How to get my LO to nap in stroller?

[OurLittleLove]

Hi all
We'll be traveling to Disney for my DS's very first visit. He'll be 2.5 at the time of our visit. He has never, ever napped in a stroller.

I know this is a dumb question but is there a way to "train" your child to nap in a stroller? Or is it all just sheer luck?

I don't plan on keeping him out at the parks all day, every day. I'm hoping to bring him back to the hotel for a nap most days. But it would be nice to watch the fireworks one or two nights and it would be so nice if he'd just sleep for a little in his stroller if he's tired!

 

[Baklava]

Bourbon?

I'm kidding, I'm kidding!

Unfortunately, some kids just don't sleep upright/in the noise/in the light/when it's interesting. If he crashes, he crashes, but I would not bank on it. Sorry, that may be even less helpful than, "bourbon."

 

[OurLittleLove]

Bourbon?

I'm kidding, I'm kidding!

Unfortunately, some kids just don't sleep upright/in the noise/in the light/when it's interesting. If he crashes, he crashes, but I would not bank on it. Sorry, that may be even less helpful than, "bourbon."

Bourbon it is! Haha!

I don't know what I was hoping or expecting people to reply. You're right...I think some kids just won't nap in strollers and thats that.

 

[Kelly014]

Maybe he will surprise you! We went last year when DD was 4. She has not taken naps since she was 2 (sigh...) but disney wore her out. We did a quick trip while we were visiting family in Florida so we just had one day at MK and were there from early morning to fireworks at 10 PM. Almost immediately after the fireworks were over and we started strolling toward the exit we looked down to see her passed out in the stroller. Disney is definitely a different world so he may just wear himself out and nap in the stroller even if he normally doesn't

 

[Hezzy04]

We went last month and my 3 year old (who has never napped in a stroller before -- I was convinced she never would) napped in the stroller several times!! So you never know!!

 

[Thing 1]

My boys would not nap in a stroller but would nap on me! I would try to find a quite, out of the way play and walk with them on my shoulder till they were asleep and find a shaded place to sit. Sometimes a bench and if it is off meal times and not crowded at all, a CS indoor was sometimes an option. I enjoyed people watching, having a snack and letting a little sleep for long enough to feel good the rest of the day. I loved all the smiles of people passing by us.

 

[MommyMK]

In the baby care centers are dark rooms with rocking chairs, any chance you could rock him to sleep and then transfer to the stroller?

With my kids, I would recline them, hang a cover over the sun visor to make it dark and then either power walk fast without stopping or find a boring corner and push the stroller back and forth with some force until they passed out. Leisurely walking wouldn't do it.

 

[Nancyg56]

My boys would not nap in a stroller but would nap on me! I would try to find a quite, out of the way play and walk with them on my shoulder till they were asleep and find a shaded place to sit. Sometimes a bench and if it is off meal times and not crowded at all, a CS indoor was sometimes an option. I enjoyed people watching, having a snack and letting a little sleep for long enough to feel good the rest of the day. I loved all the smiles of people passing by us.

I had my DGD with me when she was 4. I took her for ride on the Magic Kingdom Railroad. SHe went out like a light.

In Epcot, we went into the American Experience. It was cool and dark in there, and it bored her to tears. Again...fast asleep!

 

[DBMC]

I don't know about training them, lol, but a stroller with a big canopy works wonders. The city mini, and other similar strollers offer huge canopies. My girls slept great in theirs when they where 3 and 4.

 

[Waddler]

I took my 1-year-old for practice walks/naps in the stroller before our last trip. At that age, he only dependably slept in a crib or pack-n-play. Carseats, cosleeping, falling asleep in our arms, etc. just didn't work for him. Too much fun to sleep, I guess.

A stroller that reclined all the way and had a very large canopy seemed to help us. He was the type of toddler that goes from drowsy to extremely cranky, so winging it or skipping naps wasn't an option for us. He did better than expected in the parks because he was so tired, but it did take some time and effort to find a cool and quiet place to walk him around.

 

[DznyPrnces]

The only place my kids ever napped in their strollers is at Disney. Usually it happens on a long uninterrupted walk from one end of the park to the other. I just let them sit in the stroller, and then once they are asleep I can recline it to make them more comfortable. We just got back from Disneyland. My 2.5 year old didn't nap, but he did fall asleep both nights. The first night he fell asleep after the parade, before the fireworks. They seemed to be going off right over our heads and he slept through the whole thing.

