A question for parents of toddlers who go to bed early but need to stay up late for a special event!!!!

[chocolateshoes]

DS is in bed by 6.30 every night. Most days he still has a 2 hr sleep at lunch time. This weekend we are going to a big family do which means we'll be staying in a hotel and there will be lots of eating out & late nights. I've never done this with DS and am not really sure how he'll cope. Any tips? Also if they go to bed late do they tend to sleep in longer or will he prob wake at the usual time?

How old is your ds?

My dd1 has always been a good sleeper and is usually asleep from 7pm ish. She is 4 now.

On the odd occasions that we have been out late (weddings, holidays etc) she has coped fine. I don't think many (if any at all) children sleep in longer after a later night. After a few late nights in a row they might, but not after one or two ime. If anything he will be up a bit earlier in a strange environment.

She is 4 now and therefore doesn't have a sleep in the day. My theory was that she coped well at special events etc because she was always fairly well rested to start with. On holidays etc she napped when she could in the pushchair etc.

Even after a trip to the US when she was 1 year old was fine. Within a few days back home she settled back into her old ways. She is a fab sleeper - shame her little sister is more "spontaneous" wrt sleeping patterns.

DD wakes at mostly the same time regardless of the time she goes to bed.

She is usually great if she is allowed to stay up with other people around! Gets lots of fusses!

DD has not been a great sleeper (understatement of the year), so this might not apply to you if your DS is normally really good. But..... we've tried extending her bedtime by only 30 minutes for a party and it was Not Pretty. There is no way that she would cope with staying up for an evening, and we would be really reluctant to mess up her routine as we have no idea how long it would take her to get back into it.
I would set up a rota of you, DH/DP and doting relatives to put DS to bed/babysit if you find that he isn't dealing well with staying up.

I've done this a few times with dd who normally goes to bed at 7pm- usually on New Year's Eve. He'll probably be having too good a time to even notice he's tired. My dd has managed to stay up until after 12 no problem, unfortunately she doesn't tend to sleep in much longer in the morning so the next day is not much fun.

he is nearly 3. The prob is we will alos prob be only be able to give him his lunchtime nap once - on the Sat (flying Fri & Mon). I don't know how easy it will be to put him to bed early as most of the stuff will be happening quite a long way fron the hotel where we are staying and we will need to get taxis. No one really understands our situations as all his cousins who will be there are nightmare sleepers and have never gone to bed much before midnight! Am getting more and more stressed about it tbh.

Will the stuff be happening somewhere where you could find a quiet corner? I mean, if it's in a relative's house, then could you take a portable bed and dig out the baby monitor, and put him to bed in a bedroom? It would mean waking him up to put him in the car (or perhaps not, I know of other parents of toddlers who can lift their child up and transport them while still asleep - like I say, we do not have a good sleeper ), but it would be another option if it turns out that he isn't coping well.

rty and relax and go with the flow chocolateshoes. Whatever happens for that weekend - just let it happen. You can get back to normal when you get home if necessary. I was like you a few years ago and dreaded taking DS out of his routine but now, with experience, I can honestly say that they can cope with it. DS and DD have both had last nights for special occasions, funny daytime sleeps because of travelling, survived on about 8 hours instead of the normal 12 etc etc. It will be okay, honestly. And if it's not okay, well it is only one weekend huh? Try and relax and enjoy.

That is a possibility for the Sun night as there will be a party at BIL's house so we could take travel cot there. Would def be worth considering - thanks MrsTM. The other nights (FRi & Sat) are eating out so not so easy.

Thanks McKenzie....I must try to relax you are right! Its good to know it'll be ok!!! I jus don't want him to be hard work and a msiery for everyone because he's so tired. I know he'll be fine after a coupole of days back home

For longer holidays (I know this doesn't apply to you on this occasion but for future ref...) we tended to make sure that on several of the days and lunchtimes dd had her usual naptime and early bedtime, to give her time to catch up.

Have a fab time btw.

Thanks 1plolly! Yes that has worked for us in the past. I guess the thing that is worrying me most is that I won't be in control whatsoever! AAArrghh!!

We've just been on our 1st holiday with DD (21mths), & i was worried about the same thing. She's normally a v good sleeper, in bed by 7.30 with 90 minute sleep at lunchtime. But these have always been in her cot, in the dark & quiet. So i though we'd be spending each night of our hols all tucked up by 8pm.
Anyway, after 2 nights of this, we thought we'd try her out a bit later, and she managed to run around with the other kids till about 9pm before going a bit crazy. We put her to bed & had to wake her at 8.30 the next morning .
Then for the following nights, we took her buggy, put her in her PJs at 9pm, gave her her comforter teddy, & left her to it. She was asleep within 20 minutes (no resistance) & slept through everything - noise, disco lights etc. We never thought she'd do that!!
Sorry a bit long, but you never know till you try, could all work out brilliantly & you'll still have a good night!
Good luck, & try not to stress about it xx

we take a buggy along for lunches and evenings out. For lunches - dd usually sleeps around midday so if we're out I'll order, then walk her around for a few minutes and she'll sleep while we eat. For evenings, we'll make her daytime nap later so she is more awake into the evening, then put her in buggy/travel cot depending on the situation once she gets ratty. We don't get a lie in after a late night though! And generally have to allow a longer nap the following day to make up for the sleep lost at night.

Go with the flow and enjoy!

Mine have fallen asleep in buggy before despite it being very noisy. Ds1 did like a blanket to drape over buggy to make it darker. If they seem really tired but fighting it as too much going on, put them in buggy and go for quiet walk for 10 mins in which time they usually asleep then go back

Thanks everyone....it WILL be ok!

At our wedding in Sept 07, DD was 14 months old, we had an outdoor reception at the cottage we hired for our honeymoon and DD was asleep in the room right by the garden were the party was going on very noisily, window open as it was stuffy in the room, and she slept right through it from 8:30pm!

No lie in for her but we had a friend stay over in a sep part of the cottage and she got up with her and went out for the morning!!!

Now that sounds like a plan!

I used to put DS to 'bed' in his buggy (had a Mothercare Aulto which was adjustable and he could lie flat in it): this year I wondered how we would cope with things like danceouts and parties, but (he is 3.7 now) he seems to cope just fine with a late night now and again.
If you are still using a buggy you could pop him into his PJs when he starts getting tired and put him in the buggy if you haven't got any kind of travel cot: the 'cues' of PJs, teddy etc might help him drop off.

I love the buggy idea!