watch a show or wait in a line.

I don't want to be a sherpa and plan on only carrying a very small crossbody bag myself for my phone. DH will have a similar, small bag. I'll have changes of clothes, rain jackets/ponchos, extra sunscreen, snacks and whatever cooler Kingdom Strollers provides in the stroller, but I am thinking about having my boys each carry their own water in one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/NEOSLING-Adjustable-Neoprene-Bottle-Racecar/dp/B004VAABZ4 I don't want to leave a bunch of $30+ water bottles in the stroller (except maybe in a cooler?), and initial test run found them favorable among the users (though they were novel)!

Each boy has an insulated stainless water bottle (12 oz each?), but I'm wondering if we should have bottled waters or a jug (I have a 64 oz Kleen Kanteen, not insulated) in the cooler, along with ice (if ice will even stay ice in these little coolers?), so I can refill them and keep the water cool. Or should we have larger capacity uninsulated water bottles instead (like Camelbak Chute et al)? Or just buy packs of bottled waters, keep them in the "cooler", and totally forgo the reusable bottles, which will be a hassle to keep clean in a hotel? Should we just plan on getting water in the QS places? That seems like kind of a time suck, since we can't do rope drop to close. I don't want to "waste" too much time while we are actually IN the parks. Also, do your kiddos seem to drink more water if they have something like the "Liquid IV" or "Stur" to add a little flavor and maybe electrolytes (not sure how I feel about Stevia with kids....)? I only have a Yeti cup-style insulated thing myself, so I would need to BUY something ELSE for this trip (maybe DH won't notice the 75th Amazon package arriving......?) if that won't work for me. I personally prefer drinking cold water even when sitting in an ACed office. Of course the trade-off of them carrying their own water is more potty breaks, but that's probably not a bad problem to have.

My oldest also has one of those backpacks with a water bladder/straw tube, but I would think that water is going to be hot and nasty as will his back, plus I think it will be a hassle for him to deal with it getting on and off rides and I don't think it will be easy to clean that out in the hotel. The little slings are small and lightweight.

DH says I'm overthinking this (OBVIOUSLY), which is why I came to this support group, er, forum. But seriously what tricks do you employ for keeping your little kiddos hydrated in the heat? I'm clearly knee-deep into the minutiae of this trip since I have nothing else left to do before we go.

Water is heavy to carry, and I don't want to deal with having to keep track of everyone's refillable water bottles. I'd carry one or two (disposable) water bottles into the park and when they are gone I'd toss them. Then I'd just keep stopping at the counter service restaurants and getting the free waters there. Toss them when they are empty. You always have a clean, fresh cup of cold water with ice, and you don't have to keep track of it, worry about cleaning it out in the room, or lugging it around. Simple is better.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Two boys, 3 and 6, and we'll have a double stroller (yep!). Going at the end of June/beg of July and wondering how to best keep our kids cool and hydrated, along with a good touring plan, misting fans, cooling towels, wet attractions, ACed meals/attractions, and sometimes taking a break at the hotel (if we're at MK, since we're staying at CR). I know that when we're going to nearby attractions we won't have the stroller near us, and might want water while we watch a show or wait in a line.

I don't want to be a sherpa and plan on only carrying a very small crossbody bag myself for my phone. DH will have a similar, small bag. I'll have changes of clothes, rain jackets/ponchos, extra sunscreen, snacks and whatever cooler Kingdom Strollers provides in the stroller, but I am thinking about having my boys each carry their own water in one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/NEOSLING-Adjustable-Neoprene-Bottle-Racecar/dp/B004VAABZ4 I don't want to leave a bunch of $30+ water bottles in the stroller (except maybe in a cooler?), and initial test run found them favorable among the users (though they were novel)!

