Getting kids to sleep in a hotel room

[snickerboo]

My kids are 6 & 9. We stay in hotels often but we seem to have trouble settling them to sleep in a hotel room. They bug each other, giggle, talk, etc. We have a trip planned to DL this fall and we're a little concerned about being able to get them to sleep at night. When we went to WDW last time we got a 3-bdrm condo and they each had their own room which worked beautifully (highly recommend for those with siblings who squabble!) but the best we can do this time is a kidsuite which will mean them sleeping in bunk beds but still able to bug each other.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

Get those kiddos good and tired before they go to bed! My guys get all silly/squirrelly unless they're totally zonked. Then, try as they might to goof around...zzzzz....they fall asleep!

Good luck!

 

[auralia]

if your desperate have one child sleep w/ you and one w/ your husband... i bet they won't mess around then, no fun to mess w/ mom and dad that = trouble.

 

[natashag76]

i agree with polkadotsuitcase. we just visited WDW 2 weeks ago and my 6 and 4 year olds shared a pull-out couch but it turned out ok. they both passed out within 15 minutes. we even have a great shot of my son (4) using his sister's tush for a pillow!

 

[Hannathy]

I never understood how anyone had trouble getting there kids to sleep at Disney! mine are usually walking zombies from the bus back to the room. This is also why it is good to skip the strollers for older kids they are rested and you are wiped out. If they aren't sleepy take them out to the pool,by they time they swim for 30 minutes after a day in the park they will fall asleep as soon as they hit the pillow, and you can relax and decompress sitting in a chair by the pool while they are swimming, win/win for everyone.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

We often have the same problem.

Our girls are 8&6 and have their own rooms at home.

When we travel, we put them to bed in separate beds (hotel rooms usually come with 2 beds) and once they are asleep we move the one who is less likely to wake up to the other bed with her sister! Usually the 8 yr old!

Also, we each sit with one kid each and scratch/rub their backs, play with their hair or what ever helps them to calm down.

This past January, at Disney, they were So completely exhausted at the end of every day they were happy to go to bed and sleep!

 

[disykat]

When my kids were smaller and too wired in a hotel room to sleep and reminders didn't work I used the hard core "I want absolute quiet for 15 minutes or I will start taking away priviledges and, trust me, you don't want to lose priviledges on your vacation. If you're still awake in 15 minutes you can whisper." It worked like a charm. They were tired enough that they really needed me to force the issue and they'd go right to sleep.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I recommend a shot of Rum.

For you, not for them.

They can crab all they want, you'll be blissfully konked out with the combination of park exhaustion, sun, and a little Captain in you, lol...

 

[ireland_nicole]

We usually put one of them in each bed, and then one of us sits in the dark and catches up on journaling the day, facebook, email, whatever and the other leaves the room and goes for a walk, lies in a hammock, goes shopping, has a drink in the bar, etc. for about an hour. The kids are usually knocked out in a couple of minutes in the dark and quiet, but for me having that time solo to decompress is a valuable part of the vacation.

 

[scrappinannie]

Yeah, what she said!!

True & utter exhaustion always does the trick for us.

 

[AirGoofy]

Yeah, mine are usually too tired as well. If not, take them for a quick swim. That should work.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

My kids never have trouble falling asleep at WDW. They are exhausted by the end of the day.

 

[jasmom]

We got back last week and I had the same concerns before we left. Mine are ds9, ds7 and dd5. We have had other trips, not disney, where bedtime has been a nightmare. We had a family suite and I figured my husband and I would be sitting in a chair behind the curtain in the bathroom so we could have the kids in 2 rooms. No problem even the first night. They were so tired they were asleep within 15 mins all in the same room.
I hope you have a great time.

 

[lolafrances]

We have the same problem, our boys are 4 and 2.5, 18 months apart. They get all crazy back in the hotel room even though they are exhausted. They get a nice bubble bath and we sometimes separate them into two different beds. We turn off all the lights and I'll put on a Disney movie with the sound down low, or something really boring for them like golf or the news. They are usually asleep after 10 minutes or so. Good luck!

 

[happymommy]

I recommend a shot of Rum.

For you, not for them.

They can crab all they want, you'll be blissfully konked out with the combination of park exhaustion, sun, and a little Captain in you, lol...

Yup, have a glass of wine, relax, and make the room nice and quiet.

I find after a busy day, a nice bath, maybe a few minutes of tv, my kids were also zonked out. I would stay up, have some wine, relax, maybe put the tv on quietly or sit on the balcony and watch people.

Now, what I found fun with the bunk beds (we had them twice at AKL) was to request a couple of extra sheets from housekeeping. We draped them over the bunk bed, tying them on the corners, and made a cute little tent. My DD slept down in it, and she felt all cozy and went to sleep earlier than my DS that way. In the daytime they thought it was cool to go in there with the portable DVD player to watch a movie during afternoon downtime.