Do you keep your young kids up later at Disney?

generally: I think you need to respect your children and their right to parent. They aren’t making the same decisions as you, but that doesn’t mean that either of you are wrong. If they say bedtime can’t be moved, they probably have good reasons. I’m a parent of a kid with a strict bedtime, and it’s absolutely for his benefit. Staying up late isn’t a treat, it’s a recipe for misery and meltdown.

specifically: it sounds like fireworks are a special reminder of being with family in disney. I’d try to find something that provides the same feelings, but happens during your grandkids awake time. Afternoon parade? A special character meal?
 
Last trip my daughter was 2, almost 3, and my son was 11. We didn't even arrive at the hotel until 2AM and the toddler was going strong. We did the Halloween party and an after hours and the 2 year old did better than I did. We slept in a bit the next morning, she would take random naps in the stroller or by the pool. We have no bed time at Disney, I tried that on our first trip when my son was 3 and learned that it backfires on us. But, every kid is different.
 
I was just having this discussion with my wife about fireworks for our upcoming trip. I'm a big proponent of staying every night (at least once) to see the fireworks. It's such a perfect way to close out the day. It's all about those memories.
 
Im Amazed how many people stick to their “regular” schedule (granted ALL kids... and adults are different). We’re fortunate and our kids just roll with whatever at Disney.... definitely some late nights some early just go with the flow of the day. When we get home we have to work at re adjusting which isn’t fun but it’s worth it for Disney!
 
We are going to Disneyworld next month with 17 ppl - aged 81 down to 4 months. All of my grandkids (5 of them) are my two son’s children and I have very little (virtually no) say in decisions such as bedtime. The oldest two granddaughters are 5 1/2 and almost 5. They both have sisters that are 2 1/2ish. I believe that all of the kids will be put to bed by 7pm every day that they are there. They will never see the fireworks.

A little family history here - all of my adult children (who will be on this trip) went to Disneyworld with their grandparents when they were 5, and all stayed in the park until the fireworks almost every day of their trip.

Do you extend your kids bedtimes for a special occasion like this?

I think you may have a better trip if you focus on the things you can do with your grandchildren. Trying to control certain aspects like bedtimes will only create tension between you and your son. This trip will never be the same as the trip your children took many years ago but it can still be a great trip. The best family vacations are the ones where expectations are low. If you go into the vacations and just try to appreciate the day as it unfolds instead of recreating the past then you are guaranteed to have a magical time.

And for what it is worth, we were back in our room at 6:30 pm when we had a 16 month old, 7:00 when we had a 3 year old, 7:30 when we had a 4 year old, and 8:00 when we had a 5 year old. We have only viewed fireworks from our hotel balcony and I know my children always had a great time at Disney and never felt like they were missing out. You will never regret having rested children. Getting a good night sleep will give them energy to have a good attitude and energy the next day. Let the bedtime issue go :)
 
Our kids are older now but have been going to wdw since they were 1. We kept them up later to watch fireworks and never had any issues, they adjusted. Naps in the stroller were fairly common in those days, and that’s when DH and I would rider swap something. I’m thankful that my kids have always been pretty flexible and “go with the flow” even as babies.
 
We are going to Disneyworld next month with 17 ppl - aged 81 down to 4 months. All of my grandkids (5 of them) are my two son’s children and I have very little (virtually no) say in decisions such as bedtime. The oldest two granddaughters are 5 1/2 and almost 5. They both have sisters that are 2 1/2ish. I believe that all of the kids will be put to bed by 7pm every day that they are there. They will never see the fireworks.

A little family history here - all of my adult children (who will be on this trip) went to Disneyworld with their grandparents when they were 5, and all stayed in the park until the fireworks almost every day of their trip.

Do you extend your kids bedtimes for a special occasion like this?

I personally have never been that strict about bedtimes. School nights, sure, but other than that we don’t stress about it. That said, it doesn’t matter what any of us do, if you know your kids aren’t going to let your grandkids stay up late then you’ll have to find other ways to have that family time. Trying to push the issue will cause more trouble than it’s worth.
 


My kid is only 9 months old, so I can't really answer the "do you extend bedtime" question yet. But to be blunt, if/when we go with my mom or in-laws, I can't see myself seeking input from them on bedtime. That's going to be up to me and my husband, because (echoing what others have posted here), we are the ones who know kiddo best, and it's likely that we, not the grandparents, will have to deal with the fallout of changing things up.
 
On vacation, I throw bedtimes out the window. If we do have a late night, we will sleep in the next day. We usually don't get to the parks at rope drop if we will be staying to see the fireworks. With that said, I agree the parents need to decide what is best for their kids. I wouldn't push the bedtime issue with them at all.
 
Yep!! Mine stayed up as late as they could go! Usually midnight (typical closing time at Disneyland!) My kids didn't have meltdowns and such, not sure why so many people have that problem, guess I was lucky! If they needed a nap, they slept in the stroller and then were ready to go again!

Funnily enough, now that I have three teens, we do way LESS commando than when they were so little! Good luck, hope you can convince them for at least one night for the older kids!! Would be a shame to miss out!
 
