Use this tips for surviving the heat at Disney with your little ones.

* Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Staying hydrated is really important, especially if you’re visiting Disney World during the summer. It gets hot. We usually bring our own water bottle and refill at drinking fountains throughout the day. You can usually get free cups of ice water at counter service restaurants throughout the parks. Take advantage! (And often we’ll hold an ice cube against the pulse points on our wrists for extra cooling.)

* The Baby Care centers are Awesome, and Air Conditioned.

Kerry Hanson, mom of two, is a huge fan of the Baby Care Centers at Walt Disney World.  They provide a cool, calm place to regroup.

“I want more children because of these places!” she said. (See, I wasn’t kidding about her fandom.) “They’re wonderful. They’re quiet and they have AC, rockers, eating, play, nursing and sleep (crib) areas. I have used them at every park. Even with toddlers.”

* Use Transportation to Stay Cool and Take a Break

Morgan from Maryland, also a mom of two, says that taking a ride can be the key to cooling down. “Transportation like the boats and the monorail can be the perfect place to take a mid-day break if you don’t want to go back to your hotel.  It gives you and the kids a place to go to be away from the crowds and stimulation of the park.”

If you don’t want to leave the Magic Kingdom, hop on the Walt Disney World Railroad. It circles the entire park in a 1.5 mile loop and can provide a lovely breeze and a chance to sit for the 20 minutes that a full trip takes. Trains are scheduled to arrive at each station every 4 to 10 minutes at most times throughout the day.

At Animal Kingdom, the train ride to the Conservation Station and Rafiki’s Planet Watch isn’t long but still provides a nice, shady break with a good breeze.

* Head Inside

There are many indoor attractions that aren’t hugely popular but they offer a break in the air conditioning.  Take advantage! Here are our favorites:

At the Magic Kingdom, check out the Hall of Presidents. The show featuring animatronic versions of our nation’s leader is just over 20 minutes, in a dark and cool theater with comfy seats. (A few, both young and old, have been known to sneak a brief nap, but shhhhh, I won’t tell.)

Mickey’s PhilharMagic is another cool indoor option, but the show is much shorter at just 12 minutes.

At Animal Kingdom, the Conservation Station in Rafiki’s Planet Watch (with the aforementioned train ride there).  It provided a nice break from the spring break crowds for us, and we were surprised by how much we enjoyed it. My daughter learned all about the efforts made to save a sea turtle, a cast member was teaching kids all about snakes and showing one off (after making kids guess what animal was inside his box), and we got to meet Rafiki, all in an air conditioned building.

At Hollywood Studios, the Magic of Disney Animation building offers some blessed air conditioning and fun.  My daughter loves playing on the computer to see which character she’s most like, and we’ve really enjoyed the character meet and greets there. We laughed so hard with Mr. Incredible and Frozone last time. And the wait to see them is nice and cool. Also try out the Animation Academy there to learn how to draw a character – your sketch makes a fun, free souvenir. There’s also a nine minute movie on animation starring Mushu.

As for Epcot, many of the countries (including China, Canada and France) have movies of the country, which offer a chance to cool down for approximately 15 minutes. I love the Canadian one – just seeing some snow makes me feel cooler. Or check out The American Adventure, a 30-minute show featuring animatronic American greats like Ben Franklin and Mark Twain. The theater is lovely and, best of all, air conditioned.

* Keep Expectations Reasonable

If you have little kids, don’t worry about hitting all of the rides – go at their place, explore the parks, and have fun. Have a plan, but be willing to veer from it if they are enthralled by something, says Morgan. Admittedly, this is harder to do with FastPass+,  but it can help you slow down a bit. You’re cooler when you’re not running to get somewhere.

* Time Your Trip to Avoid the Heat

I know, this tip is tricky. There are only so many available dates. And if taking your kids out of school isn’t an option, I totally understand.

I also don’t handle the heat all that well but cannot take my child out of school for more than a day or two, so we during  time off school in the cooler months, like over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend or Presidents Day weekend. I know that the parks are a bit busier on those holiday weekends than other times, but they are still not as busy as the summer  and the temperature are much, much cooler compared to July and August.

* Hydrate. Again. And Bring Your Own Drink Packets

If your kids not big fans of straight water, you think Florida water tastes odd (you wouldn’t be alone), or your kiddos are sometimes in need of a blood sugar boost without the total sugar rush that comes with soda, pack some drink packets like the single serve Crystal Light packets. Bring them with you to the parks and add them to your water bottle there throughout out the day, suggests Heidi, mom of two boys, who ships some packets with other supplies to her resort before her departure.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 8 great Disney tips and tactics from some of my favorite moms

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