Naps. On. The. Go.
At. Disney. World.
In. The. Heat.
These ten words can really send a parent spiraling.
The idea of lugging around a baby while chasing a toddler through Disney and balancing naps is enough to turn many families off of the idea.
But what if you want to experience the magic with your toddler without throwing off the schedule for your baby? After all, it’s important to live life and have some flexibility with naps and bedtime!
Today, I want to share some tips to help make these naps possible. But, I also want this to serve as a reminder that your child’s schedule will not be perfect. They will most likely take short naps. Their wake windows will be a little different due to the overstimulation and the lack of great naps.
And guess what… that’s ok!
The less you stress out the more fun everyone will have so be sure to really work on that for yourself!
Before I share my must have items and a few tips, the absolute most important thing you will want to do for your little one is to help them learn to fall asleep on their own prior to going on your trip. This will make naps on the go much easier (especially if you don’t have to carry around a baby in the Florida heat for every nap).
If that isn’t happening, let’s work on that as soon as possible so that your baby has the skill down before you go on your trip.
And now for my must haves:
-The purpose of the sound machine in this case is to offer a familiar sound when it’s time to nap. This is not to drown out the surrounding sounds. You may be able to drown some things out but between kids screeching of excitement and train horns blaring, you just won’t be able to get that quiet nap environment. But the sound machine will act as a trigger to your child’s brain that it’s time for sleep (if they use one at home).
-Even if you’re going in January, get these. Buy two so that you have a back up for when one dies. Florida weather is very unpredictable, and you don’t want to be stuck with an overtired baby because the inside of the stroller seat is too hot for them to fall asleep.
3.) Portable Charger
-When we went, our friends brought theirs and this was an item that I never knew we needed. It was used every day, multiple times a day! We charged our fans and our phones to make sure we always had enough battery to cool off the babies and entertain the toddlers in long lines. This is a nap must have because it’s very helpful to have your sound machine and fans to be fully powered to get those naps.
-Unfortunately, I forgot mine when we went to Disney World, and I regretted it! This shade helps to create a little sleep space within the stroller while allowing airflow in a way that blankets don’t. Keep the fan on the inside so that baby stays nice and cool. This is a great way to block out some of the visually stimulating aspects of the parks while darkening their area a bit.
*Use code BABYSLEEPGUIDE for 10% off
5.) Patience and Grace
-For some, this may be the hardest one to obtain. Letting go of your expectations and rolling with whatever happens will help you tremendously! We can’t expect perfection with the schedule or the nap lengths. All that we can do is work with what we have while using some extra helpful tools and hope for the best. Don’t overextend them and stick to their feeding routine the best that you can. Remember to be patient and give them grace, especially if naps on the go are new for them. Your baby can sense if you are stressed out and it will only make things harder.
If your baby is really fighting the nap and just not able to fall asleep in the stroller, do what you must do to get that nap to avoid them from being overtired. I always keep my favorite baby carrier on hand to use as a backup because I know he will fall asleep in there
In conclusion….
Take the trips. Book the flight. Change up your normal. And make the memories!!! In ten years from now, you won’t regret missing the nap or throwing off your baby’s sleep for a few days. In fact, you probably won’t even remember that part! You’ll cherish the memories!
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