A Walk Around The World With Ridge: Solo Trip Advice

I love traveling alone, especially to Walt Disney World. In the last few years I have traveled to WDW 7 or 8 times. Now my situation is different from some.  I have plenty of friends I can hit up once I get there but I don’t have to do so if I want some time to myself.


Here are just a few of my ideas for a fun solo trip to the world.

I like a mix of half structure and half free-to-go-where-the-wind-takes-me. So depending on your personality your experience may vary.

out of the window from Feb 2012

Travel:  Not everyone likes to fly.  Me, I love it and have a license from our government that says I met the basic proficiencies of the FAA to call myself a private pilot.  So I will hop on a plane in a second and bingo, an hour and a half later I am waking up at Orlando International Airport. Southwest is my carrier of choice because they seem to have a friendly staff and cheap fares.  However if driving is your thing, I have done that more than my fair share too. From Birmingham, Alabama, it’s a solid 10 hours in the car. Before I had a bad back that doesn’t like sitting still for very long (my apologies to anyone that sits next to me at the movies, movement is a necessity or pain sets in), I would drive, getting up before the sun even thought about it and heading out so I would get as much daylight as possible. If you want steady driving, I75 south from ATL will take you all the way there. If you want something a little more scenic from Birmingham, try highway 280 south, till it becomes 82/520 in GA then when you get to Tifton, Georgia, you get on 75 South again and move right on in. Amazingly these two paths from Birmingham are almost the same time wise. I love to fly!

Planning: If you are going to plan out a day, then please take advantage of the resources available to you. A wealth of knowledge is out there. My favorite two sites for planning info are Allears.net and touringplans.com. Both are packed with information and touring plans.com has a book called The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and I got to be a fact checker/research person in the 2011 guide. Check page 11 for my nameJ. 

When planning out my day for my first solo trip I wanted to have some projects to fill up my day with photography. I was doing it for several reasons. 1) I wanted a catalogue of pictures to use for the site 2) I needed to practice with my camera 3) I made sure that I documented the things I was doing because no one would remember them for me 4) it made me look at things like I hadn’t before.  I think Disney is one of the best places for people wanting to practice photography because you’ll never see most of those people ever again and you can get away with being as silly and artsy as you want to be. I’ve lain down on the ground to get an angle I wanted since what did I care what they thought? 

fun pic I took in Africa of Tamu Tamu Refreshments

Also on a first solo trip you need to decide what is it you want to accomplish: time in the parks, exploring resorts?  What is it that you want to do that you have never done because someone was with you and didn’t want to do it? I highly suggest the Keys to the Kingdom tour. Tours are wonderful ways to have fun while still technically alone, you are in a group and everyone cuts up and has a good time. The tour guides are wonderful and usually very funny and will keep you on your toes. A tour I am saving up for is the Wild Africa Trek at Disney's Animal Kingdom.  It is pretty pricey in the peak seasons and you have to try and do it early or else the animals are all napping.  Check out my trip recap with the Keys tour.


A nice perk for the attractions are the single rider lines. If one is available, use it and cut that wait time down.

End of Keys to the Kingdom Tour

Dining: We have to eat right? Well, when I am alone I sometimes forget then have low blood sugar hit me while standing in a queue that isn’t moving. So decide early if there are any ADR’s you want to make. Never be afraid to have a meal anywhere by yourself.  The cast members see it all the time and you deserve you enjoy yourself as much as possible. I recommend Via Napoli as a great spot to dine alone. If you want some interaction, Oktoberfest in Germany is family seating so you will not be alone and if you’re like me then it is a great time to chat up families from all over the globe. I met a family from Leeds, England, and the father and I talked about Football (soccer) and the differences in our countries. It was brilliant. However if you aren’t wanting to take lots of time out of your day of adventure, try some quick service or a snack you have never had before. Sit on a bench and people watch, catch your breath and just listen to the park in action. It’s a weird cacophony of sounds.    

Transportation: Late night leaving the parks… ok this one works best at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. When you are waiting on that bus to take a million tired cranky families back to the resort, I keep a few bucks just for a taxi. They take credit cards too; I just like dealing with money sometimes. Nothing is really much more than 10-15 dollars and the high end is going back to the resorts that are the farthest away like AKL. I have used cabs on several occasions where I might have been an extra hour just waiting to get on a bus. Now at Magic Kingdom the taxis are found over at the Contemporary and I do not actually know where they are at AK, since that park closes early I have never been on a packed bus. Check out The Great Escape.

