Hotel Travel with Kids - Any Tips!!!!!!

I usually allowed my youngest to sleep in the room with me when he was that age. The older one I had sleep in another spot with whoever I was with. Unless we were without extra family, then I usually let both children sleep in the same bed or a crib in the room with me (with me on a separate bed), or in a separate room. They weren't really comfortable sleeping alone at the time so that was actually easy for me. I was flexible enough to let them move to another spot if they felt uncomfortable later on. The little one is now four and he still doesn't like sleeping buy himself, so I allow him to sleep on a fold out bed in his sisters room or on the couch when we are home.

Make sure you bring things to keep them entertained while driving, and count on making lots of potty stops. My daughter was mostly potty trained when we took a trip to Maryland, and we got caught in traffic when she had to go. She had an accident cause it took so long to get off the freeway, and she was sooo upset about it. Bring along comfort toys, changes of clothes, and anything else you can think of to prepare for whatever may arise. Above all have fun!!!! And take lots of pictures!

I find it a bit amusing how much people worry about germs when they are out. I know you should have them wash their hands regularly, wipe down all the bathroom and kitchen fixtures, and make sure the bedding is all right, but beyond that I wouldn't get too carried away. There are several studies out that show many of us are so concerned with dissinfecting everything that we are actually harming our immune systems. Then, when we do get some nasty bug we end up worse off because our immune systems aren't prepared to fight things off.

I also have to agree with the other posts...If you wear them out during the day bed time should not really be a problem if you stick as closely as you can to your normal bedtime routine. Last year we went to NY and had to get our then 11 month old to sleep in his pack and play, which he had never slept in before. My SIL suggested I put it in his bedroom a few days before we left and have him take a nap or two in it just so he understood it is a place to sleep, It did work he never gave us any problems falling a sleep. We would just turn off the lights and say it was bed time. Once he fell asleep we would turn the TV on and a light or two. I would suggest bringing some Clorox wipes and wipe down the surfaces the kids may touch. AND I watched a 20/20 special years ago and they made mention of putting the remote control inside of a large zip lock bag, zipping it closed and using it that way. I dont think i have to explain why...lol. I'm sure you'll see it will really go easier than you expect...if your relaxed the kids will be too. Have fun!!!

All these suggestions are great. Don't forget a spray bottle fan that you can use for the kids if you hit the theme parks. It is a life saver for us when we go to theme parks in the summer time. I placed a drop of organic peppermint oil and lavender oil in my spray bottle fans because it cools the skin and drops body temperature (the peppermint does) and prevents sunburn.

But if you don't have the oils, that's OK, just use the spray bottle fan, and hats to shade you from the sun. Also, some ponchos in the diaper bag or umbrella is good. Umbrellas protect from the sun AND the rain!

If your kids are fidgety during mealtimes at any restaurants then I used a video now for kids to entertain my toddler when we went to Disney many years ago before we lived here in Florida. It was a life saver, as my son was a real wiggle worm!

We lived in a hotel for a couple weeks when we moved here and while my boys already slept in the same room, my daughter didn't. We got a playpen from the hotel and put my 7 month old daughter in it and turned the TV down softly so the boys wouldn't disturb her but be distracted by the TV. We usually wore them out during the day and it wasn't too big a deal. I don't know how you are about how much TV your kids watch, but it's probably best to forget about it in a hotel. It's only a few days!!

What I do is bring a favorite blankie and pillow with the scents of home on them and have him sleep with those. We haven't had a problem with him being away from home. We've traveled with him three times (not counting overnights with Grandma and Grandpa) and he's been fine. Like the other posters said - when you're on vacation it takes so much out of them they are happy to lay down at night.

I remember worrying about this too!

Bring an extra dark blanket to hang over the exposed side of the crib to block light and sight.

Do not park the crib by a vent.

Don't forget your baby tylenol/pain medication in case someone gets a surprise fever - the worst is not having any in the middle of the night, and needing to run out with two babies in an unfamiliar place.

You should have no problem getting them to sleep in the same room if you wear them out during the day. I always thought that would be a problem too, and it actually never was.

Best!
Traci

I always try to pack a night light so I don't have to leave a really big light on but can see in the room to manuever around. We also used to put my son't pack and play as much in the closet as possible-to block out light and noise. We play soft music at night so we used to bring the music with us as well. But your days will be longer than normal and they will most likely be out by the time you get back to the hotel anyway.

