Preschooler - Napping at Disney???

[UsNew2Disney2008]

Our first trip to Disney is coming up next month. I'm trying to do some planning and could use your help, as I have never been to Disney.

Background:
DS will be turning 4. He hasn't daily napped since at least 2 (and spotty then). He gets up at 6 am, put to bed at 8 pm. Sometimes he goes right to sleep, sometimes it is 10 pm before he nods off, but most commonly 9. On some occasions I have held something over his head and got him to nap. I could do this here I'm sure. Nap would be no longer than 1 hour. He has NEVER been a kid to sleep in a stroller and I seriously doubt he would do that at Disney.

Our Stay:
Arriving in April.
We get in at noon on Sat. Planning on going to the park that day.
Making opening of parks next two days and staying as we need to
Leaving on 4th day around 2, with breakfast at CM.
Staying at ASmo, using the bus.

Experienced parents: should I plan on trying to catch the bus back, nap and return in the evening? Should I plan to go early and stay and then call it a early night? What works?

This trip is all about some "us" time and doing fun things for him. I'm not too worried about squeezing in adult things. Just time with my boy. I really want this to be fun for him, and to do all I can to keep the waterworks away.

Help????

 

[Sheaboys]

I have been with kids at all different ages.
In 2005, ds#3 was 3. He was not a napper either. I rented a double stroller, only because it was easier. WE did parks in the moring, after lunch went to the room, changed and dh would swim for a bit with the boys (7, 5 and 3). Then we would change and go to another park for dinner. Back at the room about 9-10 every night. They would sleep until about 7 every morning.

The only tears we had was when getting back to the hotel at night, and he did not want to walk, he wanted to be carried from the bus to the room. Other than that, he was just fine.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

We have been taking our kids to Disney since they were 15 months old. We still (DD is 6 now) go back to the room after lunch. Funny enough, the "nap time" we build into our daily schedule is rarely used for naps, but it is PRICELESS nonetheless! DS is on the stubborn side, and once he bypassed infanthood he wouldn't nap when we wanted him to. So we ended up just hanging out at our room, having a mid-day swim, etc. It was nice to have time away from the park where we could relax more with them, not be so on top of them. We have always found this makes all of us more relaxed when we return to the parks and we enjoy everything much more!

 

[Rylee]

Our first trip to Disney is coming up next month. I'm trying to do some planning and could use your help, as I have never been to Disney.

Background:
DS will be turning 4. He hasn't daily napped since at least 2 (and spotty then). He gets up at 6 am, put to bed at 8 pm. Sometimes he goes right to sleep, sometimes it is 10 pm before he nods off, but most commonly 9. On some occasions I have held something over his head and got him to nap. I could do this here I'm sure. Nap would be no longer than 1 hour. He has NEVER been a kid to sleep in a stroller and I seriously doubt he would do that at Disney.

Our Stay:
Arriving in April.
We get in at noon on Sat. Planning on going to the park that day.
Making opening of parks next two days and staying as we need to
Leaving on 4th day around 2, with breakfast at CM.
Staying at ASmo, using the bus.

Experienced parents: should I plan on trying to catch the bus back, nap and return in the evening? Should I plan to go early and stay and then call it a early night? What works?

This trip is all about some "us" time and doing fun things for him. I'm not too worried about squeezing in adult things. Just time with my boy. I really want this to be fun for him, and to do all I can to keep the waterworks away.

Help????

Since all children are different, it's hard to say, but if he doesn't normally nap, he may not need one.

I would try to get to the parks early, since he's awake anyway, (also, it is less crowded and you'll be able to see and do more) and just follow his lead... if he seems over-tired, or over-whelmed, consider returning to the resort for a break/nap/swim. You may find he will nap in the stroller, my children do... we hit our "must-see-and-do" list, first thing in the morning and in the afternoon we slow down the pace and just absorb the magic. With their bellies full, and by viewing attractions that are less interesting to young children, my tired children start to get a little bored and drift off. Another idea is to take-in the shows in the afternoons... Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, etc, no rides, and he may drift off in your arms... not a long nap, but enough to refresh and keep going.

We have tried returning to the resort for naps and a few times the kids have fallen asleep, but usually it ends up with my husband napping and the kids and I at the pool.

*Are you using Magic Express? If so, your breakfast at CM needs to be quite early as ME can be scheduled to pick-up as much as 3 hours ahead of flight time.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I would agree with previous posters who mention that even if your child doesn't actually "nap"...i would really suggest taking an afternoon break for swimming, relaxing in hotel, etc. Disney is a LOT of walking and is sensory overload for kids (okay...for the adults too!) YOU will need the break by midafternoon.

I'm glad you are being realistic about what you will accomplish. It will probably be very busy in April due to school vacations so if your child is an early riser...go to the parks early. If you want to see some fireworks, you'll definately want to take a break and go back to the parks either for dinner or after dinner.

