The Importance of Sleep on Your Disney Trip

(8 Reviews)

Sara Hedervare

Owatonna, MN

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Chef Mickey's with my kiddo

The most magical place on earth can quickly become overwhelming for parents. Kiddos are submerged in a plethora of magical sights and sounds that they are not used. The sensory overload can be exhausting not to mention the amount of walking that those little feet will be doing and heat that they will be experiencing! Sleep is one of the most important activities that is necessary to carve out time for.

First and foremost, don't reinvent the wheel! Stick with your family's schedule. An easy way to avoid meltdowns is to make sure the your littles have their sleep! This is vital for everyone to enjoy their time, don't underestimate the power of sleep! A great way to do so is to stay on property. I cannot emphasis how much easier this is for families with kids. The value of being able to take Disney transportation to your resort is beyond comparison. Any resort is better then staying off property, but some resorts rank higher than others. This is due to the different transportation options. My little one's nap can be cut short if I transfer her from her stroller mid nap, resulting in meltdown. For this reason, I prefer anything that is on the monorail loop (The Contemporary, The Polynesian or The Grand Floridian) or is accessible from the Skyliner (Yacht Club, Beach Club, Boardwalk Inn, Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation and Pop Century). I prefer this has you don't have to take your napper out of their stroller, one less opportunity for your kiddo to wake up from their slumber. After nap time you can return to the parks refreshed. Taking a mid-day break you also increase the odds that your child will be able to make it to park close and/or firework shows.

If staying off property there are many areas in the parks that are quieter and provide great space for little one to catch some zzs in the stroller but also is shaded and has seating for mom or dad.

Magic Kingdom: Big top souvenirs- Why I like it, its air conditioned, sheltered, tables. Great place to let your little one nap and you can refuel while sitting down and enjoying the air conditioning. It is also located near the bathrooms and the train station. I recommend having this be your last stop before moving onto a different land. You can take advantage of the train and use this to get to a different location of the park. The train stops at Fantasyland, Main Street USA and Frontierland.

The aquarium. Is a great place to relax. The only draw back with this location is to enter you have to go through The seas with Nemo and friends. This attraction does not often have a line but you will need to park your stroller. This is a great option for little ones in a baby Bjorn or for ones who don't sleep in their stroller. You can often find a nice area to sit and watch the fish and relax. Personally this was my favorite place to take my little when she was in the baby bjorn. Perfect area to sit and snuggle and watch the fish.

HollyWood Studios: Near Muppet Vision 3-d there are many outdoor seating options. Although shade is not guaranteed this is arguably the quietest area of the park. There is a lot less foot traffic in this area. This is a nice place to take a break before entering Galaxy's Edge.

Animal Kingdom:

Conservation station: This is a nice area that also houses the animation experience. This is my top choice for families with multiple children at different ages. The youngest can rest while the eldest can take part in the animation experience. The animation experience is at certain times so make sure that you are planning accordingly. Also nearby is affection section where the kiddo who isn't napping can interact with animals. A great win win!

Mount Kilimanjaro Safari: So this is one that I would plan on doing if it is your second time on this ride or you plan on doing it again as you don't want the napper to miss out. I like this because a majority of the quene is shaded. You also don't have to park your stroller until you are about to board. Just be prepared to hold your little one for a bit. The roads traversed can be a little rough so I would not do this is your kiddo is easily roused from their nap.

I highly recommend creating a list of three to four must do experiences that you would regret if you missed. Create this list as a family so that everyone can have input. Have a plan in place to concur your list, then anything else is a bonus. This will take the pressure off as you won’t feel like you missed out when taking mid-day breaks. This will also help you to plan attractions in accordance with height requirements Disney FOMO is a thing but the reality is that there is so much to experience that will take much more than one trip to fully enjoy.

Make sure to stick to a realistic pace during your trip. There is a huge temptation to “cram” everything possible into your trip. This pace will also limit you on really enjoying the moment. Your kiddos are only this age for such a short time. Enjoy this time as a family, live in the moment and create memories!