Nap at the hotel or in the stroller???

[ppan77]

My DS 18 months doesnt nap well when we travel. All the tour books say go back for the nap. We are staying at POFQ over Easter. Is it worth it to trek it back or should we try to let him sleep in the stroller. He hasnt had an opportunity to nap in it for awhile so I'm unsure how he'll do.

 

[Ladyw/theTramp]

I always made sure I had a stroller that reclined and let my two nap in it... That gave DH and I time to wander and shop in peace... Or linger over a lemonade in the shade... Dh even rode some rides that he wanted to but we couldn't take the kids on... Nap time in the parks can ROCK!!!

 

[TJA]

I think you should try to have him nap in the stroller. We've been taking our twins to WDW since they were 7 months old and we always made sure to bring a comfortable stroller from home, pacifiers, favorite stuffed animal, blankets, etc. Make sure the seats recline and there is a canopy to block out the sunlight.

Especially over Easter break, you don't want to be taking a bus back and forth (or rental car, whatever you are doing) to your resort several times each day. Just my opinion from past experiences with children of that age. When/if he falls asleep in the stroller, be sure to take an opportunity to have a nice sit-down meal. The restaurants were very good about letting us take our stroller with sleeping babies right to our table.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Let him sleep where he falls alsleep. DS was also a horrible napper and the one time we tried to go back to POR (he was 2.5 at the time) he was even crankier than before. If he falls asleep in the stroller, just take a break from the rides and do some strolling through the shops (if its not too crowded) and let him sleep!

 

[lillygator]

My girls would not dream of going to sleep in a stroller....we take them back for breaks, but DH usually could use a nap himself and I get a chance to take a hot bath and read a magazine!

 

[seetheworld]

I think you should try to have him nap in the stroller. We've been taking our twins to WDW since they were 7 months old and we always made sure to bring a comfortable stroller from home, pacifiers, favorite stuffed animal, blankets, etc. Make sure the seats recline and there is a canopy to block out the sunlight.

Especially over Easter break, you don't want to be taking a bus back and forth (or rental car, whatever you are doing) to your resort several times each day. Just my opinion from past experiences with children of that age. When/if he falls asleep in the stroller, be sure to take an opportunity to have a nice sit-down meal. The restaurants were very good about letting us take our stroller with sleeping babies right to our table.

I agree. If you were going at a slower time of the year, you could go back to your room. Easter week might be really difficult for getting in and out of the parks and back to your room, etc. It would be way too time consuming. Also, he might be extra tired from all of the Disney excitement and fall right asleep as you are pushing him in his stroller through the parks.

 

[gonemousin']

When we took my DD at 18 months, she would pass out in the stroller every day at 10am and 3pm...like clock work (this was NOT her normal nap schedule). She'd sleep about 1-1.5 hours. When we took her at aged 26 months and then again at 34 months, she did better sleeping in the hotel (would not fall asleep in the stroller). As a point of reference, she was NEVER the type to fall asleep in her stroller or car seat (even as a newborn), but she had no problem at WDW when she was 18 months.

 

[macmahony]

we never have gone back to the room, to us it eats way too much time. Even when we stayed at the beach club, or the poly we stayed in the parks. We have three girls, there is no way they would ever all lay down at one time in a room, we would get frustratred, they would get frustrated. They fall in the parks when they fall. It works very well for us, my kids have NEVER ever fallen asleep in a stoller, except at disney. We usually get to the parks later too, (11 ish) only because my girls will sleep until ten, and we will stay until it closes, we have done the partys (halloween and chirstmas), and we stayed until the close for all of them. I have some amazing pictures of my oldest, alone on main street after a christmas party, eating ice cream, it was at least one in the morning. For some reason, being off schedule at disney does not bother them on vacation, so much going on I guess, I mean we have had a melt down or two, but then we go find a quiet spot, go to the baby care center, or eat. Usually it is that my kids are hungry, and that seems to bother them more than lack of sleep while we are at disney.
Usually at home they are in bed by seven, and up around 7ish. Only the baby naps now, but they are on a tight schedule, but for some reason at disney, they go with the flow.
If you think your little one will crash when tired, then I would not bother going back, for us, that is such a hassle!

 

[mericletwins]

My DS 18 months doesnt nap well when we travel. All the tour books say go back for the nap. We are staying at POFQ over Easter. Is it worth it to trek it back or should we try to let him sleep in the stroller. He hasnt had an opportunity to nap in it for awhile so I'm unsure how he'll do.

My kids wouldn't nap in the stroller so we went back to the room. Over Easter it will be REALLY crowded in the afternoon. I would go back to the room/resort/pool/playground to get some down time from the crowds and go back after dinner.

 

[jenseib]

We are going next week with DD2. At first I thought about taking her for a nap. But now that we are closer to the time, and I know how she is, I know it won't work. She most likely won't stroller nap either, but perhaps if we ride the monorail once a day that might lull her into dreamland.
She never sleeps in a room with others, and sometimes at nap time right now it takes hours in a room by herself till she will fall asleep. No way will she do it if we are in there. I am hoping that at night she will fall asleep OK. Hopefully by then she will be just too tired from the long day and zonk out in the bed. She doesn't sleep in a crib either, anymore, so most likely one of us will sleep with her at the hotel. But we'll see how it goes.
If we need a break, we will leave the park. But I figure why bother, if she won't sleep anyways. It's a waste of time for us then.

