Napping?

[aebeauregard]

Bringing our almost 2yr old for the first time this Sept. Wondering how most parents handle napping when at Disney. We are planning a MK day, a day off at the resort, then another MK/Epcot touring day. We aren't going to be here very long. We are staying at FW cabins. Wondering if I should plan to go back to the hotel for a nap or just attempt to skip the nap those two busy days and let her fall asleep in her stroller if it happens or try to find a place around the park that is a little more nap friendly. I hate to waste time on transportation but I also don't want crazy meltdowns around 5pm.

 

[lisamc2]

My daughter is really good at sleeping in the stroller. I brought a little blanket for her to snuggle with. I would just find a quiet, cooler spot and sit there for an hour and a half or however long she would sleep. My DH and I would usually child swap rides during this time.

 

[Nornster]

I saw your other post about staying at the cabins. When we were there when my daughter was two, we would leave MK in the afternoon as it got busy, and she would usually fall asleep in the stroller on the way down to the boat dock, or on the boat itself. Then we'd take the golf cart back to the cabins - she didn't usually fall back asleep, but a little down time in a dark, quiet cabin was perfect for resting up for a return trip to MK in the early evening. Really, it's one of the best advantages to staying at the Fort.

 

[buzznina]

We originally tried going back to the room for naps, even paid big $$ to stay on the monorail to make it easier. After a few days of failed/frustrating attempts, we just let her fall asleep in the stroller and have not taken an afternoon break since

 

[aebeauregard]

Thanks everyone. Any suggestions on good stroller nap locations around MK if we go that route? We haven't had her even try a stroller nap since she was about 6 months old, but I think that eventually when she gets tired enough she'll drift off a bit.

 

[BeHappyNeverSad]

My daughter is an early bird so we always did rope drop and kept going until lunchtime. After lunch we put her in the stroller and walked around and she would be asleep within 5-10 minutes. Then we wandered through shops, took breaks in the shade, took pics, etc until she woke up and was ready to go again. If we would've tried to go back to the resort she probably would've fallen asleep before we got there.

I would recommend a stroller that reclines well. I think that helped our daughter because she could lay far back in there.

 

[monorailsilver]

We always go back, even when I was a kid/teen we went back to the room for a break. Back then I'd swim but now I need a nap as does my husband. We are rope droppers and pick the park that has early entry. We go in the summer and like to get out of the heat to relax and nap and shower and put on clean clothes.

We just make sure we leave the park early enough before the nap time kicks in. So basically we leave at about 12-1 depending on what park we are in.

 

[annadreamsofdisneyworld]

We let our daughter fall asleep in the stroller. I didn't want to miss valuable park time for napping. The first day she had trouble falling asleep and napped at a much later time, but it was fine. The next 2 days she fell asleep in her stroller at her regular nap time. My husband and I would use the time to relax/ride solo or eat a peaceful QS lunch.

 

[mm1971]

Thanks everyone. Any suggestions on good stroller nap locations around MK if we go that route? We haven't had her even try a stroller nap since she was about 6 months old, but I think that eventually when she gets tired enough she'll drift off a bit.

Tom Sawyer Island. You can grab a snack and some water. Head over to the island and there is a place with rocking chairs/deck that is covered. You can relax and enjoy the hustle and bustle, watch the ferry go by and enjoy the calm while being part of the parks. We usually spend an hour or so there to rest up when in MK, but when the kids were little it was a great way to let them sleep and re-energize while we got to just relax and talk without the craziness of crowds and running from ride to ride.

 

[happymommy]

My kids always napped in the stroller. We never attempted to go back with the intention of having them nap in the room - it would have been a failure!

Definitely bring along a very comfortable stroller that reclines and has a canopy.

 

[brockash]

Bringing our almost 2yr old for the first time this Sept. Wondering how most parents handle napping when at Disney. We are planning a MK day, a day off at the resort, then another MK/Epcot touring day. We aren't going to be here very long. We are staying at FW cabins. Wondering if I should plan to go back to the hotel for a nap or just attempt to skip the nap those two busy days and let her fall asleep in her stroller if it happens or try to find a place around the park that is a little more nap friendly. I hate to waste time on transportation but I also don't want crazy meltdowns around 5pm.

When we first started going with little ones, we had planned on going back to the resort every day for naps, but stopped that after the second day. It just wasn't worth it and really turned into a good amount of work. Having to walk out of the park, unload the stroller, fold it up, get on the bus and then off, open the stroller, walk to our room etc. to try to make the kids nap and then have to wake everyone up to just do the whole thing again on the reverse trip was a lot. We decided going back to the resort didn't work for us and ever since, we now just let the kids nap in the stroller whenever they fall asleep. We'll use that time to let older kids ride bigger rides, rest ourselves, get a snack etc. It works much better for us.

 

[aebeauregard]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll go in planning to just have her nap in the parks in the stroller. We are only going to be there a few days so I really don't want to waste a few hours a day with extra transportation.

 

[Goldilocks07]

My daughter is really good at sleeping in the stroller. I brought a little blanket for her to snuggle with. I would just find a quiet, cooler spot and sit there for an hour and a half or however long she would sleep. My DH and I would usually child swap rides during this time.

THIS.

I always brought one or 2 lovees or a plush from her crib/bed- and would lay the back of the stroller flat (we have the city-mini, and the back lays flat). Sometimes I would just recline it partly, and that was enough to get her drowsy.
I would also try and walk through areas without a lot of stimulation (sounds contradictory at Disney World, right?)- but it really wasn't hard finding paths without rides and loud noises.

 

[kboo]

I'd say it depends on your kid. Our older daughter never napped in the carrier or stroller. so we had to go back to the hotel. Our younger one, now almost 6 months, napped easily in the carrier or stroller. Unfortunately i don't think there's any magic to making it happen; our older daughter just isn't a stroller napper and our younger one can sleep virtually anywhere.

 

[swthrtpallanes]

We always take breaks. Not only for the kids but also the adults. I have an 8, 4 and 9 month old. Most of the time they fall asleep on the way to the hotel on the bus ride and end up awake at the hotel but that little wink helps. Plus me and DH like to rest (or we get cranky ). If you and your family will be fine going all day, and your infant can sleep in the stroller, I don't recommend leaving. Maybe take this time to look around shops or enjoy a snack in a shady place.

 

[isabellea]

I chose other because it's a mix for us. At two my kids were napping in their strollers. I would bring a mesh that protects agains the sun so it was darker. Last summer my youngest turned 3 at WDW and she refused to nap in her stroller. She was too busy looking everywhere. At MK and AK she skipped her nap BUT I left the park at 5pm for dinner and to go back to our resort for an early bedtime (at MK DH stayed with my oldest who had a blast). On days we are at EPCOT and DHS we go back to the resort for her to nap (the oldest might come back for a pool break or stay with one of us). We also try to plan resort days for long naps on those days (usually the whole family naps).

 

[Ladcassidy]

Our family hits the parks early every morning, whether for a pre-park opening breakfast or rope drop. By mid-afternoon, we are ready to return to our resort for a swim, a nap or quiet time in the room, and an afternoon cocktail for Mom and Dad. Then we head out to dinner or another park for the evening. DD is 8 now, but we've had this routine since she was little.

 

[abinormal]

My kids are early risers, so we would get to the parks at opening, my son would fall asleep in the stroller at some point, and my daughter was long done with naps at age 5. We'd stay in the park until dinner time and then head back. We'd eat and they'd go to bed at the normal time. Worked well for us.