When You're Fast Asleep (Disney Recap Part Two)

When I wrapped up the first post, I had told you about the epic flight delay and how it foiled our plans for day one––which was to get settled, check out the resort pool or Blizzard Beach, head to our early dinner at Park Fare, and then get some rest. Instead, we asked Ashley to push dinner as much as she could, quickly dropped our stuff, got the kids' room as ready as we could, freshened up, and headed to dinner... and got there so late (grossly underestimated the transportation).

So now, the grownups (except Christian and Courtney), are cranky and stressed, and the kids are overtired, but... just like Ashley told me it would, the Disney magic (adrenaline) kicked in, and dinner was so fun! The kids ate well, we all had a drink, and we saw Cinderella and some other characters. On the journey back to our resort, the kids got to see the MK fireworks from afar and LOVED it. But, during the wait to head back, they started to get extremely overtired, we had some skinned knees (Noel was 2 for 2 this trip), and Noel was melting down. In this scenario, what I can tell you as a mom and sleep consultant, is to just accept it and have grace for yourself and your babies. My kiddos are never out that late, but it was Disney, for crying out loud! It's not like I was torturing them by keeping them up for something miserable. I had some guilt around not having the double stroller for them to crash in, but guess what? Everyone survived. We got to our resort, skipped bathtime (something else that never happens, but I take my own advice and say 80/20!!), cleaned them up, PJs, and into bed they went.

If you're curious about the sleeping arrangements, we chose to stay at a value resort so that we could get a suite style room and have it still be cost-effective. Our suite had a master bedroom, which was where the kids slept. They LOVE to share a room on vacation. We got two bedrails and a crib from the resort, brought some of their bedtime essentials from home (not all of them, because it was a lot to pack––some of Carson's, some of Noel's and some that suit both, like white noise. They did have to "argue" over which Tonie to listen to, but otherwise, they both adapted!). The "suite" also had a pullout couch and Murphy bed for Andy and I. Since our kids normally go to bed early, we LOATHE sharing a sleeping space with them on vacation, because under normal circumstances, you end up having to plan the rest of your night around not waking sleeping babes. So, this made the most sense for us, even when they went to bed later than usual.

Out of the 5 nights, 3 were damn near perfect. Both kids PASSED out, didn't wake up, and of course, slept in... because we needed to be up for early breakfasts (remember, later bedtimes, do not usually mean later morning wakings, but Disney tired is a tired like no other!). The two "less than ideal nights" were the last two nights. Both kids were feral, and on Thursday night, we knew the only way to get them to sleep was to separate them! So Carson had a sleepover in Mimi's room (she was in the same resort, 2 floors down, with the same style suite) and I co-slept with Noel, something that in her two plus years, I have never done, but thoroughly enjoyed (as a one off!). Friday night, another night of hyperactivity after a day at the pool and delicious family dinner, I slept with both kids for a bit until they settled, and I let Noel sleep in the big bed with Carson. With two bedrails, they were safe, cozy, and actually slept great once they finally calmed down.

I don't want to drag this on, so I am going to boil this down to my key takeaways:

Rent or bring a stroller. We've never used a double, but at some point at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot, each kid took a nap, and it was just enough to keep them going.
Bring essentials from home, but don't stress yourself out with recreating everything. As long as it feels familiar enough, kids are very adaptable!
Like I said, let those expectations go. On the good nights, our kids were asleep by 8 p.m., which is only slightly later than their bedtime at home (Noel is 7 and Carson is 7:30). On the bad nights, it was 10 p.m. But everyone survived. It's not everyday, it's a Disney trip.
Naps may be skipped or not what they usually are. We had decided that we would let Noel run the show. She would tell us if she wanted to take a real nap, and we could have taken her back to our resort to do so. But we knew that given the opportunity, if she needed it, a stroller nap would suffice. We did not schedule her nap into the day––for a younger baby I might, if they are not great at naps-on-the-go––but at age 2, it did not feel necessary, even with later bedtimes.
The 80/20 rule is as follows, and I always remind myself and my family of this when on vacation, but never more-so than in Disney: 80% of the time, we want to do our best to maintain a schedule and routine, because that is important. But 20% of the time? We need to raise flexible kids, or else, they will never be able to adapt when something is different or thrown off from their normal life! So, do the nap on the go, let them stay up late to see the fireworks (twice!) and co-sleep if you have to calm them down after a busy day.