Handling naps?

[Lupeix]

You need to have more than one option because you never know how your kids will do at Disney. A good napping stroller is a must. I have always been a fan of the mid-day break, specially for MK. But, having stayed at AoA I will say that going back to the resort using Disney buses is probably not a good idea, it takes too long and your kids may fall asleep in the bus instead of the room. That said a small child will not last from park opening to fireworks even with stroller naps (at least not mine without being cranky). With kids 5 an under I like to plan shorter days and still nap on the resort. Either park opening to late lunch with a late nap, or nap first and 5 to close at MK. The first option tends to work better with toddlers and allows you to do more rides, but I do the latter on the first or second day so we can see the fireworks and enjoy the park outside the rides. Since we come from the west coast it works well with the time change. If you can walk/boat or monorail to the park the midday break is totally doable, but if you are using buses it is not practical with the stroller crowd, IMO.

 

[DocMcGeorgie]

I can't really say what for sure works as this will be my first trip with my daughter (2yrs). And besides all babies (and kids) are SOO different that it's hard to give someone advice on this.

However, I have taken my daughter to "similar" type events and places. We have a Cedar Fair park in our city and she has been multiple times all day with no nap and did fine. We just did an earlier bed time. I've also taken her to our state fair from 7am to 6pm and she fell asleep in the hot august sun in her stroller.

My personal plan if all works out is the day we do MK to to go back to the hotel to nap. I'll try and do everything imaginable to keep her away till we get to the hotel and then lay down with her to encourage her to take a nap. That was she will be extra rested so we can stay for the fireworks.

Every other day I plan to walk around in a quieter and darker area - perhaps outside of the park even till she falls asleep and then walk around the shop and have some personal mom shopping time. Since I know she won't take her usual 3 hour nap in a stroller I just plan to go back to the resort early and go to bed at a normal time.

 

[SweetMissy]

Whenever going with younger ones, my kids always slept in the stroller or carrier. We never go back to the resort for naps. We just moved to FL and have gone to disney a couple times and surprisingly my 18 month old will not sleep in the stroller, but it doesn't seem to effect him much. However, I do know what it's like to have a kid who NEEDS a daily nap....so if you need to go back to the resort, don't mess up their schedule because that can make everyone miserable.

 

[Sakigt]

Depends- must do activity after 5? Head home for a nap 2 hours prior to normal nap time.

 

[MudQueen22]

As a few posters have already said, it depends on the child.

One of my nieces was the type to need a nap in a real bed in a quiet room. That meant returning to a resort. Pop Century. Between the nap and travel time, my BIL could kiss four or five park hours goodbye.

I always suspected my oldest was an insomniac. Sleep was for woosies. Even at home, she rarely slept. We didn't do theme parks until she was 4. By then, naps were long ago a thing of the past. If she can play hard, she will now sleep soundly at night.

Younger child doesn't like sleeping in a bed. Even at home. Remember those baby dolls they made many years ago that the eyes would close when you laid them down? He's the opposite. If you lay him down, his eyes open. And he isn't hAppy at such betrayal.
But he will sleep in the van in his car seat, and has fallen asleep in his stroller at the mall or at theme parks. I think we will plan to let him.nap in the stroller, and change this plan if we need to.

 

[kamerino]

My DS2 has always just napped in his stroller, so we never go back to the hotel for a nap (tried once and it just didn't work out for us).

When he is napping, we usually use child swap and go on some rides with height restrictions while he's sleeping.

This. My daughter always just napped in her stroller, and I would take the time to stop and relax for a bit myself, if in Epcot, maybe even sit and have a glass of wine somewhere (it was always just the two of us).

 

[LP808]

We have only gone in June, July, and August, so breaks were a MUST for us. My kids are currently 12, 7, and 4 - we went 2013, 2014, 2015 (waiting till summer 2018 so our youngest will be 5 - Oct. baby). Hubby and I enjoyed being able to freshen up and relax during the hottest part of the day (nap too). My oldest liked being able to have "her time" - read/TV/tablet time, swimming, crafts, etc. My middle child took advantage of naps occasionally, but mainly played with toys quietly, watched a show. And my youngest always napped. Most days, we lost about 4-5 hours of our day, but we didn't care. We also were able to do everything on our "to-do" lists since we stayed till closing.

Even with breaks, my younger two still did nap in the stroller, too. There are plenty of quiet spots or longer shows to go to... However, we just reclined the stroller, pulled the shade, covered with a light blanket if needed, and pushed the sleeper(s) to our next destination. ALL of my kids also liked the baby centers. While I nursed, my hubby and kids would relax in the a/c and play with toys, other kids, or watch part of a movie (if they didn't feel like riding other rides). It was enough to recharge them for more fun.

It really depends on your family and vacation expectations what will work best for you. For us, break time is important. It gives everyone time to rest and do something they can't really do in the parks that they also enjoy. If you have enough days, try both ways to see what you guys like best.

 

[AshleeH]

We stay at BLT and always go back for a midday break. But we also drive to Disney, which means we have our car to drive to all of the parks except MK, so that makes it much easier than depending on Disney transportation. There are occasionally naps in the stroller, but I'm usually ready for a nap myself, so more often than not we head back to the room and then go to a different park or ADR at night.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We like to take mid-day breaks. DH and I want a nap even if the kids don't, LOL. Plus the kids like pool time during the day. We typically go to the parks for a few hours in the morning. Then we leave by 1 pm. We always head back to the parks at night around 5 pm.

 

[WhispyPixie]

When our kids were napping age....I would simply let them crawl in the stroller..wander to an area out of the mainstream and they would always doze off and woke up happy!....Now they are adults and STILL want the naps...we go back to the resort...nap and then hit the parks at night and stay up all night..lol Stiil like those naps tho!

 

[mcuoghi]

DS's first trip was when he was three. We rented a city mini double (dd was 4). He would tell us when it was naptime, climb in the stroller, and pull the shade down. Every day of our trip. DD4 refused to nap that trip. This year will be DS's 5th visit and I plan on renting a stroller. He still naps (yes, even at age 6, but he's got a few special needs) and our family finds that it's much easier to nap in the park. By the time we would get back to the hotel he would be awake and wouldn't go back to sleep. Plus, the rest of the family usually uses this time for our own down time--people watching, snacking, shopping etc.

 

[Crystal824]

My DS2 has always just napped in his stroller, so we never go back to the hotel for a nap (tried once and it just didn't work out for us).

When he is napping, we usually use child swap and go on some rides with height restrictions while he's sleeping.

This is what we do too.

 

[ElenaRN]

My DDs were never great nappers, yet they both have consistently taken decently long naps in the stroller on all of our annual trips. This year ODD was 5 so no more stroller. While YDD napped, we took turns taking her on rides YDD wouldn't go on.

We tried going back to the room once or twice. Never worked out for us so we didn't want to waste the time trying anymore.