Will everyone judge me if we keep DS out late?

[mandis77]

I wouldn't worry about it. We went to DLR with my youngest at 4 months old and closed down the place! A few years later, we had my DD6 and DD2 at WDW out for all the night shows. Just make sure you have a good stroller with a reclining seat. I do remember DD2 getting a little fussy while we were waiting for Wishes to start but that's when I busted out the glow sticks from the dollar store and it kept both kids entertained until the fireworks started. I even ended up giving a few to the nearby fussy toddlers. No worries, there will be plenty of other parents doing the same thing! Enjoy your trip!

 

[DBMC]

When we went to DLR, my kids just slept in the stroller when they were tired. We closed down the parks several times. If anyone is judging you, it is their problem, not yours. You will never see them again, so don't worry about it. Just follow your son's cues, and make sure that your stroller reclines, and has a good sun shade.

 

[Nancyg56]

LOL! Who cares what other people think? I would do what works for your child. My DGD was a nightowl and could outlast me when she was 4, so we would start later, and end later. I took her on a spur of the moment trip, got a great spot to see teh evening parade and Wishes, thinking she would follow her usual pattern. Nope. She was exhausted, so I scooped her up and out we went. The rest of the week she bounced back to her norm.

Enjoy the parks, and just gauge what your little one is up to, and do not be surprised if you collapse before your child! LOL!

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Tantrums will happen, and I'm not just talking about toddlers at Disney, I've seen plenty of grown-ups having temper tantrums there. Everybody is on edge at Disney, sure it's fun but it's also frustrating, over-stimulating, exhausting, and expensive--that last thing puts a lot of pressure on families to get the most bang for their buck and push their children beyond their normal limits. I've got one kid who completely melts down without a schedule and one who is more flexible, every kid is different and you need to do whatever you decide is right for your family, regardless of what others think.

 

[SEA333]

I'm honestly judging you a little for admitting you make your kid adhere to a strict 7pm bedtime LOL Are you trying to train him for a life of waking you up at 5am every morning??!!

Seriously...go with the flow. Let your kid (and you) live a little.

(and I'm kidding you on the judging...it doesn't matter to me what time you put your kid to bed since I'm not the one who has to wake up with him at the crack of dawn!!)

 

[sprousehouse]

We are generally very structured too as neither my kids (nor my husband) do well when they are tired. If you are having fun then stay out as late as you want but I would say if the kid is melting down it is probably time to pack it in. You aren't "getting your money's worth" if you are miserable. Focus on what makes your trip enjoyable, not what others think.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

My kids opened and closed the parks when they were young. They would nap in the stroller when they got tired, and because we travelled with my sisters family, there was always someone to sit with the strollers while the babies napped and the others went on rides.
One of the best character interactions my ds had was when he was 4, we were in MK for e-ride night (that's a blast from the past) and while my DH and I took some of the kids on HM, my little guy stayed with my sister and her DH. They met chip and dale in the hub at about midnight, and he had their undivided attention. He was so playful at that age and they had a ball together. I was so sorry to have missed it.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Nobody's going to notice. There's plenty of little children in WDW up until closing time.

 

[puffkin]

My kids open and close the parks (maybe not every day but quite a few on a week long trip)from very early ages. Its just in their DNA I guess. We do usually take a decent afternoon break though where the youngest usually naps and the oldest hangs out at the pool or relaxes in A/C for awhile with the ipad.

We are season pass holders to Hershey Park and were just there on a whim Saturday night for a few hours. We had to drag my 2 year old out of there kicking and screaming when they closed at 10pm. He probably could have gone another couple of hours.

 

[HeatherL1985]

As long as the kiddos are having fun - go with it! My kid tried so so so hard at 2.5 to stay up and would just pass out once the parade or Wishes started. I guess he was just too used to his schedule to do otherwise. He never melted down at night, though. Surprisingly - all of his meltdowns came from being late getting home for a nap mid-day.

 

[disneydremr]

Let them judge! If not for that, then for the shoes/no shoes/sweets/laughing too loudly/crying/napping in stroller/hat/no hat/soda/ etc etc etc. Enjoy *your* vacation!

