Naps?

[lnhoog]

I keep reading posts about taking kids back to the hotel part of the day when at the parks to rest/nap.

I think this sounds like a good idea, but how do you get your kids to nap in a hotel room on vacation? My kids are 2 and 3. The 3 yr old doesn't take naps unless riding in a moving car. My 2 yr old will take naps, but it's only with a crying spell before she falls asleep.

Any tips on getting them to take a nap at the hotel?

 

[LKS]

My kids were always pretty good nappers and they were so exhausted at WDW that they fell asleep easily. We did lie down with them, which helped a lot (and invariably we fell asleep too - an added bonus.)

 

[soccerchick]

Good question-- I'd love to hear others' answers to this one. We stayed in a standard room and Dd is just too distracted to fall asleep if others are in the room! Luckily for us she is a good stroller sleeper.

 

[themeparkcomando]

My kids have always been terrible nappers (dd 5 ds 9), so we just go back, have a snack, lay down and take our shoes off for awhile (turn on some cartoons). Some people suggest swimming, but that just wears my kids out more. Sometimes they do fall asleep just because they are still and cool. It makes all the difference in the world!!

 

[AZKathy]

Even just resting in a bed is good if that is all you could convince them to do. Just tell them they have to rest if they want to go out and see Mickey again and ride fun rides later, have them lay down on the bed and you read them some stories. I bet they will nod off with being exausted from being in the parks.

I have also layed down with my kiddos on the bed and taken a nap with them. My kids seemed to be more comfortable with the strange environment for napping if I was right there laying down with them. Heck, the nap did a world of good for tired ole Mom, too!!!!!

 

[Barb D]

We've never really done the nap thing. We go in the off season, so park hours are shorter. I can't see taking the time to go all the way back to the room, rest, and go all the way back to the park. We find quiet spots in the parks for little ones to get some rest time. Big ones just push on through.

Some suggestions:

The Liberty Belle paddle wheeler at MK
Hall of Presidents

American Adventure at EPCOT

 

[juliesue]

My vote is to ALWAYS take naps! I find that DH and I need it as much or more than the kids. LOL Everyone is much happier and more relaxed. Much fewer tantrums by the kids or the DH.

My kids have always been rotten nappers but we still have no trouble getting them to rest (they're 8 and 5 now). It's a lot of excitement and activity (even for seasoned day-care kids). We usually go in the spring or summer so it's hot and when we get back in the air conditioning - it's no trouble getting them to sleep.

I also agree with letting them lay on the bed and watch TV. Usually as soon as they are still for more than 5 minutes, they fall asleep.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

My DS was past the nap stage on our first trip but I have seen a lot of parents using the monorail as a nap time alternative. They just get on, try to find a quite car and ride around and around. The monorail is not too crowded during the middle of the day and it is cool and comfortable and quicker that taking a bus back to your resort if you are father away. Just an idea to try.


jordan's mom

 

[Cameo]

We just returned this week. My 4-y-o DD is past napping at home, but it was essential at WDW. One day we let her get by without her nap and by 7:30 she was horrible. She was so tired out from our running around (and she rode in the stroller), and the hot weather that she did nap most days after a few minutes of messing around. Laying down with them helped too. My DS is 2 and usually naps pretty well. Maybe you should just plan on a 2-3 hours for nap time, to include the time it takes to coax them to sleep. Some days it helped if one parent left the room too. That made for less excitement. It's also some nice alone time for that parent.

 

[MaggieMouse]

When my son was younger, I would just lay down with him and usually fell asleep too. My daughter (21 months) is a little more resistant but she eventually falls asleep. Naps are a must for us. Mommy needs them as much as the kids.

 

[Talky_Tina]

We have found naps/rest essential. Mind you, no one ever really fell
asleep, but there is nothing quite like taking off your shoes in an air
conditioned hotel room and just vegging out. No one has ever complained
about the pit stop in the room. You will be surprised how rejuvinated you
and the kids feel afterwards. We would usually then venture out to a different park after
the rest. It's worth it!

