Tips for Taking Toddlers to a Theme Park

Summer is the perfect time to take your kids to the local theme park! Just slather on the sunscreen, grab your shades, and load your kids into the car. In North Idaho, we enjoyed visiting Silverwood Theme Park in the summer, even with young kids. You can totally plan a fun day out even with children who are still wearing diapers or need naps. These tips can help make it a little easier to take toddlers and young kids to the amusement park!

Plan Your Day at the Theme Park

It’s helpful to pick a time of day to visit the theme park that works best for your family. This could be early morning or after naps if your young kids still need to rest mid-day. We usually go to our local Silverwood Theme Park for 3 to 4 hours. If we want to stay longer we have to plan around naps, pack a backpack with extra diapers for our toddler, bring snacks and water, and possibly eat lunch at the theme park. In contrast, bringing older kids to the theme park makes our day much more flexible.

Pick the Right Rides for Your Kids

Many theme parks have a variety of rides and roller coasters. Silverwood Theme Park near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho has a great selection of rides for kids and even some that toddlers can ride. Each amusement park ride or attraction has a height restriction to keep riders safe. Kids can go on some rides by themselves and others if accompanied by an adult. Most of the roller coasters require riders to be at least 48″ tall, but my daughter has enjoyed the classic wooden roller coaster that has a lower height restriction. Even if a child is tall enough, it can be traumatizing to try a ride they are not quite ready for. My small children thoroughly enjoy the theme park kids’ area which has some gentle spinning rides and mini-roller coasters.

Enjoy the Day, Let the Kids Pick the Attractions

I enjoy experiences much more if my kids are having fun too! We usually let the kids pick what they want to do first when we visit a theme park. Their energy is contagious to the rest of the family and we enjoy watching them spin around and around on the little airplanes and cartoon puppy rides. A theme park is a fun opportunity to let kids practice making simple choices, such as which ride to go on next!

Ride the Carousel

Of course, if the theme park you visit has a carousel, you must ride on it! We have ridden lots of carousels and the experience never gets old. Each whimsical painted horse is a piece of art and kids feel so special and grown up riding their own carousel horse. Sometimes when we visit the theme park, my kids want to ride the carousel first thing and go on a second carousel ride before we leave for the day. At Silverwood, the carousel is the first ride you see as you walk into the park, a favorite experience for all ages.

Take Bathroom and Water Breaks

Kids can almost have too much fun at a theme park! It’s important to take some breaks to go to the bathroom and drink some water. On especially hot days it’s easy to get dehydrated. We usually stop by the rest area after every few rides and give the kids a chance to drink a sip of water.

Re-Apply Your Sunscreen

It’s not fun to get sunburned at the theme park! Some amusement parks also have water rides or even a full water park, which makes it especially important to keep re-applying the sunscreen. Kids will be happier and healthier if you take precautions to protect them from the hot sun.

Enjoy a Treat

We don’t spend a lot of money at the theme park, but it’s always fun to splurge on a small treat. Silverwood Theme Park near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho has amazing ice cream that is very inexpensive for how much you get. We usually buy the “one cone” menu option which is actually 4-5 balls of ice cream and we divide it between all of our kids. My kids also enjoy buying Dippin’ Dots ice cream, which is always a novel sweet treat on a hot summer day.

Silverwood Theme Park Highlights

Silverwood Theme Park is located in beautiful North Idaho and has more than 70 rides, water slides, shows and attractions, including four roller coasters and Boulder Beach Water Park. It’s situated on 221 acres and has been operating for more than 30 years.

Silverwood’s roller coasters include Tremors, Timber Terror, Corkscrew and Aftershock. High intensity rides such as Panic Plunge and Spincycle are fun for teenagers and adults who want to experience a thrill.

Young kids will enjoy driving the Antique Cars with mom or dad, swinging on the Butterflyer, hopping on the Frog Hopper, riding the carousel and Ferris wheel, and spinning on the Kiddy Copters, Flying Elephants, Puppy-Go-Round and Red Baron.

Our family purchased season passes one year which allowed us to experience all the Silverwood attractions during many shorter visits. We sometimes took the kids to the theme park for a half day without feeling like we had to “do everything” each visit. Some days were perfect to just visit the water park!

If you live near an amusement park or you are planning a visit to one, it’s always helpful to plan ahead and be prepared so you can fully enjoy your family adventure!