Sleeping in family room with 5yo and 2yo on holiday

[gollyb]

Hello All,
Going on holiday for week and booked family room. Problem is that 5yo and 2yo who are unlikely to sleep with lights on and we all will have to have the lights out by their bedtime . Its our only holiday for the whole year as well and DH and I would also like to get some 'us time' if possible- nothing very fancy- at least read a book with night light on or iPad. Any suggestions please? (ps- can't afford to book suite :( to allow kids have good night sleep while we chill a bit). Any suggestions very welcome! thanks

Presumably you'll be going to Disneyland Paris at some point. Paris has lots of open spaces I'm sure you'll have a great time! Nice to hear of someone doing something other than all inclusive resort holiday. We have the gro travel blackout blind too, great invention as you never know how thick the curtains are going to be or if you have a street lamp right by the window!

Thanks, will invest in a blackout blind. Didn't think of that one!

Oops sorry didn't RTFT! Hope blackout blind helps OP!

I would think that in Paris you will have shutters and not need a black out blind! Have you tried looking at google maps to see if there are shutters?

I would also just go out with them (without an ipad). If not, when are you going to eat/experience Paris at night?

Alegretto: thanks for that. Will check with hotel.haven't had the time to look in detail at anything yet as we are off for the half term - only booked the hotel so that's out of the way.

Can you build in a seiesta to keep them awake a wee bit later at night? We've never needed a black out blind, most hotels have thick heavy curtains. It's caravans and holiday homes that would be more necessary. Try low level lights to fall asleep too, then turn one more on and you can read a book.

We have sat in the corridor before whilst dc fall asleep. I have also sent dh to the bar whilst I've had a pamper evening in the bathroom.

Just keep them up later and go out, you are on holiday and routine can go out the window for a bit.

We just drop all bedtime rules on holiday so the dcs go to bed at the same time as us. Works better that way as we all get a bit of a lie in every morning too! We normally play games or read or watch TV together in the evenings - don't really distinguish between family time/adult time.

Ah for DC that lie in if they go to bed later... recent city break we were all in same room and we gave up on bedtime routine and let kids wear themselves out with cartoons on TV until we were ready to sleep too (9pm!) 3 nights was enough though!

With the time difference small child seems to just stay up later and then we read

When we went to Spain last year most children never were in bed at 7pm, stayed stayed up longer and either crashed in their buggies or on parent's laps.

Often restaurants don't do food that early either, when we went outside the resort we were often the only ones at 8pm for dinner.

Embrace the reality that routines go out of the window, they will be going back to normal at home.

DD was never a child who would sleep when we were still awake, that was one reason we didn't do hotels until she was 7 and could cope with longer evenings (I had a very early riser, think 6.30 as a lie-in) and no amount of moving bedtimes ever worked.

I woul definitely 2nd going out - as others have said, the younger one can sleep in the buggy if needed. When you get back let the older one stay up a little - will soon get tired and fall asleep when ready with the light on - ours used to fall asleep on my knee when in the bar area watching entertainment!
As a bonus you may get a lie in if you keep them up!