Staying Out Late With Little Ones

[andypooh]

Travelling to WDW with a 2 1/2 year old and 6 month old in May. What experiences have people had staying out till as late as 10pm with the little ones? We are planning on pool time on 3 of our 5 days, but are going to try and keep them in the parks until 9 or 10 on 2 of the other days. I am counting on them napping in the strollers. What do people think? Thanks.

:mickey:

[MstngDrvnDsnyLvr]

The most miserable thing as someone waiting in lines is waiting in lines at night with an extremely tired and fussy baby near you. I end up feeling sorry for the mother, the child, and slowly wishing they'd just take the baby out of the line and back to bed.

If you children nap in strollers, that is great. My kids rarely slept in strollers and never at night.
Good luck.

[MidnTPK]

Only you really know the answer to this question. Do your kids occasionally stay up this late? Add in the large crowds, loud noises, heat, excitement, and high level of stimulation at WDW and answer the question yourself. some kids do fine in this environment. Others most definitely do not.

If your kids are like my toddler, pushing them this hard will not make anybody happy. My wife and I solved this conundrum by using Kids Night Out (a babysitting service) for three nights. we got to do the exciting rides together, see the fireworks, and have the little one be safe and comfortable in her crib.

[andypooh]

Have considered the babysitting option, but DW and I are concerned our 2 1/2 will not let us leave him with the sitter. He has some delays (nothing major), but is used to the same routine everyday.

[smallworldmom]

We took our 8 month DD, 4 yr old DD(who has been once a year for 4 yrs), and our 11 yr old DD in December. They all did great. :cloud9:
I tell our friends when we are at home 8 mnth old DD turns into a pumkin at 8 pm, but when we are in WDW you can keep her out till 1 am, without any problems. She does sleep well in a stroller and is a very easy going child.

[krose78]

Have stayed out late with a 3.5 year old till like 1am but he also napped in the stroller during the day and fell asleep as soon as we hit the bus. Totally depends on the kids and how much you can get them to nap during the day.

[MidnTPK]

We put our daughter down before the sitter arrived, so she never knew/was supposed to know the sitter was even there. She usually is in her crib by 7:45 so this worked on EMH evenings.

One night she woke up and the sitter had to soothe her. The KNO sitter we had was very good and was able to do so. If you explained your situation to KNO, I bet they'd be able too find someone experienced enough to handle any situation you might encounter.

[tink179]

It totaly depends on your children. My kids have been there when they were there as young as 9 months and we've stayed as late as 2am without any problems. When my kids are tired they just crashed in the stroller. No meltdowns. There was always so much excitement going aound them it always entertained them. We wouldn't have left them with a sitter to go back to the parks or to watch any of the shows, because we would've felt bad. The sitter service is also really expensive!!! Like I said it depends on your children. Good luck!

[DizneyRox]

He has some delays (nothing major), but is used to the same routine everyday.
And this routine involves staying up late at night and sleeping in strollers with tons of people around?

As stated, only you know the answer... I've seen many many people pushing their kids around WDW doing all sorts of stuff, and clearly it just wasn't fun for anyone involved. I can't imagine what was said out of earshot, cuz I know what I heard wasn't in any way appropriate for WDW.

[WelshieLover]

When we were there last month. We saw lots of families with younger children who were very cranky on the EMH nights in the MK. It was sad because I often wonder if any of them are having fun the kids or the parents, because their stress level is so high.

We learned the hard way when our son was 4 and had a melt down in a sit down restaurant in EPCOT. He was normally so well behaved in restaurants. It was a real surprise to us. We had to modify our plan make sure he was well rested and in good spirits. We gave up some park time for some rest time mid day every day after that. This was all it took for the rest of our trip to go smoothly.

The only way you will know is if you try it one day and see how it works. Often they will be fine that day, but it is the next day that you may need to take more down time during the day.

You know your children best just watch for their cues. Enjoy! nothing is better than seeing WDW than through the eyes of a young child!

[mudpuppysmom]

When DS#1 was a little younger (he's all of 6 now, almost 7) we tried the go back to the hotel for a nap thing and since he was never a napper it didn't really work for us. At least not until about day 4 of vacation anyway, then he would nap, but around 5 or 6 was when he wanted to do it, which was fine, BUT he still never made it until 1 am on an EMH night.....one time we made it until midnight and he said to me, "mom, I'm done, can we go back to the hotel and go to sleep now" and we did.

Also, alot of our trips have been just he and I. DH comes intermittently and has only gone with us for the entire week I think three out of the seven or eight times we've been in the last five years, so DS#1 and I knew what we could "get done" and then go home. Now we have DS#2 and we won't be shedding the stroller for several years, so we need an another adult to be with us, so if you have two adults maybe one can go back to the hotel while the other stays at the park with the older one and then another day the other parent can switch with the first parent -- that way everyone gets a little break sometime (except the 2 1/2 yr old!!).

