Disneyland in 12 hours with tots

Disneyland! I waited my whole life to go to Disneyland with my own kids. And people are right, Disneyland with your kids is awesome!

There's something more magical in the air..... The atmosphere is more magical, even the air smells better.

I'm here to say that despite what numerous authors on the internet say, you can do Disneyland in one day.... with two kids under 3 years old. You can! I promise! It just takes some planning, a lot of snacks, and a lot of patience!

My top 10 ways to do Disneyland in a day:

1. Get to the park early with a full belly of breakfast. Grab breakfast in your hotels' lobby, at Denny's which us right across the street, or pack a brown bag.

2. Pack lots of snacks in your stroller in a backpack. And over pack! Bring twice the amount, because as you wait for rides, to meet princesses for parades, you will hear 'I'm hungry!' Make sure you have at least one snack that has some sort of fruit in it.

3. Bring refillable water bottles. There are a couple of water fountains throughout the park.

4. Pick up a map. Plan the day around things like shows and parades for some down time for the tots. It will be nice to sit for everyone and to watch the entertainment. Then you can scope out the bathrooms, water fountains,etc.

5. Bring a stroller. Even if you don't use one in normal life. You will be thankful to yourself. It's a place to put the snacks, tired kids and treasures you buy along the way.

6. Go with the flow of what your child wants to do. Even though you may want to meet Rapunzel and may have to wait 75+ minutes in line to see her long mane, but does your child really want to see her?!

7. The Princess Faire is really worth the hour plus wait. There are three princesses waiting happily to spend a minute or three with your child. You can take as many pictures and video as you would like without seeing the pressure of a long line. It's precious one-on-one time with the real deal. Same with Pixie Hollow to meet the fairies and Tinkerbell.

8. Make sure each child eats and has a rest period during the day. Snacking and eating sweets is fun, but real food keeps little bodies going and non-cranky. A rest period of a show or a meal in a restaurant could be ideal, but so could a stop at a bench or watching the little ducks right outside of Frontier Land.

9. Fast passes are available to all guests and could be used to go on rides that are very popular at a shorter wait time. Just remember to hang onto everyone's tickets. Also, there's a system in place for both parents to ride a favorite ride even with little kids.

10. Have fun! Remember you don't have to do EVERYTHING that day. There's a lifetime to make another trip to Disneyland in the future. And it keeps the magic alive for the next trip and something to look forward to!