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Did you know you can't take your buggy into the ride queues or shows? Your baby is going to spend a LOT of time in your arms, so you might as well make it more comfortable for you both! Have you thought about hiring a baby carrier from It's a Sling thing to take to Disneyland Paris? Would you know where to start if you wanted to? I teamed up with It's A Sling Thing to hire 2 carriers and take a trip to Disneyland Paris BUGGY FREE!

One of the most regular questions I see in the Disneyland Paris facebook groups is 'Will my child need a buggy?', its often followed by a hundred parents stating that their 8-year-old still needed a buggy and then I look strange when I say 'we didn't take a buggy for our 2.5-year-old, she walked the whole time' (as did our 3 year old the previous year and this year at 4 years.)

Disneyland Paris its a sling thing baby carrier hire


Hiring Process


You can head over to It's a Sling Thing's website and start by taking a look at all the carriers available, the prices to hire and any other information you are looking to start with. I started with a phone call advice session (which could have been done via Skype, over the phone or via messenger), where we discussed any previous history carrying, what I was looking for, any disabilities affect use, my children's rough weight, and ages. Throughout this discussion, Jenni was matching us with the best carriers for our needs.

Once we had decided on the best option, Jenni emailed me everything so that I could look over it and make a final decision. I then headed to the website and chose the carrier designs I loved best (all the pretty ones to chose from!). Then once everything was agreed, the carriers were on the way to us.

 

Disneyland Paris its a sling thing baby carrier hire

Postal Service


The amazing thing about It's a Sling thing is, you don't have to go to any groups or meet with anyone. When you have a busy life and you just need a carrier for your trip, it's just a few clicks away. Both carriers were sent out to me in a postal bag which contained all the information I needed and a return bag with paid postage. Perfect, no hidden costs! All you have to do is take the carriers back to the post office at the end of your hire and grab a receipt for proof of postage.

Disneyland Paris its a sling thing baby carrier hire

Use in the parks


On to the exciting bit now. So why, you may ask will a carrier make my trip stress free? Here are my top 5 reasons.

  1. When in any queue, you won't need to hold your baby or make your toddler stand, you can just pop them into a carrier and get through the queue with ease (they may even have a nice nap!)

  2. Parades are hard with young children, you either have to arrive really early to get a great spot or you need to hold your child up high enough so they can see (which is often not the safest of situations) The best thing about the carrier is being able to see the parades and fireworks hands free. (Leaves you able to eat your candy floss ;) ) You know your child will be safe in the crowd but will also have a fantastic view too.

  3. Especially in the evenings, the crowds to get out of the parks and through the village or onto the busses are very overpowering. Children can easily get lost in that situation and after a long day, the last thing they want to do is walk. People are tired and pushing and it's so easy for someone to go through your hands and break you and your child apart. Having them in the carrier means you know they are safe and you can get onto the crowded busses stress-free. This is also really helpful if you are given a first+ floor room where there are no lifts too. (Believe me, I've been there!)

  4. If you have a young child, some cast members may ask you to use a carrier on the rides* (this differs from cast member to cast member and ride to ride, so check first.)

  5. You don't have to worry about buggy theft! It's sadly very often that buggys seem to be stolen while outside the rides at Disneyland Paris, with a carrier you can just leave it clipped to your waist the whole time.


 Disneyland Paris its a sling thing baby carrier hire


Using It's a Sling Thing was a fantastic experience. Both Jenni and Emily were amazing the whole way through the service, they have always been on hand to answer any and every question I've had, they've walked me through their service and given me amazing advice. Not only did using the slings make our trip a breeze, but it also taught me that Naminé is capable of much more than we give her credit for too. I will never travel to Disneyland Paris with a buggy again, but if I did, I would be heading to It's a Sling Thing first to work out which carrier is best to go along with my buggy to make the trip extra magical!