We also were lucky that when DS#1 wanted take his break (and he'll tell you, "I'm taking my break now") he just fell asleep for a little while and all was well, but if your kids don't /won't nap in the stroller you'll have to go back to your room -- meltdowns are not pretty and I've witnessed several in all our trips! I'm just glad we've only had a handful here and there.

Have a great trip and ENJOY!!!

[irish1967]

What do your children do now? That will really answer your question. If they are normally up late, you should be fine. If not, well, then you are probably asking for trouble.

Honestly, if you keep them on a similar routine, you all will be much happier.

My children have always been "early to bed, early to rise" children. They do so much better when we get up and get going, take a break in the middle of the day (the naps have been replaced by pool time) and then back to the resort and into bed at a decent hour.

[disneyers]

And this routine involves staying up late at night and sleeping in strollers with tons of people around?



That's what I was going to say.

My kids did/ do take their nap in the stroller, but still a nap in a stroller IS NOT equitable to a nap in their own bed, in their own room. The nap in the stroller just allows - #1 us to stay in the park and ride rides with switchpass and #2 to make our children bearable for the afternoon/ evening.

If you kid is normally in bed by 8 with or without a nap, I would not recommend pushing it past 9 or 9:30.

[g8rgirl29]

We have done it with our DD when she was 3 and then 4. My best advice is to just go with how your children are doing when you are there. We planned our day based on this is the park we are going to and this is where we are having dinner. Other than that we were pretty free. If she got tired we went back for a nap. Sometimes we could just hit an area like Ariel's grotto or Pooh's playful spot and let her run off some steam. Some days she took a power nap in her stroller. Some days we skipped nap and then ended up back at the room around 5 for a rest. Good luck and have a great trip!!

[brian2000boston]

Our three year old DS had no problems with being up early and staying out late. Once ina while he slept in the stroller mid afternoon but he had no issue going to midnight the little trooper! Definately go on how they feel while there. Take there normal schedule and leave it at home, the truth is until you get there you really will not know how they will react. They have mysterious energy once Mickey is around.

[Septbride2002]

We took my daughter when she was 16 months and again at 22 months - she could make it till 9 or 10 as long as she got a good nap. The problem is she also didn't nap in the stroller - since usually we were waiting for a fireworks show we would let her down in a quiet area and let her run around - she loved the water fountain at the french pavillon and it kept her entertained for a long time throwing pennies in it and dancing for everyone to see. :)

My advice to you is try to stay out late but know when to cut your losses. If your children are cranky and irritable it is time to leave the park. :D

~Amanda

[thumperbug]

Its all about each individual kid. Nothing upsets me more at WDW then when a parent is dragging a tired, hot child around stating " I paid alot of money for this trip and we are going to see and do everything".

You have to base your day on how the child is behaving/feeling THAT day.

My DS never in his 6 years of life napped. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to need one at WDW. Turns out the little man can go longer then any of us adults. He is almost 7 (but very small for his age) but we still have a good travel stroller for him. There are some points during the day he just wants to sit and relax a little. I have no problem with that.

All day on every trip we check with him to see how he feels, if he wants to rest, get a drink, keep going. That is the only way to truly enjoy a trip.

On one trip, he ended up sick. He had 1 off day where he actully dozed in the stroller and was a bit mushy but he kept insisting he wanted to be in a park. At no time did we feel we were being bad parents keeping him out because we let him call the shots. He knows better then us how he feels.

And for all you parents cringing at taking a sick child to a park and exposing other kids to his germs, we wiped anything he touched before and after to make sure no one else could catch his germs. :)

[EmmMOM2]

I wouldn't do it to my kids.
they were in bed at 8pm the same as at home. When they woke up at 7am we were ready to go and happy.
I kept my son out (4) late one night to see them fantasmic show and BIG mistake he broke down crying hysterically by 9:30, he was delirious., and we had a later start the next day because of it.

I would say keep them as close to the schedule you have them on now. It's not worth them being a grump the WHOLE next day due to lack of sleep is it?

A vacation is supposed to be fun and relaxing, not a rat race to do everything in a short amount of time.

[Mickey'sGirl]

We've always played it by ear....and we are prepared to leave the parks whenever we see the boys have had enough. There are days where we have retreated to the hotel by 2pm, and other days, where we closed the parks down ... it all depends, and you know your kids best.

