Something we noticed with the Boyos at comic-con: they do not sleep well in their pack 'n play's. Every night at 2:00, on the dot one or the other was awake and in bed with us. They would not be put down again. This is potentially problematic on a Disneyland trip, sugguestions?
"I speak Baby."
Husband to a Beautiful Princess, Father to Stormageddon and Spock.
Is it the pack n play or is it the 'it's not my home'? Can you have them sleep in their pack n play every once in a while in their bedroom at home? They probably wake up about 2 every night anyway, but when they realize they're in their familiar bed, they go back to sleep on their own. Also, you're going to be much closer to them in a hotel vs at home (assuming you don't have their cribs in your bedroom) - so maybe they here YOU when they wake up at 2 and don't self-comfort back to sleep. So I think practicing with the pack n play and/or making it as much like their regular sleeping place as possible is going to be your best defense.
There's just too many different things for them to self-comfort and go back to sleep right now - so remove as many of those differences as you can...
/not a parent - not a pediatrician - but a loving Aunt to 9 nephews....
Cathy
I agree with Cathy. They probably wake up at that time every night and go back to sleep on their own. And they likely don't go back to sleep because its not home and they hear you. My only suggestions would be get them used to the pack n plays at home, like Cathy said, and consider getting a kid suite so you can put them in the other room so they don't hear you.
Shannon
Mommy to 3 Princesses and 1 Prince
Miss M(11), J(8) and R(5), and Mr. N(4)
We had similar problems with both nephews. For the older one, we started bringing my sister's bathrobe (and she would wear it a lot and not wash it for at least 1-2 weeks before a trip) and would use it as a blanket, so the crib would smell familiar and comforting. For the younger one, he slept with my sister in her bed. (No bathrobe for him, thank you! He wanted the real deal.)
These are brilliant ideas.
I'm not just saying that, either. DW is a Disneyland Vet, but she has absolutely ZERO experience toting along toddlers on a trip to DL. So all advice is deeply appreciated.
Since the hotel we are staying at does not offer a kid suite, I think this is what we'll be doing. Getting them used to sleeping in pack and plays, and the robe idea is sheer genius!
Now to get see about getting leather harnesses made at a saddle shop for my boyos, Stormageddon and Spock. They are both beginning to walk after all . . .
"I speak Baby."
Husband to a Beautiful Princess, Father to Stormageddon and Spock.
Hope these tricks work well for you! By the way, if a bathrobe is too bulky to pack, we've also used really large t-shirts (Hanes thick, plain white cotton from Costco). My sister would use them as pajamas for at least a week, not wash them, pack them in large zip-loc bags to seal in all her scent, then we would use them as "blankies" during the trip. When one t-shirt lost the scent, we still had plenty of spares. And after the trip, the shirts were a breeze to wash (and bleach, if necessary) to be ready for the next trip.
when ever we travel we bring our own pillows. When DD15 was a toddler, we brought her blankets.
The Sarchasm -
The gorge between my witty comment and you, who doesn't get it.
We did that, too, for a while, but after my sister left the blanket and pillow behind several times at different hotels across the nation (and guess who got to call all the hotels to track the stuff down and have it mailed back??), we started using the t-shirts, since they were so much easier to replace. But, the real things from home are preferable, if you can keep track of them!
Go to the park early and hit Fantasyland first. Park the stroller, then you can get alot of the rides done. Note that the kids may get scared on the "dark rides". If your boys are familiar with Toy Story, they will love Buzz and toy Story mania. In California Adventures, Bugs Land and Little Mermaid are favorites with the kids. We tend not to leave the parks for a break and let the kids nap in their stroller. Then we find a nice shady spot to take a break as well. My kids (4y & 2 yr old-twins) usually fall asleep after fireworks. Then we go do the adult rides or shop. Enjoy!
Make sure the kiddos have plenty of time outside of the stroller. They need to run around a bit. You & DW will be exhausted, but if they've been in a stroller all day they are going to be raring to go!!!
Since they are walking now, make sure you & DW lay down the law about them darting off. When my DS was 2, he charged into an elevator going up, well we were waiting for the down elevator. Nothing worse then seeing the doors closing with your baby inside. I had a newborn and his twin brother with me too. He came back down pretty quickly. Well, from that point on, they always had one hand on the stroller on me.
One last twin advice. Decide your shifts with the kids in advance. Someone's gonna get cranky & it's better for one parent to deal with it, then both. That way both of you are not depleted at the same time, KWIM. (You probably already know this
If they happen to be always running off, put a mailing label on the back of their shirt, near the collar, that has your cell phone number on it.
This made me laugh! I have pictures in my head of the postmaster saying "not enough postage on this one!"Originally Posted by josephfive
KWIM is something I have not heard yet. I'd love to know what it means.
One last twin advice. Decide your shifts with the kids in advance. Someone's gonna get cranky & it's better for one parent to deal with it, then both. That way both of you are not depleted at the same time, KWIM. (You probably already know this)
DW and I share boyos equally when they're irritable. So that's no problemo at all.
"I speak Baby."
Husband to a Beautiful Princess, Father to Stormageddon and Spock.
KWIM = know what I mean?
Life is too short to wake up with regrets ~So love the people who treat you right
Forget about those who don't ~ Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, take it If it changes your life, let it ~Nobody said life would be easy,
they just promised it would most likely be worth it~ remember, Sometimes Miracles Hide
Received and understood!
"I speak Baby."
Husband to a Beautiful Princess, Father to Stormageddon and Spock.
