to nap or not to nap

[palmtreegirl]

Just a note: On that same night that I made sure my daughter had a nap we went to Fantasmic. She was having a crying fit coming out of Fantasmic and a couple of people looked at her and said poor thing she is so tired. She was not tired, she was crying because she wanted to push the stroller in that big crowd of people and I wouldn't let her. You know your own kids best.

Why in the world do people feel the need to comment like that???? Cracks me up.

About naps.....we have never had official nap time when we're at WDW. We have taken a break from the parks, mid-day, to swim, eat lunch at the resort and just relax though. My kids don't nap at home(2 & 6) so I'd never go back to the room at WDW and try to force naps on them because it wouldn't work-lol. My son, on occassion, has fallen asleep in his stroller and my DD is a bundle of energy and does better then we do on a long day at the parks.

I would just plan to play it by ear if I were you. If the kids seem tired then go back and rest, if not keep going. Only you know what's best for your kids.

Have a great trip!!

 

[clutter]

The only melt-downs at WDW have been mine!!!

My dd, when 3, napped in the stroller. Later trips, the only nap was before MVMCP, and that was because it was raining that morning in the parks. And no, she's never melted down in the parks.

Honestly, do what works best for your kids. If they rise early and nap at home, then do emh, go back to the resort for a rest. If they prefer to sleep later, let them, then get going. You're going off-season, you're not going in the heat. You have more options. The best advice I'd give you is work WITH your children, not AGAINST them.

 

[Jen D]

Yes, it does cut into the touring time, but you really shouldn't think about it that way. Usually, the kids just need the break.
Maybe not a nap-- my dd has gone at age 4 and age 5.5 and has never actually slept during the break-- generally we swim, or chill in the room if the weather is bad.

But I agree that its fine to be flexible. We took breaks, but both of our trips included at least one day where we stayed at a park from opening right up to dinner time. We were beat, but we were just going with the flow.

As far as missing out, the main thing is worrying about the quality of your park time, not the quantity. If you've gotten to the point when everyone is hot, tired, and miserable, it is time for the troops to retreat.

 

[tink2]

Our last trip was Thanksgiving week of 2001. We had children the ages of 6 months, 2 1/2, 5, and 7. We arrived for early entry and left when the park closed. However, my 2 1/2 year old DD napped every day in the stroller. Usually after lunch while waiting for the afternoon parade in the shade. Nov. is a great time of year to go- not too hot. This worked fine for us. Not one meltdown. Of course, my 6 month old slept a lot in the stroller. My nieces were 5 and 7. The 7 year old was fine. The 5 year old was fine until the end of the week. Her dad didn't rent her a stroller so she was tired from walking and no naps. She had a major meltdown the last night. I say you know your children and what their limits are. Mine sleep fine in the stroller, so that's what I do. If yours will not and you know they need a nap, go back to the hotel. If they don't need a nap, then you know that too! Just go with what you know your children need.

 

[mrssalvaggio]

I think there's been a lot of good advice - especially the ones that say be flexible and you know your kids. Some of the posts seem somewhat assumptive about when they see a cranky child that they want to "scold" the parents for not taking a break. I want to say more...but I think I'll stop there.

 

[kdibattista]

DH and I go offseason when the parks normally close early and we still need a nap.... we don't even have kids

 

[mrssalvaggio]

I guess what I really want to say is I think when we go to Disney we all want it to be the "Happiest Place on Earth" (no fighting, fussing or fits ), but kids are kids and get cranky in all kinds of places for all kinds of reasons. I would just hope that if I were in a situation where my little one started getting out of sorts, I would look up and get a sympathetic smile rather than a disapproving frown

 

[Roxie A]

Just got back last week and had planned to take naps but it never happened. The first day we were at MK at opening then had a PS at Crystal Palace for lunch. We decided to leave at 2:00 for a nap. When we got to the motel everyone wanted to swim (my kids are 3 & 9) so we swam then took showers and redressed in clean clothes and went back to MK around 4:30 and stayed until 10:30. Just changing clothes made all the difference in the world with it being so hot. Took the next day off from the parks and on the 3rd day did MK in the morning left and ate sit down lunch and then went to MGM. We left MGM at around 8:00.

