• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About/Hire Me
    • About Me
    • Hire Me
    • Contact
    • Family
    • Faith
    • FAQ
    • My Running Story
    • Recipes
  • Disney
  • Fitness
    • runDisney Information Page
    • Fitness
    • Races
  • Parenting
  • Travel

Through Heather's Looking Glass

  • Disney
  • Fitness
  • Travel
  • family
  • About Me

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party With a Toddler or Preschooler

September 15, 2017 | Uncategorized

Emma Kate is just now at the age where she “gets” Halloween. She knows all about trick-or-treating, candy, and costumes. So as you can imagine, this kid was PUMPED when she heard we were going to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party to go trick-or-treating at her favorite place–“the castle”, as she calls Magic Kingdom.

Being not quite 3 and with a bedtime of 7:45 that we stick to religiously, I was hesitant to keep her out for a party that didn’t start until 7:00, but I’m SO glad I did! We had a blast, and I wanted to share some of my best tips for bringing little ones (like toddlers or preschoolers) to Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party.

1.) Make sure they take a good nap that day, maybe even a late nap: Emma Kate has been on a nap strike at school, so when I picked her up the day of the party I was bummed when I heard she hadn’t napped, and knew it would make her cranky later. However, she thankfully took a late nap in the car on the way to Orlando, which I think helped her to stay up later!

2.) Bring distractions for the kids while waiting for the parade, shows and fireworks: The Boo to You parade, Sanderson Sisters stage show and Hallowishes fireworks are not to be missed, and are my favorite things about the party. But, they involve a little bit of waiting around if you want a good spot. Be sure to bring toys or distractions for the little ones. We were sure my phone was powered up so Emma Kate could play games on it before the fun started, and we had plenty of snacks for distractions as well.

3.) Arrive early: The party technically starts at 7:00, but you can usually get in as early as 4:00 and begin enjoying the park. We arrived early so that we could do a couple of “normal” things like rides before the party started. I didn’t want to waste party time doing things we could do on any visit to Magic Kingdom.

4.) Have a plan: When you get to the park, be sure to grab a special party brochure which will have a map of the park as well as where the treat stations are located, and times and locations for the shows, parade, and dance party. In order to fit it all in we had to make a plan of what time we were going to be where. I feel like if we hadn’t done that, we would have run around in circles and ended up missing things, like getting to dance with Boo, Mike, and Sulley!

5.) Remember, kids are more resilient than you think. We had a plan in place that when Emma Kate started to melt down, my mom was going to take her back to the resort. However, much to our amazement, she was a rock star and ended up staying out with us until after 11:30! She wasn’t fussy at all, and we even had a hard time getting her to fall asleep. Ok, so maybe that was the sugar talking, but she did so much better than I anticipated and it made me realize I just wasn’t giving her enough credit. I can’t believe I ever considered not taking her, she held up just fine, and now we have memories that will last forever.

Halloween Party

Be sure to purchase your tickets to the party here. Some dates sell out, so don’t wait!

Disclosure: I was provided tickets to the party at no cost, however all opinions are my own, and I was not required to write this post. 

Like this:

Like Loading...

Sign up for my newsletter

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenny says

    September 15, 2017 at 6:34 am

    Can you describe what the Halloween party is like? I am a Disney newbie and am not familiar with it!

    • Heather says

      September 15, 2017 at 9:25 am

      It’s a lot of fun! Check out this post from a few years ago, it’s more of an overview. Trick or treating, special parade and fireworks and stage shows, characters in Halloween costumes, etc. https://heatherslookingglass.com/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-2011/

  2. Karen says

    September 15, 2017 at 11:16 am

    How much fun is that! I’m so glad you all had a great time and she held up well during the party!

    • Heather says

      September 18, 2017 at 9:58 am

      She did great!

  3. Meg says

    September 15, 2017 at 12:08 pm

    Looks like fun. I’ve never been to the party, but we went to Disneyland a few years ago at Halloween time and loved the ambiance.

    • Heather says

      September 18, 2017 at 9:58 am

      I have never done that one!

  4. Kate says

    September 15, 2017 at 3:02 pm

    I love all of these tips! I can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to go to Disney World!

    • Heather says

      September 18, 2017 at 9:57 am

      We took mine for the first time right at 2 and I thought it was a great age.

