Babies, naps and time changes

[lolomarie]

Hi family board!

I'm hoping some of you wise moms and dads can help with some of my rising concerns. We will be traveling to WDW in September and I anticipate it's going to be HOT!!! We will have DS 10 months and DS4 with us. They both nap in the afternoon at noon and the baby takes a morning nap at 9. We will be traveling from Alberta, Canada (so crossing 2 time zones). We will be there for 11 days. I'm wondering what the best approach is? Do I just automatically set our schedule to the new time zone? Rope drop park, baby takes morning nap in stroller and return to hotel for afternoon nap? Do I nap them at noon Florida time or noon Mountain time? We are not regimented in our schedule, but I want happy kids so we have a happy trip! I'm also planing on pushing their limits a little at night so I can see a few evening shows. HEA and Starwars are a must! Please help calm my fears. I'm picturing fussy kids and cranky parents. I don't want to spend thousands and the trip be a bust.

Thanks so much.

 

[MomOTwins]

Be adaptable is all I can recommend. Play it by ear and let them sleep when they are tired, which may be different from their naptime at home given all the excitement at WDW, and may even be different each day. If they both want to nap in the stroller, let them; if they are getting cranky but not napping, go back to the hotel. Don't schedule late dinners or dessert parties that they might not be able to stay awake for. If they won't get up in the morning, don't rope drop, but if they will, do it. Give yourself permission to miss a fastpass and book a new one. I see parents all the time with unhappy kids because they "have to" do something, but in reality, you are on vacation and you don't have to do anything. Just enjoy your family and go with the flow

 

[MudQueen22]

When we were there last, our younger one napped in the stroller and I walked around pushing. My husband and older child went on rides during this time.

For our next trip, younger one will be 4 and we will be there in the hot weather ( like you). We plan to take a mid-day break so that younger one can sleep and older one can read in the AC.

 

[YesterDark]

When I traveled there 3 years ago with my 8 month old son he just napped in the stroller. The only "difficult" part was my wife and nursing schedule. Disney has a few places in the parks where you can sit down in air conditioning with the kids and nurse.

My suggestion? Don't be a stickler for a schedule and exact times, just go by how your kids are doing. If they need to slow down, slow down. You'll just have to be crazy adaptable.

 

[TWK]

Ditto on the "be flexible" plan. The first time we went we tried to go back to the hotel for naps (kids were 4 and 1.5) and it was a disaster. Nobody napped, they were all hyped up. After the first two days we just waited for the little one to fall asleep in the stroller and then we would find a nice spot to sit, and my husband would take the bigger kid to do other stuff. That is how we have done it since. When we had 3 kids, the youngest would not nap in the stroller.... he was fine though, he would just sit and take it all in. There is so much going on, so much to watch. Just play it by ear, that is the best course of action.

 

[lolomarie]

Wondering if anyone had issues with bed time because of the flexible approach? Typically my kids get overtired and won't go to bed at night if I mess with their day time naps. But they have never been Disney tired. Hopefully Disney tired means they will pass out at night.

 

[Hope Soda]

Wondering if anyone had issues with bed time because of the flexible approach? Typically my kids get overtired and won't go to bed at night if I mess with their day time naps. But they have never been Disney tired. Hopefully Disney tired means they will pass out at night.

After a day at Disney, my kids fall asleep during the short drive from park to hotel. Getting them to the room can be challenging, as sometimes we can't wake them up to get them to walk to the room, and we have to carry them, which can be a bit of a walk. We're hoping that our upcoming stay, which is split between the Contemporary and Old Key West, will cut down on the kid-carrying.

 

[sponica]

Even without a time zone shift, flexibility was key to surviving a trip with a 20 month old. She was routinely awake MUCH later than at home...which threw us for a loop. We had all prepped to leave the parks early (like right after dinner) and we stayed in the parks most nights until about 7 or 8.

She slept like a charm at night, once we realized she needed it to be DARK (so we moved her pack n play into the dressing/sink area of the bathroom and closed the curtain.

 

[YesterDark]

I agree with returning to the hotel bit, it's a waste of time in my opinion unless it's easy.

Wondering if anyone had issues with bed time because of the flexible approach? Typically my kids get overtired and won't go to bed at night if I mess with their day time naps. But they have never been Disney tired. Hopefully Disney tired means they will pass out at night.

Last year we rope dropped every day since we're earlier risers anyway. I had a 4 and a 2 yo then. They were both asleep by the time fireworks were starting and fell asleep immediately after. Never woke up even after getting manhandled on to the bus and finally in to bed. Don't worry. They'll be out cold by the end of the day.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Hope this helps:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/14/travel/how-to-fight-jet-lag-naps-are-good.html

 

[TWK]

Wondering if anyone had issues with bed time because of the flexible approach? Typically my kids get overtired and won't go to bed at night if I mess with their day time naps. But they have never been Disney tired. Hopefully Disney tired means they will pass out at night.

Not for us, they crashed when we got to bed. Disney is SO busy, they are worn out.