"Best Of" Week: Toddler Feeding Made Simpler for Travel and at Home

My husband saw me working on this post and asked if I was going to title it "My Best Idea Ever" because he thinks it just might be.

Minnie turned 13 months old yesterday and is a fiercely independent child.  She's never been very interested in being a baby.  She wanted table food early, walked early, etc.  Basically, she's your normal second child who is trying her best to keep up with her big sister.  This has led to a set of challenges to keep her safe and fed while maintaining my sanity.  Hence, my latest baby breakthrough.  

Months ago, we discovered the baby food pouches and the spoon that attaches to them.  The pouch baby food does tend to be on the sweet side but getting some vegetable in her is better than none.  These were so wonderful for travel or just meals out at home.  Since Minnie wants mostly what we are eating, she's never been much for baby food.  This made the traditional jars or homemade food awkward because it's messy to deal with a partially eaten container.  With the pouches and spoons, we didn't dip into anything so the leftovers could be taken home.  I'd drop an icepack in the insulated pocket on my diaper bag and off we'd go to dinner.  I could safely and neatly bring home the rest of the food to try again within 24 hours.  I did this at Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort since we had a full kitchen and didn't stay gone from the resort for too long.  At Walt Disney World, I carried a cooler bag with multiple ice packs anyway, so we were able to use this plan there too.  

 

 

Back to that independent streak, (which by the way, my parents think is hysterical. They have no idea where she got it. Not.) now that Minnie is older and able to feed herself even more finger foods and is learning to use a spoon, my previous plan doesn't fly.  I tried letting her hold the pouch without a spoon attached and eat straight from it.  That worked for a while, but eventually, she learned to squeeze it or bang it on the high chair.  A kid with a DIY banana squash volcano does not make for a pleasant meal out.  

Now for the sanity saver.  I bought a couple of Crayola juice box holders at Walmart for $2.50 each and they work perfectly.  Just slip the food pouch into the juice box holder and put on the lid.  She can't squeeze or remove it.  The ones I have are partially open on the bottom which is helpful if I need to squish the package halfway through the meal to help Minnie get to the rest of it.  Our juice box holder also has a large circular opening on the lid which allows me to put the lid on over the cap for the baby food if needed.  We've tested this system out at home and on a weekend road trip.  Minnie ate more of the fruit/vegetable combinations than usual and didn't make a mess with them.  If we had any leftovers, they went straight into the fridge at the hotel or on ice in the van.  This works with any size baby food or applesauce package, but the larger ones do need to be folded just a bit to get the lid on, just be sure not to remove the cap until after you've done that.

This idea helped Minnie feed herself which made her happy and kept her cleaner at mealtime which made me happy.  I hope it allows you to enjoy getting out just a little more too.  Please let me know if you try it.

This article originally appeared on Growing Up Disney on July 2, 2012. 

Greetings from Magical Express

I Love to Fly!



After a wonderful flight where I got a much needed nap I landed 1 hour and 20 minutes from gate to gate. It was smooth sailing all the way and my Magical Express experience is off to a great start.




As I walked up to the holding area to wait on a bus I was quickly grabbed and put on a bus that was ready to leave. So here I am on way to Old Key West and enjoying the 30 minute ride to Old Key West. :)




- Posted by Ridge using BlogPress from my iPhone

On the Road Again

Goodbye Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort. We've had a wonderful time! In the future, we can't be so long between visits.

Yesterday the girls slept in really late and I was able to eat breakfast (that I didn't have to cook!) and enjoy a couple cups of coffee before mama duties began for the day. We all went out to lunch and then Andy and the girls and I went to Harbor Town. Baby Minnie napped in her stroller while the rest of us walked around the harbor. I had lots of fun with my new zoom lens trying to get pictures of a fishing pelican but alas he was faster than I am. Tink loved the playground there and as usual, made a new friend.

Once back at DVC, Tink napped and Andy and I made the sacrifice of finishing up the ice cream treats in the freezer. Baby Minnie saw mine and crawled her little self over to share. It was so funny watching her with the ice cream.

My parents went out to dinner and my family stayed in and had some leftover BBQ. At 7:00, Tink and I went out to play at the campfire again. The silly songs are lots of fun and who doesn't like s'mores? Grandaddy joined us when they returned from dinner and we all played for a while.

This morning Tink and Grandaddy (DisneyDad) went to another toddler craft time. Today they made crowns and straw cups.