Also want to second with what previous poster suggested and make a further suggestion. If your flight home is at 2pm- ME will be picking you up at 11am. This is going to be cutting it really close for you to pack up, check out, have your luggage stored, get from ASM to MK by bus, monorail to CR, eat, monorail back to MK, bus to ASM, pick up your stored luggage, and be ready to go by 11am. if you can switch your ADRs, I would suggest any day but your last day for a TS breakfast. We never make ADRs our last day just for this reason. We like to take our time packing up and checking out in the morning.

 

[Wendybird55]

I think you're on the rigth track when you say it's an "us" vacation and you are gearing your activites towards your son. That's what I plan to do when I take my son (who will be almost 2) for the first time this September.

Every child is different and you really won't know what works best for your son until you get there. He may be too excited to sleep - or all the activity may tire him out and he'll nap on his own. You might find after the first day he'll sleep a bit later in the morning. You'll be smart in going with the flow.

Your son will need some down time during the day as Disney can be overwhelming. But depending on your son that down time could be time at the pool, a rest in the hotel watching the Disney channel, a nap or a nice TS lunch where everyone just sits and relaxes.

I have no idea how my son will react to Disney and that's part of the excitment of going. I plan to bring his stroller from home for comfort. I will also bring his favorite snacks and will try to keep his meal schedule as it is at home. The rest is up to him. If he's tired, I'll let him nap. If something scares him, I'm not going to force him to do it. If he likes a particular ride I will ride it more than once.
If I see he's getting burned out, but fighting it, I will take him back to the hotel to unwind and rest.

This trip is for him. DH and I were to Disney when I was pregnant with him plus I've been there 20 times. As you said, we're more than happy to forgo the adult things to enjoy time as a family with our son.

I think you have the right attitude which is more than half the battle - I'm sure you all will have a great time.

 

[UsNew2Disney2008]

If your flight home is at 2pm- ME will be picking you up at 11am. QUOTE]

Point well taken. CM is actually full during our visit, and it was a big score to get this bf seating. That said, we don't fly out until 6pm. I was planning on checking out of the hotel and leaving my bags with the baggage area to go to CM, then to the park, and leave by say 1-2. DH has actually suggested skipping ME and paying the $60 for a cab, but I'm not so sure they can get us to MCO any faster. Since we aren't flying on a preferred airline, we have to take our bags with us to the airport.

 

[UsNew2Disney2008]

I think you're on the rigth track when you say it's an "us" vacation and you are gearing your activites towards your son. That's what I plan to do when I take my son (who will be almost 2) for the first time this September.

Every child is different and you really won't know what works best for your son until you get there. He may be too excited to sleep - or all the activity may tire him out and he'll nap on his own. You might find after the first day he'll sleep a bit later in the morning. You'll be smart in going with the flow.

Your son will need some down time during the day as Disney can be overwhelming. But depending on your son that down time could be time at the pool, a rest in the hotel watching the Disney channel, a nap or a nice TS lunch where everyone just sits and relaxes.

I have no idea how my son will react to Disney and that's part of the excitment of going. I plan to bring his stroller from home for comfort. I will also bring his favorite snacks and will try to keep his meal schedule as it is at home. The rest is up to him. If he's tired, I'll let him nap. If something scares him, I'm not going to force him to do it. If he likes a particular ride I will ride it more than once.
If I see he's getting burned out, but fighting it, I will take him back to the hotel to unwind and rest.

This trip is for him. DH and I were to Disney when I was pregnant with him plus I've been there 20 times. As you said, we're more than happy to forgo the adult things to enjoy time as a family with our son.

I think you have the right attitude which is more than half the battle - I'm sure you all will have a great time.

That is it EXACTLY! It is my first time to DISNEY too, and I'd love to do Soarin - so love it, but some other time. At least I'm going to do the Safari, and that will be great! This trip is all him, and that will be perfect in itself! I'm trying to get a plan together, but I'm completely fine with pitching it all to the wind if that is what will make him happy. Just time with him alone to hear that belly laugh of his, well...

 

[dspads]

Of course all kids are different, but my DS was same in that he does not normally nap. I would suggest just trying to keep as close to his normal schedule as possible. And make some 'down time' after lunch. Like a ride on the WDW or something more relaxing/minimal stimulation. I also think the amount of days you are going is pefect for that age. For us, it was by the end of the week that the kids started to peter out.
Have fun! ANd if he is up later I would try and catch Spectro at MK -I think that is the best night time show for preschoolers.

 

[Desnik]

DD is 10 and DS is almost 5. I have been taking them every year(sometimes twice)since DD was 9 months old and when DS was 8 months old he went on his first trip. My DS was never a napper or a good sleeper. He never liked being in a stroller either. But when we are at WDW, he's like a different kid!LOL He goes in the stroller and always falls asleep in there! There is just something about all the stimulation that knocks him out. I have never had to leave a park for him to nap. I would be pushing him in the stroller then look down and he's asleep! We always take our own stroller too. We have a Mac Triumph umbrella stroller and it reclines and I love it. The truth is you just never know how your kid will be on their first trip. Just prepare for anything!

