Advice needed on sharing room with son

[katytrott]

We are planning a 5 night stay in a resort with our 2.5 year son, which will be the first time since he was 4 weeks old. Needless to say we are a bit anxious and would appreciate any help and advice on how to do this.

My husband is concerned that our son will get used to mummy and daddy being in the same room as him as he goes to sleep, and will want this when we go to our villa, or worse, when we get home.

We are trying to think of ways to leave the room as he goes to sleep. We wondered about leaving the room, lights off etc, and going into either the bathroom or the corridor outside the room, until he falls asleep. Does this sound practical or just plain rediculous?

We also wondered about getting a room with a balcony but are not sure if this will be too expensive an option. What is the cheapest way to get a room with a balcony? Are there any available in either value or moderate resorts?

Does anyone have any advice/tips for how to deal with this situation? I'm sure this question has appeared numerous times on this forum - sorry, but this is our first time in this situation.

 

[bell.of.the.ball]

After a long day at the parks most liitle ones fall asleep on the ride back to the hotel or 2 mins after their heads hit the pillow. I dont think after a long day at the park he will even know he is sleeping in the same room. He will just want to sleep

 

[Barbers2005]

I wouldn't worry too much about him getting used to all of you sleeping in the same room- all the rules are different on vacation. He will probably fall asleep right away, as the previous poster mentioned. Dh and I shared a room with dd(then 4) last year, and we just talked quietly with a dim light on or turned the tv on low. She was out fast every night and no problems when we got back home (no problems sleeping- but she did complain a bit about not seeing Mickey every day).

 

[Princess Roo]

If you stay in a Moderate, there is a cloth curtain that can be pulled to separate the (pretty large) vanity area and bathroom from the rest of the room. We went there and read on the floor while DS fell asleep.

I *think* all the deluxes have balconies, so you could do the same there.

If you stay in the room, you could stress with him that you're only in the same room because you're on vacation. DS is a "picky sleeper" (is there such a thing? ), but he seemed to understand.

 

[tanyaandallie]

Honestly, I think you and your dh are worried over nothing. It's really not a big deal at all to share a room with your child while you are on vacation. My kids both sleep in their own rooms but when we stay in a hotel one sleeps with me and one sleeps with dh. No problems going back to their rooms when we get home. Plus, I love the little extra snuggling I get with them!!

All delux rooms do not have balconies. Only the first floor in the wings of the Contemporary do. We stayed their in the fall and there was no balcony. Bummer b/c we ended up spending a ton of time sitting on the floor in the bathroom!

Of course, we were so tired we didn't stay up much past the kids bedtime anyways!

 

[bzzymom]

I have traveled with DS starting when he was 2.5, and now he's almost 10 and DD is almost 3. I have never had any problem in the hotel room. They are usually asleep fairly quickly if we have been going all day. Plus, when you stay on-site, there is a tv channel that reads bed-time stories to them....like tarzan and toy story. We let them listen to a story or 2 and they are usually out. DS often leaves the room and goes to the hotel bar has 1 beer, then stops in the food court and gets me a drink, and the kids are asleep by the time he gets back.

 

[Hannathy]

After a long day at the parks most liitle ones fall asleep on the ride back to the hotel or 2 mins after their heads hit the pillow. I dont think after a long day at the park he will even know he is sleeping in the same room. He will just want to sleep

ITA! When my DS was that age I think the most wasted thing I brought was his PJ's I don't think he wore them once. He was usually fast asleep before we got back to the room and I just pulled back the covers and deposited him in bed and pulled off his shoes and socks. It's vacation everything is different, he'll probably be a bit goofed up when he gets home more from a change of schedule than from sleeping in the same room. Give it a week and everyone will be back to normal.

 

[katytrott]

Thankyou for all your help. I actually agree with you all that it would be fine. Sadly, DH says he knows he will worry about the sleeping situation so much it, it wont be worth going on the trip. Obviously, I am asking bizarre questions at the risk of loosing our WDW trip

Thankfully he is coming around to the idea of going for a wander round the resort on his own till he falls asleep. We are going to a relatives wedding in Switzaland in Sept, it will be interesting how he will cope in the hotel there

 

[LIGrumpyGirl]

I have traveled with DS starting when he was 2.5, and now he's almost 10 and DD is almost 3. I have never had any problem in the hotel room. They are usually asleep fairly quickly if we have been going all day. Plus, when you stay on-site, there is a tv channel that reads bed-time stories to them....like tarzan and toy story. We let them listen to a story or 2 and they are usually out. DS often leaves the room and goes to the hotel bar has 1 beer, then stops in the food court and gets me a drink, and the kids are asleep by the time he gets back.

Unfortunately, they discontinued the bedtime stories last year. Many of have emailed WDW to get them back but I don't believe it worked.

 

[kate0305]

We have taken our children (DS4 and DD2) on several vacations and often had to share a room. At WDW, we travel with my parents who are DVC and get the 2 bedroom villa at OKW-which made bedtime fairly normal-except the kids shared a room which they don't at home. Last time villa at OKW was not available during our impromptu trip, so we stayed in a studio and had great anxiety about the kids sleeping with us.

Sleeping together was not fun- we had 2 beds- one for DS, one for me and DH. DD slept in pack-n-play. By morning, DD and I were in one bed, DS and DH in other. Every shift, toss, turn, etc seemed to wake one kid up or the other. DS uses night light so this kept me awake. We are used to running our furnace fan all the time for white noise- rooms were very quiet!! So we have just resigned ourselves that sleeping will be an issue- and the acceptance makes it easier to cope. The good news. . .the sleep problems do not continue once we return home. The kids get right back into the home routinue on the first night back.

I do find that worrying makes it worse, and a roll with it attitude helps. Heck it is Disney- and even poor sleep does not take away from the magic!!!!! (I know- easier said then done!!! I just keep telling myself it is ok!!)

Have a fabulous trip!