Need help getting toddler to sleep in a hotel room..

[wcduke]

Hi. Our family of four (me, dw29, ds9 and dd20months) just returned from a long weekend trip to Massachusetts. We had a wonderful time, but needless to say, the overnights were quite trying. Our DD of 20 months would NOT stop crying when it came to being put to bed (a pack n play in the hotel room). She whaled VERY loudly to the point where I had to take her out for a drive in the car 3 times each night (and I was exhausted the day after! ) just to get her to fall asleep in a "familiar" spot (her car seat). This car ride would put her to sleep, so I would bring her back into the room and lay her down (sometimes in her crib, sometimes in bed with her mommy), but after about 2-3 hours, she would wake up and just scream and cry all over again. She sleeps pefectly fine through the night at home, and she wasn't ill, so we think that she just does not like to sleep in unfamilar places, like a hotel room. Or maybe she just doesn't like to sleep in a pack n play.

So fast forward to our upcoming August WDW trip. We are staying in All-Star Movies and will have NO car. Do any of you parents with toddlers have any tips, ideas or suggestions on how to get our little one to sleep each night in a strange hotel room? Have your kids had this issue? We won't have a car to "comfort" her, so we are looking for an alternate idea, should the need arise. We don't want her screaming to keep the entire resort awake!

Anyone have any tricks?? We sure would appreciate them.
Thanks!

 

[lovesmurfs]

When my kids were toddlers, I hated having them sleep in a hotel room ... they would never settle -- and loved to play with the stinkin' phone -- and seemed that the later it was, the louder they were..... Anybody who's had to "shush" a kid in a hotel room knows!

I, too, could never get them to sleep in a hotel room -- maybe there's bad karma in the hotel cribs. What I did do for mine was make a pallette on the floor between the 2 double beds, which worked okay.

Sorry I couldn't help much. Best wishes.

 

[hollyb]

On vacation really just go with the flow. If she wants to sleep with you let her. No since in freaking her out by a strange bed. How about bringing her stroller and walk around the hotel grounds?

Try to keep her on a semi normal routine, an over tired child is the worst. Does she have a favorite blanket or stuffed animal. How about a favorite bath toy? Anything to make her happy.

Good luck

 

[jcsbama]

For our trip this past April, we just let DD (who turned 2 on the trip) sleep in the bed with us. This is not the norm for us. But DD hasn't slept in a pak-n-play since she was about 18 months. There was no way we were even going to attempt it; that was a battle we opted to avoid. The key to her falling asleep was that everyone had to be in bed. No lights or tv on until she was asleep. Which did not take long after a day in the parks. We had no problems with her sleeping in her bed after we returned home.

You could take a Ready Bed (type of air mattress) with you. I think it would fold up nicely in the suitcase. Start having your dd sleep on it a couple times a week so she gets used to it.

If she has a stuffed animal, special blanket or anything else she sleeps with, don't forget to pack it.

 

[bartleby1]

Pack n Plays and cribs in hotels never worked for us. Toddlers like things that are familiar and even if they initially fall asleep, think about how scary it must be for them when they stir in the middle of the night (like everyone does) and they open their eyes and don't know where they are. I know that it has happened to me when I'm on vacation. It is easy to get disoriented when you are in unfamiliar surroundings.

Our solution is letting the kids sleep with us. I sleep with my 6 and 1 yr olds and DH sleeps with our 4 yr old (who kicks like crazy!). We NEVER do this at home, so the kids think it is really neat and they sleep better. Of course, I don't sleep as good, but I'd rather the kids get a good night sleep.

Good luck! Oh, and don't forget to bring their favorite blankets, stuffed animals, pillows, or whatever they need to sleep with! My kids all go to sleep listening to the "baby go to sleep" cd so we always bring a cd player with their favorite cd. I've been playing the cd every night since they were infants and they are conditioned to fall asleep when they hear it, lol!

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

We bring everything from the crib, the bottom sheet, the blanket, and his stuffed animal and use it at the hotel.

We had the full size cribs in May, and basically, just rolled them against the bed, so if the kids woke up, they were looking right at us. we also put them in bed the same way we do at home ( we have a whole drawn out routine LOL).

Also, our doors at home have space under them, and I work at home at night, my older kids stay up later than the babies, and my husband also works nights and gets ready for work after they go to bed. So there is noise in our house at night....we also live on a farm and the cows moo all night in the barn, which is about 20 feet from the back of the house. The doors in our villa would make the room silent when we closed them, so we just turned the TV on low and closed the one door on the armoire to block the light from it.

They were out like a light every night.

 

[princessjv]

first of all, practice sleeping in a pack n play at home (even just for a few naps).

Bring with you a dark shower curtain and a few 3M hanging clips with the pull release tabs to stick to the walls. With the clips and the curtain make a 'small' room in one of the corners of the hotel room. Keep it open when not dd is not sleeping and closed when sleeping.

Also bring a some music along to act as white noise/or a white noise machine and place it near or under the pack n play(we brought an IPOD and speakers and played disney lullabyes non stop through the night).