Quote of the trip and probably the year....
When we took our toasted marshmallows to the table to be turned into s'mores, the cast member asked Tink her name. Right then, his buddy came up and said, "this is Audrey. She's been running this place all week." Bahahaha!

Thanks for sharing this week with us. I'll be posting more about it in the coming weeks. If you haven't visited Hilton Head yet, what are you waiting for?!?

S'mores and the Beach

Andy and I were able to go out on our date last night. Instead of the fancier restaurant we'd considered, the pub won out. He and I had a great time but let's just say it was really obvious that this is snowbird season. The girls stayed with my parents and watched "Peter Pan." We've taken advantage of the free DVD rentals in the general store this trip. Once we got back, it was time for the campfire. Tink loved the silly songs and the fire but our picky eater had to be talked in to trying s'mores. She liked it but it wasn't as well received as her Mickey ice cream sandwich from earlier in the week. The baby went too. Minnie just took it all in. And she liked the graham cracker. This morning DisneyDad took Tink to her butterfly class. It was along the same lines as the bird class from earlier in the week. After that, we shot some Eastman family photos. I didn't have pictures of the four of us so we took advantage of a gorgeous day and the lovely scenery here at the resort. We had lunch at a Greek restaurant and then went to Coligny Beach. Disney's beach house is under refurbishment right now, and while they have made arrangements for guests to use other facilities, we decided to go to the public beach. My parents strolled with Baby Minnie and let her nap. Tink literally dug right in to the sand. I had fun taking pictures of us all. The ones in this post are from my phone. My better shots from this trip will be shared later.Disney bingo is tonight but I think we are going to stay in and relax. Personally, the Mickey ice cream in the freezer and "The Little Mermaid" DVD are calling my name.--Amy

Just like the World, you need more than one visit

Time for another update from Hilton Head. Since I last checked in, we had a delicious and fun lunch at Fiesta Fresh. We ended up trying all of their desserts and Andy and I were too full to go out for our early dinner date. The other three Eastmans had a nice long nap. DisneyDad, Baby Minnie and I went for a walk around the resort to take more photos and do some shopping. The evening's activity was "sweet goodnights" in Big Murggie's Den. Both of the girls enjoyed the stories read by two recreation cast members. Tink especially loved getting to sit with bigger kids and have cookies and milk. The baby seemed to enjoy story time, even if it was just a little longer than her young attention span would allow.

This morning Andy took Tink to toddler craft time and she got to make a yarn and bead necklace with her name on it. Again, she was the only child there and loved the personal attention. At noon, DisneyDad and I participated in the " Behind the Ears" tour for DVC members. This one hour tour took us around the resort to share history and hidden Mickeys. As a special treat, w were able to explore a grand villa. This is not normally a part of the tour so we lucked out.

Andy and Tink had lunch at Tide Me Over. Being creatures of habit, they again had a cheeseburger and a grilled cheese. When DisneyDad and I neared our villa, we found Andy and Tink relaxing in a hammock. Ok, well, that was Andy's idea but there is no way you're going to get a two and a half year old to sleep there. She was so excited. I joined them for a few minutes.

Well, now we are back around to another afternoon naptime. My parents are off for a late lunch and some grocery shopping. Andy and I are going to take another swing at a dinner date. We'll have to make it an early one because tonight at 7:00 is the campfire and s'mores.

Back to the title of this post. Regular Walt Disney World visitors know you can never do it all. There is always something left to explore. Believe it or not, Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort is alot like that. Without the parks, you have time to relax and enjoy the resort itself. We have participated in more activities this week than I have in almost 18 years of visits to Old Key West. The vibe here is very relaxed and with two small girls and a husband just back from a long international business trip, we've taken it easy. We haven't rented a bike or been over to the beach. We haven't gone shopping around the area. We didn't make it over to Savannah. Andy mentioned the kayak tour today but we may not do that this trip either. And all of that is ok. We've had a chance to get a little rest and fresh air and for the girls to play with their daddy and grandparents without anyone rushing off to work. All of these other activities sound like fun and we'll get around to them. Come on, we need some excuse to come back, right?

--Amy

Fun on Hilton Head Island

Right now, Tink and the rest of the family are enjoying some playtime at The Sandbox children's museum. Minnie and I are taking a break so she can nap.

