Sleeping Arrangements at WDW with 2.5 yo twins

[disneyfan1992]

Maybe I am overthinking this, but just wondering what we should do on trip...

At home, each twin is currently sleeping in his/her own crib but share a room. They are just under 2 years old now. No plans to transition to toddler beds yet.

What age do kids transition to toddler beds? They will be 2.5 years at time of Disney trip.

We do not co-sleep, but do bring kids to our bed when sick if needed. But then we (the parents) do not get any sleep! The kids sleep like rocks, of course, being with Mommy & Daddy, but we don't sleep for number of reasons - too crowded, kids move/fidget, kids sleep upside down and sideways, worry about them falling out, etc.

At Disney, we are hoping to book Bay Lake Tower 2 bedroom dedicated unit with 2 queen beds in 2nd bedroom. DVC members we are traveling with will use the master bedroom with king bed.

So how can we make the sleeping arrangements work at Disney so we alll get enough sleep each night?

Option 1 - Assuming kids are still in cribs, rent 2 full size cribs? Will there be enough space in 2nd bedroom to fit 2 cribs? How expensive would this be for 7 nights?

Option 2 - Each parent sleep with 1 kid in queen bed and request bed rails? Will bed rails work on a queen bed? Kids will probably love this option, but will DH or I get any sleep?

Option 3 - Mom/Dad sleep together in 1 queen and put twins in other queen together with bed rails? Will they actually sleep or will they play? Will they want to get out of bed? Will they move around so much that there is danger in them falling out even with bed rails on the bed?

***
and we are traveling down to WDW by car - and will stay 1 hotel night on the road each way. It just occured me that we will need to figure out how to sleep in those hotel rooms too.

Your thoughts / experiences? Thank you!

 

[jennylyn_b]

Our dd moved into a toddler bed at about 18 months. We bought a Shrunks inflatable toddler bed for her to use at Disney. It fits a crib sheet and has rails on it. She is very comfortable in it and its great.

 

[Pooh2]

We moved our twins into fullsize beds at 2.5 years old because they kept climbing out of their cribs. We never did toddler beds but maybe you can transition them out of cribs a month or so before your trip?

We did their first trip to WDW when they were almost three. They were so tired each night that they went to sleep almost immediately. They shared a full size bed.

 

[SFreelove]

Disney also offers portable cribs for your room if needed. (Basically a pack and play) decent size and my DD slept great in it, just as well as she did at home, she also wasnt in a toddler bed yet. but as I said she slept great Especially being tuckered out from the parks, it shouldn't be hard to get the little ones around that age down. But we went with the portable crib, it's free also

 

[cvjw]

BLT will provide bed rails if needed, and if there are any still available for loan. In June, our family of 4 invited my Mom, Sister, and 2 year old niece to stay with us for a week in a 2 bedroom dedicated at BLT.

My Mom, Sister and niece took the dedicated 2nd bedroom. My Mom took one bed, my Sister and niece the other - which had bed rails on one side. They all slept great. My niece was so tired at night that she was out like a light.

The second bedroom in the dedicated 2 bedroom was very spacious, but I am not sure that 2 full size cribs would fit in there. Maybe one in the bathroom, and one between the balcony and bed?

 

[SFreelove]

If you go with a portable crib just make sure to bring their favorite blankets and stuffed toys they like to sleep with at home, it makes the adjustment smooth (most of the time) !

 

[ElenaRN]

DVC rooms all come with a PnP. I think 2 PnPs would fit in the room fine. Two cribs probably not.
I never stayed in a 2 BR at BLT, but did stay in a 2 BR at Saratoga Springs. The lay out of the 2nd BR was very spacious.

 

[Happyjen27]

I would do the portable cribs. Disney will provide them for free. Even if you transition them to toddler beds at home before you travel, they would probably accept being back in cribs for a trip.

I didn't transition my twins out of cribs until 3.5 years. When we went away at 4.5 years of age, my little peanuts were still small enough to sleep comfortably in hotel cribs, and that is just what they did. That left the 2 beds for DH and I, one bed each.

Were they too old to be in cribs at that point? Probably. But, they were safe and enclosed while sleeping in a hotel. That helped me sleep better.

This past December when my pair was 5, we tried to get them to share a bed at the Poly. They did NOT fall asleep while in the same bed, so we had them fall asleep each in one bed, and then moved them together when DH and I were ready for bed. They kept each other and us up all.night.long.

