Going to Supercon with a Toddler: Tips and Tricks
This year my husband and I bought matching Star Wars shirts for ourselves and our three-year-old. (The shirts were on sale at the Disney Store. Woot woot. *happy dance*) So we were extra ready to go to Supercon as a family for the first time in our daughter’s life.
**At the very end, I give some “Shoutouts” to a couple of artists and a writer who stood out to me, so don’t forget to scroll all the way down to check them out.**
We had so much fun. There are some things that went very well, but there are other things that we’ll do differently next year.
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| Happy to be headed to Supercon! |
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| Her daddy was happy to be taking his little girl to her first con! |
Here’s a list of tips to help make your day at a con with a toddler an enjoyable one:
1. Head over to the con during nap time.
If your kiddo falls asleep easily in the car, take advantage of that to let your kiddo nap on the way to the con. Our daughter napped from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the way up to Ft Lauderdale from Miami. We had to hang out in the car for a little while, but she was able to hang at the con until 6:00 p.m. It was definitely worth waiting for her to finish her nap.
If your kiddo does not fall asleep in the car, then head over to the con soon after, or way before, nap time so you can enjoy the con as long as possible before your kiddo gets too tired/overstimulated.
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| While she napped, we talked about things we wanted to see and do. |
2. Buy tickets online.
Save some money by buying the tickets as early as possible. The price goes up after a cutoff date. Lines are also much longer for people purchasing tickets versus people who have bought ahead of time. This year there was a 30-minute line for pre-purchased tickets, and usually, the line for buying the tickets on-site is much longer. Also, on Saturday, tickets sold out by 1:30 p.m.
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| The line for pre-purchased ticket holders! |
3. Take plenty of healthy snacks for the whole family.
There were a lot of people there, so it was hard to navigate and see all of the food that was available. All we found was fried food and sugary snacks at the back of the convention center. My husband and I ended up buying some sugar coated toasted almonds as a snack (sugar-coated healthy-ish snack). We ended up buying our kiddo some candy instead of giving her a healthier snack.
Don’t make the same mistake we did! Take plenty of healthy snacks for everyone in the family to avoid giving in to unhealthier snack options.
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| Don’t be a Cookie Monster, bring plenty of healthy snacks for the whole family! |
4. Take lunch for everyone.
The food lines are long and the food is pricey. My husband and I ended up eating chicken tenders with potato chips. They were delicious, but all fried and not healthy. Our daughter ended up eating her emergency PB&J (100% whole wheat bread, organic grape jelly, and organic peanut butter) for lunch. We always pack a PB&J in her lunchbox, just in case of emergencies.
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| I’m going to pepper in some fun pics of us at Supercon after each tip, just for funzies. We found him! She got shy around Waldo. |
5. Bring a water bottle for each person.
Water is $3-$5 and buying it there can add up. We bought 5 bottles of water in the 5 hours that we were there. I didn’t check if there were water fountains available in the convention center, but there usually are some somewhere in large places where people convene.
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| This kick-ass Wonder Woman wants you to save money and be eco-friendly by bringing your own water bottles to the con. 😉 |
6. Have plenty of memory available on your phone/camera for photos with cosplayers/artists/celebrities.
I had coincidentally just cleared my phone of photos and videos the previous weekend, so we were all set. It was glorious!
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| There were some great cosplayers this year! This was our little Leia’s favorite! The demigod, Maui from the movie Moana. We thanked him for the photo, and guess what he said in a sing-songy voice. “You’re welcome.” Chee hoo! |
7. Wear comfortable shoes!
The convention center floor is huge and you will have to walk it several times to find things/artists/celebrities that may interest you. We walked the floor from end-to-end about 4 times. I felt like I’d walked all of Magic Kingdom twice.
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| Four princesses just hanging out 😉 |
8. Expect crowds.
It may be hard to navigate the aisles because there will be a lot of people standing and walking around, so you will need plenty patience to get from place to place.
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| I found this guy among the crowd. Did Mr. Stark take your suit away again, Spidey? |
9. Don’t plan on attending any panels.
Unless you have a perfectly angelic toddler. Toddlers are crazy and can’t sit still for longer than 2 minutes. Trying to attend a panel with a three-year-old is like trying to wrestle a greased pig; you’ll only come out with scratches, sore muscles, and a bruised ego.
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| Faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust will do nothing for toddler tantrums. |
10. Take the stroller.
It can hold your souvenirs, diaper bag, or your toddler when your arms give out from carrying them.
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| Remember, remember to take your stroller. I <3 V! |
11. Take a baby carrier (like an ergo) in case your child wants you to hold them.
My arms are killing me!
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| We took turns holding her, but my arms were angry at me the next day. Peace among worlds! |
12. Bring cash for souvenirs or autographs and photos with celebrities/artists.
Some vendors do not accept credit cards.
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| Every time we go to Supercon, we end up surrendering most of our cash to the Dark Side. Taking cash also helps you keep a closer eye on your spending. |
13. Take a notebook for autographs.
If you don’t bring one, get ready to pay extra for autographs on photos they provide.
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| Thor wants you to save some money and bring your own autograph book, and Loki, well, it just depends on what mood he’s in at the moment. |
14. Try to get to the con as early as possible because parking and tickets may run out.
This year, on Saturday, tickets sold out and the convention center parking structures filled up by 1:30 p.m.
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| Have fun at the con! |
I hope my tips and tricks will serve you well, young parents.
If you have any questions for me about anything specific, or have suggestions of your own, please comment below.
I’d love to hear from you!
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SHOUTOUTS
I love supporting talented artists and writers! Here are a few who really stood out to me.
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| Megan Withey |
Megan had the most beautiful drawings of Disney characters for sale. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her artwork. Simply gorgeous. You can find her Etsy shop by clicking here, her YouTube channel by clicking here, and her Facebook page by clicking here.
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| Jessica Greer |
Jessica makes all kinds of cool art with string! Just look at how glorious her Bob’s Burgers family turned out. Plus, she was looking adorable in her Freddy Krueger cosplay. You can see more of her artwork at her Etsy shop by clicking here, catch her on Facebook by clicking here, or Instagram by clicking here.
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| Alexander J. McCarty |
Alexander is an author who wrote a two book anime-style, fantasy, adventure series and was kind enough to give me a free swag bag. He is currently looking for bloggers to review his books. Both of his books are currently available for purchase on Amazon.com. You can find him on Facebook if you click here, Twitter if you click here, or Instagram if you click here.