Disneyland Paris its a sling thing baby carrier hire

If you are looking to buy your own carrier, then I recommend heading over to the It's a Sling Thing website and taking a look there, If you are looking for the perfect handbag for Disney that will fit in all the nappies, but none of the fuss, then you can use my affiliate link to grab the Mum on the Run bag, it's the perfect size for a Disneyland Paris trip.


For more posts on Disneyland Paris or to see the Pros and Cons of wearing in the park, I recommend this post on Babywearing at Disney or if you are looking at booking, check out the benefits on staying onsite vs offsite.

 

For this weeks deal of the week:

Right now you can stay onsite for £200 less than staying onsite, Looking for a deal? Here is one I found today. A family of 4, including the Eurostar for 4 nights/5 days just £1025! Click the image below to head over to Magic Breaks.

Looking for a fantastic deal for a family of 4?

 

*This is a colabourative post, all opinions are my own*
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It's been a dream of mine for a long time to visit all the Disney parks around the world. I've been to Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Paris in Marne le Vallee, so of course next on my list is Disneyland in California. I've been looking at this trip a few times now and (because I like to visit Disney multiple times in a year) I have been working out how to do it as a 1-day trip.

So I've been looking at San Diego vacation homes because they are only 90 minutes away from Disneyland and we can still have a sun holiday with plenty around to do, such as San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, La Jolla Cove and Seaworld. A sun holiday is exactly what I need at the moment too!

 

What can I do in San Diego?


1. Disneyland


Only a short 90 minutes drive away, Disneyland California is the perfect destination. (I am absolutely so excited just typing it!) As a family of 4 there is plenty there for us to do. The rides, shows and of course walk down Main Street and just take it all in and then. Head to radiator springs, drop with guardians of the galaxy and then once we're completely tired, we can hop over to Disney's California Adventure too.

Oh and I have to see the Dapper Dans!

 

2. An Evening at Disneyland


Of course, the evening is going to start off with Disney's amazing fireworks and Fantasmic. Then hopping over to Disneyland California Downtown District where we can grab a bite in the Rainforest Café and a bit of shopping (like the Disney Dress Shop and the World of Disney!) and finish off with a wonderful trip to AMC Downtown Disney's 12 Theatres to catch a new Disney Movie too.

 

3. San Diego Zoo


San Diego Zoo is famous for its beautiful animals, I mean who doesn't want the chance to see a Panda Bear and a Koala? If you take a look on trip advisor, you'll see people say that 'San Diego Zoo is the happiness of Disney'. Which sounds very exciting to me. I've always been interested in San Diego Zoo and after our trip to London Zoo late last year, I know the girls would absolutely love it!

 

4. Balboa Park


Balboa Park is one of the most popular parks in the United States. With San Diego Zoo situated inside it, it would be silly for us not to plan a couple of hours in the parks too, taking in all the beautiful views. The girls are really into wildlife and flowers, so I'd love to take them to have a look at the Japanese Garden and Rose Garden too.

 

5. La Jolla Cove


I love to snorkel and have always wanted to scuba dive. However, as I'm not a massive fan of beaches, it's not something I've ever gotten round to doing. With this trip, I'll be planning to go to the beautiful La Jolla Cove, the beach and views are gorgeous and it's perfect for scuba divers so there would be something for all of us.

 

6. Seaworld


I can never go to Walt Disney World without taking a trip to Seaworld. I love seeing the amazing shows and going on awesome rides like the journey to Atlantis. Then there are the up-close places where you get to touch a crab or a stingray and so many education plaques through the park (which I love to read with the girls, to help them learn about the world). So, when I realized San Diego has a Seaworld, it went straight onto my list.

 

7. Botanical Building and Lily Pond


The Botanical buildings here in Cambridge are beautiful, I love to wander through and see the unique flowers and help the girls to learn about the world. San Diego has a wonderful Botanical Building and Lily pond with over 1200 tropical flowers! Definitely a whole day and something a little different for a beach holiday, it's definitely going on the list.