Each boy has an insulated stainless water bottle (12 oz each?), but I'm wondering if we should have bottled waters or a jug (I have a 64 oz Kleen Kanteen, not insulated) in the cooler, along with ice (if ice will even stay ice in these little coolers?), so I can refill them and keep the water cool. Or should we have larger capacity uninsulated water bottles instead (like Camelbak Chute et al)? Or just buy packs of bottled waters, keep them in the "cooler", and totally forgo the reusable bottles, which will be a hassle to keep clean in a hotel? Should we just plan on getting water in the QS places? That seems like kind of a time suck, since we can't do rope drop to close. I don't want to "waste" too much time while we are actually IN the parks. Also, do your kiddos seem to drink more water if they have something like the "Liquid IV" or "Stur" to add a little flavor and maybe electrolytes (not sure how I feel about Stevia with kids....)? I only have a Yeti cup-style insulated thing myself, so I would need to BUY something ELSE for this trip (maybe DH won't notice the 75th Amazon package arriving......?) if that won't work for me. I personally prefer drinking cold water even when sitting in an ACed office. Of course the trade-off of them carrying their own water is more potty breaks, but that's probably not a bad problem to have.

My oldest also has one of those backpacks with a water bladder/straw tube, but I would think that water is going to be hot and nasty as will his back, plus I think it will be a hassle for him to deal with it getting on and off rides and I don't think it will be easy to clean that out in the hotel. The little slings are small and lightweight.

DH says I'm overthinking this (OBVIOUSLY), which is why I came to this support group, er, forum. But seriously what tricks do you employ for keeping your little kiddos hydrated in the heat? I'm clearly knee-deep into the minutiae of this trip since I have nothing else left to do before we go.

Have you actually bought and tried out those specific slings? My mom bought one for my DD for a Disney trip a couple years ago (actually checked our Order History to confirm it was the same one). DD was 7 at the time and really didn't like using it. It did have a strong chemical smell that faded when washed, but you could still smell it. The main issues though were that it didn't fit her smaller water bottle snuggly and so both the bottle and the carrier were constantly bouncing around as she walked and whenever she'd sit on the bus or a ride, her water bottle kept falling out since there was nothing to really secure it in place. The strap was also pretty thick and in the August heat, it made her sweat more under the strap, and it kept riding up against her neck as she walked. We thought it would have been better based on the reviews, but it was really just a hassle and after the first full day, she asked not to have to wear it anymore.

We mostly drank the free ice water from the quick services. A couple of them actually had trays set out on the counter with cups of ice water that they were constantly restocking, and for those that didn't, it was never a long wait. One adult went up and grabbed enough water for everyone while the rest of the group found a spot to sit for a couple mins. It worked well as we were able to both hydrate and get off our feet for a minute. It was also a great time for bathroom breaks with whoever didn't have to go getting the water for everyone.

We did buy a couple slushes over the trip and shared them, and had other drinks with meals, but the majority of what we drank was water. I can't really get my kids to drink unflavored water in real life, but at Disney they were downing it without a problem. I think the heat just does that to you.

So to sum up, I would skip the slings and just stop and get the free ice water frequently. It's simple, doesn't require hauling a bunch of extra stuff into the park or worrying about it getting lost or stolen, and you won't have to worry about trying to keep anything cold.

 

[MainMom]

I make my teenagers bring a bottle of water and drink it on the bus to the park in the morning. Then stop in QS for a cup of water as we go, a nice big glass at lunch, etc. None of us want to lug around bottles all day.

 

[Spunky946]

Way over thinking it. We usually fill up our mugs before we leave the resort in the morning and stop and get drinks or water along the way. We will stop and get water from the quick service and put it in our mug or sometimes if I want something really cold, I’ll buy some bottled water. No need to lug around a lot of big bottles.

 

[quandrea]

Free water. It’s cold and delicious on a hot day. You don’t have to carry it. Your own water will get hot and gross.

 

[traveler000mkl]

When we were still using stroller, we carried two insulated bottles and it wasn't a big deal as we had a stroller. This time, we are opting for one collapsible water bottle for the family of four. We will request water from QS and carry a small amount of left over from drinking, if any. That way we don't have to carry heavy insulated water bottles around.