  5. Steph says

    September 16, 2017 at 6:18 am

    Sounds like a great time! All of my babies have visited Disney as toddlers and have done great!

    • Heather says

      September 18, 2017 at 9:57 am

      That’s awesome!

  6. Amanda Elize says

    September 16, 2017 at 9:42 am

    This looks like so much fun! We are planning Disney soon and these tips definitely transfer over! Thanks so much!

    • Heather says

      September 18, 2017 at 9:56 am

      Anytime!

  7. Tamara says

    September 16, 2017 at 5:52 pm

    Having a plan is a must. We went to the one in California last year and had no clue what to expect.

    • Heather says

      September 18, 2017 at 9:56 am

      Oh no! Hope it was still fun!

  8. Nicole Flower says

    September 16, 2017 at 9:21 pm

    How fun and I’m so glad she made it through all the festivities too!

    xo, Nicole

    • Heather says

      September 18, 2017 at 9:56 am

      yes! I would have hated for her to miss them.

Primary Sidebar

I am Heather Montgomery, a 30 something southern girl living in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband Bobby, 10-year-old daughter Emma Kate, and our goldendoodles Dolly and Luna. I’m just a regular girl who likes to workout, travel, hang with my family, text, and eat chips and queso. Be sure to check out my “about me” page for more info!
Thank you for visiting, and feel free to contact me with questions, (or for PR inquiries or press trip invites) at Support@HeathersLookingGlass.com.

Please, no guest post requests. 🙂

More about me

Privacy Policy

You can also find me here:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • 5 Reasons to Try a New Way of Travel
  • Experience Superhero-Sized Fun at Gaylord Opryland DC Summer
  • Digital Nomads: Safely Working Remotely While You Roam
  • Tips for Surviving (and Thriving) as a Travel Ball Mom
  • Protecting Your Kids’ Eyes In the Digital Age

 

Search

How to Start a Blog

How to start a blog
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
  • Disney
  • Fitness
  • Travel
  • Family
☀️ Cabin mornings, lakeside afternoons, and a ☀️ Cabin mornings, lakeside afternoons, and a little bit of learning in between… that’s our kind of summer!

I partnered with IXL to help keep Emma Kate’s brain just as active as her body this season — and the IXL Ultimate Summer Workbooks have been a total win. Each one includes fun, colorful activities across math, language arts, science, and social studies, and it only takes 2 pages a day to stay on track. ✏️📚

What makes them even better? You also get access to IXL’s online learning platform, with bonus practice, personalized growth plans, and instant feedback to keep kids motivated — whether you’re at home or on the go. 🙌

No long, boring lessons… just engaging learning that fits into real life.
💡 Grab yours using my 🔗 in bio! 

Let’s make this a summer of fun and growth. 🌲📖💕

#ixllearning #summerlearning #momlife #summerslide #learningonthego #homeschoolmama #ixlpartner #ixl 

Stay sharp this summer, exclusive workbooks in bio!
POV: You’re a busy mom juggling travel, pool day POV: You’re a busy mom juggling travel, pool days, snacks, sports, and sanity… and you finally find the bag that keeps up. 🙌🏼

This Simple Modern Getaway Bag fits everything I need—without tipping over, soaking through, or making a mess. It’s water-resistant, easy to clean, has a removable waterproof pocket (because kids), and comes in multiple sizes for whatever chaos the day brings. 💦🎒

If your summer plans involve going everywhere and doing everything, you need this in your life.

👉🏼 Tap the link in my bio to check it out!

#SimpleModernPartner #GetawayBag #paid @shopsimplemodern
#MomLife #SimpleModern #PoolDayEssentials #TravelWithKids #FlourishAndGlow #EverydayOnTheGo
✨ S U M M E R G I F T I N G ✨ I’ve teamed ✨ S U M M E R  G I F T I N G ✨ 

I’ve teamed up with @best.day.ever.giveaways and some amazing accounts to make this blessing possible for someone. 