I hope you have a fabulous time no matter what you do! :mickey:

[Tinkerfreak]

DH and I would split up if one of our girls got too tired and wanted to go back to the room. We never had certain planned pool times or anything like that. We get up in the a.m. and go and if one gets tired and wants to go back for a nap or swim and the other doesn't than we just split up. Same thing at night if somebody is tired and does not want to stay for the night time stuff we just slit up. It has always worked for us, that way the kids don't get overtired and we all have a better trip.
Some of our best times have been the one on one time we have spent with each daughter.

[GoofyMom09]

We are going in April with our 3 year old and 1 year old. We are not planning on staying out past 9PM on any day. They are usually up around 6 AM so we figure we will take advantage of the EMH in the morning. As stated before, it depends on your kids. Mine do have melt downs and NEED naps....I plan to not stress them out. Keeping them up way past their bedtime may add a couple of hours in the park but it would mess them up for the rest of the week. I want to have an enjoyable time with my kids, even if the amount of time in the park is less then I would want for myself:thumbsup:

[TikiGoddess]

I have been to WDW with my kids since they were 6 mos old, up to 4.5 yrs old.

When we're home, the kids usually get up around 6-6:30 and go to bed at 8pm. Nap/quiet time in the middle of the day for about 1.5-2 hrs.

When we're at Disney, the kids usually get up 6:30-7am and go to bed around 8:30pm. Nap/quiet time in the middle of the day (for everyone!) about 1.5-2 hrs and they always sleep.

My husband is the one who makes us stick to this routine. I am a park commando -- want to be there as long as the park is open -- but in the instances when we have stayed longer it has been disaster. When you go to the World with small children, you really have to cater to them and their schedule. If you don't, they will be grumpy and in turn, you will be grumpy. A friend of mine said, "you should plan on ONE attraction that you want to see... anything after that is extra." You might think this is an overstatement but it's true... you never know with toddlers what's going to happen. (6 mo olds are usually pretty amenable to whatever's going on...)

So, in response to your first post, I wouldn't push it. Your 2.5 yr old might do great that first night but then be intolerable the next day. A happier (and more relaxed) vacation will be had by all if you slow down and realize you aren't able to do as much as you could without children.

Kathy

Edited to add: Something we do ---- maybe instead of having a babysitter watch the kids at night, you and your spouse could take turns. One of you goes out at night to do rides and the other stays with the kids. It's not the best solution (although I LOVE being in the parks by myself) but a compromise.

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . I end up feeling sorry for the mother, the child, and slowly wishing they'd just take the baby out of the line and back to bed . . .

1) I feel sorry for ME, having to listen to the cranky kid(s).
2) Many parents just try to push their kids.
3) They don't stay up that late at home, so why on a vacation?
4) I truly believe it is selfishness on the part of the adults.

[DizneyRox]

1) I feel sorry for ME, having to listen to the cranky kid(s).
2) Many parents just try to push their kids.
3) They don't stay up that late at home, so why on a vacation?
4) I truly believe it is selfishness on the part of the adults.
Without trying to sound rude, I think this is dead on. Many parents seem to think, "I paid good money for this trip, dag nabbit I'm going to enjoy it!" I've even heard so much many times with parents heading INTO the park with crying screaming kids in tow.

It's a shame... It's got to be even worse behind the doors in their house.

[TikiGoddess]

4) I truly believe it is selfishness on the part of the adults.

I think a lot of new parents have trouble touring WDW with children. They're used to going to the World as two adults and having the freedom to: eat leisurely meals, make their own hours, and go at their own speed. Then, when children are added to the mix, they want to keep the same pace and see as much as they are used to doing.

My thinking is -- you have to follow the 'weakest' in your group. Touring with children means a total switch of mind... and I know this, because I've had to go through it. I used to be the one in the park at opening and one of the last ones leaving. And now, even though it kills me to leave the park at noon to take a nap in the middle of the day, I DO IT because otherwise we'd have two fried and grumpy children on our hands.

I think as most people have said on this thread -- it does depend on your individual child. But overall be prepared to have to miss attractions and slow down. (I always tell myself, "it just means we have to come back next year...") :)

Kathy

[mouseketeer mom]

We just don't do it, it never works for us. I never even look at park hours or EMH's or anything like that when planning, because we don't push the limits on either end. Without enough sleep my kids are in rough shape, and that means our trip will be in rough shape. I've learned to wave the white flag of surrender over the years! With kids, always keeping somewhat of a normal routine is best for us.

[JenniferS.]

Last yr we went w/ our 2 yr old and twin 5 yr olds. We stayed out late for the mnsshp (11:30pm). What we did was gave them a nap after dinner for about 1 hr or so. They awoke at 7 pm and we headed out. They did great.