toddlers sleeping in hotel rooms

[issapowers]

This Monday and Tuesday we took our two babies DD 17 mo and DS 7 months to disneyland for 2 days we our AP holders now and live about 1 1/2 hours away from disneyland. We thought this trip it would be fun to get a hotel room on harbor blvd, instead of just doing one day and going home.

Well the last time we stayed in a hotel my daughter was about 8 months old and my DS was not born yet. She at that age had no problem sleeping in the pack n play, and it was a breeze taking her.

This time around was completely different. MY DS has no problem sleeping in the different crib but DD was really scared. She refused to take a nap, and when she did it was because she fell asleep in my husband's arms. after nap time we went back to the park for fireworks and a few rides we kept her up really late to try to tire her out. when we got back to the room about 11:30pm she would scream everytime we put her in the crib. I had to swaddle her like a baby and hold her till she went to sleep. When I tried to lay her down while she was asleep she would wake up automaticly and start screaming and crying. finally at 2am she feel asleep again in my arms and I layed her between me and my husband and she slept. at 6am when my son woke up for his bottle, it woke her up and she refused to go back to sleep.

By this time we were just going to go home but my husband convinced me to at least try DLR again to see how the day goes. It ended up being horrible. 4 hours of light sleep with two babies peak 2nd week of June crowds just dont work. I did a little shopping, we watched the starwars show and DH took DD on the pooh ride and we left by 1pm. I didn't even go on any rides. I was just thankful we had AP and it wasn't a waste of a 2 day ticket or something.

Has anyone else ever had trouble with toddlers sleeping in hotel rooms? Any tips you can give me that have worked for you? cause as of right now, i've pretty much decided no more over night trips till the babies are at least 3!

 

[avalon451]

Yes! Oh my, your post reminded me, I don't miss those days! I'm so sorry to hear you had such a tough time. It's really hard to tell how kids will do at that age.

We go to the same condo at the ocean every summer since my oldest was a baby. Over the years we learned: if you have a normal bedtime routine at home, follow it at the hotel as much as possible. Kids do well with a routine at bedtime; for us it was a bath, a snack, cuddle on the bed while reading books, tuck them in and say prayers with them, then stroke their hair while singing a soft song. Not until they fell asleep, because then they'll never learn to fall asleep on their own; but just get them to a relaxed sleepy state. So we would do the same routine as much as possible, just in the hotel room.

The other thing was finding out that "tiring them out" doesn't work for all kids. For ours, it made it worse. Overstimulated meant that they slept lightly and badly all night and were very hard to calm down for sleep. So we got used to keeping them on their regular schedule as much as possible, even if it meant missing something at night (like fireworks).

The other lifesaver: a white noise machine. Our kids were used to using one in their rooms at home, and when you pack it up and take it to your hotel room, that's one more familiar thing to calm them and help them fall asleep-- and also stay asleep, since it masks the noise in the hallway or on the streets.

And of course, bring the favorite pillow, blankie and stuffed animal(s) so their bed at least LOOKS a little like the one at home. Keep the room quiet and dim. We resigned ourselves to going to sleep when the kids did, because no way would they sleep while we had lights on to read or watch tv. Sometimes we got away with putting on headphones and watching a DVD on our little portable player, in our bed with the lights out.

Don't despair! If you keep trying, they will get used to it! Do sleepovers at Grandma's or whoever.

Hope those suggestions help for the future!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

I'm sorry the overnight didn't go well for you. It was just about that age that DD#1 decided she wasn't sleeping in a pack n' play/crib while on vacation. We got in really late to our destination (after midnight) and she threw a fit when we tried to put her in the PNP. We were all so tired that I just put her in bed with us...which started a long standing tradition. At home she had no problem sleeping her in crib, but on vacation she'd have nothing to do with it, so she slept with us. Just recently has she been ok sleeping in her own bed on vacation. We have the opposite problem with DD#2. She refuses to sleep anywhere other than a crib/PNP. On vacation it's easier to not have to take the PNP with us every time, but she freaks if it's not there. We just moved her to a toddler bed at home, so maybe that will help some?

