Tips for Helping Your Kids Choose Souvenirs At Disney World

Walking into a store at Disney World is pretty much unavoidable. This can also end in complete chaos. We have a few tips that will help your kids choose souvenirs at Disney World that will make everyone’s vacation better. Less stress equals MORE MAGIC! Trust us on this one.

Help Your Kids Choose Souvenirs At Disney World

If you are visiting any of the amazing stores inside Disney World, you will very quickly see how absolutely overwhelming it can be! I remember our first visit as we walked into the World of Disney in Disney Springs. My heart pounded and I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Even though, I had no idea how to help my kids choose souvenirs at Disney World! There were so many things to choose from: housewares, Mickey or Minnie Ears, mugs, food, clothing, purses, stuffed animals, toys. You name it, it’s there. If I was overwhelmed as a thirty-something adult, can you imagine how my kids felt! And they were 3, 5 and 15 at the time.

The children are all older now, but every time I walk into a merchandise store in Disney World, I still get that giddy, excited feeling and I want to buy everything! I obviously can’t buy everything. However, I do find it a lot harder for my kids to pick and choose what they want to buy as their souvenir every time we go. So because of that, I have a few tips for you to help your kids choose what they want to bring home from the most Magical Place on Earth!

Set A Limit

I find it helps to give them a limit. We went and bought them gift cards before our trip when we went last time. Each child received $50.00 and we told them it was theirs to do as they pleased with it. We usually tell them to keep their eyes open in every store and keep a running list of things they may want to bring home. Then we make sure we save some time at the end of the trip to go back and get what they want if we need to. Sometimes things are found in many of the stores, but sometimes things are park specific and you can’t just find it anywhere. Although the more trips we take, I have learned that if there is something one of my kids expresses a real want for, we get it then. This way, if we are staying in a resort far from a park, it doesn’t become a hassle to go back and get it at the end of the trip.

Choose Souvenirs At Disney World That Leave Memories

I try to explain to them that there are things you can get anywhere and there are things that are great for sentimental value or just things that can be tied to great memories of your trip. Last trip we came home with several popcorn buckets. A great souvenir because well, who doesn’t love popcorn! And they can be played with. We got one from Galaxy’s Edge and it had wheels, therefore, keeping my son busy when we were waiting in lines or sitting around taking a water break. We also got one of the alien buckets from Toy Story and my daughter still plays with it a year later. She puts it on her back and puts stuffed animals in it, using it as a carrier. And they both still talk about the fun memories we had carrying these buckets through the parks and enjoying our popcorn. There will always be a memory attached to them and I think that’s great.

On one of our trips, my son wanted these plush dice. There was nothing “Disney” about them, you could probably find them anywhere. But he was little and he wanted them. So of course it being our first trip we said fine and got them. I don’t think he has any clue at this point in life that they came from Disney World. If I had known then, what I know now I would have encouraged him to get something else. Something he would have gotten more use out of. Or at least something Disney themed he could hang in his room. OK, OK, they DO have Mickey emblems on them, but still! LOL!

Special Experience Souvenirs

My kids love Star Wars, so on one trip we made our own Light Sabers, they loved it! They played with them in the hotel at night when we went back for the night. The light sabers are very sturdy and they lit up. They were able to personalize them with their own choices of colors and handles. They still have them 5+ years later. On our last trip we decided to splurge a little and we made Droids at the Droid Outpost in Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge. It was pricey but we were there for a while, and the kids did all the work. Walt Express has a great blog on our experience at BUILD YOUR OWN DROID!

If your kids are Star Wars fans, they are really great souvenirs. We were able to get ours into our luggage for the flight home, so that was really great too!

What Is Their Obsession?

Everyone has different things they love to bring home, I love buying mugs. So I always know that no matter what I am going home with a new mug. But the kids tend to be harder, but I like to remind them of things they like to use everyday. My daughter has an obsession with stuffed animals, so I know she is almost always going to choose one of those. My son likes things he can use, so he usually comes home with a new set of little figures to play with. So now that they are getting older and we have gone a few times it has gotten easier to help them pick what they want in the stores. I try to remind them that even though there are huge stores with tons of fun stuff to think about what they are going to love the most when we go home!

Be sure you know about any SURPRISE COSTS before you go!

What are your kids favorite souvenirs? We would love to see them! Join our Facebook Group, DISNEY EXPRESS LANE! We also have friends over at WALT EXPRESS TRAVEL that would love to help you plan your next Disney World vacation!

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Crystal Brytowski

Meet Crystal from Connecticut who is married to her Mickey and has three wonderful kids. She works as a substitute teacher but her true passion is her “Disney work”. She always wanted to visit Disney World as a child, but never got the chance. Once she and her husband had a family of their own, they visited once and it became her passion! Disney World is her family’s favorite vacation spot and she can’t wait to take in everything it has to offer! She is sure to try something new on each visit!