Amusement parks have always seemed to me to be linked with childhood, like apple pie is linked with America. I don’t know why they go together quite as well as they do, but as the skies turn blue, the trees turn green, and we begin to plan our summer fun, my thoughts turn to thrilling rides, cotton candy, fireworks, and costumed characters.

It has been years since I’ve been to such a park. With pregnancies, babies and such, it just hasn’t happened. But we got a jump on the fun this year, making our first theme park trip a few weeks ago. The kids were thrilled—and we’ll be heading to one or two (possibly three!) more this summer.

Here are a few tips I learned about taking in amusement parks with young children:

• Know your park. Where you go will most likely be influenced by where you live. Most parks have rides for the younger set, but it’s worth it to do a little extra homework to know if those rides are suited to your children. Even better, some parks cater to the very young (for example, Dutch Wonderland, Idlewild’s Storybook Forest, Sesame Place). If it’s feasible, it may be worth your while to travel a little extra distance to go to a park where you don’t have to tell your child, time and again, “You’re not big enough for that ride.”

• Be flexible. This is true about so much of parenting, but it struck me in surprising ways during our first amusement park trip. Here’s one example: My son, who only played at the edges of pools last summer, fell in love with the pools we encountered. He constantly wanted to be in the water. Although we hadn’t thought much about water play in advance, we found ways to make it a part of our day—and ways to engage our daughter (and even our seven-month-old), too.

• Don’t forget sunblock—a lot of it. I’m not manic about sunblock. I am sure there are those who would say I don’t use it often enough. But for long days in the sun, make sure you have an ample supply. Re-apply it throughout the day. Sunburn isn’t fun for anyone!

• Give updates. Plan out a few of the day’s major events in advance, and let your children know what they can expect when you start your day. There are sure to be a lot of flashy things in each park, as well as souvenir shops that attract children with some sort of silent Siren’s call. Young children seem to fare best if they have a couple of goals identified in advance.

• Don’t overbook. At the same time, don’t expect to cover the whole park. With small children, it’s unlikely. (At least, not if you want everyone to have a good time!) In many parks, you shouldn’t even try, since many of the rides will not be age-appropriate for very young children. They don’t need to see it “all” to be thrilled with what they did see!

• Go with the flow. Amusement parks tend to be kitschy, over-the-top places. (For example, as part of a silly, savvy marketing effort, Mickey Mouse’s face and/or ears seem to be on everything at Disney World. If you are going to be irritated by Mickey Mouse’s face on your hotel’s soap or mouse ears on a nearby water tower, then this probably is not the place for you.) Expect the park to be over the top, and keep a sense of humor about it.

• Don’t worry about breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is very convenient at most parks. Benches abound! There may be a baby care center with air-conditioning and comfortable chairs; if this interests you, check with the park’s information booth.

• Take your stroller—and, if you have more than one little one, make it a double. Your day will be much easier if you have a stroller on-hand for those times your children run out of steam in the heat. Or for those times you feel desperate for them to have a few minutes out of the sun.

• Take what you want—and skip the rest. Young children may not ask about consumerist diversions like pin trading or autograph books if you don’t suggest them.

• Cut the kids a break. Not just your kids, but other kids. One of the best aspects of our recent park excursion was that I didn’t feel the need to be hypervigilant about my kids’ behavior. If they excitedly ran in front of someone without looking, the response was consistently “no worries,” “no problem.” How refreshing! The adults we came in contact with, staff members and guests alike, didn’t express irritation. This was a relaxing difference from other outings, where children can be treated as a minor nuisance, at best.

Summer’s near, and it’s time to start planning some outdoor fun! So here’s one final tip (possibly the most important of all)—Enjoy each other.

Summer’s fleeting. Make the most of it!