Terrified of tired kids and being miserable (all of us)

[skippytx]

Echoing the go with the flow sentiment.

Personally we take mid day breaks, it's what works for us. We like going to the parks late at night, so a typical day is Park 1 until 2PM or so, room from 2:30-5:30 for lunch and naps, Magic Kingdom from 6 to close. Usually get back to the room around 11/11:30PM and kids are bathed and asleep by midnight. The last WDW trip DS was 4 and 3 months, and DD turned 6 we didn't use the stroller. They were fine without it. We don't usually eat a formal dinner as my kids are grazers.

Everyone tours differently though, you have to figure out what works for you.

I will say though I might modify things if we went in January. We visit at busier times when MK is usually open until 11PM or later, and we stay at Bay Lake Tower which cuts down a lot on the travel time needed for mid day breaks. We felt we lost a lot of time during our 2015 trip (at AOA) due to travel. It felt like we spent 1/3 of the day either waiting for or riding the bus. With things closing earlier in Jan, we would probably forego the midday break take a couple rest and refuel breaks at the park somewhere.

 

[DisneyCAL]

We have a rule with our planning. Our last trip in August we truly stuck to it and it was fantastic. On days we get up early for rope drop or ppo breakfasts we go to bed early. On days we are up late for fireworks etc. we sleep in the next morning. We also did two days resort only or water parks. For example, we had a bit of a medical scare with our son and he and I were up until 3am at a nearby childrens hospital. We changed the schedule for the morning, cancelling BOG breakfast and changing FP's but its what we all needed especially my son. You just have to be okay with letting things go so that you dont get too tired, hungry or cranky.

 

[Sandiz08]

Stroller, midday breaks, sleep in when you need it, and utilize the kids club when kids prefer down time on their own. My four year old DS cried a bit when he got tired and ended up liking the kids clubs. He wanted to spend the evenings at the kids clubs instead of at the parks.So we only took our older child with us to the parks in the evening on our last few nights there.

 

[monorailsilver]

What we have always done:

Wake at the crack of dawn, Dh and I shower and the kids slowly wake up. They eat breakfast in the room, get dressed, sunscreen, bags packed and out the door by 7:15.

Do rides until lunch time. Have lunch in the park and return to hotel for naps. Everyone showers and we either eat at the hotel or in the park and return by 5 ish.

We stay out til after the nighttime show and then come back to bed. Last trip we tried to do extra magic hours at night but by 11 we were tired.

We also only do 2 park days in a row then a sleep in/rest/pool day.

I have been fortunate that my kids have been non crabby/crying with that schedule. My youngest, well my oldest was 15 months when we went and she was fine with the one nap.

I tried one trip to have my oldest who was 4 at that time not nap during our break and my 22 mo old napped. She and I went to the pool. Well she fell asleep after dinner in the stroller. So after that she we all went back to the room for mid day naps. Our last trip she was 12 and she napped. Our next trip she will be 17 and she may still want to nap which is fine by me. My other 2 will be 14 and 12.

 

[ConvenientTruth]

You're worried about the kids...hell, I want to leave by midday. It is a different type of exhaustion...dealing with the crowd and crazy stimulation...that midday break makes the trip much easier (and enjoyable). This is coming from a fairly fit family that lives in Florida and is used to the weather. Disney has so much to see, but don't make yourself miserable trying to see it all. It is still a vacation. Having days you don't visit the parks help as well.

 

[bariww]

Thanks ya'll!

 

[juxtapose]

We kept their night sleep the same so they got up about 6/7am and went to sleep at 7/7:30pm. We did not do a single late night with them. Most days we were at the parks from 8/9am-5/6pm. We never did a break because it was more important for them to get a full nights sleep than a rest in the afternoon. We were there in November so we had shorter hours.

 

[scrapquitler]

At that age, get a double stroller, and when they get tired or cranky let them take a stroller nap.

 

[DduzDis]

We have a City Mini that has a pretty decent canopy that comes down. When DD was sleepy we would clip a fan on there to cool the inside and she would crash for as long as she needed to. We definitely would use the attractions and The Baby Care Centers to feed her and let her cool down for a bit. We definitely abide by the midday break policy (for all of us).