 

[ilovebassets]

1. Why do you care what others think?
2. If it works for you and your family, great!
3. Don't assume #2 will be true for you and your family (though it may be).

We just came back from a vacation where my kids went to bed at 10:30pm, then midnight, then midnight again for 3 days. Still, they wake up by 7am the next morning. By the end of the trip, they were overtired, tantrum-y zombies. We got home Sunday late afternoon and have still not yet fully recovered. My kids simply cannot stay up that late and function well the next day.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

No one will notice because there will be so many other little kids around.

 

[MmmSuite]

The thing that bugged me more than the kids were all the adults being obnoxious while I was trying to watch Wishes for the first time.

And I'm keeping my 2 year old in the park until 2am for EMH. Judge on!!!!!!!

 

[Sorcerer76]

Ha! I'm totally a mom that would worry, but I agree, no one cares. I'm way to interested in what we're doing next to worry about someone having their baby out too late

 

[Pesky]

Yes, you will be judged. Probably for more than a 2.5 YO throwing a tantrum or being out late at night. But it is your decision whether to care about that or not. Personally, I'm kind of over letting what other people think dictate my actions so I vote for ignoring them and just do what you think is right for your family.

 

[scrappinginontario]

For us at least, there is at least one colossal tantrum by someone on our trip. It's happened late at night, in the morning, or the middle of the day.

Yup! Sometimes it's my daughter. Once it was me!

 

[MandiC]

There really are tons of babies/toddlers at Wishes. It is stroller madness trying to leave MK after the fireworks I don't think you will get many people that will blink an eye no matter the time, the only thing I can think of is yes some people will if he is throwing a tantrum or upset. Don't let it bother you, *most* people will understand

 

[22Tink]

It's Disney!! There will be tons of little kids up past their bedtime!! (Adults, too!) Don't give it a second thought. Just enjoy your trip and do what's best for your family!!

 

[cattywampus]

We came from the West Coast and half way through my planning rope drop mornings, I realized we would be trying to get to the gate by 5:00 am our time. No thank you, as I could envision tired grouchy people shuffling to parks on a death march.

I shifted our entire schedule to shutting down the parks and doing late extra hours. The vast majority on this board would have told me I was making a huge mistake missing rope drop but I trusted myself more to know the goals of our family vacation, so I ignored the advice. My plan worked perfectly. My point is to gather information and opinions, but trust that you know your family best.

Bring (or rent outside the park) a GOOD stroller (not an umbrella). Get one that is big enough and lays down flat with a big canopy. You can rent a City Mini or Elite stroller for $65 per week or so.

My child grew up at Disneyland with multiple trips since he was one. He is 7 now and the stroller has been retired but we still laugh about him being asleep in the stroller before I had it fully turned around after fireworks.

The key is to have that comfy stroller ready at the exact moment they get tired and be able to bring them back to the hotel. We were at GF so didn't wake him to get in monorail and at DL, we stay on property so just wheeled him back to the room, wrestled on Jammies, and deposited in bed. Busses and cars might present a challenge.

I also have drinks and food stashed on the stroller and one "bridge" snack that if I misjudged and feel a melt down potential, I can hand to the child and get enough time to get out of the park. It isn't to try to get one more ride. I'm only buying time to get back to the hotel. It is a special snack that isn't pulled out unless needed for that purpose.

In literally 25 multiple day trips since age 1, we have had exactly one meltdown, when I pushed one more ride before lunch break. As soon as we got to stroller, he passed out asleep (age 2) and slept all the way back to the room. Had that stroller not been readily available, it would have gotten bad. Plan good safety nets and ignore anyone that tells you not to bring a stroller or "see if you need it". Demonstration of that "need" is ugly. Bring a stroller as long as you can. We used one at WDW for 6 year old, parking it for longer periods during the day.

Good planning, a good stroller that you can take out of the park, and awareness of your child will make you golden.

PS I couldn't care less what someone else thinks... good or bad, but I do feel responsible to do everything I can to set up a tantrum free trip and remove the child (or adult!), if one occurs.