 

[carone0318]

We plan to roll with the punches. My ds will be 16 months when we go and he takes a wonderful nap everyday (usually about 3-3.5 hrs) my dd is 5.5 yrs old and doesn't nap. If ds falls asleep in the stroller we will just go on our merry way; otherwise, we will go back to the room and let him nap and dd can go to the pool with either dh or myself or she can back to the park and do some rides that she wants to. I don't have too many expectations and what ever happens happens, we'll work with it. Good luck!

 

[melk]

Another vote here for laying down with them, that always worked for us. Also, we have found it easier to stay at a place with a separate bedroom (we like the cabins at FW). Then when the kids are in for a nap, we're not restricted. We have found that the kids are so tired that they pretty much fall into bed without a fight.

 

[chancellor]

If you have a car, our DS fell asleep on the car ride back to the hotel every afternoon. We just carried him into the room (ground floor!) and let him nap (actually, we fell asleep too ). There is so much sensory stimulation and moving around at Disney, that young kids are so worn out after a few hours that napping is no problem.

 

[crisi]

Our first day we tried going back to the Wilderness Lodge for our nap, and our kids fell asleep the moment they were on the boat back. They then slept for the ten minutes it took to get back, and by the time they got back to the hotel, they didn't want to sleep again! The jumped on the beds, they ran around the hotel, they - in short - made it impossible to get back to the parks that afternoon.

The second day we got on the bus, the kids fell asleep on the bus, and we rode around in a circle for a little more than an hour - not the best nap they've ever taken, but better than ten minutes on the boat. We slept on buses (and once on the train in the MK) for the rest of the trip - never did the monorail thing - we were never headed that direction for naps.

My kids have never been good nappers (although they apparently nap well at daycare, they never have for me). And they've never transistioned well if you carry them to bed. I can't even tranisition them easily at 10:00 at night from the car after a full day at grandmas. Everyone's kids are different, and while many people discover their kids are so tired that they fall right asleep if you lie down with them - that experience is far from universal.

 

[dcedwards]

Our son might be the exception, but he would nap in the stroller. We always take our own stroller and started taking him at about 13 months. We would simply lay the stroller seat down and he would lay right down and zonk out. He was familiar with it and comfortable. So, we would find a cool restaurant and have an uneventful lunch. This has worked every trip (4 of them) and he will be 4 this month. We can also pick him up and put him in bed, the car, or wherever and he seldom wakes up. We are just very fortunate. Often, he would fall asleep on the bus ride home, we would put him in the stroller and then move him to the bed. But, this I can say, it was always more pleasant when he napped. Made all of our lives much happier. So, I recommend that you at least try to get a nap in...somewhere...we have seen many parents struggling with this in the parks at night.

 

[lnhoog]

We just got back from WDW!

Our kids did take naps and it was worth it to go back to the WL for a rest.

The heat (90 degrees and up) really wore everyone out, so between 1 and 2, we would head back to the room. It was just what we needed! We got cooled off, our 2 yr old took a much needed nap, and our 3 yr old would rest while watching cartoons.

Those "breaks" come highly recommended especially with the heat! Everyone was in a much better mood after the rest.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

lnhoog,
I hope you had a great trip!

dcedwards,
My older daughter is the same way as your son. We have been to WDW twice with her, at 13 months and at 18 months. She would nap in the stroller every day, sometimes a few naps a day. Hopefully she (at age 3) and her little sister (who will be 10 months) will be able to nap on our next trip in the double stroller.

 

[candyht]

I find it better to let my kids nap in the stroller. When we went to Disney in October we bought our Graco double side-by-side stroller. This worked really well at Epcot, when I wanted to browse the stores at World Showcase. DH would just sit a bench & watch the kids while I shopped. DH isn't too crazy about shopping. When we went to MK for EE on our first day, we left the park at 1pm, so our kids could take a nap in the hotel room back at the YC. It didn't work out. They fell asleep on the bus ride - which was about 15 minutes. When we got back to the room, they weren't sleepy anymore.

 

[Fargoman2]

This is without question the best piece of advice I received prior to our
first Disney trip. Even if you can't get them to sleep, the break from the
brutal sun is imperative--both for the kids and you!

You will feel so much better if you at least take a rest together or
at worst return to the hotel to enjoy some AC.

Good luck!