We also kept the TV on softly (on the whats going on tommorow station) and air conditioning.

It may also help if one parent puts dd to sleep while the other one goes for a late swim or ice cream with your older one.

lastly, make sure to bring familar blankets/teddies.

Good luck!

 

[slbeaute]

Not much help, but we just let DD 3 just sleep with us on vacation. If it's a king bed, all three of us can fit. If not, I sleep with DD and DH sleeps in the other. I know a lot of people think it's "giving in", but when I'm on vacation, this is just the last thing I want to deal with! We were so tired at WDW that we all just fell asleep and stayed that way all night. Now, the transition back to her normal bed when we got home was not entirely pleasant, but I'd rather do that at home than a hotel room.

 

[lovesdumbo]

What kind of things did you do in Massachusetts? I think you may have better luck at WDW. The only trip I had trouble with my youngest was when she was 11 months and not yet walking. She slept in the stroller and just didn't get enough "floor" time to be tired out at night. I had rented a full size crib but she slept for all about 2 hours in that all week. When she was 21 months I rented a toddler bed for her older sister (who LOVED that) and she slept with me and did fine. At 33 months I brought (actually shipped it UPS to the resort and the resort UPS it back home to me) a ready bed for her sister (loved that too) and again she slept with me and again did fine. On our next trip she'll be over 3 and so now we need 2 rooms so she'll again share a bed with me and her sister will have her own bed. I really think she'll be more tired out at Disney and you'll have better night.

How about a portable DVD player? Too bad they no longer have the bed time stories-those were great.

Good luck!

 

[Lizzy2]

My guess is you will probably have to walk a fine line on the being tired issue because its true that if they are too tired they will have just as much trouble but do let her be as active as you can during your day and not just stay in the stroller the whole time. We had this same issue when our dd was just a little older but by the third night she had settled in. We did let her just sleep with us until she was good and asleep and then put her in the portable. Do bring all of her stuff from home and keep the eating and napping and before bedtime routine as much the same as you can. You may also be suprised by how much a few months time can mean for a toddler. By Aug. she may be much improved. Good luck!!!

 

[jessica52877]

I take our own sheet. It was only a sheet my son ever saw on vacation but I assume it smelled like our other laundry. I also would take a blanket, stuffed animal or other type toy for the crib so he had something familiar. Honestly, usually I would give him a couple of toys and he would just play until he got tired, most nights it was WAY past his bedtime although I would start out around his bedtime of 8, if we were in the room. I also put it so he couldn't see the tv or otherwise he would sit and stare at it no matter what was on instead of going to bed. Best of luck! I am sure a late night stroll would put her to sleep if in a bind! (Hopefully you are taking a stroller!) And she'll probably be exhausted!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I would just ask for bedrails and let her sleep in the bed. I can't blame her for not wanting to sleep in a pack and play. They are so uncomfortable. She'll probably be so tired from the parks and heat that she'll pass out.

 

[las3888]

We have had problems with DS sleeping in pack and plays at Disney since 8 months. We requested a full sized crib and were very lucky to receive one at BCV and BWV. If they are not available, they can be rented (abbf.com). We bring sheets from home, but that usually doesn't matter. He wants his blankie and "Winnie". We have had a few very rough nights w/out full sized crib and once we got one, it was sheer bliss. We also received a smaller crib once. The size didn't seem to bother him, but the mattress was wafer thin. Sometimes they can deliver extra mattresses to help plump them up.

Good luck! I envy those who have DC who can sleep anywhere at just about anytime!

 

[michvin]

Take the kids to the pool before bed, bathe them and they should conk out for you. We have three kids under 7 and travel in hotels several times a year and they all were pretty used to the pack n play. Now that the youngest, 2 1/2, sleeps in a bed, we kind of have to get her really tired, bathed, and she will snuggle up to me or her "big brother' and fall asleep. On vacation, they are usually up past their bedtime too, which makes them falling asleep a bit easier. the key is really tol wear their little buts out , the bath, maybe a story, and bed. Good luck!

 

[alloyd1170]

At WDW you probably wont have any trouble getting the kids to sleep as they should be wiped out. My kids are used to traveling and being in strange places. However, sometimes they cry. I will take them in my bed until they are in a deep sleep. Then I carefully transfer them back to their bed. If they wake during the night, sometimes its because theyre are cold and covering them up helps. I bring along their blankie and a favorite stuffed animal. Ive found also that music playing helps too (I leave music on all night at home to drown out the barking dogs next door). A nightlight may eliminate the scary dark. My daughter will not go to sleep unless the room is dark so no tv. As a last resort, Ive found that Tylenol helps (Benedryl will really knock them out).

alison

 

[Mr._The_King]

http://www.nightynightvideo.com/

I used this with my horrible sleepers. Play it at night until you leave. Then play it at Dis and it might help. It is really wonderful music. I got the DVD and would bring by mobile DVD player and set it up in the room. Good Luck