We bring our own pack-n-play and blow up kid bed for the older one. Their own blankets that they are used to and smell like home. *a lot of times the commercial laundry detergent can cause allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin* We also bring our sound machine. A clothes pin too. (a lot of times those curtains don't stay closed very well, so we pin them closed so the light doesn't bother us in the morning)
I agree with the others about wearing them out during the day. You'll be surprised at how easy it usually is to get them to sleep in a hotel when you've been out doing things all day. Try to keep to your usual bedtime routine as much as possible and don't stress about it.
Have a great time!

Have the hotel place a crib or playpen in the room. Hotels are filthy, and the kids want to play on the floor. They need a clean place to play and sleep. (so do we all)

Make a packing list first-
1. Bring any lovelys (blanket, stuffed animals,favorite toys.
2. Some new toys. A ball is a great way to entertain the young ones. Dollar store is wonderfull place to find some stuff- snacks, toys,A NITE LITE, etc.
3. Lots of swimmers. ITs HOT!
4. those plugs for the outlets
5. My 3yr loves to play with the safes, so put the remotes, phones and anything else up high.
6. SNACKS galore.
7. Check to see if the hotel has a dvd player to rent and bring a few of your favorite movies. OR go to walmart to buy the tvs like i have. YOU can play 2 different movies, have on in each car, or even plug it in at the hotel/home.
8.Take a case of water or buy one when you get there. To avoid the vending machines and the need for change.
9. Extra clothes
10. Wipes can help cool you off a bit.
11. shades and hats
12 Aveeno is the least messiest and greasiet sunscreen. The spray is easy to apply and stays on well.
13. By the end of the day they will be cranky and tired so should pass out fairly well. I would lay down with my little one til she passed out and then snuggle with my husband.
14. Call the hotel about bed rails. Very rarel are the beds next to the wall and or could be moved to.
15. Relax the rules a bit when traveling. We let our daughter snack more and have candy. Also, we stop every 2 hours to run around a bit.
16. Dont let your anxious or frustrated feelings show too much. They pick up on and then things go down hill

If you have a stroller, take one of them in the hallway and just push it back and forth. This will make one sleepy while the other one is put down for bed by your husband in the room (or he pushes and you stay and put the other one to sleep.) I have no idea what your bedtime routines are at home or I could be more helpful. For example, I don't lay down with my kids at home, so laying with them at the hotel wasn't helpful because they just wanted to play. You may, however, be pleasantly surprised that they fall asleep quite easily from a busy day (are you doing theme parks??)

I find hotel bathtubs to be slippery, so I lay a towel down in the tub before I fill it with water.

Let them each pick a drawer in the dresser to put their stuff. Try to encourage them to put their stuff there (just like cleaning up at home) so the room doesn't end up covered with small pieces of clothing and toys that can get left behind.

You may want to let them select a special souvenir stuffed animal on the first day of your trip and talk ALL DAY long about how much fun it will be to SLEEP with it at bedtime! Then when you're ready for them to go to sleep, tell them in a whisper voice that their new friend is tired and needs to go to sleep!

Everyone has great ideas. The one thing we did was try to wear them down before bed. If that meant a swim before bed, we did that. They would be so tired they would end up crashing early with a great night sleep for my husband and I. I have 3 kids girl, boy, girl, and we would try to wear them down as much as we can. Of coarse if we went to a theme park and stayed until late. Some where already asleep before we hit the hotel room.

Enjoy Orlando, and remember you can break some of your rules for vacations.

C. :)

I also have 2 boys who are VERY energetic and definitely under usual circumstances cannot sleep in the same room because they play with each other too much! When we went to Disney, we weren't sure what was going to happen, but we found that they were so worn out from a full day of events and did not have a nap that they easily went down for bed time. We brought their blankets and pillows (we drove to Orlando) and their stuffed animals as well as their books. We also were much more lenient about bed time. They usually get to bed between 8-8:30 and we are pretty strict about that, however at Disney we allowed them to stay up until at least 9:00 and one night to 11:00 or 11:30 so they could see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. So of course, by then they were definitely ready for bed and not play!

My advice would be to make sure you wear them out so they'll sleep well for you! Hopefully the weather will be nice for you to take them swimming or to the theme parks for a little while. My son is almost 2 and we've stayed in hotels several times- I've found that just the change of atmosphere and all of the people watching can be exhausting! Good luck!

turn the lights down really low, do the usual bedtime routine. do you have the other parent with you so you each will get one of the kids to bed, maybe by laying next to them, etc?