They do sleep together at home sometimes (by their choice, those little sneaks ), but they didn't get the hang of it at Disney. So, we ended up sleeping one child in a queen with bed rails and the other child on the pull out with bed rails, and DH and I were stuck together in one Queen.

So, if I were faced with your 3 options, I would rank them:
Option 1: the only good option
Option 2. Never. I would be a crabby monster by the end of the week if I had to co-sleep with my little ones.
Option 3: Only if there was a serious, serious, serious issue and I couldn't employ option 1.

Gooda luck!!

ETA: On one of our vacations this year I'm going to try and co-sleep them with a pillow wall between them. I have high hopes for that working. If that doesn't work, we will have to get a second room, or try to let them co-sleep and hope they do as well on the road as they do it at home sometimes.

 

[mjkacmom]

My twins were in their own beds at 2 1/2 (they started climbing out of their cribs at 2 - my other kids stayed in cribs until 3+). We've never done toddler beds here - straight to twin beds with rails. Put them each in a queen bed - if they don't move much, you might not even needs rails.

 

[nchulka]

I would go with you and DH in separate beds each with a child. We have never done co-sleeping but this is what we do on vacations. In a queen bed with a small child you shouldn't have any problems getting to sleep. I never had either of my kids in a crib past their second birthday. They never had any issues with falling out. I wouldn't worry about rails, they'll stay put

 

[Eureka]

Maybe I am overthinking this, but just wondering what we should do on trip...



What age do kids transition to toddler beds?

It varies...but my kids were both into toddler beds early. DS#1 at 19 months (we had just found out I was pregnant with #2 and wanted to transition him before we needed the crib back) and DS#2 at 11 months. That is on the early side but he just wouldn't stay in the crib and did much better once he was in the bed. If you start now/soon, your kids will probably be completely transitioned by the trip and maybe could share a double bed, if you think they'd sleep OK that way. I don't know if Disney provides railings but you could always ask for extra pillows to use as barriers. That always worked for us when we travelled. Good luck!

 

[dlove28]

My 2.5 yr old was in a pack n play on our first trip, she was fine. It wasn't as spacious as her crib at home but, honestly, she was so exhausted at the end of the day that she passed out and never budged. I suspect that same would have happened in a big bed.

This fall we are bringing our 2yo twins. I know they will fit size-wise in the pack n plays so that is the route we are going. We are also staying at BLT and have asked guest services and friends who have stayed there - 2 pack n plays will certainly fit with one queen bed. In a 2 queen bed room, they will fit but you have to manuever the chairs and table in the room, not really that big a deal but it will be a little more cramped (which is the beauty of having a living room). I do not think 2 full sized rental cribs will fit with two queen beds. If you are skeptical check out the floorplans on the site:

http://disneyvacationclub.disney.go..._kwcid=TC|12734|bay lake tower||S||5728708628

I would suggest that if you go for Option 1 or 3, look for the 2bdr lockoff, not the dedicated. The lock off has only 1 queen bed so much much more room for 2 PnPs (or 2 rental cribs if you must). Or if you decide to have them sleep in a bed together, the pull out sleeper (with bed rails)is much closer to the ground so if you expect any shenanigans that would put someone over the bed rails, it's a little safer. Just make sure you put extra pillows/blankets at the head of the bed if there are expose rails or a space where someone could slide under the sofa.

Edit - Also, the lockoff gives you your own kitchen, which may be convenient for storing stuff for the twins.

 

[twinboysmom]

Hi OP. I have been in this situation recently. My boys were just shy of 3 when we stayed at BLT in September. Yes, 2 cribs will fit in a dedicated 2nd bedroom unit. It will be tight but it is certainly possible. Our boys are still in cribs. We will transition them probably in the next few months to toddler beds they will be 3.5). We rented from ABBF in September and I would do it again if needed. Can't speak highly enough of this company. Our cribs were clean and in fantastic shape, mattresses the same. We brought our own linen (but they do provide it if you wish). My DH had both cribs set up in less than 5 minutes.

We stayed in a 1 bedroom unit but had some friends who travelled at the same time who stayed in the 2 bedroom unit. While tight, there is room to put one crib in front of the bathroom area when you walk in the bedroom and one in front of the first bed.m the bed closer to the window has a table and chairs that you could also move around and make room for a crib. If you could possibly ask the DVC member if they might request a lockoff unit, it would certainly be easier.