 

[gtpoohbear]

After years of trying all different types of strategies and fancy reusable water bottles, we have finally just given in and do this the easy way. One nice thing about WDW is that there are carts everywhere that sell cold bottles of water, and even on the busiest days there is rarely any line. (This is NOT the case at other theme parks we have visited, so I don't take it for granted.) We buy two at a time to drink and keep in the pack, once those start running low, we stop and the next cart we see and buy two more. This way I always have some with me, and it's always cold and fresh. I HATE wasting so many plastic bottles, it's not something we take lightly or do in our "normal" life. But in this case, its what works and keeps everyone happy and hydrated.

 

[Electra2D]

Free water. It’s cold and delicious on a hot day. You don’t have to carry it. Your own water will get hot and gross.

It stays cold in the insulated bottles, especially if you put ice in it early! But they're heavy and bulky, to another PP's point.

 

[SaintsManiac]

We use one insulated water bottle for the 3 of us. We fill it up with the counter service waters and when we stop to eat. It keeps the water very cold. I would never go without it.

 

[Electra2D]

Have you actually bought and tried out those specific slings? My mom bought one for my DD for a Disney trip a couple years ago (actually checked our Order History to confirm it was the same one). DD was 7 at the time and really didn't like using it. It did have a strong chemical smell that faded when washed, but you could still smell it. The main issues though were that it didn't fit her smaller water bottle snuggly and so both the bottle and the carrier were constantly bouncing around as she walked and whenever she'd sit on the bus or a ride, her water bottle kept falling out since there was nothing to really secure it in place. The strap was also pretty thick and in the August heat, it made her sweat more under the strap, and it kept riding up against her neck as she walked. We thought it would have been better based on the reviews, but it was really just a hassle and after the first full day, she asked not to have to wear it anymore.

We mostly drank the free ice water from the quick services. A couple of them actually had trays set out on the counter with cups of ice water that they were constantly restocking, and for those that didn't, it was never a long wait. One adult went up and grabbed enough water for everyone while the rest of the group found a spot to sit for a couple mins. It worked well as we were able to both hydrate and get off our feet for a minute. It was also a great time for bathroom breaks with whoever didn't have to go getting the water for everyone.

We did buy a couple slushes over the trip and shared them, and had other drinks with meals, but the majority of what we drank was water. I can't really get my kids to drink unflavored water in real life, but at Disney they were downing it without a problem. I think the heat just does that to you.

So to sum up, I would skip the slings and just stop and get the free ice water frequently. It's simple, doesn't require hauling a bunch of extra stuff into the park or worrying about it getting lost or stolen, and you won't have to worry about trying to keep anything cold.

I did try the slings and was thinking about shortening the straps on them. They are really long. It hasn't really regularly been hot here yet, so I can't say if they'll be uncomfortable in the heat. I want it to get hot so we can start acclimating!

 

[Electra2D]

After years of trying all different types of strategies and fancy reusable water bottles, we have finally just given in and do this the easy way. One nice thing about WDW is that there are carts everywhere that sell cold bottles of water, and even on the busiest days there is rarely any line. (This is NOT the case at other theme parks we have visited, so I don't take it for granted.) We buy two at a time to drink and keep in the pack, once those start running low, we stop and the next cart we see and buy two more. This way I always have some with me, and it's always cold and fresh. I HATE wasting so many plastic bottles, it's not something we take lightly or do in our "normal" life. But in this case, its what works and keeps everyone happy and hydrated.

Funny that I can spend $6k on Disney tickets, rooms and transportation, but I'm having trouble with the $4 bottles of water!

 

[gtpoohbear]

Funny that I can spend $6k on Disney tickets, rooms and transportation, but I'm having trouble with the $4 bottles of water!

Lol, I know! I've finally learned to just block it out. I pretty much have to do that with anything other than souvenirs. I literally don't even look at the prices or receipts.

 

[sponica]

We would leave the hotel with 4 bottles of water to stash in the stroller and then just buy water as the day went on....my kid likes water so I've never had to worry about flavoring it.

 

[22Tink]

Funny that I can spend $6k on Disney tickets, rooms and transportation, but I'm having trouble with the $4 bottles of water!

I’m the same!