Back to the room for naps? Must we?

[puffkin]

At this point, DS could make it 1 or 2 days without naps, but not the whole week. Yes, it does take out some time, but it is so worth it.

We usually hit the parks at opening. We also stay in the parks late so we need those afternoon breaks. Sometimes it is just a quick dip in the pool or a shower to rinse off. It is amazing how much better you feel just putting on fresh clothes. If DS isn't sleepy we make him sit and watch some TV or a movie a little just to relax and wind down.

My child is definitely a "melt down" kind of kid, but we have suprisingly few at Disney and I think a big part of that is taking the afternoon breaks.

 

[crisi]

Another thought, keep in mind that things can get "different" at Disney. Kids who never need naps suddenly need them because of all the overstimulation and late nights. Kids who need to nap in a dark quiet room are found asleep in the stroller during a character meal. Kids who nap easily and need their naps suddenly are keyed up enough to make it through a twelve hour day no worse for wear. So be flexible enough to adapt - and you adapt quickly given a very few days.

 

[tinkermom23]

At home, my DS2 & DD2 still take naps, so I expect them to nap at Disney. They do not nap in strollers, just too much stimulation.
My DH however, loves to nap anywhere he can!!
We leave in 5 days and it is our first time onsite. We will try to hit rope drop, then we can go back to the room before they get too tired so they won't fall asleep on the bus.
Even if we just rest, and not really sleep, we all need the quiet time, and my DS9 will be working quietly on his journal and activity book I made him.
We do have 1 day planned that DH & DS9 will stay at Epcot Futureworld and do the more grown-up things while I take the twins back to the room for a rest.

Above all, you know your kids and what is best for yoru family, just compromise and work it out!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We don't take naps on our AK day or DHS day if the park closes by 6pm.

Our first few trips with the kids, we just kept going thru the day and ended up with cranky kids and cranky parents.

DH thought taking a break at the resort was a waste of time and refused to do it.

After 3 trips when I made us go back to the room during the most heated/crowded times of the day on our MK and Epcot days, DH now agrees that resting in the room/swimming help make our trips better. We don't feel hot/angry/tired and fed up with the crowds anymore. And our feet and backs don't hurt at the end of the day either.

Thank goodness.

 

[emmababy]

We have gone 4 times now and we always take breaks, but breaks can be different things. We have found the disney transportation to not be a big hassle. Sometimes we nap, sometimes we swim or just chill out, but a break is needed. But we are early wakers, so by midafternoon we have seen what we need to see and my kids love to swim.

I also build in breaks through out the trip with sit down dinners, days off, trip to DTD. We are not the commando type who has to see everything to make our trip complete! Some families are the go all day type, just not us.

 

[srwarden1928]

We NEVER go back to the room until we are ready to go back for the day. We take our breaks in the park by having a drink or ice cream and people watching for awhile. DW and I both like it that way.

Sounds like to me your DH is perfectly satisfied to let you (who wants a nap) and DD (who you think needs one) to get one. Why not compromise and let DH and DS who want to stay in the parks do that?

 

[ChristusG]

We have two small kids and we go to Disney often. We NEVER go back for naps. Waaaaaay too much wasted time in my opinion. I mean, think about this.....

walk to the front of the park
get on some form of transportation, or ride tram if you drove
get off at your hotel
walk to your room
actually take time to get everyone laid down for naps
nap time
wake up, freshen up
walk back to the transportation
ride your transportation
walk back into the park and find where you left off

That's HOURS wasted to us. Our kids sleep great in the stroller. We stay as late as the park is open. Usually they conk out on the way back to the resort and we just transfer them to bed to sleep for the night. And if we have a late night, we make sure that the next day is not an early morning.

Edited to add: We usually do not do back to back park days. We like to explore other parts of Disney. So if we go into MK all day one day, the next day we do something like resort hopping, or hanging at Downtown Disney and then playing mini golf at Fantasia Gardens. Then the day following that we will do another park.

 

[disneybridetobe]

*snip* if my dauther at that time 3 1/2 was showing signs of her alter ego sybil *snip*

LMAO My daughter has the same alter ego!!

Also, if your husband wants to stay in the parks, let him! One thing I've learned is a cranky husband can be as bad as a cranky toddler.

 

[cinderella'smommy]

We took a break and napped; I knew that my daughter would need it. We basically had limited expectations of what we could do; she was three, so really, a few rides, some character interactions, and we were good. I actually planned mostly split days--one morning in one park; the evening in a different one. We stayed offsite, so it was a bit time consuming; but, if you remember that it is for the kids to enjoy, then I relaxed about "not getting our money's worth". We ended up doing about 50-60% of what I thought we could get in, but we had a really great trip.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

An important point to remember that's been touched on here--what a child perceives as the most important or memorable part of a vacation, is seldom what an adult would consider "exciting".When asked, the majority of preschoolers say their #1 thing at WDW is the hotel pool. So, just because you aren't going commando through the parks, doesn't mean your kid isn't having a fabulous time. Some memorable times for my children: Feeding a bug to a bird (Rafiki's Planet Watch), a revolving door, the monorail, the hotel pool, picking up confetti off Main Street, pressing pennies.

Aside from the pool, none of these would make my list.

We went to WDW in August and go back in June. The only thing DS3 remembers/talks about is the monorail. Since we'll be there for 2 weeks, we're planning a special "monorail day" just for him. We'll sleep in, have a late breakfast at Chef Mickey's, ride around, maybe sit up front, and pool-hop (we're DVC, we're allowed). Would I do this on my own? No chance, but it's his vacation, too.

