Credit: @thehealthymouse/DisneyIt’s safe to say when Walt Disney World and Disneyland reopen to guests next month, the parks will not be the same. In fact, there will be quite a few changes taking place when the Disney parks reopen in order to help keep the theme park safe. These changes include:
- Eliminating parades, fireworks, and character meet and greets
- Social distancing measures
- Face mask/face covering requirements
- Increased hand sanitization and handwashing stands
- Cancellation of FastPass+ selections
- and more!
With all of these changes being implemented at the Disney Parks, it is leaving a lot of people, especially parents, wondering how to enjoy the Disney magic with the little ones — Face masks being a huge concern. Well, thanks to @thehealthymouse on Instagram, we now have some fun tips and tricks to manage Disney Parks with a child and how to handle the face-covering!
Jessica McDonald recently took to Instagram to share her tips for visiting Disney with her young daughter and we found them extremely helpful and thought all of you other parents would too!
Little Ones vs Face Masks/Face Covering
Jessica understands how difficult it is for children to wear face masks, but she shares a few great ideas to help kids get used to the new norm.
Wearing A Mask Is A Good Thing!
To start, Jessica says she consistently brings up wearing a mask to a Disney Park to her daughter to help get her used to the idea of wearing one. She always emphasizes how it is a good thing to wear one this way “it won’t be as big of a hurdle to get her to wear a mask!”
Trying Different Face Masks
She also suggests trying out different masks. “Trying out different masks (some can feel more comfortable than others behind the ears so I ask Amelia which mask she would like to wear). I think it’s helpful for kids when they have some choices and helps them feel more in control,” Jessica writes.
Wearing A Mask Elsewhere
Whenever Jessica and her daughter wear face masks, no matter where it is, Jessica always lets her daughter know “when Disneyland opens again we will be wearing masks there. But if that means we can go to Disney that’s totally worth it right?” By Jessica constantly saying this to her daughter, it helps her get excited to wear one.
She also shares that you should say it in an exciting way as it hints “this is pretty simple to do it right, and means everyone can be safe?”
Take Photos and Match Outfits
One of my personal favorite tips Jessica shares is to take photos together in matching outfits! Jessica writes “If your kid is into fashion like Amelia I have her help me pick out an outfit she wants to wear to coordinate with her mask and we take care pics so she can see how cute she looks in it.”
Overall
All in all, we love these tips that Jessica has shared. By doing these things with your child, it will make it a fun and positive experience for them to realize that it is okay to wear a mask and sometimes it’s even fun!
Jessica ended her post with “These tips may sound corny but making it a fun positive experience and mentioning everytime we are out that ‘when Disney opens’ or ‘when malls open’ etc we will be wearing masks to normalize the idea of wearing them I think it’s made a difference for her.”
You can read her full Instagram post here.
Do you have any tips or tricks for visiting Disney with little ones once the parks reopen? Let us know in the comments below.