Honestly, it doesn’t matter what any of us do as far as bedtimes for our kids. What matters is the decision that your kids make for their kids.

Take it from someone who has a MIL that likes to be “in charge”...don’t be that person. It never ends well.

For the harmony of everyone, just support their parenting decisions.

If you’d really like to watch fireworks with the grandkids simply ask “Do you think the kids would like to watch the fireworks one night?” If the parents say no...then move on. There are so many ways to make awesome memories at Disney.

Happy trips are better than guilt trips if you know what I mean 😊
 
My two-year-old usually goes to bed at 8.30. We're taking her to Disneyland for the second time next week, and I've planned it so that the last night there, she'll be staying up late for the fireworks after the first Fantasmic (we've booked Hungry Bear viewing). She'll probably crash out in her buggy on the way back to the hotel afterwards.

We're lucky: she doesn't tend to melt down the next day if she stays up late (late nights happen if we're visiting my parents, who live an hour and a half away, and occasionally on holiday). And she's a good sleeper. I wouldn't be letting her stay up for the fireworks if she wasn't quite easy around this stuff!
 
We brought our DD 2.5yo to Disney in November and we did NOT follow a strict bedtime. We were on vacation.. in Disney! We pretty much went with the flow. She made it up to watch Fantasmic one night (and LOVED it) and feel asleep during HEA in the stroller another night. Everyone parents differently, but to us its 1 week and we're all on vacation, we weren't going to call it quits every night at 7 to rush back to the hotel for a strict bedtime.
 
I would’ve stuck to our usual schedule. As a SAHM to 5 kids close in age, naps and bedtimes were a must, sometimes the only way I could get through a rough day. My kids woke up the same time every morning regardless of when they went to bed. Also, most of them hated fireworks until around 7 or 8. On our last trip, I left MK with 2 4 year olds hysterically crying.
 
I just did 4 days in the parks, just me and my six-year-old daughter. At home she usually gets up around 715 and then goes to bed around 8.

We arrived at night and got to bed around 930, and then were up at 6 the next morning. We took a break in the afternoon for a swim, and then went back to do a couple rides and then the fireworks, so she did not get to bed until about 1015. Long day! The next morning was our latest wake up, but it was still around 745.

She went to bed at 9 or later on every day of the trip, and got up significantly earlier than usual on three of the four days. We did take a break every afternoon, mostly because of the heat, but she only napped on one of those days.

So she definitely got a couple fewer hours of sleep every night than she does at home, but for such a short trip, I was comfortable with that. If I had seen any signs that she was exhausted or having a meltdown of any sort, I would have adjusted, but this worked well for us. For a much longer trip, I would try to schedule later mornings after a later night.

When I took her at age 4, we had one night where I let her look at the fireworks while I carried her out of the park, and that was our latest night. Generally, we arrived early and stayed until she was tired, which was usually around 7 or so.

I also have memories of her at age 2 or three, after a character breakfast early in the morning, where she was yawning literally as we walked into the Magic Kingdom in the morning at park open. Suffice it to say we did not make it too long that day.
 
Yep!! Mine stayed up as late as they could go! Usually midnight (typical closing time at Disneyland!) My kids didn't have meltdowns and such, not sure why so many people have that problem, guess I was lucky! If they needed a nap, they slept in the stroller and then were ready to go again!

Funnily enough, now that I have three teens, we do way LESS commando than when they were so little! Good luck, hope you can convince them for at least one night for the older kids!! Would be a shame to miss out!
I actually thought this thread explains to me why we see so many children having meltdowns.
 
Our younger one can handle some variation, but the older one could not when she was a toddler.
Even on this trip, we will go back before the fireworks start if we think either of them will not have a good evening, or if there are any signs of impending meltdown.
Respect your adult children's choices for their own children. They know their children like no one else, and they know what works best for them.
Remember--it's not just staying up for the fireworks, but it's also the slow process of getting back to the resort afterward. Don't subject children to that unless you know it's not a problem for them.

The good news is that there is so much at Disney that children shouldn't be upset at missing fireworks.
 
We are going to Disneyworld next month with 17 ppl - aged 81 down to 4 months. All of my grandkids (5 of them) are my two son’s children and I have very little (virtually no) say in decisions such as bedtime. The oldest two granddaughters are 5 1/2 and almost 5. They both have sisters that are 2 1/2ish. I believe that all of the kids will be put to bed by 7pm every day that they are there. They will never see the fireworks.

A little family history here - all of my adult children (who will be on this trip) went to Disneyworld with their grandparents when they were 5, and all stayed in the park until the fireworks almost every day of their trip.

Do you extend your kids bedtimes for a special occasion like this?

The youngest I took my kids was very close to three. As old as they could be without me paying for them. They have never missed fireworks one trip. We never took a break at the hotel. Before age 5 I took a stroller and they would nap there in the afternoon. Didn’t have to plan it just happened. After 5 never needed stroller or naps or early evenings and we always rope drop. I do plan lots of breaks to stop, we do table service once a day to get out of the fray.
 
We go with the flow, when we took our eldest DD she was 19 months old, she saw the fireworks and we also went to the Halloween Party. She was fine. This trip we will have a 10 month old, again we will just go with the flow.
 

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