Childcare for MiL party -WWYD?

[TheABC]

Just needed some thoughts/perspective on this.

My lovely MiL is holding a masquerade ball to celebrate her 60th. Everyone is going (even my parents have been invited) and it's going to be a fantastic evening.

We have a 7 month old DS. As PiL live 200 miles away, we are staying with them for the weekend. The problem is making sure DS is cared for, during the party. He is simply too young to be expected to stay up for the evening and he needs a quiet room to sleep in. The hotel where the ball is held is very expensive (I looked into getting an overnight room), and miles away from PiL house, so going back and forth is problematic. A childminder is the obvious solution, but everyone PiL would trust with their house/grandson is going to the ball. Obviously, they have not needed childcare for years and as we don't live in the area, we don't know any babysitters, either.

Any ideas? The only thing I can think of is to split the babysitting between myself and DH, so we both get to go, but DS has a safe, familiar adult around.

[JoinYourPlayfellows]

Are your parents going?

Would they be prepared to do a shift too?

I'm sure your MIL would trust them with your DS and their house.

(Unless you are the children of crazy, drug-addled reprobates in which case watching them ruin MIL's party will be quite fun :o)

[Martorana]

What I would have done when mine were this age was to take them with me and find a quiet corner somewhere to park the pram for them to sleep.

Or you could find a local babysitter- there are agencies that could provide one?

[HelenHen]

Could you bring a childminder with you and have them for the weekend?

Otherwise ask your mil if any of their friends have kids/grandkids similar ages. If so, could they ask them to recommend someone?

[KatyN]

We have hired a professional babysitter for a couple of parties. We used tinies, I'm not sure if they cover the whole country. It cost about £60 for an evening but everyone was crb (or whatever the new letters are) checked and very professional.

K

[RacheyMo2]

I would just take baby with me and put them down in the pushchair in a quiet place. It won't hurt for one night and you won't have to pay out for a sitter then :)

[TheScience]

How expensive is a room in the hotel? It would probably end up not being much more expensive to hire a room and take turns between you and your DH than it would to get an agency babysitter.

[BonaDea]

Either a childminder or perhaps your DH could ask his parents for some help to pay for a hotel room at the place where the ball is for the evening? That way you/ DH/ your parents could each take a stint in the hotel room without missing too much of the party?

[PuggyMum]

There's a babysitting site where you can put in the postcode and sitters come up.

Where abouts in the uk is it? Maybe an mn er could help!? I would if it's near me!

[KippyVonKipperson]

I'd take the baby with you and if its going to be noisy buy ear defenders. Or I'd just pay for a room at the hotel and get a rota going of people who can go and sit in with the baby, between you and your parents that's 4 people at least, if you each do 30 mins at a time would be very manageable. By the time you've paid a babysitter or taxi this would probably the same price too. Maybe call the hotel and try and negotiate a better offer?

[melonribena]

I agree about a quiet corner. At my dp's sisters wedding we kept our12 mth old ds going as long as poss, changed him into pyjamas and then I walked up and down a corridor till he fell asleep. I then found a quiet corner in a side room and we took it in turns to sit by him. Worked really well!

[Quinteszilla]

Take a friend/babysitter with you?

[BrianTheMole]

Ask the hotel if they can recommend a baby sitting agency. I did this once, it was fab, we got an excellent baby sitter who was just like Mary Poppins

[TheDayOfMyDoctor]

We took DS to a couple of weddings that age. When he flaked out, he went in his buggy. He slept no problem (and he was never an easy baby to settle).

[annaban]

Perhaps the hotel would 'lend' you a room for DS to sleep in pram? If ball is sufficiently pricey, and any bedrooms are lying empty, they might allow it as a gesture? You and DH can take it in turns to watch over / pop up to check?

Worth an ask?

AB

[scarlettsmummy2]

I would take baby with me and find a quiet corner. We took are second daughter to a big irish wedding when she was four months and it was totally fine! No shortage of mammies offering to nurse her when my husband and I fancied a dance!

[scarlettsmummy2]

Our!

[pussycatdoll]

Have you got any willing siblings who would have him for the weekend ?
Otherwise id stay at inlaws with him & tell mil you'll have lunch with her the following day

[pussycatdoll]

If your their all weekend there is scope for lovely lunch Saturday or Sunday

[uc]

Is anyone else who's going staying at the hotel? You could take a travel cot and put baby to sleep in their room. If room is nearby you could use a monitor and pop in & out or hotel may have baby listeniing \babysitting service.

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

At that age we would just have taken DS with us and let him sleep in his pram.

Or we would book a room in the hotel and pay a babysitter.

[MyNameIsKenAdams]

Book a double double room, you, dh and your parents.

Stick dc up there and each of you, your dad and your mum do a stint up there with him. Splits the cost of the room in half and free childcare.

[AnUnearthlyChild]

We had similar big family shindig when dd was 8 months.

I took her in her in her pram and parked her away from the disco. She fell asleep within the first hour and slept through the lot.

But even if she hadn't I couldn't see it being too much of a biggie.

[GingerDoodle]

I second taking DC with you.

We went to Disneyland when DD was 9 months old; babysitting at Disney is ludicrously expensive so we took her to Buffalo Bills wild west show - think front row seats; loud, lots of people etc. She had an absolute blast and fell asleep in her buggy on the way back to the hotel. Likewise I've taken her to DH's band gigs (usually in pubs) - when she is tired enough she will take her dummy and just crash (def my child - i've been known to fall asleep at rock gigs lol).

We did use a hotel babysitter once; expensive but worked well (we were going out for dinner).

[MartinSheensTeeth]

Would your usual babysitter come with you? We did a wedding once with babysitter that worked at DC nursery, booked single room for her and family one for us. She spent the afternoon enjoying the hotel while we were at the wedding, then she stayed in our room while we went back to the reception.and put DC to bed then read/watched tv until we came back.

[lola88]

You would be surprised at how long a baby can stay awake with lots of people and music I'd just do a late nap and keep them up aim for leaving 10.30-11. It might mean a couple of days to adjust back into the routine but it will be fine. Ds stayed up until 10 a few times his first xmas (10mo at the time) due to some family meals and party didn't bother him he loved the attention. change him into pj's at 8 and if he falls asleep he's sorted :)