What is in YOUR "park day bag"?

[mi*vida*loca]

When my kids were small we took a diaper bag with the normal diaper bag stuff. We took a trip when DD was 5 1/2 and we did it strollerless and bagless. Never going back to carrying a bag.

 

[tee11]

The one item I would invest in is a good rain cover for your stroller (especially if using a double). If the stroller gets wet it is a lot more difficult to dry it out than to change your own clothes. Know where the baby care centers are and use them. They are the perfect place for a break and to pick up anything you forgot. Also the first aid center (or whatever its called) gave me cold medicine free of charge when I found myself at DHS with a raging head cold last winter. We pack very light - a few snacks, sunscreen, change of clothes, diapers, hand sanitizer - and leave a bag with the stroller. I will carry a small crossbody bag with my id, phone and a little cash as well.

I'm so glad you and others brought up the stroller rain covers. I can just imagine, how difficult it must be to push soaked unusable strollers and carry exhausted little ones! I don't know what I was thinking! Will have to check what I can do.... poncho and clips or... I have one "real" rain cover, but it's quite bulky...

 

[tee11]

I'm reading everyone's replies: super helpful! Thank you!!! I keep adding small things I had forgotten.
Also, I'm so relieved I can carry my backpack onto rides, and it makes sense to leave diapers/wipes/water and so on in the bottom of the stroller.

 

[tee11]

Is anyone carrying their resort refillable mugs with them? I don't know how big they are or how practical that might be?

 

[VolvoManiac850]

I tend to go without anything into the parks. I only wear pants/shorts with pockets and will put things like a room key and money in them. I wear a watch if that counts.

This is actually formed out of habits I developed by going to a lot of Pittsburgh Pirates games. Bags are always inspected there, and it often takes forever to get in the stadium that way. If I want water at the game, I go to the fountain--and often do the same at Disney.

I used my refillable mug mostly around the pool last year so I could get some Powerade after a long afternoon of swimming.

Regarding little ones--I only had a stroller on my 3 y/o trip, and it was a rental. I was out of diapers by then so I know we didn't have that, but I'd imagine a small diaper bag would be good.

Just, please, don't be that guy who rents a stroller so he can transport his oversized Mickey plush he bought around. Buy your giant Mickey at your hotel.

 

[Notsofast71]

Hand sanitizer, camera, phone, zip lock bags for rain or wet rides, Gold Bond powder for sweaty chafing (a life saver, indeed!), driver's licence, and Disney gift cards. All in my fanny pack.

 

[Seoulbro]

Rain Poncho, portable smartphone charger (Got it free in a case of Coors Light!), chafing gel, Large Sharpie, Autograph books (We actually got Jane Potter this time!), bottle for water, cooling towels!

 

[kristie73]

All great ideas. This will be a different time for us because we won't have the stroller anymore. I don't really want to carry around a backpack, so I have a small cross body Vera Bradley Mickey bag to carry the small stuff. My husband's going to carry a fanny pack. I'm thinking of putting a bag together for a locker for the long days planned when we aren't going back to the room, incase we want a change before dinner, or need a light jacket for the evening?

Everyone already listed all the stuff I'd carry, snacks like goldfish and juice boxes made it in the stroller before.
I think I may bring along a little floss and travel toothbrush because my 13 year old has braces and he may need to clean up after eating.
Definitely that moleskin or something for the feet.

 

[EagleG17]

I hate carrying anything.

 

[got15]

We have a skip hop backpack that snaps onto the stroller handles and love it for park traveling. We have a 3 year old and 6 year old- i pack the following:

- diapers/wipes/butt paste
- change of clothes for both (undies for those that need it)
- antibacterial hand gel (usually keep one in the bag, and one hanging on the bag)
- baggie of bandaids, neo to go, pepto, tums, immodium
- anker external battery to charge phone
- hand lotion
- sunscreen (spray and face stick) in bottle holder pouch
- sandwich bags (for putting phones in while on wet rides)
- menthos container for coins for coin press machines
- tide pen/shout wipes
- small cosmetic case for freshening up prior to meals
-portable mini bug spray

We usually keep our bag strapped to the stroller- we haven't had anything stollen out of it and feel safe keeping it there. Since we stay on property- we usually have all of our shopping shipped to the hotel so we have less to lug around.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Since I ride a scooter, I always have a place for a bag. In the basket is a cooler bag with water and a snack or two. No one, so far, has stolen my water or apples.

Then I carry a small cross body bag with a little cash, ID and medical card, discount cards (DVC, AP and TiW), chapstick, tissues, antibacterial stuff, reservation numbers and cell phone in a zip lock bag. Oh, and I will wear a med alert bracelet. It has a list of my medical conditions and medications. I take too many medications to remember.

On our last trip we took our mugs to Animal Kingdom because their cups don't have lids and they don't give out straws. We would dump our drinks into the mug. It really didn't work very well. This time we are thinking of only taking it if we are planning on going to another resort before we return to our room.

 

[tee11]

On our last trip we took our mugs to Animal Kingdom because their cups don't have lids and they don't give out straws. We would dump our drinks into the mug. It really didn't work very well. This time we are thinking of only taking it if we are planning on going to another resort before we return to our room.

May I ask why it didn't work well with the mugs? Thanks!

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

May I ask why it didn't work well with the mugs? Thanks!

It didn't work for me because I couldn't carry it with soda in it. The soda would go flat after just a couple minutes of riding over the uneven ground.

