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Who put your baby to bed at your wedding?

55 replies

StrongInside · 18/09/2019 22:08

Hi,

While trying to work out the logistics of our wedding day and picking the venue, I have stumbled upon a dilemma. Who will look after our 18-month-old in the evening, especially if the venue happens to not be where we stay overnight (so no baby monitor in the room while we are in the next room option)? What did you do with your young kids on your wedding day?

At the moment, sleeps in the buggy rarely happen and don’t last long, only in the dark room with one of those noise machines on. I know that some couples leave their LOs in prams and carry on dancing but that can’t be comfy or restful for the child and I won’t have our LO sleep in the buggy the whole night, so would then risk a middle of the night transfer to bed.

I thought either my or my H2B’s parents could put our LO to b

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Tahitiitsamagicalplace · 18/09/2019 22:10

I hired a nanny for the day/evening.

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Lulualla · 18/09/2019 22:12

Wedding nanny.

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sparkly72 · 18/09/2019 22:13

My teenager

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StrongInside · 18/09/2019 22:13

Wasn’t finished🤦🏻‍♀️ Initially, I thought either mine or his parents would put our LO to sleep at a reasonable hour and keep him overnight, but that means they leave the wedding well before it’s finished and they can’t exactly have drinks throughout the reception! Not keen at all on hiring a stranger to stay overnight. Any suggestions?

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StrongInside · 18/09/2019 22:15

How much do wedding nannies cost and how long did you hire one for?

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siratcha · 18/09/2019 22:15

Is the DC in nursery? You could see if any of the staff are available to babysit for the evening.

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negomi90 · 18/09/2019 22:17

Grandparent (they may be happy to be helpful and get grandparent time) or aunt/uncle/close friend.
There will be someone close to you who will be willing to miss the party to babysit for you on your special night.
Ask your (and DPs) parents first then ask around if none of them bite.

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mnahmnah · 18/09/2019 22:17

A friend of mine is getting married and has a toddler. They are paying one of their nursery staff to come for the evening to look after their toddler and get them to bed. They know and trust her, their DC knows her and is used to being cared for by her. Ask at your nursery?

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BoswellsBollocks · 18/09/2019 22:26

DS was 14 months old at our wedding. I took him up to the IL’s hotel room to put him to bed and DH’s nan sat up there with him as she had had enough and just wanted to rest and read for a bit.
Once she was ready for home, my mum went up for a bit until MIL took over.

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Bunnybigears · 18/09/2019 22:30

DS was 10 months. He stayed up spectacularly late having the time of his life on the dance floor. Then fell asleep in his pushchair, everyone kept an eye on him but he was fast asleep then we took him to our room with us at the end of the night.

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ReggieRed · 18/09/2019 22:31

Our childminder, she looked after them both throughout the day and then left around 9ish to put them to bed. It did mean she didn't enjoy all of the evening do but she was at the ceremony and reception and wanted to help us. It meant I could relax knowing they were with someone they trusted and were happy with.

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Whoops75 · 18/09/2019 22:32

My mums friend took Ds 18months for the day & night of our wedding.
My mum collected him the following morning and brought him to us.

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PichmondRark · 18/09/2019 22:36

We hired a nanny. She came in the morning and looked after our 10 month old while I got ready, then she bought her to the wedding but left in early evening to put her to bed. Worked well. Cost a couple of hundred quid.

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Thecapturefan · 18/09/2019 22:38

If you’re in Scotland a lovely lady I know has just started up as a wedding nanny for exactly this situation

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Threeminis · 18/09/2019 22:46

I invited a friends 16yo daughter who had babysit my kids previously, she was there all day to take the pressure off and had the dc in her room (next door to my dad and stepmom) overnight.
She was happy as got to come to the wedding and I was happy as the dc knew her

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ElfCakes · 18/09/2019 22:52

My DS recently got married, she nipped up to our parents room in the hotel to feed the baby and then baby went to sleep in the pram, I put her toddler to bed in our room and she came in to say goodnight to him. Her friends sister came to baby sit so had my toddler and my sisters toddler in our room and the baby in the pram. When it got to 11ish which was time for baby to have a feed then settle to bed properly my mum got her, fed her (expressed milk from a bottle) and settled her in her room for the night and stayed with her. Me and DP took over from the babysitter at an agreed time and had both toddlers til after breakfast.
It felt like a lot of coordinating beforehand and helped because we were in a hotel so could pop in and out of the rooms easily. The hotel were really accommodating about giving us rooms nearby each other and away from busy corridors and there was somewhere nearby for the babysitter to be without being in our rooms.
If you want to get someone outside of your close friends and family you could always plan to settle DC to sleep yourself (or have parents/in laws do that and then return to the party!) and then ask a friends usual babysitter to come. Then you'd know it was someone trusted by your friend iyswim rather than a stranger.

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AndNoneForGretchenWieners · 18/09/2019 22:54

My parents took him home with them for the duration of our honeymoon straight after the wedding. He was 14 months old.

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stucknoue · 18/09/2019 23:03

Me, but our reception was in my parents garden, mum held onto the baby monitor

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mrsm12 · 18/09/2019 23:04

Ds was 14 months for our wedding, got a wedding nanny, she met him a few days before then met my dh at the church, minded him and older ds during ceremony, we got pictures taken after and then fil dropped them all back to our house and she stayed overnight, my parents went back early the next morning and minded them until we got home. Think it was around 200.

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Citybreaker · 18/09/2019 23:06

We got a babysitter who joined us for the full day. It was great as there was so much going on it would have been quite unsettling for my DD if she didn't have someone with her. Making sure she napped etc throughout the day, also it took a huge weight off our minds and we could all enjoy the day without worrying about her, and she was still able to join in.

In the evening the babysitter took her back to my parents (we got married near theirs) so in the morning my parents watched her until lunchtime when we headed over. Best money spent at the wedding!

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OstrichRunning · 18/09/2019 23:09

At ours, one of the lovely women in our creche came after the meal and got her to bed/ stayed in room with her until we got back

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firstimemamma · 18/09/2019 23:11

When we get married, I'd prefer to look after our child (who's now 1) completely myself including putting him to bed.

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LL83 · 18/09/2019 23:11

I would avoid asking grandparents if possible, it's a big day for them too I wouldn't cut that short if there is any other way. Is there an auntie who could help? Or someone you could hire?

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Normandy144 · 18/09/2019 23:14

Our neighbour is a professional nanny and so she came to the reception to collect our 2 children and drove them home to our house, where she stayed with them overnight. It was well worth the £250 we paid her and the girls got to sleep in their own beds.

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Newmummysu · 19/09/2019 01:41

Grandparents, I knew she would settle with them so I didn't have to worry about tears. choose someone LO is comfortable with

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