How do you handle nap time in parks for 2 year old?

[Marthasor]

Hi! We are going down to WDW with our DS who will be 2 in October. We went to WDW when he was one and nap time was easy as he would just fall asleep in his stroller. I'm not sure what to do this year! He is still transitioning to one nap and really needs to get to sleep by noon. I'm not sure if we should try to get him back to the resort (which means we really won't be able to do much in the parks) or try to let him nap in the stroller. Just wondering what other families of 2 years olds are doing?! Thanks!

 

[turkeymama]

Thankfully, DS preferred stroller napping, even when we were at home. We just kept on trucking with him napping. Still, I think you can get plenty done early in the mornings if you utilize early EMH, or even being at the park by rope drop. We always get Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and at least one ride on Haunted Mansion by 11:00 a.m. if we arrive at rope drop during early EMH. Of course, this has always been in October or December.

 

[TinkerBrie]

My daughter is NOT a stroller sleeper. She is too nosey!! Our last trip she was 20 months old at the time. We HAD to schedule in a nap. I was kind of a pain in the neck, but it made for a happy evening baby!

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

i'm praying for stroller napping!!! lol not optomistic about it tho. last year we took the kids to sesame place and he zonked out the second day but the first forget it!

 

[kevschickee]

We will have a 2 year old and a 3 year old so we plan on going back to the room for a rest each day. To me it is worth it because it means we wont have little crabby appletons on our hands

 

[erinch]

at that age, my kids wouldn't sleep on in the stroller, but would sleep on the monorail from MK to Epcot or vice versa--so we brought along a book, and made several round trips at nap time. Usually there was no one in our car and it worked really well.

Other strategies were Hall of Presidents and American Adventure.

 

[bratmomma]

For our last trip my youngest was 4 and he usually fell asleep on the bus ont he way back to the resort then we carried him to bed where he slept like a log! LOL

This time, my youngest will be just over 3 and I have scheduled a break/nap time back at the resort each day except for MK day. She has gone days without naps before, but I imagine a day in the Florida sun at MK is a bit of an overload. I am thinking about a few round trips on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. lol

Good luck to you!

 

[ktlm]

At age 2 and age 3, DD did stroller naps with no problem. We discovered very quickly if we attempted to leave the park for an afternoon nap, all we got was an angry child who absolutely refused to go to sleep. She's extremely stubborn.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Sorry to barge in..hey PIRATE!!!!

Do like DIL did with the youngest grandkid when we were al DLR, she took him to the nursing station. The cost was minimal, and she got him in a quiet place, changed diaper, etc.

The rest of us went for ice cream and did a little shopping.

 

[Macduffy]

I'll be travelling with a 20 month old and from the day the trip was booked I started making his naps start later in the day so when go on our trip he'll nap around 1:30 or 2 PM. He was taking naps at 10:30 AM and now I'm up to 12:30 PM just by putting him down 20 minutes later every couple of weeks!

At this age I think it's a good idea to give them a break (not sure a sleep in the stroller) but a little downtime from all the hussle and bussle of the day. The trip to and from the resort can ease them back into "magical mode" and my guess is enjoy the parks for longer in a happier mood!

I think you'll appreciate the break too LOL!
GL

 

[Disneychix]

We did a combo of both in room napping and stroller napping. DS was 20 months in Spet and 2 yrs when we went in March. In Sept he slept very nicely in the stroller (I brought the big ole comfy one for that reason) and in March he slept for shorter periods (20 mins) in the stroller. We didn't rely on that for nap-time though and usually went back to the room at about 3:30 and slept for 1 hr or so before dinnertime.

 

[braydensmom]

Last year at 16 months my son slept for about 90 minutes in the stroller, I just used the time to get a snack (Dole Whip lol) and did some window shopping. We just went to the toronto zoo, and he slept for 90 minutes in the stroller again, in the pouring rain and he is 24 months. Hoping in October he will still be good with napping in the stroller. Theres a couple days the parks close early for MNSSHP and I would rather just stay in the park for the day!

Maybe try taking some long walks and see if that will work for your little one!

 

[disneydaycare]

My DS is 20 months, we leave tomorrow and I plan to schedule breaks in the afternoon. I will do this for all the parks except for Animal Kingdom. He's a fairly easy baby, so I'm hoping for the best.