 

 

8. Petco Park


Petco Park is a ballpark set in San Diego. I have to be honest, my family isn't a massive lover of sports (seriously, we don't even enjoy sport console games), but as we have never been to a ballpark before, this would be the perfect experience. 1... 2... 3... strikes you're out! We'll be grabbing a super-sized drink and a hot dog (or 2!) and really getting into the game. You never know, we may end up loving it.

 

With 8 exciting things to do in San Diego, I'm going to need to have a least a week (but I'm thinking 2, because we will need an extra week, Disney and then time for shopping too!). I've already started pricing this exciting trip to visit San Diego and Disneyland California, I've been looking at a beautiful Villa on San Diego beach, 2 bedrooms, Tv's in every room (including the bathroom) and Wi-Fi (because you're not getting us away from the internet that easily!).

The Villa is so close to the beach, with sporting events, boating, cycling and Kairi's favorite skating, all on offer, there isn't going to be a dull moment on this trip! So what would you love to do if you got to visit San Diego? Would you take a magical trip to Disneyland California or perhaps visit the Botanical Building and Lily Pond?

*This is a collaborative post, all exciting trip ideas are my own so check back soon to see if we announcing what date we've booked! Disneyland California, here I come!!
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If your kids are anything like mine, they love a sleepover. The thought of popcorn, hot chocolate and covers all over the floor makes them so excited and seeing their little faces just makes your day. If you are planning a Disney Slumber Party, I have filled this post with plenty of products and ideas to keep the kids occupied.

*This post contains affiliate links*

 

The first thing you are going to need is a movie of course. One of our favourite pick in our house is Moana! 'See the line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me'.


 

If you are having friends over, then why not grab one of these cute Disney sofa beds? Perfect for 2 kids and great to keep in the kids room after the party too. If you don't want a sofa, take a look at a blow up ready bed.


 

This Disney Cars light is so cute and perfect for the stories and 'late' night chat, my girls are both asking for this for their next trip.


 

Let your kid be the talk of the party with these cute Disney Pj's.


 

When we had our last sleep over party, the girls loved to do their nails, this cure Moana goes along with the film perfect.


 

Doing hair is so much fun, this cute hair brush is the perfect little gift for your guests.


 

We have this game and its SO much. The girls start playing this at 3 years old. It's Disney eye-spy in a box, the board is pretty long, but its the perfect game to sit on the floor and enjoy with your friends.


 

Who loves punch balloons? These are Disney ones... Enough said!



When we had our last sleep over I brought popcorn boxes and they were so much fun, I found these Cars ones on amazing they were so much fun!


 

Bonus idea... Okay, they are not Disney but we just loved these unicorn tattoos and would defiantly grab them again!


 

 

What else would you add to this list, let me know before I plan our next sleep over!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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3 Things You Must Not Miss At Disneyland Paris With Young Kids


Disneyland Paris is a magical place, one of the most magical to visit with kids. You all know how much I love Disneyland Paris and someone who shares that love is Cath from Passports and Adventures. Today she is here to share with us three things you must not miss at Disneyland Paris with young kids. Despite having visited Disneyland Paris twice before having their son, she and her husband never got to enjoy these things until their visit to Disneyland Paris last year. Let’s find out what they are.


A bit of a back story. My husband worked at Disneyland Paris when it opened as Euro Disney in 1992 as part of the opening crew. He then took me to Disneyland Paris during a long weekend in Paris when I was into my 30’s. Even then it was amazing, but I never realised the true magic of Disney until we visited as a family for the first time in December 2017. Sure, we did a few rides, walked down Main Street and marvelled at the castle. But we never experienced Disneyland Paris as it should be, through the eyes of a child, until we went with our then three-year-old son.


When planning our visit to Disneyland Paris I went Disney-zilla on it, think bride-zilla but worse. I researched everything we wanted to do, drew up a timetable and ensured we were going to make the most out of our three full days in the parks. The friends we were going with thought I was mad and commented “oh, we’ll go with the flow and see how it goes”. Within hours of our arrival on day one, the enormity of the parks dawned on them and they jumped on our timetable and tagged along. And we all had a ball.