This morning started out with Mickey pancakes for Tink courtesy of Grandaddy (DisneyDad) and a little fresh air on the balcony. What a view! I've taken lots of pictures of the resort and will be sharing them in future posts.

Yesterday Tink and I went to a class for preschoolers at the resort's Community Hall. She was the only child there and loved the one on one time with the cast member for crafts and story time. Andy and I got to have a rare lunch out alone and then took the girls on a driving nap as we explored the island. Dinner last night was an experience and I'll share dining options in future posts too.

Once our littlest traveler awakens, I think we are heading off for some quick Mexican food.

iPad App Reviews: My Numbers, ABC Numbers, and Baby Explorer

GIVEAWAY DETAILS BELOW!

I am proud to share reviews of three more fun and educational children's apps from Punflay.  This time Tink and I tested iPad apps.  The larger screen of the iPad really lends itself well to games for little ones.  Thankfully my parents don't mind the kiddo playing with their rather expensive toy. 

First up is ABC Numbers.  This new app incorporates the previously released My Numbers app along with a really well done game for teaching letters.  Below is the first screen and the large buttons make it easy for little ones to choose a game.

Here are a couple of screens from the ABC portion of the game.  You run your finger along the letter wheel to select a letter.  If you touch within the oval containing the letter and picture, it says "La, L, Ladybug" in this case.  In the white box toward the bottom of the screen, the child can practice writing the letter by tracing within the outline.  The color of the "ink" can be changed by touching the blue, green, or red dots below the writing box.  My 16 month-old daughter's favorite part was the star on the right.  If you pull down on the ring, the star sings the ABC song.  It's really cute and just like a real pull-string toy, if you pull the string halfway, it only sings half of the song.   

For the numbers portion of the app, here is the screen you'll see.  The color of the buttons can be changed using the wheel in the upper right and the item to be counted is selected along the bottom of the screen.  Touching the musical note allows the user to choose one of three songs or to have no music at all.  The game itself is a pretty simple counting game.  In this case, the 8 button was pushed.  Eight flowers light up.  If you touch an unlit flower, it will count 9 in a pleasant child's voice.  If you choose a lit flower, it will say 7 and the flower you touched will no longer be highlighted.  It's a good game for practicing counting to ten.  I like that it also counts backward as this allows you to work on basic addition and subtraction with your child as well.

This is the intro screen for the independent My Numbers app if you choose to buy (or win!) it separately.

Tink loved Baby Explorer!  Here's the start screen.

This game is like a high-tech version of one of the many plastic toys you have, without the "cluttering the floor" aspect.  Starting from the left, the butterfly can be pulled down and it bounces back with a cool springy noise.  The wheel on the bottom spins and the 4 colorful rings slide back and forth.  Moving to the top right, the child can push the four buttons to get a corresponding noise.  Tink really liked this. 

The coolest part of this game is the center of the screen, which contains 5 games.  The wheel at the bottom right changes the game.  For the egg game, you touch the egg repeatedly, cracking it a little more each time.  Eventually a new friend pops out.  Pictured here is the duck but this one contains some surprises.  The bubbles and flowers games are similar.  The child can pop the falling bubbles or flowers.  Tink particularly liked the flower version and the notes played when the petals fell.  Another game lets the child help a frog jump from lillypad to lillypad and the final game moves three jumping fish. 

Again, Punflay has designed apps for children that are both educational and fun.  They've provided enough variety in each app to allow it to appeal to children for months or years to come.  We've really enjoyed playing with these apps.  In particular, Baby Explorer held my 16 month-old's attention for a long period of time and at that age, that's an accomplishment.  She'll get to play with these apps again at 18 months of age when we see my parents at Walt Disney World.  I look forward to seeing how her interaction with the games improves.

Click here for my review of two children's iPhone/iPod apps from Punflay.

Punflay has their educational apps (iPhone/iPod/iPad) on sale this week.  One of them is even free.  Check out their site soon.  The sale ends September 16.

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Ready to enter to win My Numbers for iPad? You get one entry for each of the following. Please note each as a separate entry in the comments section below so I know what you have done.  Don't have an iPad?  Feel free to enter and gift the code to a friend who does.

Mandatory Entry: Briefly tell me why you think your child (or grandchild or you) will enjoy My Numbers.  No other entries will count if you don't do this one.

Extra Entries: (If you are already following me through any of these channels, just note that. Hey, free entry!)