 

[DrunkJam]

Just notice how it's going.
Stop when it's not fun. Not as a punishment, just as a OK, let's go have a rest.
Get park hoppers, so you can bail whenever, and maybe head out somewhere else later if you are all feeling better.
But the top, top thing, think is stop as soon as it's not fun anymore. Pushing anyone beyond what they can cope with is a recipe for disaster.

 

[bear_mom]

Keeping dds fed was the key to our happiness, if they started to get cranky we would sit down and give them a snack. We shipped down snacks and kept them handy all the time. Usually by the time they finished their snack, all was well again.

Also, when our dds were younger, we were up early (older dd wakes up early no matter what and once she was up dh and I were also) and at the park for rope drop and went at their pace during the day. We would try to do some shows interspersed throughout the day for rests.

If dinner was in the parks we would maybe do one or two more things before heading back to the resort for showers and bed. We tried to keep bedtimes normal (8-9). During a trip, we would only do 1-2 nighttime shows and we would try to sleep in later the next morning, but that usually didn’t work out.

On one trip we tried the afternoon break thing, but that didn’t work for our family. No one wanted to rest and leaving the park took longer than we wanted.

 

[TAngel84]

I'm worried about this too with our 3 and 6 year old, but we did a test run at Dollywood over the Summer and I was shocked that they were ok from open to close of the park. The then 2 year old did konk out in the stroller for a bit, but we stayed at the park and he slept while his sister took turns riding the bigger kid rides with myself or husband. She whined a little about walking, so we are getting a double stroller for Disney just in case. That said it was a great day where we walked on to just about every ride, so I am worried what the waiting at WDW is going to do to their stamina.

They are typically early risers at home, so our first couple of days we are planning to go early and then leave when they are over stimulated or get cranky, probably late afternoon. We may or may not go back out. The only late night we have planned is a 4:30 BOG dinner followed by the Plaza Garden Fireworks Dessert Party on our 4th day. We're planning to sleep in as much as able and have some pool time and lunch at the resort that day. Probably not heading into MK until 2:00ish. Then the next day we plan to sleep in and spend most of the day at WS for a littler lower key.

Also, there will be a bottle of something in the room for us adults you can be sure. A nice glass of wine after an early bed time helps a lot with the days stresses.

As far as lines I think having little snacks is helpful with that age as is bubbles or possibly games or videos. My 3 year old honestly did okay with the waiting (although she wanted to be held) it was my 7 & 9 year old that struggled with it on the last trip -- then we downloaded the charades game on the phone and that really kept them entertained and happy while in line.

 

[TAngel84]

I have been with kids of several ages from just shy of 2 up to 9 and I must say we have only once or twice taken a break midday (early afternoon). My little ones have always just napped in the stroller and we take advantage of that time to either really take in the sights or take the older kids to rides that the little one maybe cannot ride. With child swap the older kids get to ride twice once with each parent (or adult) so bonus perk for them. I think all the tips already stated are completely correct- have snacks, have little activities to keep them occupied in lines (bubbles are great for the younger kids, we played charades on the phone with the older ones and that really was a hit.) but the biggest tip is You know Your kids AND really just enjoy the park at their pace. When my nieces were little (2 & 4) we went for the first time and they spent 30 minutes watching the ducks walking around Epcot...I'm a go go go person but I have learned that if you just follow the kids' pace and do what they want to do the trip is much less stressful and much more fun and magical.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I agree with PPs who said that you have to keep an eye on your family's feelings, for lack of a better word. Be willing to abort the mission if your squad is flagging. By that I mean, it doesn't matter how hard you worked to get ADRs or just the right fastpasses--if your kids need a break, you need to leave the parks for a while. You need to have this firmly in your mind before you leave. There's absolutely nothing wrong with planning--the problem is, getting young human beings to follow that plan. So, you having an attitude of "I'd like to do X, Y, and Z, but I'm okay if we do X, A, B, and maybe circle back to Y" will make the trip more enjoyable for you.

Added bonus--this gives you a reason to go back some time in the future. And you'll still have a fun time, even if it's not the exact trip you envisioned.

