One of our GaGa Sisterhood members asked for advice on our member forum about how to enjoy Disneyland with her grandchild.
Her daughter gave her permission to take her 8-year old granddaughter to Disneyland for three days. The daughter warned her mother that the granddaughter likes to arrive when Disneyland opens and doesn’t want to leave until they close. She wanted suggestions and ideas on how she can keep up with her without getting too worn out.
One of our “seasoned” grandmas who spent a week at Disneyland with her ten grandchildren responded.
How to Enjoy Disneyland with Your Grandchildren
- Get your sleep.
- Hydrate constantly.
- Have a game plan but be flexible if things break down or lines are impossible.
- Teach your granddaughter empathy: you have rights and feelings too.
- Have a rest time and put your feet up! There are locations where she can visit exhibits or ride in a circle while you keep watch.
- Buy a fan. You will need it!
- Wear great walking shoes, sunblock, a serious hat and sunglasses.
- Create a mind set of, ” I woke up so I must play, play, play.” Princess Anna in ” Frozen”
- Remind yourself how awesome you are and have fun.
- Be silly. Kids LOVE when adults can be silly.
- Say hi to Minnie for me!
Another grandma offered this advice:
When we went to Disney World with our kids, we started at the park when it first opened. It wasn’t crowded then. Around noon we went back to the hotel, ate lunch, the kids swam in the hotel pool and then we had about an hour of quiet time —reading and resting.
We went back to the park in the late afternoon for several hours into the evening. We didn’t last until closing. We wanted to get the kids back to the hotel and into bed so they would be rested for the next day of fun.
It worked well for our family and neither the parents nor the kids had melt downs. Of course, we stayed at the park so getting in and out was easy. Our kids loved pool time and looked forward to going back to swim. We avoided the park when it was the most crowded and the hottest.
Do you have any other suggestions for enjoying Disneyland with your grandchild?