 

[nicki.momof3]

Give everyone a little break and take your child back to the hotel for a nap. Rested children make happier parents.

 

[laughinplace199]

My oldest 2 kids are 2 yrs apart and we always went back to the resort for naps/downtime. When the kids were 7 & 5, baby #3 came along. At that point, the big kids were beyond naps and turning into mini-park commandos (like DH & I were before we had kids), so we no longer plan our park days around naptime. That being said, we do leave the parks every day around mid-afternoon to go back to the resort for a swim before dinner. Baby has slept in the stroller and/or in the room later in the afternoon. It just depends on the day. I never would have taken the go-with-the-flow approach with the first 2, but my youngest is a really easy, laid back kid who can handle it. Plus, even though he's now 2, he thinks he's 6, so he wants to try to keep up with the big kids.

 

[turtlegirl1]

We had the best of intentions last year to get back to the room for break/naps, it didn't happen except for 1 day. DS (nearly 2 at the time) ended up zonking out in his stroller so we would just keep going. I got a little clip on fan that we'd turn on for him while he was sleeping to try to keep him cool, but other than that my suggestion is to take a stroller that is comfy & reclines.

 

[2 Little Mermaids]

Last year at 16 months my son slept for about 90 minutes in the stroller, I just used the time to get a snack (Dole Whip lol) and did some window shopping. We just went to the toronto zoo, and he slept for 90 minutes in the stroller again, in the pouring rain and he is 24 months. Hoping in October he will still be good with napping in the stroller. Theres a couple days the parks close early for MNSSHP and I would rather just stay in the park for the day!

Maybe try taking some long walks and see if that will work for your little one!

Hey braydensmom, I'm from Sarnia. Thought I'd say Hi.

I also ended up stroller sleeping. I wanted to play it by ear because both kids are very relaxed and most days don't nap at home. One day my DD-4 would nap and then the next day DD-2 would. Then we would take a break in the park, find a cool place to sit and amuse the other one. Sometimes the most interesting things happen when you just sit in the park and watch everything go by.

 

[MagicPrincess]

We took DD when she was 2, and each day we took a break mid-day, went back to our room, made the room real dark and quiet, and we all took a little nap. Most days she fell right to sleep. After she fell asleep we would sneak off to the balcony and enjoy some people watching!

Even now that our kids are older and don't take naps, we've already said that a little break each day is a must. It helps cut down on the breakdowns!

Have fun!!!

 

[Manda]

We always go back to the room. When he was 2, he'd usually fall asleep on the way back to the hotel and then we'd just drop him in the bed and he'd take a nice nap. He wasn't potty trained yet, so I usually tried to change his diaper just before we left the park so that he was cleaned up and ready for nap and wouldn't have to wake him changing him once he was already asleep when we were back at the room.

At 2, I did the same with evenings - I brought his PJs and nighttime diaper with me and changed him just before we left the park in the evening so that when we arrived at the resort with a sleeping kid, he was already ready to go straight to bed.

Even now (5 years old), he doesn't always nap, but we always break shortly after lunch and go back to the hotel to at least swim and rest. I usually make him at least lay in the bed and watch cartoons for an hour or so and just chill a little. I think it just makes for a much more relaxing trip.

 

[SaraMc]

We went in Sept with DS who was just a little bit over 2 then. We brought a stroller with us that could lie down, just incase because anywhere else he would never sleep in his stroller once he learned to walk. We had been when he was 5 months old and anywhere there was cobblestone or rough terrain he would fall asleep.
We went back to our room a few times for nap time, however once again, the cobblestone and the wooden pathway along the back of frontierland by the water were our saving grace. We were literally heading back to the resort and along the rough terrain and he would fall asleep. We would find a quiet spot for me to hang with him ( I was 2 months pregnant with DD) and DH and DBIL would go off on some rides and check back in with us.
this happened a few times, but we did find he was waaaay more well rested when we went back to the room.

This year, well he will be 3 and DD will be 9 months old when we go. We will plan to go back to the room, but if he falls asleep he falls asleep... that's if I can get him to go in the stroller