Suggestions for getting toddler to sleep at night at hotel?

[Clover9990]

My 2 year old (26 months) niece is going to Disney for the first time, and staying in a room with my MIL and FIL. We are staying at the Contemporary. She is used to being put to bed at night in her crib in her bedroom, but my MIL says she will not fall asleep if you lay down in bed with her- I guess it's too much of a distraction.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what they can do/put in their room to make it more conducive to sleep for her? We're hoping she'll just conk out from being so busy in the parks all day, but we can't count on that. I was thinking one of those screen divider things, and putting a port-a-crib behind that, so it'll be like a mini-room for her. She's also behind on several skills, as far as her maturity level/where she should be for her age level, so it's not like you can bribe her, or make a "deal" with her that if she goes to sleep in her crib, she'll get X reward in the morning, etc- she just wouldn't understand it.

Thanks so much in advance for any suggestions you might have!

 

[Chloesmom]

We took my daughter when she was 28 months old . believe me...sleep will not be a problem. Chloe was sooo tired that she would fall alseep before we were in bed.
Disney will provide cribs..which are nice enough but small. My daughter would not fit in one at 28 months.
You may consider getting her a little sleeping bag now and putting her in it, in her crib. That way when you go to Disney she can have the sleeping bag that is familiar even if it is on the floor. If you do put her on the floor request a few extra blanket to make a cushion under her.
.

 

[Clover9990]

Thanks for the ideas! I need to clarify a few things, though- this is my niece, and she doesn't live with us. She lives with my brother-in-law, who lives with his parents (my MIL & FIL). So all I can do is pass on the suggestions to the in-laws before going and hope they might use one of them (like the sleeping bag one- that's a great idea- thank you so much!)

Also- I would HOPE that my niece would fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion, but who knows. I have a 2 1/2 year old and we stayed in the hotel at Disney when she was 19 months old and had no problems at all. We brought her Pack & Play, but she wound up falling asleep in the bed with my DH and DS slept in my bed. My niece is a totally different child though- she really thrives on routine, even moreso than my 2 kids- I'm just worried my in-laws are going to have a tough time with her. They are both in their 60s, and my BIL has to work so he won't be along to help out with his daughter.

I'm glad you told me about the size of the Port-a-cribs, though- my niece is a big girl- about 35 pounds and about 36 inches tall- so she might not actually fit in it.

 

[Jackie824]

Just a few other suggestions. Ive traveled with my 2 kids (they are now 8 and 3), and when they were that age and they slept anywhere dift, at grandma's house on vacation or at Disney at a hotel. We always brought stuff from their crib/bed. I made sure they had their favorite blanky or pillow, and what ever stuffed toys they were use to sleeping with(more of the smaller stuff). I just found that if they had some of their favorite things from home around them,it helped a bit.

 

[NotUrsula]

In any discussion of this I've ever had with other parents going to WDW, I've always been proved right about this when they come back... it's not a problem.

WDW is totally exhausting for a child that age. Comfy stroller + darkness = sleep. Something that we learned to do after DS started toilet training was to carry a small supply of pull-ups; he would fall asleep without having gone to the bathroom first, so he usually could not make it through the night dry. We always broke for naps at mid-day, but another 5 hours or so of park time after dinner was always enough to put him down for the count.

When leaving a park at closing, it's important not to rush for the busses; stroll around slowly and wait for the crowds to thin out.
IME, children struggle to keep their eyes open until they actually leave the park, but once through the gate it is usually only a matter of moments until they succumb. Mine has never once woken up en route back to the hotel, no matter how many transportation changes we made.

 

[akrake]

and my 3 yr old LOVE to sleep on the day bed. he was so tired that we didn't have any trouble getting him to go to be at night.

 

[mickeysaver]

If routine is her thing, by all means follow it! Before the vacation, have your MIL tell everyone that will be in the room your neice's night time routine. Have your MIL and BIL talk to her about going on the trip to see Mickey. I know she won't absorb it all at first, but have them tell her over and over and it's bound to sink in a little. Tell her what to expect. Tell her she will sleep in a different bed. But, make sure they reassure her that her bear/blanket/security item will be there like always. Tell her she still gets her goodnight story/kiss/hug fest/whatever too. Don't just talk about it at bedtime, but bring it up during the day. When she is read a book, make it a Disney story, if possible. Tell her she might meet the characters at WDW. Remind her that it's far away from home, but she will have MIL and whoever else there with her.

Basically, it's just planting the ideas and following through with the usual routines. If you let her know that change is coming, she will handle it better that just letting it happen with no advance warning. Kids, especially the little routine bound ones, tend to do better when they know what to expect. It might not seem like she is absorbing the discussion, but when you are in that room and she's awake and fussy, remind her of the talks about going to see Mickey and his friends. Remind her of the discussions. Chances are, she will respond.