 

[susy]

Took our 4yo DS in Nov 2001.

The park hours were short, but the crowds were so low that we did all we wanted. We went with the plan of not taking breaks. Well, the first day we HAD to leave AK at 1pm- we just HAD IT! It was very hot and we were all tired. We went in the pool, regrouped and spent the evening at MGM.

The next day was MK. We were there for opening and went to lunch at CP. I wanted to leave, but DH didn't want to ... Well, our son who hadn't napped in two years passed out from sheer exhaustion in his stroller at 3pm.We walked all the way to the front in the pouring rain with him slumped over in his stroller. We did go to Epcot that night.

After that, our next 5 trips (this past year) all had a planned break. Even with short hours, you get so much more out of your trip when you are rested.
We get there at opening (do EE if possible) and leave after lunch (around noon). We leave, tired or not. Realize that it will take you about half an hour to get back to your resort and it's better to leave BEFORE a meltdown starts! We arive at our resort (still happy), swim, rest (some days we sleep, others not). We get ready to go back around 4-5pm. Still happy.

Also, the parks are most crowded (and hot) between 1 and 4.When we were walking in (in evening), there were more people leaving than going in.

Remember that it's not only a matter of being hot or tired. WDW is very stimulating. With little ones , it just may be a matter of overload!

If you want more time at MK, do it two mornings and go to Epcot two nights. This worked really well for us.

Early Dec is a great time to go....

 

[mmounsey]

Forget the kids! I needed that nap! (32 weeks pregnant, you would too!)

We did an EMH day at MGM, and had to leave after lunch to rest back at the hotel. Luckily, it was a Fantasmic night and after a much needed rest and nap at the hotel (AS Movies) we (I) felt refreshed enough to last though Fantasmic and watch the boys while dh caught TOT (which unfortunately was on my "not to do" list)

 

[MulanMom]

Mrs. Selvaggio...I understand where you're coming from and agree with you completely! You'd get a sympathetic smile from me.

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

I would have to agree that if you are going into the parks EVERY DAY of your vacation, you are going to need breaks.

With my family of 4, I am paying $200 a day just for admission. I am going to get my monies' worth ... that is why we NEVER go into the parks two days in a row. We need a break, but I schedule the breaks for a full day. The off-day we sleep in and then just lounge around by the pool or resort hop at a leisurely pace. If we happen to have longer park hours, we will stop back at our resort for sandwiches and a short break. Our last visit, the parks were closing at 7:00 and 8:00 (it got dark by 7:00) so didn't feel like taking a nap when we would be in bed for the night at 10:00 anyway.

It sounds like most of you are doing the every day into the parks for the complete vacation trip. It makes me exhausted just thinking about that!

Most of our yearly WDW visits are 10 days in length on-site and we only go into the parks 2-3 days each visit with maybe a day or two at TL. Now that's what I call a RELAXING vacation.

---

Advice for the original poster ... you're going during the off-season with shorter park hours, temperatures will be cooler .... be flexible based on your own family's needs.

 

[AimeeM]

We took our first family trip to WDW in 99 when my youngest was 2 weeks shy of 4 years old, and my oldest was 5 1/2. I didnt even take a stroller and never had to rent one. We didnt do the naps either and my kids were perfectly fine. No meltdowns or cranky kids at night. We never did the early entry thing, and we never did rope drops. I always got up earlier than everyone else and got my shower and got everyones clothes ready, the bags backed, the maps out...etc... then got the girls up. We were usually getting to the parks around 10ish ( we STILL do this..hehe) Here was something we did for a big rest , rather than going back to the room for naps. For the afternoon parade, at MK for example, we would get to Main St. at 2:00. The parade didnt start until 3, and doesnt get to where we sit until 3:20. We would get our great spot near Casey's Corner and get our lunch. We sat and at on the side walk in our parade watching spot. There is ice cream right across the street too! So, from 2-3:30 we got a few things accomplished....got our parade spot, ate lunch, sat down and took a break for an hour and a half and got ice cream. Its funny, we still do the exact same thing every trip and the girls are 8 & 10 now ( plus our son in 20 months and he's been there 3 times already!) I think doing that gives us the break we need without having to 'miss' anything or leave the parks