Are you completely against having her share a bed with you because if not that might be a solution. It was for us anyways. The other thing, is some times making them overtired can have the reverse affect of what we want and they have a harder time settling down. Maybe next time try to stick to her regular schedule (I know, hard to do at Disneyland) and see if that works better.

Best of luck! I hope you find something that works so that you can still vacation.

 

[bumbershoot]

IMO, you need to take MORE hotel trips. If traveling is something you want to do, you need them to get used to it.

Now for us, travel has always been incredibly easy, b/c we have a family bed. One bed between me and hubby is the same as another bed between me and hubby to our son.

Sometimes the different light levels or sounds can bother him, but he eventually passes out, LOL.


The other thing I will always talk about is that there's a lot of junky food at Disneyland. There are so many things with ingredients made in labs, that you don't necessarily eat at home. Uncrustables are junk (you think they are pb&j but they aren't, not really), Dole Whips are just a list of ingredients not food, and so on. For my son, eating those foods makes him a monster, and causes problems with his sleep, until he passes out from being a wild-boy. So if your daughter was eating those things while at Disney and she doesn't normally eat things like that at home, they might definitely have been a factor in her mood, awake-level, and not wanting to be asleep.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh! I just remembered my son's trip right around 17 months. Teething. Beastly.

We didn't stay overnight at Disneyland, but we were on a vacation at my brother's place in San Diego. Brother and SIL are blissfully childfree, and we are all so lucky their house is very soundproof, because DS started teething his canines, if memory serves, and sleep was very VERY difficult. Since he's a fever-kid when he teethes, that added an extra special bit to it....he got up to a lovely 104 3 nights in a row, so he and I had to keep getting up to take a tepid bath so he could cool down, dry off and get dressed and go back to sleep, then a couple hours later I could feel him heating up (since he was next to me) and we'd take another tepid bath, etc.

So she might be teething (and if she's not a fever-kid while teething you are lucky!) and that could have caused the problems with her sleep as well.

 

[ironpig70]

when mine where younger we lived 5 hours from grandma and 3 hours from my dad so my kids spent alot of time in foreign places. we always packed their favorite blanket, pillow and animals. also we took a night light or two with us. its enough light that they can see us if need be but not enough so we couldn't sleep.

 

[ballarinamom]

I agree with Bumbershoot. DD LOVES Vacations because of the hotel and the huge beds. We always try to get a king with a sofa. The first night she may share with us. But by the second night r so, she'll sleep on the couch. But it gives her that security she needs if she knows she can crawl in with us.
And ditto on the routine and food. One little kink in the system can ruin a day

 

[pumpkin5156]

I only scanned thru the other answers, so sorry if I repeat. We took my son to DL for a two night hotel stay just this last December. He was 16 months at the time.

What we did:
1.Stick to the routine!! We missed the fireworks and parade, but we had a very happy camper the second day, which was a full day.
2. Came back for a nap one day; napped in the stroller in the park the next day. If you have a consistent routine at home, you will be able to be flexible here and there. A late night or one missed (or short) nap won't kill your kid b/c they are well-rested to begin with.
3. We made a makeshift "room" out of the closet and a sheet so he wouldn't be distracted w/ our noise/lights in the room. See here:

4. Stick to the routine! (did I already say that?) When my son gets overstimulated or over tired, he will not go down. Making him stay up later does not mean he will be more tired. He will still wake up at 6:15am every morning.

5. Don't be scared to go again. Keep trying, and don't stop just because they got scared once.
6. Bring familiar sheets/smells/woobies, etc. Comfort them with reminders from home.
7. Stick to the routine...

Have fun next time and good luck!

 

[Aubrielle]

I second the idea of the white noise machine. It really soothed our toddler. As long as it doesn't drive YOU crazy!

I think, too, that our daughter had an easier time because she is used to napping in a porta crib when she stays with relatives, so you might have consider practice naps!

I'm sure that this will get easier over time. Remember, traveling can be very overstimulating and that the more tired kids are, the worse time they have getting down to sleep.

