Keeping a toddler happy in line at disney

Something I was really worried about before our Orlando trip was how to keep two toddlers happy while waiting in line at Disney, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. My older son is pretty easy to please, but my 1-year-old is wild, curious and needs to be moving constantly. So, I was definitely nervous about how he'd respond to being confined to small spaces for long periods of time. I did tons of research before our trip (as always!) to figure out the best ways to keep my kiddos happy while we waited in the heat. I'm happy to say that we had very few unhappy moments during our 8-day trip (6 of those days were 12+ hour days at theme parks, and 2 were travel days) which is miraculous, really. Here are some of the things that worked:

Wax Sculpting Sticks
If you haven't played with these before, you need to buy them - theme parks or not. They're so 

fun to play with and not messy at all. They were so helpful to have at the theme parks and they take up just about no room at all. 

Tiny Play-Doh Containers
These little play-doh containers were perfect for keeping the kids busy and happy. I like to tell them that play-doh is a "treat" that they only get every so often. So, they're always really excited when I allow them to have it, which helped the excitement. I also never feel bad throwing away play-doh after a few uses because it's going to dry out. 

​Pipe Cleaners
Another thing that takes up no room at all, isn't messy and is really fun for kids to play with and you don't feel bad throwing away :)

(The following are the same snack suggestions from my packing post).

Cheez-It Packages
These were really cheap, easy to carry and didn't break much while traveling.

Beef Jerky
If I would have known how much the jerky would come in handy, I would have ordered way more of it. I just got 18 packages for our trip and we went through about two packages a day. I would have definitely preferred to have had enough for each person to have one package a day. It was really great for giving the kids a quick hit of protein and they both loved it, despite not ever having it before (and I have VERY picky eaters). Jerky is WAY cheaper on Amazon than it is anywhere else, so I definitely recommend buying before hand. One tip that came in handy for us...every day when I would pack our snack bag, I would put a few packages of jerky in there, but first I would poke a hole in the package to let the air out and would fold it up smaller to make sure it didn't take up more room than it needed.

Applesauce Pouches
This is a staple for most kids, but these were so handy to have while in the parks. They're small, cheap and a good way to keep blood sugar up on hot days.`

MESS-FREE Lollipops!!!
These lollipops were probably my biggest weapon in battling kids who seemed close to losing it while waiting in line or in places where we were around a lot of people and I needed them to not be quiet or during shows when they were supposed to be quiet. They each probably got one a day so it's not like I was popping these in their mouths constantly :)

Smarties
So, smarties are basically the same as the mess-free lollipops, but in smaller forms. I kept a handful of these in my purse every day and used them as bribery, and if that didn't work I moved onto the suckers. Smarties are great, because it's a quick hit of sugar and it helps to hold you over until you're able to eat a proper meal/snack.

Portable Toothbrushes
These little things are wonderful for times you're away from your house/hotel for long periods of time....especially when kids are getting to eat a lot of sweets that they aren't normally allowed to eat.