• Become a fan of Growing Up Disney blog on Facebook.
• Follow Disney4Babies on Twitter.
• Follow Growing Up Disney publicly on Google Friend Connect (see widget at right.)
• Subscribe to the RSS feed for this blog.
• Send a tweet about this giveaway (one per day). Feel free to copy and send this: "RT @Disney4Babies Visit http://www.growingupdisney.com/ for a #giveaway of a great children's app from Punflay, My Numbers #Disney #iPad"
• Blog about this giveaway.
• Add Growing Up Disney to your blogroll.

This contest ends at midnight Central time on Monday, September 20. The winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries.  You'll be notified via email and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  Good luck!

 

Disclosure: I received apps from Punflay for reviewing purposes. No monetary compensation was received or offered. All opinions expressed are my honest thoughts on these products.
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And the winner is comment #3, Bill.  Congrats!  I'll be contacting you shortly.

Guest Post--Travel Tips from Nine, Part 2

First Family Vacation with Teeny Tiny Tinkerbell, Part 2

This is part 2 of Janine's lessons learned traveling from England to France with her 6 month-old daughter, Felicity.  Click here for part 1.

4.  Feeding your baby on holiday is obviously a very important issue.  Amy has written a comprehensive article regarding formula versus milk but I’d like to touch on nursing (breastfeeding) versus introducing formula.  I have nursed F since day one and it has been a very rewarding but very time consuming activity.  As she would be 6 months when we took our first trip, it gave me the chance to consider switching her over to formula or at least combine, to make it easier when going out and enabling others to feed her.  As it stood F never really liked the bottle that much and her evening formula became a bit of a battle.  Add her first tooth into the mix and I decided the best way forward would be to resume to exclusive nursing.  This actually worked out really well for us.  The French are a baby loving nation and no one blinks an eye at a nursing mother.  I was able to do it everywhere, in restaurants, cafes, park benches and had no issues (asides from F being very nosey!)  I am very discreet and always wear a nursing cover to hide my modesty and it doubles up as an extra sun cover for F!  I also found in a lot of places that there would not have been the facilities to heat up a bottle either so it really did seem the best way for us.  I would also have done this is if we had have gone to WDW.  There are plenty of mother and baby places in Disney for both nursing mothers and places to warm bottles and food.


5.  I would also like in include a small bit on changing stations.  I am certain that the previously mentioned mother and baby areas in WDW are fantastic and that there are plenty of restrooms to do an emergency diaper change.  However, I can not say the same for France.  So please make sure wherever you go somewhere new, you have plenty of disposal changing mats in your diaper bag!  Thank goodness I did as F is now at the rolling about on the floor instead of cooperating stage.  I changed her in the car a few times but on the occasion I had to change her in the restroom, I was mightily grateful for the soft Pampers pads.  One time however I refused to change her on the floor as there was just not enough room.  Of course changing her stood up whilst my mother-in-law changed her would have always ended up with the same outcome … yes, she peed on me.

6.  So just to round things up, what has this vacation taught me to take with you on a day trip?  As mentioned, make sure you have a fully stocked diaper bag (again, Amy has already written an excellent blog regarding this) which is extra especially important when abroad.  I have no doubt I could get the Pampers diapers and wipes I use in the UK in the US but I was unsure about France.  Turns out I could get them, for literally double the price!  Definitely make sure you have any preferred or prescription creams (F has a special cream for her bottom as she is prone to nappy rash) and as number 1 states, any sunscreen and hat/rain cover/poncho/sweater etc.  I tend to use a backpack as a change bag when we’re out for the whole day so that anyone can carry it and any purchases can go in the bottom of the buggy. That reminds me, consider your buggy carefully too. We have a huge Graco travel system for use at home, but we ended up buying a second more lightweight stroller to take away with us.  It folded up much smaller in the car and was lighter to carry.  Make sure you have a favourite toy/book and for goodness sake make sure it is tied onto the buggy!!!  I take a whole load of cleaning wipes with me too in case a toy does fall on the floor, these also are used to wipe off any table I sit at before Fs hands are all over it.  I know some germs are good for kids but hey I like to be careful.  A must have for me was my nursing shawl, but equally ensure you have the correct bottles/formula/food.  And bear in mind if you’re abroad, it may not always be as easy to warm it, maybe a thermos flask of hot water could be the answer?  And of course, you’re bound to have your trusty iPhone/iPod with you anyways for some travelling entertainment.  That and babies favourite Playhouse Disney CD of course!!!