 

[scootch]

I think it depends if you hit the parks at opening(a very wise move). I have taken my kids since they were 2 1/2 and 5.. this trip they will be 7 and 10 and we usually get to the parks at openings and we almost ALWAYS take a midday break. Obviously my kids don't nap, but just getting out of the hustle and bustle of the parks makes for a much, much more enjoyable evening. It is better to enjoy the things you see, rather than see 'everything' miserably. My vote, all 4 of you take an afternoon break.

 

[3boymthr]

As a family it's our first time at WDW but we've traveled extensively and always schedule a break time. My kids are too big to nap (though I've seen them nap when we've done a lot - even the 13 yo) so I'm not planning a "nap" but I've told DH we're going back to rest our feet (get fresh shoes and socks so we won't get blisters). It's also the hottest part of the day so we'll swim and cool off. I also figure it's a good time and place to eat lunch since the crowds at the resort restaurants will be smaller. I mean why wait in line a long at MK or EP for a burger or sandwich when I can go back to the resort and get a burger or sandwich there just as easily and probably spend half as much time in line and have an easier time finding a table.

Also, let's face it little kids need a chance to play no matter where you are or what you're doing or they have melt-downs or literally start climbing the walls (seriously my kids have done this - I even have photos). One of my primary reasons for going back is to give the kids time to not have to stand in line and wait. They need a little "toy" time - a chance to use that souvenir they picked out a couple of hours ago.

ETA - we're not planning a break on our AK day as the park closes at 5 so I figure we'll have plenty of time to rest and play after that.

 

[Crazy4Disney72]

On our first couple trips to WDW, we tried the go back in the middle of the day and nap thing, and it just rarely worked for our family. As others have mentioned, the kids would fall asleep on the transportation back to the resort and then that was it, they were not going to go back to sleep easily. We found we would end up frustrated trying to get them to lay still to go to sleep. It worked out better for us to just let them nap in the stroller or ride the train, monorail, or TTA endlessly while they napped. I have very fond memories of DD, then 7 months, nursing in the sling and dozing and DS, then 3, sitting beside me with his head in my lap sleeping on the TTA. I was so drowsy I was almost asleep myself. We probably stayed on for close to an hour!

 

[kristinw3girls]

Silly, silly man, it is a MUST!! If you want to enjoy to go for it commando style of touring my family does, you must take a short 2-3 hour break. If you use it for nothing more than putting up your feet and being still for an hour or 2, it will pay off. We wouldn't be in a magical place (literally and Figuratively! it is not manditory that we sleep, but we need the break in order to enjoy a long night of fun!!I think DH will change his mind in about 2 days. HE may not need it, but your DS sure will!!

 

[dsneygirl]

Last trip DS was 26 months and we went back every day. Some days he didn't actually nap until 2-3pm but then we would be able to stay out until 9-10pm no problem. I agree with some of the prevous posts that I need the nap/break/clean clothes just as much as my DS.

 

[ktlm]

We tried the back to the room nap/afternoon break with our 2 year 10 month old once. It was an absolute disaster. She did not want to leave the park even though she was tired, and we had to basically drag her back to the resort kicking and screaming. Then once we got to the resort all we had was an angry child who absolutely refused to go to sleep no matter how tired she was. After a couple of hours we gave up and went back to MK. Once she was sure we were back there and would not leave, she crawled right into her stroller and went to sleep. The attempted afternoon break was the only major meltdown we had the entire week even though we stayed from pretty much open to close every day. After that we went with stroller naps. They worked great. When she was tired, she would just climb right in and go to sleep, and we would take turns riding the rides we did not want to take her on while she slept. It really just depends on your kids and sometimes you don't know what will work until you get there and try it.

 

[sshaw10060]

The real key is the time of year you are there. If you are there in the quieter (and cooler) times of year when the park is open from 9-8 or 9-9 and the kids can get a nap in the stroller that's probably fine, but if the park is open from 8-midnight and you want to open and close the park you need a break.

We either get there at opening and stay until mid/late afternoon or take a 2-3 hour break in the afternoon and come back for the evening. We do this even though we don't ever visit during the hot summer months.

 

[seashoreCM]

... Can someone please help me explain ... ?

You (and DH) are parents first and park guests second. Also as far as what DH does, what do you want DD5 to ultimately do or be allowed to do?

I like the idea of finding some quiet place in the park to doze off since journeying back to the resort and again back to the park is awfully time consuming.

Disney hints: http://www.cockam.com/disney.htm

 

[EthansMom]

You know your kids best. If you think they need a nap or break, then they probably will.

In our case, our kids were NEVER able to nap at the parks... too much stimulation. A mid-afternoon break is a necessity for us. Here's what we do... We try to get to the park at (or close to) opening, we stay until about 1:30-2 p.m. and then head back to the resort for a break. About every other night, we head back to the parks about dinner time (for nighttime shows and such). And about every other night we stay at the resort, go to DTD, or find something relaxing to do.

When the kids were younger, I would stay with them while they napped and DH would go for a walk, get himself a drink, wash our laundry, etc... (he can't sit still). Now that the kids are older, we usually spend our afternoon breaks in the pool and have the kids nap as needed.

If you're only going to be at WDW for a few days, then I would recommend trying to be at the parks longer to get more in. But if you're staying for a week or so, your kids will probably be having meltdowns after a few days of constant stimulation.

 

[SnowWhite607]

We go in June and it is hot. Back to the toom is a must for us and has made for some happy vacations. Going commando all day when it is in the 90s is NOT fun. We may nap or maybe not, we may rest, shower, change our sweaty clothes, get dry (cause it usually rains around 2pm) swim or just go to the arcade. Then we go back around 5pm for dinner and a few hours in the evening. We ar rope drop people so I can see staying from 9am till 9pm or later in the summertime.