Pushing Children To The Limit

[mickeyfan2]

One DH and I were in line and there was a couple and little boy ahead of us. He told them he was tired and wanted to leave. They ignored him. He then proceded to fall a sleep on the asphalt. Poor kid.

 

[Twinprincesses]

I took my twin daughters to Disney when they were 2. They napped in their strollers and we usually just stayed till closing.

We do not run from ride to ride though we will break in a quiet spot so they can get their wiggles out and just have a moment.

However when we went to phoenix on vacation we pushed the girls to their limit when they were just absolutly horrible all day.

I think that kids have bad days just like adults so if I see a kid throwing a fit in the park and it happens to be late I will be the last one to judge that parent cause mine can throw the best fits right smack dab in the middle of the day.

 

[Griffin223]

I find the mistake that most parents make at WDW is not feeding their kids at regular times. I find it really easy to put off lunch or dinner because the lines are shorter but you really can't do that when you have little kids.

Our first trip to WDW we were having a nice dinner at around 9:00pm and at the table next to us was a family with two kids that appeared to be about 4 and 6. Needless to say the kids were pretty miserable! Tired and hungry is a deadly combination for kids.

As a rule, when we take the kids to WDW we only do as much as they can handle. In other words, we go for them not for us. That may mean skipping things that we wouldn't normally skip, or scheduling swim breaks into your day, but thats what you have to do. Our last trip we were there for 10 days and didn't make it to EPCOT once. We still had a great time and kept tantrums to a minimum.

 

[Selket]

I do think it depends on the children and the parents - not everyone fits the mold of being in bed by 9 or whatever. I have 2 boys - one generally asleep by 10 pm and the other one could easily shut down the bars with DepCor

I remember the old e-ride nights at the MK you didn't have Fantasyland open but the new evening EMH has it open. So...it would tend to draw the parents with the young kids I would think.

And I agree with those who said sometimes their kids just melt down whenever - perhaps when you least expect it. Despite naps and rest time and early bedtimes my older one was often just tired and in a bad mood before dinner (and yes we had fed him breakfast and lunch - I'm talking like 4-5 pm or so...with dinner coming at 5:30 or 6!). I've not seen him act like that at home. I think there is just so much to do at WDW and he wanted to do it all - be everywhere at once - at the parks, in the pool, viewing the animals at AKL, etc. Now that he's a bit older it is easier....but I have younger one to deal with!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

My kids are night owls. I am not. I would be the tired, cranky one in our party.

Why has everyone on the DIS lately been looking for something to gripe about?!! Wait!! Now, I'm gripings. It's contagious!! I guess that answered my question.

 

[mill4023]

I think parents pushing their kids to exhaustion is a problem that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what time it is.

Our 8 and 10 yr olds have more energy than DW and I and are more than happy to stay at the parks from open until closing. Our 2 and 5 yr olds can sleep through anything and are perfectly comfortable sleeping in strollers. So we'll probably be there late at night with all 4 of them most nights.

 

[Disney Debbie]

I've seen more meltdowns and overtired kids during the day then at night! It is certainly just as likely to happen during the day.

We always close the park down - always have even when DD was 3. She was always a dream so it was never a problem. When she was that little - and even now when we are there for our "real" vacation (i.e. more then a 2 day quickie trip) we'd always take a nap or a swim in the afternoon. If we're going to E night (or whatever it's called now) we take a nap AND a swim during the day and then we sleep late the next morning.

So as long as the kid - and for that matter the adults - aren't bothering me or others around them - who cares how late they're there? If a kid is sleeping in their stroller - then what's the problem?

 

[goingback]

Deleted message: I don't want my message to be debated while I'm at Disney. I rather forget about it.

(Now I've got to stop the messages from coming into my email inbox. I'm off to do that now...)

 

[Marseeya]

Heck with the kids, I can't push MYSELF to those limits!

I need that afternoon nap.

 

[mill4023]

I usually wonder about the babies at the park. It just seems like a lot of work to me! I think it's just fine that parents stay late and let their children, whatever age they are, fall asleep in their strollers. Gotta take advantage of every minute you have at DW, after all!