This is great info ! I am taking my 2.5 yr old twin boys to the park later in October. I have those animal backpacks where the tails are like leashes. I don't love them but they will be packed in the stroller so they can get some time walking around. We are doing the photo pass+ for $70 so we can get all the photos from rides/meals. We are starting our trip slow with the Halloween party on Tuesday and then using our 3day hoppers for W,T, F.
~CourtneyAnne~ Single MOM to Twins
Trips to DL ~ 9/06 ~ 2/07 ~ 6/07 ~ 10/07 ~ New Year's 2008 ~ 11/8/08 ~ 2/08 ~ 2/09 ~
I'm really glad this was of help to someone other than me! Photopass is a good idea. Question, though, are you taking along to help with those almost 3 year old boyos?
"I speak Baby."
Husband to a Beautiful Princess, Father to Stormageddon and Spock.
Their dad, my EX-husband is footing the bill and coming with on this trip. He knows how much of a Disney dork I am and he realizes that I have passed that on to our boys. We are technically splitting the costs but my only income is child support so
~CourtneyAnne~ Single MOM to Twins
Trips to DL ~ 9/06 ~ 2/07 ~ 6/07 ~ 10/07 ~ New Year's 2008 ~ 11/8/08 ~ 2/08 ~ 2/09 ~
Our kids were great about sleeping in a laid down stroller....IF they were alone. I don't know if it is different for your twins, but instead of the double stroller, you might consider one for each. That way, they can crash by themselves....which is also a great time for one-on-one time with the other one! My kids were not twins, so they were up and down at different times. You should be able to gauge this from how they are at home, I would think....
DL ~ June 1981 ~ March 2000 ~ Oct/Nov 2001 ~ March 2006 ~ Oct/Nov 2007 ~ March 2009 ~ Sept 2010 ~ March 2011 ~ Sept 2011
WDW ~ March 2005 ~ Sept 2009
BRAND NEW DVC MEMBER - March 2011!!
Oh...and for the backpack w/ leash tails, I thought of something fun to share. We used a harness with our youngest (he was a darter and would be gone in a second) and just cut out a hole in the back of a cheap-o sweatshirt from Wal-mart to go over it. Worked awesome! I guess he thought so too, because we were getting ready to go to DL when he was 5 and he said we needed to pack his leash because he "just can't help himself with all the excitement". (It was long gone by then, but makes me feel good that he didn't think it was traumatic
)
DL ~ June 1981 ~ March 2000 ~ Oct/Nov 2001 ~ March 2006 ~ Oct/Nov 2007 ~ March 2009 ~ Sept 2010 ~ March 2011 ~ Sept 2011
WDW ~ March 2005 ~ Sept 2009
BRAND NEW DVC MEMBER - March 2011!!
LOL - Thankfully, my boys like their animal backpacks so it is never an issue. You can't really fit anything into them though so I might try to rig something different with the Cars string backpacks we got from the sweepstakes.Oh...and for the backpack w/ leash tails, I thought of something fun to share. We used a harness with our youngest (he was a darter and would be gone in a second) and just cut out a hole in the back of a cheap-o sweatshirt from Wal-mart to go over it. Worked awesome! I guess he thought so too, because we were getting ready to go to DL when he was 5 and he said we needed to pack his leash because he "just can't help himself with all the excitement". (It was long gone by then, but makes me feel good that he didn't think it was traumatic
~CourtneyAnne~ Single MOM to Twins
Trips to DL ~ 9/06 ~ 2/07 ~ 6/07 ~ 10/07 ~ New Year's 2008 ~ 11/8/08 ~ 2/08 ~ 2/09 ~
Just thought I'd shared what helped our toddler guy sleep in the hotel: We brought along his crib mattress, because we drove in our van and could not afford a suite. We put down our picnic blanket (which had a plastic underside), then the mattress and used his own crib sheet a blankies. Worked very well. He was too long for the portacrib and would roll right off a regular bed. Plus it felt familiar. We could usually find a nice nook for the mattress - sometimes it even fit in the closet (no doors) so he'd kip in an alcove.
Snacks and water that you pack in a bag are excellent. The toilets at the Baby Center (and changing tables/feeding areas) are fabulous. It is a slower pace with toddlers but it's also very sweet. Sometimes our kids napped in their double stroller. Most afternoons found most of us at the hotel. Our daughter was starry-eyed over the princesses but it took our son a while to warm up to the characters.
Our kids as toddlers loved rides like the train ride around Disneyland and exploring Tom Sawyer's island. If it's warm they will probably like the water play areas in Bug's Land. The lobby of the animation building was a nice cool place to rest and sometimes meet Disney characters (especially Sorcerer Mickey). Make sure to sit up front with them if you take them to Turtle Talk with Crush. If you are thinking about regular trips to the parks with your family, think about a place where you can take a family or kiddo photo every trip. I am not that organized, but some friends have done this, and their pictures of their kids as they grow are priceless.
Sounds like you've gotten some really good advice and are going to have a great trip!
Bob Genghis Khan, So-crates Johnson, Dennis Frood, & uh, uh... Abraham Lincoln // I've been ionized ... but I'm okay.
"The imp of the perverse made me do it. I said ‘yes’. Why curse the darkness when someone offers you a blowtorch, hey?" - R. McKinley
Extra clothes for after water play areas. None of my kids liked staying in their wet clothes.
Who would?
Cathy
I should have said by varying degrees. B just rolled with it, but he was older when we started going. G whined and coined the new term "ugh, wet denim". She was 14 our first trip. N was ok, but if A was changing so was she. A, can't stand being wet still.
So, bowtiesarecool and Courtney Anne, any feedback from your trips? What worked? What didn't? And how were your trips and party experiences? Hope you all enjoyed your time at DLR!
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