Contributed by Janine Pipe from Swindon, England.  She is a proud wife and mommy to almost 7 month old Felicity.  You can follow her on Twitter, @Disneynine.

Guest Post--Travel Tips from Nine, Part 1

First Family Vacation with Teeny Tiny Tinkerbell, Part 1

I haven’t always been obsessed with Disney.  In fact I didn’t go to Walt Disney World until I was 21 years old.  I realise this would be unheard of for some people, even with the excuse of living in the UK.

I won’t be making the same mistake with my daughter, Felicity (F), whom we are hoping to take to WDW by the time she is 4.  I tend to call her Tink but that would just cause confusion with the original Tink on this page!!!  She is now almost 7 months and something of a handful.  However she is already a big fan of all things Disney I am pleased to say.

Although we won’t be taking her to WDW for a few years yet, we have just returned from our first family vacation to France.

Here are some of my observations and tips from Felicity’s first trip abroad (and may be relevant for anyone wishing to go to Disneyland Paris!)

1.  Work out exactly which clothes you wish to take for your child and bear in mind whether you have laundry facilities or not and then … half it!!!  I was warned that I would take too much especially as we were staying with family and therefore could wash anything that was dirty but I still packed a whole case just for Felicity!  And of course as it was her first trip, we ended up buying stuff for her too so there really was not the need for a lot of what I took.  However, I would always recommend an item of warmer/cooler clothing.  Although it was forecast for 30 degrees in France I still took a sweater and waterproof for Felicity and was glad I did as the evenings could be a little cool and it certainly rained a couple of days.  Always make sure you have plenty of sunscreen, hats and a parasol too.  F was roasting in the midday sun on the days we ventured out and she was always smothered in sunscreen.  I'd recommend bringing it with you as you don’t always know if you can get the same make abroad.  If your child’s skin is used to a certain make, then I wouldn’t want to try out a new one on holiday! This is all applicable to a trip to Disney, that’s for sure! The boiling midday sun, the rain and the cool evenings are typical of Florida, not just Europe! And for UK travelers I would still advise taking skin care products just in case.

2.  Make sure you have plenty of entertainment if you have a long drive/plane ride.  I had already read a blog post by Amy suggesting iPhone/iPod applications so I decided to download some for the almost 12 hour drive across to France.  Typing babies into the app store search engine threw up a load of lite options which mean that they are free.  Since I didn’t know whether F would be interested I decided to get these options.  I installed Play Phone, Baby Piano, Toddler Counting and Baby Flashcards.  I should have also considered the fact I wouldn’t have access to cable or wifi for 2 weeks and bought an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse from iTunes.  For our next trip this will be a must have item as well as a Playhouse Disney DVD!  We are also hoping to have an iPad for the journey next year which will keep F entertained as she’ll be 18 months by then.  Anyway back to the apps.  F loves the phone and the piano. They’re fairly easy to use and would suit from a young baby just becoming interested in things up to toddlers who like to grab things for themselves.  The phone app tended to freeze when F tried to push too many buttons at once but the piano was great fun.  The baby counting was ok but the flash cards were great and the noises kept F entertained for ages!  Just for fun I also downloaded the Disney Fairies Tinker bell game, which F is far too young to play with, but she enjoys watching me play and seeing Tink flying about.  Again I just got the lite free version.

3.  Always make sure you have plenty of toys.  We have a huge play box full of toys but chose just to take Fs favourites with us due to space.  We brought – plush Minnie and teddy who sleep in her cot, Emily doll, singing Fisher Price teapot and a soft book.  She barely looked at the teapot though as the grandparents had brought a ton of stuff for her and bought her goodness knows how much new stuff while we were there.  Her complete and utter favourite by a long shot was Sophie the teething giraffe.  I was recommended this by Amy and when I googled it before we went on holiday I discovered that it was French.  So we bought F a whole set of Sophi toys and a spare one while we were there and she absolutely loves it!  3 weeks later with her second tooth coming through it barely leaves her mouth.  I realise that it can be very expensive treating your children to new toys just to add to the hundreds of ones they already have.  It would be even worse going to WDW and being surrounded by all those plushes!  However if they do find something they love i.e. Sophie, definitely buy 2 just in case one goes missing.

Check back this afternoon for part 2 of this article and more great tips from Janine.

Contributed by Janine Pipe from Swindon, England.  She is a proud wife and mommy to almost 7 month old Felicity.  You can follow her on Twitter, @Disneynine.