Bedtime Rituals at the World

[erik'smom]

Hi All!
This is my first post so please bear with me.

My DH and I will be at Walt Disney World for our son's FIRST trip in December. He will be 20 months old. My problem is that he does not sleep anywhere but his own bed.
After all of the excitement of the day, I don't think he'll sleep a wink.

Do any of you Disney Mom's (or as I refer to you, Disney sages) have any calming bedtime rituals you could recommend? Any advice would be appreciated.

We are staying at the Wilderness Lodge.

Thanks!

 

[wendy46001]

My god daughter ....we call her our party girl (up before 6am down after 11pm) ...doesn’t normally sleep well anywhere but her own room....After her first day in the park (age 3)...she was the first asleep and we had to wake her up at 8 the next morning for breakfast....She used up every bit of energy her little body could muster just enjoying the park...

 

[Oceana]

We took our eldest son for his first visit when he was 17 months. he is one of those special kids who needs no rest. He gave up any hope of a nap at 18 months and goes to sleep with me and usually wakes me up

At the parks when we visited we did not get a stroller we made him walk

Now he was also the only smiley kid on the bus at the end of the day

I have photos of him on his first trip passed out in the bed before the lights were out.

Its amazing how sleepy a kid can get at Disney World!

 

[dougsmom98]

Getting kids to sleep in a hotel room is always a challenge. I agree that most kids will sleep well after they have been in the parks all day. I recommend that you don't count too much on a routine. We have always just kept going until the kids crash. The first trip when our twins were just two year old, we went to the parks at opening and then would leave around 4. We went to the hotel and went in the pool and rushed to get some sort of take out dinner and by that time they would crash. If your child is still wide awake, you will have to turn off all the lights and the tv and lie down and pretend to go to sleep (or literally fall asleep if you are tired), and just wait for them to fall asleep. We have spent a lot of frustrating nights doing this on non-Disney vacations. Now we are smart and get two room suites, condos or rental homes and it is so much easier. Good luck.

 

[molly2004]

One thing that might help that wasn't mentioned here is familiarity with his bed. Will you be staying at a resort and using one of their Pack and Plays? If so, try to get him to sleep in one at home for a couple weeks before the trip. Dress the WDW pack and play the same way you do at home. Put a couple of familiar things in his crib AND pack and play at home. Take them with you to WDW and put them in his pack and play when it's time for sleeping. At that age, anything familiar goes a long way to help him feel comfortable with his surroundings.

 

[tripplanner]

My kids have always slept well at the resorts. By the end of a Disney day, they are pretty worn out. We usually ended our day with a bit of time in the pool before bed. That always seemed to wear them out.

 

[oxfordcircus]

I have always dreaded hotel stays with the kids because they hardly go to bed at home, much less in a strange hotel room. After 2 hotel stays with the kids, my fears were confirmed. So, naturally, I had the same dread concerning our first Disney trip. Our youngest doesn't do the pack-n-play thing, and our 2 oldest kids seem to require total darkness to get to sleep. All of my fears vanished the night after the first day in the park. The kids were asking to go to bed! This same scene played out every night of our stay. We were able to watch TV, enjoy the balcony and even order room service, all while the kids snoozed. Another reason I wish I lived at Disney!

 

[firkat]

As a practice run for WDW, we went to Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. We put DS15months down in a packnplay for the first time. As recommended we included his favorite blankie and plush (including Huey, Duey and Louey!) Anyway, he went right down . . . for naps and bedtime. No problems. One morning, I had to wake him up!

Now, we were in a 2 room suite and could congregate in the other room while he was trying to get to sleep which really helped. At WDW, we will be at the Poly all in one room. The plan is to keep the older kids out of the room, at the pool or arcade, while he is going down and hang out on the patio until he is fast asleep. Then go in quietly and get showers or get ready for bed.

Of course, it is just a plan. Maybe it won't work! I'll have to let you know in October!