I N C L U D E S: 
Luggage set
Simple Modern XL beach bag 
Simple Modern 40 oz tumbler 
Turkish towel
Roe Wellness mineral sunscreen
Summer Fridays lip gloss
Thread crossbody bag
Threat minimalist wallet
$200 cash

👇T O  E N T E R👇

1️⃣ F O L L O W @best.day.ever.giveaways and everyone they  f o l l o w 
2️⃣ L I K E + save this reel 
3️⃣ T A G a friend

⭐️ B O N U S ⭐️ 
1️⃣ C O M M E N T  your favorite item
2️⃣ S H A R E  to your stories and tag @best.day.ever.giveaways 

Ends on 5/31 at 11:59 pm EST.  The randomly chosen recipient will be announced by @best.day.ever.giveaways on 6/2
•
This is not affiliated with Instagram or any of the brands pictured. Must be 18+ to enter. Open USA/Canada.

#travelgirlshub #summertravel #familyvacation #momliferocks
I used to think dairy-free desserts were “just o I used to think dairy-free desserts were “just okay.” Like, fine in a pinch… but never something I craved. 👀

But then this little picnic happened—just me, my girl, and a sweet treat we both loved enough to fight over the last bite. 😅

We’ve been trying to be more mindful with food choices lately (especially with summer travel coming up), and I grabbed these So Delicious treats at Kroger kind of on a whim. The new packaging caught my eye, but it was the taste that totally surprised us. Creamy. Indulgent. No weird aftertaste. And no, we’re not fully dairy-free—and we still loved them.

It’s one of those little swaps that doesn’t feel like giving anything up.

And that? That’s a win for both of us. ✨@So_Delicious

#SoDeliciousDairyFree, #DairyFreeYourMin #SoDeliciousPartner #KrogerFinds #PlantBasedTreats #BackyardMoments
🚨 Homeschool decision!! If you have been aroun 🚨 Homeschool decision!!

If you have been around here since Christmas time, then you know we pulled Emma Kate out of her private school after the first semester and put her in a hybrid homeschool for the spring. The main reason being we wanted more absences than the school allowed. 

What is a hybrid? In our case, she went to a school all day 3 days a week, and we taught her at home two days a week. 

It seemed like the best of both worlds, not having absences count since we were also her teachers, being able to stay home some, sleep in, and travel. 

Well, it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies. For one, the school we sent her to ended up not being what we thought. We were told being absent wouldn’t be a problem, but it became clear very early on her teacher was not a fan and she was not kind or accommodating to Emma Kate. There’s a lot of other reasons we didn’t blown the school I won’t go into. (If you are local and considering hybrid feel free to dm me and I will share my concerns and grievances.)

Teaching your kid is hard. There were lots of tears and frustrations, and she got bored since Bobby and I also work from home/I’m not a stay at hoke mom. We couldn’t just sit with her all day and teach her with our crazy long hours owning two businesses. 

It was tough to keep a schedule and while getting to travel a lot was great, she didn’t thrive on not having a routine and struggled with the randomness of everything.

She is also a very social only child who missed her friends and also wants to play sports for her school.

 In the end while there were a lot of pros to hybrid homeschool, the cons outweighed them for us so we are returning to her old school in the fall. 

Am I glad we did it? Yes! I always would have wondered otherwise and now we know. We will still be pulling her out of school some to travel in the fall, just not as much. 

If you have any questions feel free to drop them in the comments below and I will be happy to answer the best I can! 🩷

#hybridhomeschool #homeschooler #homeschoolquestions #homeschoolplanning #homeschoolfail #knoxvillelife #knoxvilletn
✨ Staying steps from the magic! ✨ We loved our ✨ Staying steps from the magic! ✨ We loved our visit to Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel—especially with Disneyland celebrating its 70th anniversary! 

🏰 From the dreamy castle-themed rooms to the lush gardens, on-site dining, and a pool perfect for post-park relaxation… this place has it all. And the free shuttle to the parks? A total game changer! 🎉 

@anaheimmajestic 
#AnaheimMajesticpartner #anaheimmajestic #anaheimmajesticgardenhotel #Disneyland70 #HotelNearDisneyland #CastleRoomVibes #FamilyTravel
If people who believe these are at my table, it’ If people who believe these are at my table, it’s time for me to find a new one.
 (And you are always welcome at mine!) 🩷

#propaganda #momliferocks #momtruths #summer2025

Copyright © 2025 · Through Heather's Looking Glass · Theme by Bella Creative Studio

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d