And I know that everyone doesn't have someone available to take care of their babies (0 - 12 months old) and go to Disney World without them, but I sometimes wonder why some parents bring babies that small anyway.

For me to take a baby that small to DW, I would have to know that my days on earth were really numbered, if you know what I mean, and this was my absolute last time in my whole life I would be going to DW!

But then again, maybe babies are brought into DW by the parents who live real close by, like in Orlando itself, and they didn't have to travel 1000 miles like we do!

You wonder why parents bring babies?
Because they want to go and they have a baby.
I don't see any other options. But I guess that's because I can't even fathom how someone could go on vacation and just leave their baby behind.

Besides, our babies loved Disney. Our youngest was 6 months when we went to DL and she was a very difficult baby at that age. But at DL, she was smiling and happy all day long. People are always saying they won't even remember it. Sure, that's true, but you could say that about a lot of things. They won't remember anything from that age, so why bother talking to them, reading to them, playing with them. I think taking babies to WDW or any other place is a great experience for the parents and the kids.

We traveled 3000 miles to go to WDW last year and will again next week.

 

[Loves Disney]

I remember staying out late at the Magic Kingdom during an EMH. It was around 1:30 and Fantasyland was PACKED (what else is new) anyway, all those rides had close to over an hour wait while Frontierland and a good amount of Tomorrowland were just about empty. We rode BTMRR four times without a wait and only stopped riding due to my sister not feeling well. We were also able to ride Splash Mountain over and over again without wait. However, Peter Pan's Flight had well over an hour wait. The disturbing thing was, all those children in line for PPF were either asleep or crying and screaming to go back to the hotel. I don't see how a child can enjoy WDW while being asleep. Also, how can a child enjoy WDW if the poor kid is being forced to stay up and ride the rides? I understand how some of the young kids like being up and accept it, but that night, everywhere we went there was a stroller with a kid not enjoying him/herself. Where is the magic in that? But again, I am not saying that is true with everyone because obviously (as mentioned previously in this thread) some kids really do enjoy it.

 

[DisneyPhD]

I think the time change is a very vaild point. What is late for us might be dinner time for them. Also peolpe sleeping in or having a late nap.

I think what is late for some people isn't for others. For example some people think kids out past 7:00 or 8:00 is late. I don't. I think after 10:00 but before midnight is late, but not undheard of (if the child is handeling it well.) I pretty much figure after midnight is late for any child under 10 years old or so. Some people might not.

As far as taking babies, it is like mill4023 said. People with babies at WDW are just that, people with babies. Your life doesn't stop when you have a child. WDW is a great places for familes and babies. They do make it easy.

Actually babies are the easy ones on vacation. It is the todlers you have to look out for.

Now parents that are being jerks, that is a whole nother story. I once had the misfortance of sitting next to the meanest mother once at Liberty Tree Tavern. Her poor son, she just belitted him the whole meal, complaind about how much the trip was costing her and he didn't even have the curtesy to have a good time (would you with a mother like that?) Poor kid. Oh yes and then she started ripping into people who brough young kids to the park (me and my DH.) Ick, just thinking about it. I somehow managed not to tell her of because our fun time was more important then telling her off.

 

[Nikel]

Actually babies are the easy ones on vacation. It is the todlers you have to look out for.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I'm a tad worried about talking 2 toddlers to WDW. An infant? No problem! My dd was SO easy as an infant to travel with.

 

[Griffin223]

Babies are great at WDW!!! Our DD turned one when we were there last and she was WAY easier to manage than the DS who was 4! In 2002 we went with my brother and his kids, their son was maybe 5 weeks old and he was a dream.

 

[Cor44432]

One of the best times our family ever had was 2 yrs ago at MK during
the old E-Ride night. The kids were 2 and 6, and we stayed until 2:00 am,
and they had a complete blast. We just took it easy the next day, slept in,
late breakfast, etc.......