For my guys, they got tired of carrying theirs. And before they could put them in the basket, they had to dump them. We simply used the cups without lids and drank what we could. We also carried bottle water. Those have lids and could be dropped in the basket of the scooter.

Of course, your mileage may vary. I see lots of people in the parks with their cups. So it must work for them.

 

[Alexsandra]

I made a list on my blog of what to bring if traveling to WDW with a baby or preschooler. You can check it out here: http://disneyplaning101.blogspot.ca/2012/08/items-you-should-bring-to-wdw-parks.html

Basically I prefer a diaper bag that clips onto the handles of the stroller. I leave it on the stroller while riding. I pack it with diapers, wipes, a change of clothes for both kids, sun hats, sunscreen, some snacks and thermos drinking cups. I like bringing a plastic feeding bowl with a suction cup bottom. I get those with a lid and an integrated spoon. I use them in restaurants to feed baby food or other snacks. Prevents spilling. I usually have a waterproof bib. I carry baby meds incase of fever or unexpected malaises. At the bottom of stroller, I always have a stroller rain cover for unexpected rain sowers and a sun cover in case the little one falls asleep and needs sun protection. I also have a blanket for multiple uses: sun cover, protection from the wind or even to sit on during the fireworks.

As for myself, I carry a small sling bag or purse that i fill with the stuff I can't leave in the stroller: money, camera, phone, meds, sunglasses, etc.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

We don't have tiny tots anymore but here is our bag:
_baby wipes
_hand sanitizer*
_Silicone water bottles the fold up when empty*
_Aleve+
_Snack of the day (we are rope drop people, so just something to get us through until lunch time when we sit and enjoy an in park meal!)
_inhalers+
_phone charger (never the same one we use at the resort, so we don't risk not having it)
_Autograph book (and extra markers in case one dries out)
_sunscreen*
_bug spray*
_M&M tube with pennies for pressed pennies@
_Bandaids

*These items clip to the backpack*
+These items are in a Ziploc baggie in the front pouch, so they can always be found asap+
@This fits in the side mesh waterbottle holder so that it can be grabbed whenever needed and no hunting in backpack@

The backpack usually comes with us everyday but at times it can get annoying and we are so glad we have a 'stroller for stuff'. This is one of those strollers that you clip a baby carrier carseat into, but we don't have that part anymore. Now it's just the mesh underpart. As soon as we walk in the park we ditch the stroller right by the entrance at the first stroller parking and only get it when needed, in this stroller we have: Wet towels drying over it if we are fresh from the waterparks along with suits OR just sweatshirts for chilly evenings (We are rope drop people if we have not been at a WP that day). We keep the backpack on us during the day until lunchtime and by then the waterbottles and snacks are gone and we've gotten enough autographs to make us happy. At lunch the backpack joins the stroller for stuff and we make use of cargo pockets (boys and dad) and letter carrier Dooney's (Girls and mom). We are not carrying around anything bulky and if need be we also have changes of shoes in the stroller for stuff!

 

[maleficent8]

Here's what I bring!

Would you provide me the link for the red backpack you have?

 

[Dis703]

I use a backpack and take it on all of the rides. I carry:

Sunblock
Hand wipes/baby wipes
Credit card and ID
A small make up bag with a couple items
Used to carry pull-ups/diapers
Toilet seat covers for the little ones
A small coloring kit/stickers for mealtime
Snacks, water bottle
Advil, Pepto, Band-aids
If calling for rain, ponchos

Now that one of my boys is terrified of flushing toilets I will be adding sticky notes to cover the sensors.

 

[ashmarie06]

Chapstick
Sunscreen
Ziplock Bags (to put phones in if it rains)
Ponchos
Phone Charger
Camera, Batteries etc (we are vloggers)
Aleve
immodium
Drivers Licence
A bandaid or two
Phone

I usually carry a backpack (small vera) or a Disney Vera Crossbody. I change what I carry depending on which bag I have!

 

[spleuchan]

Wow! By some of these lists, I think some might not realize Expedition Everest is just a roller coaster and not a month long journey!

 

[Mambo Junkie]

All great ideas. This will be a different time for us because we won't have the stroller anymore. I don't really want to carry around a backpack, so I have a small cross body Vera Bradley Mickey bag to carry the small stuff. My husband's going to carry a fanny pack. I'm thinking of putting a bag together for a locker for the long days planned when we aren't going back to the room, incase we want a change before dinner, or need a light jacket for the evening?

Everyone already listed all the stuff I'd carry, snacks like goldfish and juice boxes made it in the stroller before.
I think I may bring along a little floss and travel toothbrush because my 13 year old has braces and he may need to clean up after eating.
Definitely that moleskin or something for the feet.

Same here. Going childless, so I'll probably carry a small crossbody that has several zippered pockets. I plan to carry:
small sunscreen
printed itinerary (for reservation numbers)
phone power pack
I cc/id
it will fit a poncho, if necessary
epi-pen
digital camera
small baggie of wipes (DH, DGD3, DS and I all got horrible sick on our last visit)
there is a mesh pocket on the side for a water bottle

No backpacks for me this trip - mine got stolen trip before last (side note - I finally got around to putting pictures in the autograph books, and I did both 2016 and 2014. DGD5 asked why there weren't more pictures in the 2014 book. I didn't want to tell her that's all we could salvage after the others got stolen - and I still will not print pictures of characters signing the original books though I do print pictures of the characters sans books)