 

[DSNY4ever]

We trained Ds to nap in the stroller. We would practice going for walks at home on weekends during his nap time. No talking, just walking. We took this very seriously to prepare him for Disney trips and it worked wonderfully. Last year we went to Europe and at one museum he just said "I'm tired, nap time!" And crawled in and went to sleep, haha.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Also in WDW he brought back his morning nap that he had outgrown. We weren't expecting that, but it was hot and he was usually staying up past his very early 7pm bedtime.

 

[smurphs719]

Our DS is a pro stroller napper, but it is key to make sure he is comfortable. If you are going in winter bring a small blanket or in summer maybe one of those stroller clip fans.

 

[HeatherL1985]

My DS (2.5) wasn't big on sleeping anywhere but his own bed. Before we left, I purposefully went on walks right at nap time to get him used to the idea of napping in the stroller. When we got there, much to my surprise, he would simply conk out at nap time after a 1 minute or so meltdown. We still went back during the hottest part of the day to get him in some AC so he could really rest, though. It was HOT the week we went.

Preparation makes a big difference at this age! We even showed videos of meet and greets saying "Look! It's Mickey! See how BIG he really is! Isn't that neat?! Wouldn't you like to hug him like that little girl?!"and he was shy, but not scared. Good luck and have a great trip!

 

[mandis77]

Disney wears my kids out! All the walking and excitement and fresh air will help. My youngest fell asleep in the stroller a lot while we were just walking around. Find the baby care centers in each park too, the rooms are dark and cool if you need help just calming them down. Oh and a lot of the time she would just fall asleep in my lap while we were waiting for a show to start. You figure out what works! Enjoy!

 

[ktlm]

I don't think you can know how he will react at WDW until you are actually there. My DD refused to set foot in a stroller, much less nap in one after she reached 12 months and took her first steps. It didn't matter how much walking was involved- the mall, a whole day at the zoo, long walks. At age 2, she hopped in a stroller pretty quickly our first day in the WDW parks once she realized how big they were and how must faster they could get her from a fun thing at Point A to a fun thing at Point B. After that time, the stroller came out once a year for DD trips and she happily rode in it there, but nowhere else. She had no trouble at all napping in the stroller at WDW when she got tired. WDW can wear them out to where they will just fall asleep for a while, so you may find that you don't have any issues getting him to nap in the stroller. What it turned out DD had a HUGE issue with was leaving the parks for the afternoon break I had planned because I thought she would need it. All the afternoon break got me was an extremely upset angry toddler who absolutely refused to nap or even lay down and stood behind the curtains in the room. After a battle which lasted somewhere between 2 and 3 hours, we gave up and went back to the park. The minute we got there, she got a huge smile on her face and climbed right into her stroller and went to sleep for about an hour and a half. After that, we just stayed in the parks from open to close and she took naps when she needed them in the stroller. I would say just plan to be flexible based on what works for him, and go with whatever that turns out to be. Have Fun!!! That 2 year old trip was one of my absolute favorite trips! Everything was new and magical for her!

 

[MsRoseN99H]

My 3 year wouldn't nap in a stroller to save her life. I'm anxious to see what the sensory overload of it will do to her. Our first trip is planned for September. I agree with other's, I think we'll both be surprised. Good luck!

 

[quakechicago]

My kiddo has never slept anywhere but a bed her entire life. No carseat sleeping. No plane sleeping. Nope. Never happens. From our first trip to WDW when she was 2.5 until now at 4, we get a stroller because there she sleeps. It really is totally sensory overload and not just for the kids.

Our kiddo rarely has ever napped, and at home is a ball of energy who will GO from first light until midnight (unfortunately), but at WDW she will also take a long nap daily (as do we) as well as she will occasionally randomly conk out in the stroller. She'll say she's a bit tired from walking or want to see her autograph book in the stroller....next thing I know, she's out for 20-30 minutes. It's magic!

 

[wallskm]

We lucked out with our youngest son, he is a great napper at home- rarely puts up a fight about going to sleep. So at Disney I just sat him in the stroller, told him it was nap time, reclined the seat, and walked. He was always asleep within 10 mins or so.