Most Basic Effective Park Bag ~

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My first Walt Disney World vacation as a mom, it was a necessity, at least in my mind, I pack every possible thing my brain could think of. Five changes of clothes for my 4 year old, two phone chargers, six ponchos (just in case something happened to one, or all, of them), two tubs of chapstick, an extra pair of shoes for my son, dozens of zip-loc bags, a huge pack of wipes for sticky hands and misc. clean-ups, and SO. MUCH. MORE. Better to be prepared for everything, right?

Ten minutes into our first park day, I regretted everything I had packed. Our park bag was heavy, awkward, and discomforting. Fast forward 2 years, I’ve finally narrowed it down to a basic park bag for Disney World that fits my family’s needs and could possibly fit your family’s needs too!

The first part of making your family a basic park bag is determining your essentials, based on your family’s needs.

For a family vacation with my children and my husband, my essentials look like this: -1 poncho for each member of my travel party-Sunscreen -1 Change of clothes for each of my 2 kids-Phones -Band-aids and Neosporin -Chapstick -Quarters and Pennies for Penny Press-Moleskin (already cut) -Hats-Water Bottle -Deodorant -Body Spray -Inhaler (my son and I have asthma) -Fuel Rod -Extra Contacts -Hand Sanitizer

Your family is probably much different than mine and will look very different! If you have a baby, your essentials will include more: diapers, wipes, blankets, several outfits, toys, bottles, and snacks. If a family member has food allergies, your bag might include an EPI pen, snacks, drinks, or medicine. Perhaps your family has never been in Florida heat before, your park essentials could be misting fans, cooling towels, and several water bottles. Items you deem “might need”…you more than likely won’t need. Those items build up and before you know it, you could have a park bag bigger than Atlanta. Keep it simple. Keep to the necessities.

After determining your family’s necessities, you need the right park bag! Stay away from those HUGE bags with 50 compartments. They look awesome, they probably work for packing for your vacations, just try not to bring them as a park bag. You want your bag to be as light, and as basic, as possible. Choosing the right bag will allow you to find items easier in your bag, wear your bag for longer periods of time, and pass through security faster.

Two years ago, I needed a backpack that accommodated several outfit changes, bottles, pacifiers, blankets, diapers, and wipes for my infant, therefore I went with the lightest backpack I could find. Now that both of my children are potty trained, I can stick with my basic park bag: the Kavu Rope Sling Bag. This bag has 5 pockets, 2 of them being large compartments, has an adjustable shoulder strap, and goes on one shoulder. One aspect I LOVE about this bag is I can get on several rides while still wearing this bag. I turn it around, while it’s still on my one shoulder, and it sits on my lap during the ride.

The bag also fits nicely on the floor boards of rides too!

(**Tip….put one leg through your bag strap on rides and no worrying about it falling out.)On your next Walt Disney World vacation, narrow down the items you want to bring in your park bag. Is each item a “might need” or a necessity?

Once you determine your necessities, you can create your very own basic park bag! **Remember all families are different and needs vary according to each family. Your bag might be slightly larger to accommodate things such as diapers, wipes, or bottles. Another family’s bag might be smaller because the entire travel party is made up of adults. Just bring your travel party’s necessities and you will be set to go with your most basic WDW park bag!**

For help in planning your dream Disney vacation email [email protected].