As far as travelling an staying in the hotel, we usually just sleep with one each. We don't like it, nobody sleeps well but for one night it works.

Your other option is to try to transition them now to a toddler bed with rails and hopefully they will sleep well in a queen (just request rails).

 

[cheer25mom]

Mine was in a twin bed by 2.5. Toddler bed between a year and 18 months. she was climbing out of the crib by that time. She would have been fine in a big bed with bedrails by the time she was in the toddler bed. I would think any 2.5 year old could do that after a day of Disney! They should just fall asleep wherever they land!

It is interesting hearing from others about stuff like this. I think lots of these milestones vary widely between areas. I would never have imagined having a kid I drop off at preschool still in a crib. Here they are expected to nap on cots at school at that age. We were on the late side of normal getting DD out for her group of firends in fact, and I don't think I know of any kids her age who were still in a crib by 3.

 

[theAfamily]

I would go with option number 3. the kids are so tired by the end of the day that they usually go right to sleep and don't play around. Both you and your DH can be comfortable and the kids will have plenty of room in their bed too and be safe with the bed rails. I also have 2 year old twins and we got them toddler beds a couple months ago(they were two then too.) they kept climbing out of their cribs and wanted to sleep in "big kids beds" like there older siblings. good luck and have fun!!

 

[la79al]

My DD will be 2.5 at the end of this week. We moved her to a toddler bed a few weeks ago because she was starting to climb out of her crib and was always a crappy sleeper anyhow so I figured why not try it. Anyhow, a few nights ago my girls decided to sleep together in DD4s twin size bed. If DD2 actually slept through the night, it would have worked out fine. They both sleep sideways when they are alone or in bed with me but when they were together they both slept in one position. My thought would be, let the 2 kids share a bed. They should both be so tired that they pretty much pass right out and you will get better sleep too. Use the bed rails and maybe put some extra pillows or a rolled up blanket at the bottom of the bed. My DD was too big for a Pack n Play last summer (and she is just average size) so I would not consider that. I don't know about whether 2 full size cribs would fit but I would think that would be overkill. When I only had 1 girlie, I would share a bed with her when we went away. I didn't get great sleep but it was okay. 1 tip I will give, don't plan your activities at home around DW. For example, don't move them to a toddler bed just so they will adjust to a regular bed at DW. I have found that I get totally different toddlers on vacation and all best laid plans go out the window.

 

[WantToGoNow]

Ds went to a toddler bed on his 2nd birthday because I wanted him out of it before dd arrived. Dd went to the bottom bunk of bunkbeds at 17 months because the toddler bed had broken.

I would get bedrails and do either #2 or #3. Chances are if they've only slept alone #3 might not send with a lot of sleeping but now more playing around.

 

[Brojoef]

My twins are 2 1/2 and have been out of cribs for 4+ months. My suggestion would be to put them in the bed together with bedrails or Mom and Dad each sleep with a twin. I think by 2 1/2 they will be ready for that.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I would go with option number 3. the kids are so tired by the end of the day that they usually go right to sleep and don't play around. Both you and your DH can be comfortable and the kids will have plenty of room in their bed too and be safe with the bed rails. I also have 2 year old twins and we got them toddler beds a couple months ago(they were two then too.) they kept climbing out of their cribs and wanted to sleep in "big kids beds" like there older siblings. good luck and have fun!!

This is what I would do as well.

 

[brooke789]

I have not been to Disney (YET!) but I don't thinnk sleeping arrangements there should be any different than anywhere else. My twins (2yr 8M) also sleep in cribs at home. When we travel (since about 24M) they sleep in the Kidco PeaPod travel beds. It is a little pop-up tent like travel bed and they love love love it.

When we used them at Christmas this year at the Grandparents they were trying to sneak into their room so they could go hop in their beds. they love getting in there and playing.

I highly recommend these beds! Before these my twins slept in playards when we travel and the peapods are so much easier (other than blowing up the mattress to it) and take up a lot less space! According to the company they fit up to 6 years old. So, they last a long time too.

ETA: At home -- I'm of the camp that they'll stay in their cribs until they figure out they can climb out (and it becomes a safety issue).