Families are going into "Disney Debt"

TOP OF MIND

Beauty and the Debt
A new survey has revealed that among the 77% of parents with kids under 18 who have been to Disney, 45% of them have gone into debt to fund the dream vacation.

But what's interesting is that 59% of them claim to have no regrets. The memories made during the trip are priceless. After all, as parents, we'll do anything to see our children smile.

Unfortunately, Disney knows this, and the total cost of a trip to Disney is going up. Theme park journalist Megan duBois told Parents.com, "Everything from park tickets to snacks is more expensive."

For a family of four, the cost of a one-week trip to Disney can range from $6,500 to over $15,000, and that price doesn't include flight tickets.

The important bits
65% of the parents who participated in the study said in-park food and beverages cost more than they anticipated.

Matt Roseboom, publisher of Attractions Magazine, confirms that prices have gone up:

Another way the mouse can bite you? The Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which can set you back hundreds of dollars. It's also a cost many families are surprised by, not realizing the Lightning Lane Single Passes are not part of the regular Multi Pass package.

To make the situation worse, Disney is expected to raise their prices again in 2025, less than two years after their last price increase.

What's it all mean?
It doesn't mean you should not go to Disney. After all, memories can last a lifetime! But it does mean you should be smart about going. There are lots of articles out there with some pretty clever tips on how to take on Disney with a budget.

The Points Guy has some great advice here.

You can also read through this thread filled with actual families sharing what they did to save money at Disney.

And you can browse these 32 money-saving tips from MagicGuides.

DID YOU HEAR

📸 Sharing is caring... but also presumptuous?
A survey published last year defined a new trend known as sharenting, which is the practice of sharing, "photos, videos, personal stories, or other updates" about one's child online. And while the act might seem relatively harmless, experts worry about the potential consequences, especially since most children aren't old enough to consent to have their images or stories shared online. Read what a psychiatrist has to say about it all here.

🍏 60% of baby food fails to meet nutritional guidelines
A new study just dropped, and the results aren't great. The study tested over 650 food products made for toddlers and babies from stores like Kroger, Costco, Walmart, Target and Aldi. They found that 60% of the products failed to meet nutritional standards set by the World Health Organization. What exactly does this mean, and what can you do about it? Our resident nutrition expert Kiyah Duffey has you covered in her Bites with Kiyah section below!

👩‍⚕️ 5 things school nurses want you to know
It's officially back-to-school time, and school nurses are sharing the top five things they want parents to know. Making the list? Choose your emergency contacts wisely and make sure your kid is getting enough sleep. Also, they explain why sharing a health update with only your kid's teacher is not enough. Oh, and if your kid might be sick, please check their temperature. Our recommendation? The No-Touch thermometer. It's 33% off right now.

🥪 How to safely pack a school lunch
Want to make sure you're not sending your kid to school with a contaminated lunchbox? This article has everything you need to know about keeping your kid's school lunch safe, including tips on how to keep the food hot or cold until lunchtime. One of our favorite freezable lunch boxes is this PackIt Lunch Box.

🎤 Justin Bieber is like, baby, baby, baby, oh!
Can you guess what he named his son?

A DOSE OF GOOD

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BITES WITH KIYAH

As noted above, commercially available baby food products sold across eight food retailers in North Carolina (on the list: Kroger, Walmart, Costco, Ahold Delhaize, Publix, Sam’s Club, Target and Aldi) in 2023 are not meeting the nutritional standards set by the World Health Organization. How "not meeting" are these products? As much as 70% didn't meet the agency's protein recommendations, while 44% did not meet sugar guidelines. One in four (25%) didn't meet calorie requirements and 20% exceeded sodium limits.

Bottom line: food companies CAN and SHOULD do better for already time-constrained and financially burdened parents. Feeding our kids healthy foods - especially at this critical age of growth and development - should not require a PhD in label reading or MFA in cooking.

What is a parent to do? Skip the pre-made stuff and feed your baby what you're eating. And if you really want to start with pureed foods, Amy from Yummy Toddler Food has a great primer to get you started.

Kiyah is the co-founder of Kizingo Kids and an expert in nutrition. Follow her on Instagram and Youtube.

HERE’S A QUESTION

Last week, we asked you if you were a Venmo Parent, PTA Parent, a little bit of both, or neither. There was a tie for first place between "a little bit of both" and "neither."

RECALLS

Not such a great value: toxic apple juice
Walmart is recalling nearly 10,000 cases of apple juice sold in 25 states under its Great Value brand.

In this case, it was not a great value due to elevated levels of arsenic: a toxic metal that can cause adverse health effects.

The recall impacts the 8-ounce bottles of Great Value apple juice sold in six packs. Affected products have the UPC code of 0-78742-29655-5 and a "best if used by" date of DEC2824 CT89-6.

Get all the information here.