 

[ballarinamom]

DD always hated her PNP. But we always (even now that she is 6) bring her a pillow, her teddy and a fleece blanket. she will sleep anywhere if she has those three things!

 

[avalon451]

I loved the little "room" you made with the sheet and the closet space! Great idea! And I second the night light, that's another thing we still always bring. Nothing worse for your little one than waking up in pitch blackness and not being able to see where you are, or where Mom and Dad are.

About the "make their own space" thing-- I saw a recommendation in the Unofficial Guide about somebody who actually brings a small, lightweight backpacking tent! They pitched it in the corner of the room, and it gave their toddler his own "space" in which to nest and decompress after all the overstimulation. Some kids need this, especially if they are accustomed to sleeping in their own room. And again, easier for them to fall asleep in the dimness if you still have a light on for reading or whatever. Weird, huh? It could work though!

 

[pumpkin5156]

I loved the little "room" you made with the sheet and the closet space! Great idea! And I second the night light, that's another thing we still always bring. Nothing worse for your little one than waking up in pitch blackness and not being able to see where you are, or where Mom and Dad are.

About the "make their own space" thing-- I saw a recommendation in the Unofficial Guide about somebody who actually brings a small, lightweight backpacking tent! They pitched it in the corner of the room, and it gave their toddler his own "space" in which to nest and decompress after all the overstimulation. Some kids need this, especially if they are accustomed to sleeping in their own room. And again, easier for them to fall asleep in the dimness if you still have a light on for reading or whatever. Weird, huh? It could work though!

I read this exact same thing in the UG to WDW. So we just made our won version. It worked great, and we were able to stay up and read/ watch the fireworks from our hotel room, etc.

 

[the donut]

3. We made a makeshift "room" out of the closet and a sheet so he wouldn't be distracted w/ our noise/lights in the room. See here:

That's so cute. What's in there? Is your kiddo sleeping on the ground, or is he in some sort of pack and play?

We just went ahead and splurged on a suite with a separate bedroom. When our daughter doesn't get enough sleep, everyone suffers. We figured it was worth the investment so that we could all have a good time. And ditto on the white noise machine, favorite books, and bedtime routine.

 

[pumpkin5156]

3. We made a makeshift "room" out of the closet and a sheet so he wouldn't be distracted w/ our noise/lights in the room. See here:

That's so cute. What's in there? Is your kiddo sleeping on the ground, or is he in some sort of pack and play?

We just went ahead and splurged on a suite with a separate bedroom. When our daughter doesn't get enough sleep, everyone suffers. We figured it was worth the investment so that we could all have a good time. And ditto on the white noise machine, favorite books, and bedtime routine.

He was in his pack n play from home with his own sheets. He sleeps in that thing everywhere, so he was used to it. We stayed at The Fairfield for free (I worked for Marriott), so a suite wasn't an option for us. But if I had more than one child I would consider that! And I know what you mean by sleepless child=sad for everyone.

 

[issapowers]

thank you for all the suggestions. I think it being her age and her never staying in a hotel before (obviously she doesnt remember when she was 8 months old) is some of the problem. In fact her routine is completely different on vacation then at home.

At home she has always had her own room which she sleeps with the door closed. She doesn't eat much junk at home, although we do bring most of her food at disney as well. For my daughter to sleep in a room with me my husband and her little brother, is totally out of the ordinary for her. It might be worth it to train her at home next time, meaning have her sleep in her pack n play in the living room while were all up.

My daughter likes things "just so". Plus I think she was scared to sleep in a different place. I'm not totally against her sleeping with us on vacation, as long as she "sleeps". thats my main concern, At the time I didn't even care if she slept on the hotel floor I was so exhausted!

My main concern is that my son is so close in age to her, I feel like if I get her situated in our bed, or finally sleeping in the hotel, eventually i'm going to go through the same thing with my son. Plus spending the money to stay at hotels more often is not something we can budget.

I do like all the suggestions everyone has given me and if we do decide to do it again soon, I'll definitly keep them in mind!