How do you make naps happen?

[ArielSRL]

We plan on midday breaks. My 2 yr old still naps after lunch. My 4.5 yr old hasn't napped in years but I told him, he has to "rest" at Disney. We do have the luxury of a 1 bedroom villa so they can nap in the bedroom while the adults (mom, dad, and myself) lie around in the sitting/kitchen area. Even if they didn't nap, I think the break is worth it. All our breaks are at least 4 hours long and are following or followed by a meal (to semi-extend the break). We'll do pool (if time) and baths probably too, as there may not be time at night.

 

[Klinger13]

Our DD4 still loves her naps. She usually naps for 2-3 hours at home but we found at WDW she was fine just conking out on my shoulder for 45 minutes or so whenever she was ready. At MK she slept when we waited for & went on IASW (we didn't mind the 35 minute wait that day since it gave her time to snooze.). At Epcot DH & I sat in Germany and leisurely shared a beer & noodle gratin while she snoozed. One day she napped on the bus ride back to POR. At Animal Kingdom, we just walked around while she dozed. She's the kind of kid who can sleep anywhere so that helped!

 

[DisneyMomma1216]

We brought my daughter when she was 9 months old, and this past trip she was a week away from 2 years old. She slept in the stroller both times, whenever she felt the need to sleep. We never left the parks - we just strolled around, enjoyed the sights, and a little quiet adult time until she woke up again. She's usually a 1.5-2 hour napper, so she has actually had multiple cat naps during the day at the parks. I know I am thankful she can pretty much sleep anywhere. You could always use the baby care centers too, for a little quiet time in the middle of the day.

 

[poppinspenguins]

We do not follow a nap schedule at disney. We are the type that go to the parks only 2 or 3 days out of the week...so we go all day.

I appreciate the go back to the hotel crowd...but it would never work for us. We always drive to the park...so the kids would just fall asleep driving back to the hotel and then wake up if we got them out. Less of an issue at the monorail hotels...but possibly still an issue.

My son always fell asleep when I wore him or in stroller. Wore my daughter this past time and she would easily fall asleep wi the all the walking. Hopefully she is a stroller sleeper to.

Last trip...my almost 3 year old took no naps on park days. Just too much going on. He is always the type that is better behaved with lots of stimulation...so it was great. On non park days with naps he was worst.

Do you do anything in your area like the zoo or museum etc? You could go Napless at the zoo as a dry run.

 

[tiggertabi]

We always did rope drop in the mornings, then we'd go back to the room around lunch time, and return to the parks for late afternoon - closing (my kids were troopers.) The first day was hard because they were hyped up, but after that, they were always so exhausted that the nap was easy (for us all!)

 

[Mainemama]

Stroller. Although a nap in the room would be nice for adults (and we may still enforce quiet time), our nappers fall asleep before their typical time at home.

 

[dprincessmom]

If you are going to try for naps in the park - look for the baby care centers. They are usually nice and cool. Look for out of the way areas within the park - like AK's conservation station and try to get a nap in.

We love POR and FQ and they really aren't that long of a ride for mid day naps. If she usually goes down at 1 at home, plan to be back at the resort by then and continue with your process.

 

[ayz75]

My daughter is a stroller napper even at home (if we're not out in the car or stroller, she would not nap at home. No way to get her to nap). At MK, we would leave the park (in the stroller of course) and get on the monorail and do resort visits. She was often asleep by the time we are at the monorail or if not she would be asleep at some point when we strolled in the nice deluxe resort grounds!

Epcot was even easier, it was easier to find quieter area and when she fell asleep, we'd visit the different countries (Canada movie is great, air conditioned and dark. She slept through it). Generally we could easily get her to nap a good 2 hours in the stroller which is her usual nap length anyway, and it worked out great for us.

If your child can sleep easily in a hotel bed, then going back for a nap is not a bad idea. It just would never, ever work for us