Nap and bedtime advice for little ones

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

We're lucky that the Young MacSpiffs have always been pretty flexible sleepers when it comes to travel. Later bedtimes and risings were never much of a problem when they were wee; and as for naps, no dark, quiet room was usually necessary. If we were on the go all we had to do was throw a towel over their stroller and they were out. My cousin is planning her first DCL cruise, though, and she sticks to a pretty stiff nap and/or bedtime regimen for her kids (four of them, 1, 3, 5, and 6). Any advice I can pass on?

 

[amuse-bouche]

She's got 4 kids with a 5 year age spread. I'm guessing that she knows what they need better than anyone and there's a reason she adheres to a stiff regimen. My guess is, things will go best for everyone if she sticks with it during the cruise. In general, kids that do well with a strict schedule at home, do best staying as close to on schedule as possible, even on vacations and special occasions

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

That makes sense. We only have two kids with a wider age spread, and we've had more opportunities to travel; I feel totally unqualified to offer her advice.

 

[Canooknic]

We're a routine family, but we have twins.
From 3 weeks old they had a schedule and have always had a strict bedtime, I'm pretty sure it's the only thing that has kept us sane over the years!
Sometimes it was frustrating to leave the park early and miss fireworks etc, but now they are 11 and schedules don't matter so they are getting to experience new things when we have Disney trips.

I'd let her stick to her schedule, and take those times for your own special family moments

 

[aliceinvunderland]

Two necessities for traveling with napping kids: clothespins (to clip the curtains tightly together so no light enters, both during nap time and in the morning), and a sound machine or app. We have older kids, but still use these to guarantee a good night sleep for everyone!

 

[Ladybugx87]

Stick to her family’s schedule as others have said. Yes she might miss things but makes for a way better vacation. We’ve traveled all over the world with our girls. One is fine with no routine, the other not so much.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Will there be a significant time change for the kids (west coast to east coast)? Their internal clocks will be affected.

 

[MomOTwins]

My advice is have the parents look at past navigators and decide in advance what evening entertainment they want to do, then divide up which nights each parent is going to stay in the room with the early bedtime kids. That way they don't miss out on shows they would like.

A starboard verandah room is also a good choice so the in-room parent can see the fireworks.

 

[aliciamakino]

We have traveled with our now 5 year old on 2 DCL trips and 2 WDW trips. She is also on a pretty strict bedtime/nap route. For the sake of vacation, we did loosen it and to our surprise, she was totally fine! I will say though, if we knew it was going to be a late night (pirate night) we made sure that we all got a good nap in before dinner. Missing some of the afternoon activities, but that meant we could all stay out a little later. I also think good advice is just playing it by ear, I think we all know our kids well enough to see the ques of a tired meltdown coming. And be flexible. Our DD surprised us with how adaptable she could be. That said, we will be traveling in May with said 5 yr old and now a 1 yr old and I fear that's going to be a whole new ballgame.

 

[fredandkell]

When our kids were younger, we generally stuck to our usual nap and bedtime routines. Each parent would alternate nights of taking the older child to the show after dinner while the other put the younger child to bed. Ditto afternoon naps; we'd alternate who'd go back with the younger child and who'd go out and play with the older kid. Even now that they're both older (9 and 13) we still generally stick to our bedtimes, give or take an hour or so, when on vacations, unless there is a really compelling reason to stay up late.

 

[MissMet]

Nursery! We used the nursery for nap time in the afternoons and then requested late dining with a private table. We'd order the kids room service for dinner as we showered and got ready for dinner, then we'd drop the kids off in the nursery at 8pm and headed for dinner EVERY night. It was amazing. We didn't feel guilty since at home they go to bed at 7:30pm so it's not like it's missed quality time. The nursery staff were amazing! They changed them into pajamas and put them to sleep in the cribs- even rocked my daughter to sleep. We would then pick them up when we were ready for bed and just lay them in their beds. We were traveling with a 2 year old and 3 year old and it was the most amazing & relaxing cruise ever! No way we were wasting time sitting in our stateroom while they slept. This would only work for 3 years old and younger, but maybe the older ones will do okay.