Why can't you go on Soarin? It's DS's favorite ride and he has been going on it since he turned 4.

 

[UsNew2Disney2008]

!

Why can't you go on Soarin? It's DS's favorite ride and he has been going on it since he turned 4.

I thought is wasn't for preschoolers. My DS is tall, and although he met the req. the Unofficial Guide had ---- next to preschoolers so I thought it was a bad idea! Nice to know that a 4 year old liked it!

 

[Desnik]

My 4 yo talks about it all the time he loves it so much!! When we are there we have to ride it multiple times! We don't mind because we all love it too. Before our first ride I made DH go with DD to see if it would be OK for DS. He gave it the thumbs up and it's his favorite! I should add that he really likes Goofy's Barnstormer too. Maybe take your DS on that first to see how he handles something like that.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

If your flight home is at 2pm- ME will be picking you up at 11am. QUOTE]

Point well taken. CM is actually full during our visit, and it was a big score to get this bf seating. That said, we don't fly out until 6pm. I was planning on checking out of the hotel and leaving my bags with the baggage area to go to CM, then to the park, and leave by say 1-2. DH has actually suggested skipping ME and paying the $60 for a cab, but I'm not so sure they can get us to MCO any faster. Since we aren't flying on a preferred airline, we have to take our bags with us to the airport.

You will probably still need to leave 3 hours prior to your flight if you take a cab (you really should be at MCO 2 hours prior to your flight because there can be really long lines at security). Save the cash and take ME (IMO)

 

[UsNew2Disney2008]

You will probably still need to leave 3 hours prior to your flight if you take a cab (you really should be at MCO 2 hours prior to your flight because there can be really long lines at security). Save the cash and take ME (IMO)

So if you leave at 7, and catch ME as I understand it we would leave the resort at 4. Would that leave us enough time to clear MCO, or should we try to leave the resort before that?

 

[SmallWorld71]

We have been taking our kids to Disney since they were 15 months old. We still (DD is 6 now) go back to the room after lunch. Funny enough, the "nap time" we build into our daily schedule is rarely used for naps, but it is PRICELESS nonetheless! DS is on the stubborn side, and once he bypassed infanthood he wouldn't nap when we wanted him to. So we ended up just hanging out at our room, having a mid-day swim, etc. It was nice to have time away from the park where we could relax more with them, not be so on top of them. We have always found this makes all of us more relaxed when we return to the parks and we enjoy everything much more!

Sounds like us. Quite frankly, I find DH and I need a break as much as the kids. We don't do one every day, but we do take a break most days. It could be relaxing in the room, going to the pool, etc... but it helps refuel us all for the evening. My youngest tends to be in bed by 7:30 at home. We always take the stroller with us in the evening and she will often nap in it although she hasn't napped at home in several years. Have fun!

 

[StephMK]

When we took then DD5 & DS3.5, neither were nappers at all. However, I took our double stroller because they did get tired of walking. It was nice to allow them to sit & sometimes get where we needed to go easier. They did doze off a few times and that worked out just right, no tired meltdowns. We chose not to take breaks, none of us wanted to leave the parks once there. We went slow & took lots of sitting & show breaks instead.

One thing that might help - the day we left, we also had early ressies at CM & stayed at POR. We called & asked if we could take our bags & have ME pick us up at CR. They were fine w/that & even helped w/our bags on some part. I can't remember - they either got them to CR for us or once at CR, we didn't see the bags again til the airport. Either way, it was nice not rushing back to our hotel just to pick up our stuff.

 

[mommylibrarian]

The midday break is really essential. We weren't as rigorous about it on our first real trip with my dd3 because we were traveling with people who had a 5yo who never naps. They insisted that sleeping in the stroller would suffice for their 18mo. They/we were wrong. We kept putting off leaving the parks until about 1:30 or 2pm, and by then, it shot any hope of getting rest and coming back. Especially since we were offsite.

We also follow the "this is for our kids" rule (and then every once in a while we take a trip ourselves... or when traveling with several families, we take a sitter) and so the next trip (with my dd3 and my ds1 this time) we made the following commitment:

- get to the park before it opens. Consistently.
- leave the park between 11:30 and noon. Consistently.
- encourage naps (darken the room and be still), even for the 3y.o. who doesn't nap at home anymore (she slept every day but one) and the grown ups (we each slept every day but one)
- visit the pool each day after nap time (or during on the day my dd wouldn't sleep). This makes the kids' attitudes shoot WAY up.
- return to the park around 5pm and stay only until the kids get droopy.

Our final night, my son was nodding off in his mac and cheese around 7pm but my daughter wanted to ride Peter Pan one last time. DH took ds back to the room, and I took dd over to Fantasyland. I warned her of the long wait (we didn't have a fastpass because this was an unexpected request from her) and she patiently waited in line for 45 minutes to ride.

Have a great trip! We have such a great time with our kids that we don't even miss the big-person rides we can't do.