Now, hopefully, she will be like most toddlers at WDW, passed out asleep before 9pm. Most kids this age won't nap, unless they just pass out in the stroller or unless you make a point of going back to the room for a 3-4 hour break in the day. My best wishes are with you. Mickey

 

[crisi]

Some kids do have issues getting to sleep at Disney (mine did, they were just so wound up - too excited to sleep).

Keep as much of her home routine as possible - a favorite bedtime book, a bedtime snack, warm, bath, favorite jammies. This is not the time to try out new Minnie jammies and a new Mickey doll. Have your parents put her to bed and then move themselves out to the balcony for some quiet conversation, if she is used to a room by herself. Don't get her too wound up about tomorrows plans - or even what she did today. She may be the type who does better getting back to the room a couple of hours before bedtime to wind down - it will mean no fireworks or late nights - but may mean easier bedtimes.

 

[LeahA]

I agree with the above posters, more than likely she'll be exhausted from all the fun at the parks all day. I think having a seperate place for her to sleep is also a good idea if she won't fall asleep in bed next to someone.

My advice, from a dear friend of mine was not to be too rigid with bedtime. Let's say it's 8:30p.m. and your back in the room, don't force her to go to sleep because this is bed time at home, I did this with my kids and it drove all of us crazy! I simply was a little more lax with bed time, maybe jammies, laying in bed watching t.v. etc... I guess when they get tired enought they'll fall asleep.

Good Luck!

Leah

 

[Gillian]

Funny thing about the new Mickey doll - we bought a small one for DS and put it in his crib at the Polynesian one evening after he fell asleep, thinking he would wake up & be surprised (& happy). Instead, this was the only time he woke up during the night & didn't put himself back to sleep! He started crying & was very hard to console. This was out of a 10 night trip. I think the Mickey doll scared him!

We also used the balcony while our 2 year old fell asleep. If they are staying in a wing room, request first floor so there is a patio. The tower rooms all have balconies. the wing rooms do not.

I hope it works out! It's really hard to know how kids will react to Disney the first time, or even at different ages.

 

[Clover9990]

Thanks so much for all the advice!! I was thinking my in-laws would have to go the balcony route, but Gillian reminded me that we'll be staying in the NGW, so neither of our rooms will have one. We're also going with my SIL, her husband, and our 2 nieces, so I don't think we'd be able to switch our reservations around at this point (we requested 3 connecting rooms). SHOOT! Well, since we'll have connecting rooms, I guess my MIL & FIL could always bring the baby monitor and hang out in our room until my niece falls asleep.

Thanks for the tip about NOT introducing a new doll, too. The consensus seems to be that the best approach to take is to bring her favorites from home- pillow, blanket, and doll(s)- and hopefully it'll soothe her at bedtime a little bit more. I'll have to ask my MIL & FIL if my niece ever falls asleep watching TV. I've never seen her fall asleep that way, but then again, I don't live there. I know the routine with her is either my MIL, FIL, or BIL just stick her in her crib at naptime and bedtime, close the door, leave the room, and she eventually falls asleep on her own.

Again, I really appreciate all of the replies and advice- thank you all so much!

 

[Pammy_from_WI]

I took my dd, then almost 2 on a 3 week trip. I was worried about this as, well, since DD is the one that puts her to sleep at night, they have a routine, but he wasn't going on this trip.

Like the others said if they have a routine, try to stick as closely to that as you can. Bring whatever comfort item they use; i.e. blankie, stuffed animal or whatever. This is also NOT the time, to break habits, like nuks or bottles or start potty training.

The other thing is to try and keep the first day low in activity. She will have enough excitement, just traveling and seeing the new hotel. This sounds kind of boring for a first day, but really going to WDW is a lot to swallow for a toddler.

Our first night ended up being a LONG night, she was just so excited we couldn't get her to bed. She finally drifted off about 3am, which put a slight damper on the first day at the parks, but we spent the afternoon/evening there and by dinner time she was getting pretty tired. The second night she slept like a log, as she did the rest of the trip.

Good Luck, she'll have a blast, and really don't worry too much about sleeping, she'll be fine after a day or two.

Pammy

 

[Lisa96]

I read this tip posted on another site and thought it might be helpful for you. One family brought along a small pop-up tent for their toddler. (I believe you can get them at WalMart. ) That way the child could crawl in and feel somewhat separated and private from the rest of the family - and it was dark and cozy for afternoon naps. If your niece is very routine oriented, I wouldn't try this without having her sleep in it in advance. Even with a Pack'n Play or portable crip you might want to have her spend some time in it beforehand, because the new room and all the activity of the parks will be a big change for her.