For my family, we did rope drop to mid-afternoon, then my kids were done. We never saw parades--no interest. We rarely saw fireworks. Knowing this was my family's style, we would plan FP for the morning, and rarely do dinner ADRs. Your family could be totally different--some people have success with mid-day breaks, others alternate commando days with rest days. Some sleep in and close the parks down--no way is wrong.

P.S. We always carried water and peanut butter crackers in a backpack. Sometimes other snacks, too. These weren't meant to completely replace park treats, but were handy if someone was hungry while in line--it was enough to tide them over. Hungry and thirsty kids are cranky kids.

 

[maxiesmom]

P.S. We always carried water and peanut butter crackers in a backpack. Sometimes other snacks, too. These weren't meant to completely replace park treats, but were handy if someone was hungry while in line--it was enough to tide them over. Hungry and thirsty kids are cranky kids.

That is a good tip for everyone. After starting to feel unwell in line one time due to lack of food (we were going going going and I didn't realize my body needed more food) I now keep some snacks on me. Granola bars, or some nuts. Something that is a bit of fuel to hold me until I can get to some real food.

 

[bdiddy]

Our first two trips the kids were 2 and 4 and then 3 and 5. We had every intention of leaving the park to rest but imo it’s really not realistic unless you are at one of the resorts that’s super close to the park. We found that the kids would fall asleep on the way back to the resort and then wake up when we got there. It ended up being a waste of time.

What we ended up doing is that we go for a week first of all so we aren’t rushed at all. We usually went to each park twice except for Animal Kingdom and took time to relax at the resort and do Downtown Disney. But we took our time every day and tried not to rush around like crazy.

We alternated either getting a really late start and staying out later or getting an early start and being done after dinner. Our youngest also napped like clockwork in the stroller from 1-3 every day. Sometimes our daughter did too and sometimes she didn’t. But we used that time to just rest and relax or DH and I took turns going on rides we couldn’t go in with the kids.

 

[momto2js]

When they were young, generally touring until 5 or so and then getting take out dinner on the way home was the key. We did not do many sit down dinners after a long day. I also agree with the above, keeping ahead of the hungry is the absolute key. When they are ready for lunch you can not be getting in line. We went as far as sandwiches in a cooler bag during the stroller years. That way we just ate when we were hungry.

 

[DizzyDis]

We made sure to plan anything we really wanted to do for morning or very early afternoon and then saw anything that happened after about 1 pm as a bonus. This was especially true for ADRs, dinners were a wreck for us (mine were younger: 2 and 4), so we cancelled all dinners midway through and then planned quick QS meals for kids and DH and I would eat later on the balcony.

Also agree with all other comments on keeping them fed and sufficiently rested. And realise your kids are still your kids, so whatever sets them off at home will do the same at WDW, just 1000 times worse. For me, it is DD needs sleep and DS needs food, so must protect that at all cost! Trying to ignore that was a recipe for disaster. So manage expectations, don't try to do everything and if your kids don't nap or go in a stroller at home (the case for my 2 year old), that may not change there, so figure out strategies that will work for your kids. Up late never worked for us, so we just recognized our days basically ended at 4 (best case), so worked around that.

 

[katilac]

We started taking my kids at 6 & 8. I absolutely knew they would need daily breaks to have fun the whole week, so it was back to the hotel each afternoon for a break and no fireworks until the last night (this drove my mom CRAZY, lol). It wasn't about physical stamina so much as needing a break from over-stimulation. They never, ever slept in a stroller, even as toddlers, so that would not have worked as a break for us even if I were willing to have strollers for them at that age. We did have one umbrella stroller that mostly held our stuff, but served as occasional seating as well.

We did breaks rather than an early end, because even an early end would have been a couple of hours too much for them. The break let them really enjoy Round 2.

I really think it depends on the kid! Know their usual tolerance level, and keep a close eye on them. If my kids had been raring to go, we would have foregone the break, but they always had tell-tale signs of "I'm about to overstimulated and lose my sh*t."

 

[katilac]

I forgot to mention that our first few trips were in August/September, so the mid-day break made sense in other ways, too. We avoided the hottest and most crowded time of day, and that was definitely worth a round trip on the bus for us. We live in a state that is actually hotter and more humid than Florida, but it's not like we're usually outside for 8+ hours at a time.