How to Take a Sensory Kid to Disneyland

Olivia turned 3 this month and we felt like it was time to reward all of her hard work with a trip to the castle that she daily talks about. We had the chance to take our other kids a couple of times, but we always left Liv at home due to her maturity but also her extreme sensory issues that made it seem impossible to take her.

But as she got older and became obsessed with the Disney princesses and that big beautiful Disneyland castle, we started to think about how unfair it was to withhold that experience from her just because it would be "hard" to do. Yes, it would be challenging, exhausting, sometimes frustrating and, at times, unnerving. But when you get down to the nitty gritty of it, she still deserves all the life experiences and magical moments that every other kid deserves. And so, we set out planning our daughter's introduction to the land we love so much.

Plan ahead
It's important when dealing with sensory issues, to plan ahead. The first thing we decided was that we wanted to take only her. All the other kids stayed home so we could put all our energy and focus on Olivia. She could set the pace for the day, and if she had a bad day, it wouldn't affect everyone else. We planned the 8 hour drive to L.A. around her schedule and needs. Providing many snacks, comfortable clothes, protective sun shields and plenty of entertainment for her as well as many stops so she could run around. It worked out really well and when we felt like she might start having "a moment", we would play her favorite music that was a cue to her to calm down. We all made it there and back in one piece.

Transportation

We also decided to take a stroller. While most people do this regardless, this was a big decision for us as we had never taken a stroller to Disneyland. But we felt like we needed to be able to create a safe place for her and a place where she could rest as she became fatigued. While we originally planned for those things, the stroller ended up being so much more. It ended up being the place where we would put her in a time out. When she would become overwhelmed or inconsolable, we would put her in the stroller and put her comfort blanket over the top of it to create a quiet, dark time out environment to allow her to calm down in her own space, while also giving her time to change her attitude.

We chose a hotel that was a little bit further away and went with taking the bus to and from the resort. $24 for the 3 of us for 3 days wasn't half bad and the payoff of not having to walk the 3 miles back was priceless. Particularily because as night hit, the moodiness can sometimes worsen, and it's nice to be able to make a quick getaway. Olivia also enjoyed the stimulation that the bus ride provided and we used it as a signal to her to prepare herself for the park.

Clothing 

Because our Olivia was into princesses, we wanted her to be able to dress special for the occasion but she also has major sensory issues to clothes, so we worked around that by offering a wide variety of outfits and layers. She loved Ariel, so instead of choosing an itchy Ariel costume, my mom made her a special Ariel tutu that she could take on and off as she became uncomfortable . I gave her many sock and shoe options as well as comfortable layers like leggings and cardigans that we could easily add or take off as the day went on. She really loves the tiara, but I made sure to make it comfortable and light. We also included sunglasses which helped BIGTIME with her light sensitivity. Mostly, it was me that had to learn to be flexible. I brought a big fluffy princess dress that I wanted her to wear so badly, but when she tried it on, it didn't feel right so I immediately let it go and allowed her to choose what clothes made her comfortable. WAY LESS of a battle, and she was a much happier girl because of it.

 

ACTIVITIES

We tried to plan out a few things that we knew she would want to do and see at the park each day in order to gain momentum in her experience. And we did our best to do those things first, while she still had patience and energy. Because she loved the princesses, we knew meeting them would be a priority. While she wasn't keen on the line, we managed to distract her by keeping her stocked with snacks and fun things like chapstick and jewelry to play with while waiting. I'm not going to say that all line experiences were amazing, some were downright difficult, but we did our best to choose the things with the shortest lines and to always make sure that she was the one who wanted to do each activity. If she chose, it was much easier for her to wait in line. And when we would try to do a ride and the line was too long, or she wasn't feeling it, we let go of the idea and tried something different. The key is flexibility and not putting too many unrealistic expectations on the trip.

We also tried to do a lot of shows and fireworks as those things didn't require standing in line and you could sit down and take breaks while doing them. This allowed for her to calm down and for all of us to slow down and enjoy things a bit better.

MELTDOWNS

As much as we all like to pretend like the 300 pound Gorilla isn't in the room, let's face it... there will be meltdowns. The key is, to not let them take you by surprise. Plan ahead. For us, this meant taking frequent breaks. But where do you take breaks for sensory kids? We find that the pavillion at the back of California Adventure by Goofy's Sky School is an EXCELLENT place for lunch. Because that park is so very hot it's difficult to find shade and quiet. But this place has covered and totally shaded places to eat and it's not overly populated because, not a lot of people know about it. It's next to a wide variety of restaurants and bathrooms. Heck, there's even a plug in for your phone by the bathroom. It's a great place for a break. It does have lots of live music shows though, so if your child has sensitivity to noise, I would plan on bringing ear plugs. But if your kid has that sensitivity, that is probably something you do all the time anyways. We chose to pack our breakfasts and lunches and snacks. Obviously, it's cheaper. It allows for you not to have to stand in yet another line and pay a ridiculous price for food your child may or may not eat. But it's also a chance for you to provide foods your child is familiar with. Olivia has a sensitivity to textures in food and will hardly touch anything she's not familiar with. So we made her a sandwhich and snacks as if she was sitting at home. When that meltdown hit, the familiarity of the food allowed her to calm down and focus on eating. She also enjoyed the familiar snacks we packed throughout the day as needed.

We brought her security blanket which helped considerably as well. Obviously it kept her warm, but it also was present during rides that she was a little unsure of and worked like a charm (and got pretty dirty). In hindsight, a backup blanket might have been a good idea.

BOTTOM LINE: There are only so many things we can do to keep our sensory kids from outbursts. They will happen. People will stare, and possibly whisper and pass judgement on your kid, on your parenting and on how annoying the whole situation is. You gotta have tough skin. But you also can remember that these are all people you will never see again. Besides, you're not here for them, you're here for your child, and to provide them with as much happiness, love and imagination as you can. Those are the people of the world that will never understand.

Experience= Priceless

For all the planning, overpacking, and worrying, for your child, the experience really is invaluable. In our family, we have a saying...

We Do Hard  Things

We don't do things because they're easy, but because they're worth it. And this trip, was so so so worth it.