 

[mexican-mouseketeers]

The first time we took our dd, she was 18 months, and dumb me would take her to the hotel room at her regular nap time (dh had a convention from work so I was alone with dd during the day). Well, it took her a couple of hours to fall asleep, so then I would spend 5 hrs in the room during the middle of the day.

Going back to the room definetly did not work for us.

The last times (3rd and 4th birthdays) she fell asleep in her stroller at around 2 pm, so we would ride the monorail or browse the stores then. I just made sure to have a light blanket to cover her from the sun and from the cold in the stores.

In your case I would try to skip the room the first day and see how that works.

 

[hogue123]

Our kids have always napped in their stroller. We have never gone back to the room to nap or take a break. The kids don't seem to mind sleeping in the stroller. If they are tired enough they will sleep anywhere.

 

[mmiller711]

With my DDs and now grandchildren we let them nap in the stroller. I tried going back to the room once. DD fell asleep on the ride back and was wide awake by the time we got to the room. I would go with whatever works for your child. Let them decide.

 

[monorailsilver]

I take mine back to the room. To me it isn't much of a problem getting back there.

My kids have quiet time after all that stimulation.

I get to swim or take a nap & dh usually takes a nap with the kids.

I do laundry & dh & I usually shower since we go in the summer & we want out of our yicky clothes that we had on all am.

And we bathe the kids.

It has taken one of our kids about an hour to unwind but it is so worth it since they stay up until 10 or there abouts because we are in the park until closing. And then we come back to the room & we all pass out for the night.

If it was me, I'd go back. If you think your ds will nap in the stroller then let him for the first day & see how it goes. If he doesn't nap will he be extra crabby in the evening & then be a crabby boy for the entire trip(believe me, I have one crabby girl when she is tired & one not so crabby boy & a cute little un crabby baby girl)?

 

[Princess Roo]

So hard to say! I would suggest *trying* a stroller nap the first day. Don't plan anything important for that evening...if he doesn't take a good nap and you need to end your day early to make up for it, you can and will know to go back to the room the next day. If he does sleep well in the stroller, then you have the extra time at the parks!
FWIW, we tried, but DS didn't sleep more than 20 mins in his stroller so we just did the pool around 6PM that night to tire him out physically and then put him down earlier than normal for his bedtime. Then we switched back to room naps the next day. It stinks, because it does take 3-4 hours out of the day, but it makes him much happier, which is what the vacation is really about! (I don't regret giving stroller naps a try, though!)

 

[ppan77]

Thanks yall! I am going to give the stroller naps a try and see how it goes from there!

 

[jessica52877]

We don't go back to the room either. If we put him in the car he is out in literally seconds. We don't do the bus but I think it would be alot of unwanted traveling. On days when we are not doing a park if we try and have him take a nap he is usually so wound up in the hotel room that it takes forever if he falls asleep at all. DS sleeps great in the stroller, some days he'll make it to 4 but then it out. Usually he falls asleep at every meal. We would go in, eat and he would be finished and ask to lay down, if able to then I would bring in the stroller (it is small) and he would go right to sleep. If not then I would just hold him and finish up. He would then sleep for quite a while.

 

[pl'smama]

I agree with trying the stroller first and go from there. We brought our stroller for our DD and she was three at the time. We also stayed at POFQ, which you will absolutely love!!! We were just there this past December. The ride to and from the parks is not bad at all, but if your child falls asleep in the stroller, on the way back to the resort etc.., you will have a difficult time. If you have gear to carry, like a back pack, plus the stroller and child it is quite cumbersum on the bus and you have to fold up the stoller on the bus. You can not carry it on with the child sleeping in it.

I agree with those who posted about their children's schedules kind of changing a bit during their trip. Our DD slept later and we stayed later at the parks and she usually had an afternoon nap or even in the early evening. For the most part it worked well.

We found it a waste of time to return to the resort for a break and then head out again. With small kids it can turn into a problem if they have to be constantly on the go.

I would suggest, if you have the time, that you plan a day where you stay at resort. If you do it the middle to end of your trip you can relax a bit, enjoy the pool and the resorts all have stuff going on during the day for the kids. At POFQ our DD participated in the Junior Chef at lunch time one day and she loved it!! They just decorated a big cookie, but they got to dress up and received special treats to keep. It is a perfect for an 18 month old to do!!

Have a wonderful time and enjoy POFQ. It is a terrific resort.!!

Suz

 

[my3princes]

My plan on our first trip was to head back to the hotel in the early afternoon for the kids to nap. Apparently the kids didn't know the plan as they fell asleep in their stroller by mid to late morning and again later in the afternoon. We found that heading back to the hotel was more stimulating than just letting them stroller nap. The pont is that you probably won't know what will work for your kids until you are actually there.

 

[annie1995]

We are gonna try and have Daniel nap in his stroller when we go. I am not too sure how it will work, but we'll see!