What do you do with kids too old to nap etc?

[DumboDash2006]

DD is 6 and hasn't napped except when sick for almost three years. Even if we go back to the hotel she will not nap. And since our dinner reservations are at five, we'd need to leave a park by three at the latest I would think just to have ANY time to rest. I don't want to keep her at the parks super late either as I'd rather have her get to bed early so we can get up early in the morning (her normal schedule).

Do you think it would be better to just stay at the parks all day, eat dinner and then leave? Or should I try to leave, rest a short time (not that she'd nap), head back out to dinner and then come straight back?

I guess really I won't know until we get there, it's just bugging me lol. We will have a stroller and I plan to have her ride in it much of the time (not because she can't walk/is lazy but because she has juvenile diabetes and I don't want her having a hypoglycemic incident because of too much exercise). I'm sure she won't be in it all all the time (too energetic for that) but I'm hoping that and finding some "quiet" spots, cool rides when needed will work for rests...

We're going in Aug BTW. Yeah, I know. Ick (and not even free dining to boot!).

 

[kpk89]

We tended to just go to the parks at opening, and go until we started to see signs of meltdown. EARLY signs. So we had plenty of time to get outta dodge and back to the pool.

If we wanted to do evening parades of fireworks, we'd have a relaxing sleep-in / go to the pool sort of day, and head to the parks around 4. Our kids don't really nap much either, so there was no way they could do open to close.

 

[pweyl36]

THE LAST TIME WE WENT MY DD WAS 6 WE WENT ALL DAY UNTILL ABOUT 8'OCLOCK ,BECAUSE WE HAD ALOT OF RESSIES. SHE WAS FINE BUT IF YOU
WANT TO GO BACK TO THE HOTEL JUST HAVE HER LAY DOWN ON THE BED
AND WATCH A LITTLE TV. I'LL BET SHE WILL FALL ASLEEP

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

DS was 6 last summer and not a napper. I found that with the summer heat he was "done" by 1 each day -- not tired as much as ready to cool off and play freely. So each day we headed back to the pool around that time for a few hours before we went back for dinner.

This year we're not on the dining plan so I'm planning on doing a sit down late breakfast/early lunch each day around 11:00 or 11:30. I'm thinking with an hour of airconditioning midday he might make it till 2 or 3, and maybe even take in a parade or two which we missed last year.

 

[Minnie824]

I just wanted to point out that not just kids need the afternoon rest time. It really is good to get some more energy for the evening. We took our 1st trip w/our DDs aged 4 and 1.5 last Nov. DD4 had not napped for 1.5 yrs, but when we were at Disney, she fell fast asleep (as did DH). Then, everyone was rested to stay out a little later...which ended up being 9pm most nights. We had lunch at the parks, then went back to the room, up and out of the hotel by 3:30-4pm.

 

[lisaross]

our 1st trip my boys are 4 & 6!

I'm thinking if we take that afternoon break, we won't return, so what i'm planning is the first few days - get to the park at opening have a TS lunch and plan to leave the parks late afternoon - back to hotel for swim/rest CS dnr and sleep -- maybe my 4 year old will sleep on the bus back

the last few days we'll switch it - sleep in a bit go for a swim and hit the parks late afternoon with a CS dnr and try to stay for the fireworks.........

lisa

 

[Stitch1404]

My daughter is 6 and my son is 1. We usually go to the parks from opening until about 12 or 1. I agree with what an eariler poster said. As soon as you see ANY signs of meltdown, get out of there or it can get ugly!! Back at the hotel we all stay in the room. DS1 sleeps, DD6 watches a video and sometimes falls asleep. I will also occasionally take DD6 to the pool while DH watches DS1. Then we eat dinner at a park and maybe stay for the fireworks if the kids are up to it. That might mean they sleep in a little in the morning though. The parks are like sensory overload for my kids. If I don't take them back for a break it all becomes overwhelming and they can't enjoy themselves.

 

[mama4]

I don't know anything about diabetes in kids but can your daughter tolerate heat in the mid to upper 90's that feels even hotter due to the high humidity? If not, I would definitley get to parks as early as possible and leave before 1 for a swim break.We don't do hotel naps on our park days (kids are 15, 4 and 2) even when they were babies but we definitely WOULD if we were there in August. In fact, I would plan on doing limited time in parks and when you are there, make frequent visits to the squirting fountain areas like in Poohs playful place and Ariels Grotto. I would spend a lot of time at the pools and maybe the waterparks?
We've always gone in April (once in Oct w/out kids) and the weather was nice enough for parks or pools.

 

[KimWDW]

My son has never napped in a hotel room. He just won't. However, last year when we went, he took a nap every day in the stroller. He was 3.5. Every day after lunch, I told him that he had two choices. 1) He can close his eyes and "take a rest" while I push the stroller around, then after his "rest" we can go on more rides or 2) we go back to the hotel. Each day he chose to "rest in the stroller" and almost every day that rest turned into a nap. I just pushed the stroller in a shady area until he fell asleep, then once he was asleep, I could stop pushing and sit and relax. DH and I would take turns going on the bigger rides (Space Mt, etc).

This year he'll be 4.5. I'm going to do the same thing. I figure, even if he doesn't fall asleep, just resting with his eyes closed in the stroller for an hour will do him wonders.

 

[mikymouse]

I had read about afternoon rest/naps but was not sure if it would be necessary for my family with a very capable 4 and a just turned 6. Let me just say.....It is a VERY good idea for everyone. On most days we went to park opening, had a late breakfast/early lunch at 10:25AM finished a few things and were out of there by 12:30PM. We would come back around 6PM to catch a few more things (parades, fireworks, dinner ADRS). The one day I had "no" plan the kids wanted to go back to Magic Kingdom and since we had no ADRS or anything we just did whatever the kids wanted. I will always refer to this day at Melt Down Saturday. We did not have a ADR this day so we had to wait for P.H. to open for a counter service lunch and everyone was grumpy, hungry and crying by the time we got food in their systems. Then we moved on to more rides and the kids completely melted down in Dumbo around 1:30PM... We had to get out of that place.

My 4 year old napped some of the days but mostly we just went back and did the resort thing... watched TV, sat on balacony, grabed a snack, checked out gift shop, swam in pool, etc.. Just not being in the park was a nice "break" and got everyone ready for more fun in the evening. Rest periods might not be for you, however, I would not plan any ADRS in the early PM just in case you find yourself in the middle of a Melt Down Saturday.

The next time I will always "plan" a break or sit down every 3 hours and will always force a pool day with Firework Night on the 3rd full day as this is the day my family hit the wall.

 

[Belle1962]

Repetitive rides in MK for my DGS--Tomorrowland Transit Authority and the train--we get on and never get off and most times he can be counted on to fall asleep.

 

[poohmomof3]

We've always kept them on the same schedule as at home. We're early risers, so we hit the parks early, go slow, eat lunch at the normal time, head back to the resort before dinner (eat there) and get to bed early. We also have scheduled "no park days" while there -this gives us all time to relax for a whole day. If we want to catch the fireworks, we make sure to have a rest day planned the next day so they can sleep in.

Every kid is different, but ours would never nap in the afternoons no matter how hard we tried. Swimming only made them more tired too.

I'd say be flexible and Have Fun!!!!