What is in my Disney park bag?
Any fun day at a Disney park starts by preparing the park bag! Let me just say, my park bag has transformed over the years as I have gone from a young, single adult to a married adult and, finally, to a mother. Prior to having my daughter, my Disney park bag was small, usually just a backpack-style purse or crossbody purse. At that time, my only necessities were my wallet, phone, a small tube of sunscreen, SPF lip balm, and sunglasses. My has it progressed over the years!
How children change the Disney park bag…..
My daughter went on her first trip to Walt Disney World at the age of 15 months. In addition to my cell phone, wallet, and sunglasses, I now had to include so much more in my park bag. To fit everything I needed, I had to upgrade to a full-size backpack. A small tube of sunscreen was no longer sufficient. I upgraded to a full-sized bottle of sunscreen that was safe for both myself and my daughter to use. Kids never fail to get into some kind of situation that necessitates a change of clothes, so I always carry an extra outfit in the park bag for my daughter. At this age, diapers were also required. Always pack a couple more than you think you need! Things happen. Wipes can come in use for multiple different situations.
Bottles and formula are required for babies but as children get older, I also highly suggest packing snacks and drinks. Yes, you are allowed to bring food and drinks into the parks. Hunger can turn into hanger quite quickly and put a damper on a day. I usually pack goldfish, fruit snacks, a juice box, and a bottle of water or two. In recent years, Disney has gone to using paper straws. While they are environmentally friendly, my daughter and I don’t like them. Because of this, you will always find reusable straws in my park bag.
Ponchos and stroller covers are also frequently in my Disney park bag. I do tend to look at the forecast for the day before packing them. If there isn’t a high chance for rain, I do leave them behind as they can be kind of bulky and take up extra space. Ponchos can be purchased in the parks; however, they are costly and can be difficult to find in inclement weather. I prefer to have my own.
Hand sanitizer is always nice to have on hand. I also always have Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Tums in my Disney park bag just in case. The travel-size containers are sufficient. Typically, I have full-size versions of these back at the resort and can always refill the travel-size containers. You will always find band-aids in my park bag too. While most of the gift shops and baby care/first aid centers do have Band-Aids available, scrapes, blisters, and cuts happen. Rather than have to find the nearest place to obtain a band-aid, it is so much nicer to have some readily available.
Entertainment is nice to have when you have to wait in a long line or wait for food to be served at table service restaurants. Just a couple of small toys will do for the younger kids. We enjoyed packing the look and find books too.
Pre-Covid you would find an autograph book/pen in my park bag; however, since they have yet to start letting characters do autographs again, I haven’t been packing them lately. Speaking of COVID, now you will always find masks in my park bag. I usually have 2 or 3 per person in case one gets lost, soiled, or becomes uncomfortable throughout the day.
Another necessity for my daughter and I is a small brush and hair ties.
Now let’s say that you booked a Walt Disney World resort preferred room. That walk to your room will be five minutes or less. That sounds much better, doesn’t it?
The Disney park bag just keeps evolving….
Now, that my daughter is five years old, we have transitioned to a smaller backpack. This backpack is still larger than a backpack-style purse but a little smaller than a regular backpack. We no longer require diapers or pull-ups but still bring wipes to help with messy situations. Those Mickey Ice Cream bars can create quite the chocolate disaster. I still bring a couple bottles of water and small snacks as well as our reusable straws. Over the years I have found packing a few Ziploc bags to be helpful. Leftover portions of snacks or meals can easily be packed up and eaten later.
Entertainment is still necessary, although now we just bring her Leapfrog or Kindle. It really does help when waiting in long lines. Some new things that I have added on our last couple of trips include a portable charger, moleskin, and a portable fan with spray mister. With Disney migrating to more use of the app and my increased photo taking, my phone battery tends to wear down faster. The portable charger is super helpful to charge it back up on the go. The moleskin is a quick solution for blisters and my daughter becomes a little dramatic when she is hot so the portable fan with spray mister is much appreciated.
Of course, our sunscreen, sunglasses, SPF lip balm, hand sanitizer, band-aids, and as needed medications are still in the bag too! My theory when packing my Disney park bag is to think about standing in a line for an attraction that is 30 minutes to an hour long. What could I possibly need during that wait? Is there anything that could help avoid or solve a meltdown from my daughter?
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