So, what are the three things you should not miss at Disneyland Paris with young kids I hear you ask? Besides the rides and general experience, these are the three things I did not want to miss with our son during our visit as I know he will probably not want to do them in years to come so it was our only chance to experience them.


3 Things You Must Not Miss At Disneyland Paris With Young Kids


meet-and-greet-with-minnie-mouse-passports-and-adventures

Characters Meet and Greet Experiences


Before researching our visit, I had never really gotten the point of character meet and greets. Years ago, before kids, I thought they felt a bit silly. I mean, why would you want to shake hands or hug someone dressed up as a Disney character. Fast forward to going with a three-year-old and I saw the light. I had read in a few groups about the character meet and greet options and the reaction other people’s young kids had to meeting their favourite character and I knew we had to do some.


If you aren’t sure what a meet and greet experience is, it is an opportunity to meet the Disney characters at various places around the parks. Some are available all day like Mickey Mouse in his special house, while others have timed events in certain places in the parks. These can be found on the latest Disneyland Paris timetable, and can be subject to change. Some will also have an official Disneyland photographer there for your Disney PhotoPass+.


While there may be an official photographer there, you are free to take your own pictures and often you’ll find a Disney helper on hand to take family photos for you, particularly if there isn’t an official photographer present. This is also your opportunity to get the character’s autograph. So, don’t forget your autograph books and a pen!


Personally, I think character meet and greet opportunities are best suited to younger kids as the older they get, the more reluctant and shy they may become, particularly boys. So, this is one thing you don’t want to miss out when visiting Disneyland Paris with young kids.


parade-disneyland-paris-passports-and-advnetures

The Disney Parades


My husband had told me all about the parades that Disney put on in the parks but during our previous trips we’d only been there for the day and didn’t really have time to see any. While planning our trip I wanted to fit at least one in and we managed to catch the lunchtime Christmas parade. And it was amazing.


I had looked into where we should watch the parade from and we staked our claim on a spot to the left of the castle with the entrance to Adventureland behind us and it was a great spot. We could see the parade coming easily. And what a parade. It was only short, about 20 minutes, which was more than enough to keep our son and our friend’s son interested.


As we were visiting during December the parade had a Christmas theme to it and Mickey and Minnie were dressed in festive costumes. All the main characters took part and even Father Christmas made an appearance. There were also some Storm Troopers taking part and when one of them spotted our son dressed as Kylo Ren, he came over to shake his hand. So, it pays to get the kids into their costumes.


I do feel the parades can be enjoyed at all ages, but older kids might not be interested, and might favour doing rides during this time as some of them might have shorter queues. It is for this reason you should make an effort to catch one of the parades when visiting Disneyland Paris with young kids.


moteurs-show-disneyland-paris-passports-and-adventures

The Disney Shows


If there is one thing Disney know how to do, it is to put on a good show. Whether it is outdoors on one of the main stages in the parks, or inside one of the auditoriums, a Disney show will not disappoint. We pencilled in the Mickey and the Magician Show in the main auditorium in the Studios Park and we were not disappointed.


Without giving too much away, we were led through a story featuring Mickey Mouse and were treated to snippets of other characters from various films. From Beauty and the Beast to the Lion King, the show was amazing. From the costumes, to the stage setting, to the music and songs, everything was just specatular, everything you’d expect from Disney.


This show was one I had seen recommended on a few Facebook groups as one mot-to-be-missed. And I do think kids of all ages enjoyed it, even bigger ones. The two younger members of our party sat dumbstruck for the entire show.


We also caught the Moteur’s Action Stunt Spectacular as a certain Red Disney car called Lightening McQueen makes an appearance. Aside from him, there is a brilliant stunt show featuring cars and our son’s favourite, motorbikes. It was really well done and there was a narration to go with the show and the whole audience enjoyed it, young and old.


