Arrival day nap advice

CastAStone

Math and business nerd. Not an insider.
Joined
Jun 25, 2019
Hi!

We have a nap problem and I'm hoping for some suggestions.

We are at AKL-Kidani. We are waking the kids up at ~4:45AM to fly, and should be to AKL-KV no later than 11. I have a 3 year old who still needs a nap on a day where he wakes up at a normal time, and he really needs dark and quiet to nap (he probably won't nap in the plane/car).

We have an ADR at 5:40 at Garden Grille in Epcot. I need to find a way to guarantee my 3YO at least 90 minutes of nap before that or the evening will be a disaster.

Any advice on places for him to nap at AKL (either part) if our room isn't ready until late? Or other dark, quiet spots in the vicinity?
 
Will he stroller nap? Recline the stroller and pull the shade as far down as it goes, then park somewhere...

I just can't think of any place in general that would be dark AND quiet for that amount of time.
 
So the room isn't an option or your just assuming it wont be ready(which is a very reasonable assumption)? If theres no room ready to nap in there are tons of quiet nooks and crannies at AKL both at Kidani and Jambo. Do what PP mentioned, hopefully your stroller reclines, and find one of those quiet cool places(ask a CM if you need finding one).
 
My experience was no naps on arrival day. There was just too much change/stimulation. I would try to find some quieter activities to do around the lodge, eat your dinner which is fairly early) and then a nice early bedtime. Maybe you will get lucky and he will take a nap, but I wouldn't count or plan on it that first day.
 
First of all, on your room location request, check the box that says it's more important to you to get in your room than to get a specific location. And then when you check in, take the toddler with you to the counter and kindly request that you get in a room early so he can nap. No guarantees, but worth a shot.

If all else fails, give him a strong dose of Benadryl and go sit in one of the rocking chairs outside by the savanna. Gotta do what you gotta do!
 
@tamerbelles unfortunately my kid is one of those kids where Benadryl stimulates her, much like my husband....

So OP don't rely on benadryl unless you know how your kid reacts...
 
My experience was no naps on arrival day. There was just too much change/stimulation. I would try to find some quieter activities to do around the lodge, eat your dinner which is fairly early) and then a nice early bedtime. Maybe you will get lucky and he will take a nap, but I wouldn't count or plan on it that first day.

Yeah last year my 20 month old napped on the car ride to the airport, was awake our entire first flight, our insane long layover, entire second flight. Fell asleep wheels down in Orlando for a hot second. Was awake the entire DME ride and didn't sleep until she ate dinner....which had to be at about 9 or 10 at night because we landed so late.
 


Will he stroller nap? Recline the stroller and pull the shade as far down as it goes, then park somewhere...

I just can't think of any place in general that would be dark AND quiet for that amount of time.

Won't stroller nap, but might floor nap. The dark and quiet is important for falling asleep but he'll stay asleep once he's out.

I'm most worried about dinner; it's a character meal which I'm hoping will work to my advantage? Our hope is to do some of the Future World West pavilions that night as well, but 🤷‍♂️
So the room isn't an option or your just assuming it wont be ready(which is a very reasonable assumption)? If theres no room ready to nap in there are tons of quiet nooks and crannies at AKL both at Kidani and Jambo. Do what PP mentioned, hopefully your stroller reclines, and find one of those quiet cool places(ask a CM if you need finding one).

Assuming it won't be ready. If I can at least find a padded bench or sill, put some white noise on, and cover him with a blanket that might be enough, but it needs to be dark. I'll ask a CM.
 
Won't stroller nap, but might floor nap. The dark and quiet is important for falling asleep but he'll stay asleep once he's out.

I'm most worried about dinner; it's a character meal which I'm hoping will work to my advantage? Our hope is to do some of the Future World West pavilions that night as well, but 🤷‍♂️


Assuming it won't be ready. If I can at least find a padded bench or sill, put some white noise on, and cover him with a blanket that might be enough, but it needs to be dark. I'll ask a CM.
dark is going to be the hard part as that could be a tripping hazard for others. we were lucky all the younger grands have all stroller napped even the ones who would not nap at home
 
Going to be in the exact situation next trip with our 2-year old. 😩 Staying at Kidani but flight lands mid-morning and she always NEEDS a nap after lunch. If your little one doesn’t get a nap on arrival day do you have time the next day to allow him an extended nap if he needs it? Sometimes that helps my daughter to “catch up.”
 
If all else fails, give him a strong dose of Benadryl and go sit in one of the rocking chairs outside by the savanna. Gotta do what you gotta do!

Holy cow, no. Benadryl makes my kid off the wall bonkers.

OP...has your son been to Disney before? My son always naps differently when we are on trips. Specifically, he’s been to Disney at 18 months and the week before his 3rd birthday. He naps daily at home, but didn’t nap every day at Disney. The first time we went, we tried having him nap in the room the first day and couldn’t get him to lay down AT ALL. We found that he would conk out in the stroller when he got tired. We didn’t have meltdown issues...he was sooooo excited to be there. He’s 3.5 and constantly asks to go again.
 
Start getting him used to sleeping with background noise. How do you stay so quiet at home? I would vacuum the house when my kids went down for their naps. Background noise actually helps most kids, if it is too quiet then they hear every little thing. I am thinking about your hotel room at night and how will he be able to sleep there. The walls a pretty thin. But by the time you get there that day, he might just get so tired from the travelling that he just falls asleep anyway. Let him run around a bit when you get there to tire him out.
 
How dark does it need to be?

We were at AKL in December, and I remember some rocking chairs out on public area balconies. The balconies are covered, so it's quite shady. Here's a internet search pic:

907.jpg


There was also a fireplace in the lobby, and the backside was quite dark (though maybe not quiet enough??) Here's a pic of that:

Lobby%20fireplace%202.preview.JPG
 
Start getting him used to sleeping with background noise. How do you stay so quiet at home? I would vacuum the house when my kids went down for their naps. Background noise actually helps most kids, if it is too quiet then they hear every little thing. I am thinking about your hotel room at night and how will he be able to sleep there. The walls a pretty thin. But by the time you get there that day, he might just get so tired from the travelling that he just falls asleep anyway. Let him run around a bit when you get there to tire him out.
It really just needs to be quiet when he falls asleep. Staying quiet once he’s asleep isn’t critical.
 
How dark does it need to be?

We were at AKL in December, and I remember some rocking chairs out on public area balconies. The balconies are covered, so it's quite shady. Here's a internet search pic:

907.jpg


There was also a fireplace in the lobby, and the backside was quite dark (though maybe not quiet enough??) Here's a pic of that:

Lobby%20fireplace%202.preview.JPG
This is awesome thank you. This was at Jambo?
 

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