When you've got 3 kids ages 4 and under, one of the first things a mom will wonder is "What about nap time at Disney?"
The book that I love, The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids says take the nap! In their expert opinion, you'll never regret going back to the hotel/resort for a nap and rest period, and the consequences of skipping rest time could be catastrophic for your kids, namely in the form of a complete meltdown at a restaurant.
But I knew we would only be there for a few days, so I was hesitant to take precious time out of our day to go back for naps. I emailed several friends and asked others on Facebook for their advice and finally, after getting several different responses, I decided to do whatever I wanted to do. There's no hard and fast rule on this one, but I don't like to miss anything, so I decided to go with what I thought would work for me. If it flopped, we could take naps the following days at Disney.
So we skipped the naps.
And you know what? No one pitched a fit at a Disney park. And believe me, that's a huge shock, because my middle child (2) is the best fit pitcher west of the Mississippi.
My little guys became great at napping on the go.
I had no idea how flexible my kids could be until we tried it.
At bath & bedtime, my 4 year old would get a little crazy and irrational, crying over the smallest things. These meltdowns were clear signs of a need for sleep. At the parks, however, she was a happy girl.
And we got creative in looking for ways to help her nap. We brought our iPod with her favorite nap time music, so when it was obvious she was sleepy, we would have her snuggle up in a stroller with the iPod, listening to Fernando Ortega. It worked every time. We also made sure to rent good strollers that would lean back for napping (more on stroller rental in a future post).
Should your kid nap? Well I don't know, that's up to you and your family.
But if you want to give it a try, you might find it works to let them nap on the go, as long as you're fine with lots of pictures like these:
Stroller Naps
Safari Naps:
My not quite 2 year old is fast asleep on his uncle's shoulder at Animal Kingdom's Kilimanjaro Safari.
And my favorite, Restaurant Naps:
My 4 year old crashed on our last night. We were out at a dinner show at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue and she didn't even make it to dessert.
Do you usually let your kids nap on the go? How would you handle naps on vacation?
Love the photos! Adorable! We have decided to wait til the boys are 5 and 7 for Disney, but I am definitely wanting to go!
ReplyDeleteI think that's smart! You'll all enjoy it more.
DeleteGabby, I totally agree with you! Nap on the go!! We have never gone back to our rooms for naptime or rest time. I feel it is a waste of time - by the time you travel back to the room, nap, travel back (or to another park), that's a good 3-4 hours of time. My kids have always done well with napping at the park.
ReplyDeleteWe usually take 1 or 2 days of no park days (hang out at the pool or Downtown Disney), so maybe that helps a bit, as we aren't going, going, going, every single day.
I'm enjoying this series!
Thanks! I'm with you--it's a time waster, and that time at the park is expensive and too fun to miss.
DeleteI've been to Disney 7 different times. (4 as a kid and 3 as an adult with no kids.) Even now, I still go back during the middle of the day and nap. I don't know if it's the fact that I am a very fair-skinned redhead that can't deal with the three o'clock heat or that I am getting up earlier and staying up later than usual, but I become an adult who wants to meltdown if I don't. So, with kids,I will continue to go back to nap.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as long as it works for your family and there are no meltdowns, that is great! Because meltdowns are hard to deal with no matter who you are and are simply no fun.