Thursday, April 5, 2018

Dressing your kids for Disney + Our custom outfits

The girls were three years old for their first Disney World vacation.  In August of 2010, we booked an early November trip and I really did not have a ton of time to plan.  The girls had coordinating Winnie the Pooh outfits from Target (I believe) and they wore those one day to Magic Kingdom.  Otherwise, I didn't pack or purchase any special Disney clothing.  I didn't know Disney custom clothing even existed until after that vacation when I picked up sewing again.

You'll see kids wearing just about anything to Disney parks.  Some parents pack several custom outfits for their kids to change into throughout the day while other kids wear a plain t-shirt and shorts.  There are no rules aside from Disney's dress code policy which doesn't allow guests ages 14 and older to wear costumes (aside from special ticketed events.)  In addition, clothing should not be obscene, excessively torn or show too much skin.

Whether you decide to go with custom outfits or not, I always follow these guidelines:

Comfort is key.  Is a store bought costume going to get too itchy after an hour?  What about those plastic princess shoes you've brought for your daughter to wear after her princess makeover?  Is the fabric for the clothes you've purchased breathable in the heat and humidity that is Florida?

Will your kids wear it?  Maybe I gave up too soon in allowing my kids to pick out their own clothes and dress themselves as early as possible.  My girls have to approve all the clothes I sew for them and what I pack for them.  (Although, now that they are older, they help with packing.)  The last thing you want is a pissed off kid at the happiest place on earth.

Two pairs of walking shoes per person.  I've talked about this before but I always recommend packing two pairs of comfortable walking shoes per person when you're packing for your Disney trip.  Why?  Rain is a common occurrence in Florida and if (when) you get stuck in a downpour or you're walking around a park wearing a rain poncho, your shoes will get wet and may not be dry the next day.

Hoodie or sweater.  Even when we've vacationed at Disney in August when it's hotter than the face of the sun, I pack a hoodie or sweater for everyone.  The air conditioning at the park restaurants is not overboard and feels refreshing after being in the heat but sometimes first thing in the morning or in the evening, it's too much for us.  We chill easily.

A note on Harry Potter and Thing 1, Thing 2 (Dr. Seuss) shirts: These are both Universal Studios related and not Disney.  Sometimes people get Disney and Universal confused and think Universal is part of Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Not the end of the world but if you or your kids wear Harry Potter or Thing 1, Thing 2 someone may tell you that you're at the wrong park.  (I've seen that happen.)  Now if your kid has a Harry Potter shirt and he needs to wear that Harry Potter shirt all the time, you do what you gotta do and don't worry about it.  Please don't go out and buy your kids Thing 1 through Thing 4 shirts for Disney because your favorite blogger did it and you think it looks cute.  That's Universal, not Disney. 

Why custom outfits?  The girls really enjoy wearing Disney customs because they say they're able to show their Disney spirit.  We've received many kind compliments from cast members and characters during our trips.  They seem to appreciate the different outfits they come across.  I've heard this from other Disney custom-makers too.  It's fun, gives me a creative outlet and the girls love it.

Over the years, I've been asked if I have all the Disney customs Grammy and I have made for the girls in one post.  I didn't until now.  Here's my attempt to round up four trips of custom outfits.  This isn't everything and includes some gifts.  (Close enough.)

Tank top dresses

8.15b

8.15d

dis1

dis10

dis11

Cape May skirts (located in the Beach Club resort, character meal with Minnie, Goofy and Donald)

8.15h

9.22e

Chef Mickey's outfits (located in the Contemporary resort, character meal with Mickey and friends)

8.15f

8.15g

Crystal Palace outfits (located in Magic Kingdom, character meal with Winnie the Pooh and friends)

augu8d

augu8e

augu8f

augu8h

dis8

dis9

Lilo - for breakfast at 'Ohana

11.25p

Frozen

aug24b

11.25g

11.25h

11.25j

dis22i

Skirts

2.27a

8.15i

11.25m

ju11a

dis5

Tanks + skirts

ju12b

dis42i

dis52i

Pink Cinderella

7.18a

Snow White

dis4

Animal Kingdom

dis2

dis3

dis31j

Mickey

dis6

dis7

Christmas

dd18d

Minnie Mouse tote bag

aprl1c

Park bags for the girls

ooct6b

ooct6e

ooct6g


6 comments:

Meghan said...

Will you be sewing for this next trip? I will be curious to see how the girls tastes and tolerance for wearing "kid stuff" has evolved as theyre getting older and how that translates into what you sew for them to wear.

Bree at Clarity Defined said...

Ahhhh! So cute! And so fun to see all of these again (I've been reading your blog since before your first WDW trip).

My mom has picked up sewing (again, apparently... she never sewed for us growing up, but sewed in high school) and I'm going to have to show her this post. She's already making so many cute things for my niece.

Anonymous said...

Love seeing all of the outfits (and bags) you've made in one place--they're all so amazing! I'm inspired to make my daughter a Disney dress now since I haven't sewn much more than trim in a while now. Even better than the clothes, though, is seeing your daughters age in the photographs. I've been reading your blog for too many years to even remember (maybe embarrassingly!) and it's a great look at how they've aged.

Mary said...

I love that you posted all of these in one post. And your girls are the cutest models.
Mary/Boston

Unknown said...

It cracks me up that you follow the same blogger I do with evidently the same amount of eye-rollery. (New word.)

Your Disney customs are awesome!!

Sarah said...

Thanks for the comments!

Meghan - I am going to sew for this trip. The girls will wear clothes there that they wouldn't wear at home - that was the same with out last trip. They sometimes also prefer skirts and dresses at the parks.