Each parent has to judge for themselves, I've seen as many meltdowns and
tantrums in the middle of the day as I have late in the evening.

 

[AlmostApril]

Last year, we stayed until closing on EMH nights at MK and MGM. During the late hours, I checked with my son (9 at the time) often, to see how he felt. He kept saying he was fine and was having a good time. But as soon as we got on the bus home (at 1:30 AM) he fell right to sleep. And I hated having to wake him up when we got back to our resort and making him make the long, chilly walk back to our room. I thought to myself, "No more of this." And our trip this year is going to be no EMH, early bedtimes and early mornings. Because of our late nights last year, we didn't get to any park for opening. Not this year. this trip is all about relaxation and taking our time.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

At EMH last June, mostly I saw older children and teens out with their parents. Very few smaller children. Epcot was open until midnight, MK until 2am, and MGM until 1am, I believe. That being said... this couple in front of me in the line for the Great Movie Ride had a very upset (we're talking crying full blast, whimpering, etc.) 6 or so month old baby in their arms. Ya know, I'd be upset too if I was 8 months old and up and at a theme park in a longggg line full of noisy people at 12:30 in the morning. Geez. People kept glaring at them, and they just rolled their eyes and told their child (assuming it was their child) "Be quiet! We wanna go on this ride before we leave, so be quiet!!!" If the baby's sound alseep or not upset, then I guess I don't see the harm in them being out later, but when he or she is incredibly cranky and exhausted and generally unhappy? That was just sad to see that the only thing those 2 cared about was what they wanted.

 

[lauritagoddess]

I'm jealous of those of you who can close the parks and get to see Illuminations, Spectromagic, etc. My DS no matter what time he goes to bed will be up early, early, early. On our recent trip he was up before 6:00 every day. He won't nap during the day so we opened the parks and stayed until mid-afternoon and came back to the resort. I had him in bed each night by 8:00 except for the one night we watched the fireworks from the observation deck of the hotel. I wonder how old he'll be before he can keep going in the evenings.

 

[Alice Sr.]

I think parents pushing their kids to exhaustion is a problem that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what time it is.

That is so true. I don't care if it's 2PM or 2AM if the babies (and when I say babies I mean young children) are wiped out, take them back to the hotel and relax. I have seen sooo many exhausted kids, and their parents are just trucking on (and actually getting mad at the babies because they are grouchie or acting up) like the only thing in the world that matters is what the parents want. I have to say this is the one thing that pains me at WDW. I don't care about refillable mugs, room limits, Brazilian youth groups, aggresive birds, line cutters, or inhaling someone else's smoke, they might be annoying but they don't push that button if you know what I mean.

 

[GEM]

I'm jealous of those of you who can close the parks and get to see Illuminations, Spectromagic, etc. My DS no matter what time he goes to bed will be up early, early, early. On our recent trip he was up before 6:00 every day. He won't nap during the day so we opened the parks and stayed until mid-afternoon and came back to the resort. I had him in bed each night by 8:00 except for the one night we watched the fireworks from the observation deck of the hotel. I wonder how old he'll be before he can keep going in the evenings.

That's just the thing, though, kids are so different. My little guy has always been a natural night owl. He's almost three now. If I let him do his own thing, he would prefer to stay up till around 11pm and sleep till 9am or so. He's NEVER in his life gone to bed at 8:00pm! He's also always been very flexible, not one to need a strict routine. So, our Disney vacations are very easy. We've often stayed out very late with him with no problems. He's been to the Christmas party twice and closed it down at midnight both times. He's done late EMHs at all the parks with no problems. We just make sure we have a sleep late day planned after a late night and all is well. He's very happy and doesn't get cranky or anything like that. He does still take an afternoon nap. Sometimes we go back to the resort to rest and sometimes he just conks out in his stroller while DH and I continue to stroll around. Both seem to work equally well for him.

So, late nights definatley work out great for us! As others have said, not all parents who are out late at night with little ones are being neglectful. Some of us just have babies or toddlers who adapt more easily to late nights!