So, when visiting Disneyland Paris with young kids, ensure you catch a show or two. Once they get old enough for some of the more daring rides, you might find it hard to drag them away to go sit and watch a show.


And there you have it. My top three things you must not miss when visiting Disneyland Paris with young kids. We did all of them with our almost four-year-old son during our family trip to the home of Mickey Mouse and friends, and I’m glad we did as it is doubtful whether he will be interested in any of it when we next return to Paris. Make sure to put them on your own plan for your Disney trip.


Cath is an Irish expat who now lives in Portugal with her husband and son. A former scientist, she gave up working when they emigrated south from the UK. She is a family travel blogger and hopes that, through her blog, they will inspire more families to travel, especially with the toddlers in tow. As a family they love travelling and have started working their way through their family travel bucket list. Cath writes about their family travels and experiences on her blog Passports and Adventures. She can also be found on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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If you're anything like me, then you are always dreaming about you perfect day in the parks. The food, the rides, the shows, the character meets, there is so much to choose from! Here is my perfect day at Disneyland Paris.





Hotel: Disneyland Hotel





Wake up at 6:30am with a call from Mickey Mouse!


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If you've been before, you'll likely get chocked up at my next sentence, if this is your first trip, you'll think I'm mad! You've been traveling all day, you finally walk in the Disney park you stroll down Main Street and get to the castle and you CRY. (Told you that you'd think I'm mad!)

I know, it sounds crazy, but honestly it happens every single time. All those emotions, the stress of traveling and keeping the kids occupied the hours work you've put in and months spent saving, the days planning and finally, right now, you are there standing in front of that beautiful castle surrounded by your family and you are just so happy you have to let it all out!

 

Disneyland Paris Castle with a light dusting of Snow

 

The thing about Disney is, it's magical, but it's hard. It's not a holiday where you sit and put your feet up, where the waiter brings you your next drink and the kids are busy in the kids club. It's one where you are on your feet walking all week, miles and miles, more than you would usually do and on top of it all off, you're trying to stick to your plan and keep the whole family happy at the same time and that takes a big toll on your body.



 

So when Being Katy Brave messaged me to talk all about her 'Disney Essential Oil Kit' I just had to know more. The kit, which comes in it's own cute little Disney case contains 4 oil blends that are made especially to take to Disney to combat the dreaded Disney fatigue and emotional overload.

Disney Oils Kit

The kit arrived and it was so cute, I'd asked for Minnie mouse and received a stylish grey zip up bag with a cute Minnie charm on the corner. Inside were 4 bottles (perfect for traveling) each labeled with cute Disney labels.

 

The four bottles; Be Present, Be Energised, Be Happy, Be Calm, are made of sturdy glass with a metal rolling ball. They are fantastic quality and look stylish too. To use the oils you just take the bottle you need and roll it across your wrists and inhale.

Disney-Essential-Oils-Stickers-Calm

The whole kit is the perfect size to slip into your bag or if you are not taking a bag, you could keep a your favourite bottle in your pocket for later on in the day. The oils work great on both adults and children so are perfect for the whole family.



Although we haven't been to Disney with them, we had a very difficult fortnight and the oils have come in very handy. The 'Be Calm' has helped me to relax before bed at the end of very stressful and tiring days and 'Be energised' has helped me to get through the hard days of ill children and lots of work on. I can totally see the other two blends being really handy to use while in the parks too, especially remembering to just be present and enjoy the moment.



As a mum, my family always comes first and there isn't a time I want them to leave the parks feeling anything other than happiness, but this usually does come at the expense of me. I end up leaving the parks, tired, overwhelmed and feeling like I missed out of important family moments. The Disney oil blends give me what I need to stay in the moment and end the day with the same happiness my husband and children have.

Want to get the kit for free? Head here: http://beingkatiebrave.com/disney-oils then go to the “Do you want to get this Disney Oil Kit totally free?!” section!
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