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Original poster

Leaving kids in a hotel room, while we go to dinner.

109 replies

Confuzzeled · 02/01/2011 14:13

We are going away for a night this weekend, it's a small hotel with 10 rooms. The dining room is on the ground floor and our room will be above it. The hotel owner tells us that the family room is close enough for monitors to work should we wish to use one.

Now I just don't know how I feel about leaving my 3.9 yo and a 16 mo in a hotel room while we jolly off downstairs for dinner, it doesn't seem right. DH likes the idea but I don't know if I'm being a paranoid mummy or not.

My parents think it's fine and told me they used to leave us in a room with the phone off the hook and every 15 mins they'd go and listen at the reception phone.

Has anyone else done this?

OP posts:

perfectstorm · 02/01/2011 17:16

Agree with secretskill (I thought at first glance your name was Secret Skill Relationships, and was thinking wow, that's a good skill to have. )

thumbwitch · 02/01/2011 17:18

I wouldn't do it - but can you not get them/DS to sleep and then bring them/him down in the pushchair or something?

We went to a wedding when DS was about 8mo - we stayed in the hotel where the reception was being held. DS stayed with me the whole time, I took him back to our room to feed him a couple of times and when he went to sleep, I put him flat in his pram, covered it with a waffle blanket and brought him back downstairs. It worked very well.

secretskillrelationships · 02/01/2011 17:18

God I wish perfectstorm Mind you don't do badly with my DCs, mostly, I think, possibly, on a good day!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families Holidays

LunarRose · 02/01/2011 17:23

Not comparable to Madelaine Mcann situation -there weren't even in the same hotel complex with absolutely no child monitoring facilities in place.

Would definately do it in a small hotel. In fact I'm sure I did do it when dd was little. But probably only decide when I got there

MissQue · 02/01/2011 17:25

I remember going to Butlins in the early 80s and them having a baby listening service. Parents would go and watch shows, go to the clubs etc. all over the camp, and someone would walk up and down outside the chalets listening for crying. If they heard a child, there would be a message sent through to the club and an announcement made 'to the parents of the child in Blue 12, your child is crying' or something like that. It was like that for decades, it's amazing to think nowadays that anyone would do that, but once upon a time it wasn't unusual.

I did say that the thread title reminded me of the McCanns, but this case is a lot different to theirs.

AliBellandthe40jingles · 02/01/2011 17:27

I wouldn't I don't think.

I remember my parents leaving us upstairs in big hotels in this country when we were little. There was baby listening but I remember being really scared incase there was a fire.

We only stay places where we can either take DS to dinner with us without the hotel or other guests being funny about it, or where there are babysitting services we can use. Not helpful at this stage I know, but hopefully your DH will take all this on board for next time!

LunarRose · 02/01/2011 17:29

escept a look in every now and then,

What about trying to get hold of a video baby monitor if your that worried?

conniedescending · 02/01/2011 17:30

the Mccanns were in the same complex and were monitoring the kids between themselves

anyhow I wouldn't and not because of child abduction but because

a) there could be an accident (v easy with a 3 year old)
b) i wouldnt enjoy my meal anyway
c) what if the fire alarms went off

ZZZenAgain · 02/01/2011 17:31

...long time no see connie, have you been away from MN?

thumbwitch · 02/01/2011 17:33

Yes, even if there isn't actually a fire, the fire alarm going off would be a problem too - that happened to us a couple of years ago at a nice little country hotel! Just before breakfast, hadn't even had a wee, certainly wasn't dressed - just had to grab DS and leave the building.

Tangchi · 02/01/2011 17:36

Had this chat with my mum this weekend, told her wouldn't take dd to a hotel because I wouldn't leave her. She thinks I'm mad because she would leave me and my sister. I remember finding it frightening though and it is self catering for us now !

conniedescending · 02/01/2011 17:36

yes zen - been gone for about 2 years. I had an @i'm back' thread that was very well received!

ZZZenAgain · 02/01/2011 17:36

oh I see, well welcome back connie

northerngirl41 · 02/01/2011 17:39

Thumbwitch this sounds like a small boutique hotel - they aren't geared up for buggies in the dining room, nor is that what other guests expect when they book their stay.

In fact, we had a night away at a boutique hotel last year - it's not cheap - think £200/night, £80/dinner. We had the lovliest meal, lots of wine, BIG bed overlooking the sea, heavenly sheets.... And at 6am I got woken up by some other family in the next room blasting out Barney the Dinosaur. It went on for 15 mins, I phoned down to reception and asked them to send someone up. They did and I snoozed for another 15 mins whereupon they started singing and it sounded like playing football - the manager was again called and suggested that they might want to take the kids downstairs for breakfast and was (rudely and loudly!) told no "We've paid for this room until 10am!".

The manager insisted on giving us a complimentary night's stay, but really it wasn't their fault. They've now banned children from the hotel which is a real shame because when our kids were older (and able to behave properly) we'd have loved to have taken them there.

grumpypants · 02/01/2011 17:45

Well, we had drinks in a small (gorgeous) hotel in the private sitting room with friends while their dcs (v small) slept upstairs. Felt a bit strange for me, but no idea why. TBH it was fine. We all had grown up chats, whisky tasting, and caught up without having to chat to toddlers. Their room was along the corridor (few steps) up the stairs, and straight in front of you. They had the baby monitor on (and paused to listen) and the door locked to the room.
Not like the MacCanns at all. But, using their tragedy as a kind of cautionary tale is a bit unpleasant, and just stirs up more of the 'What were they thinking?' comments.
When you get there, see what you think.

jamaisjedors · 02/01/2011 17:45

I probably would do it in a small hotel like that but it would be stressful.

We went to a wedding this summer and took the DC - but no DC were allowed at the meal.

I found a local babysitter through (shush) netmums local and she was lovely.

You could also see if there were any local agencies - I put up an ad myself and got an agency plus several childminders replying to me.

It needn't be very expensive if it's only for a couple of hours.

missmapp · 02/01/2011 17:48

We have done this in very similar circumstances ( small hotel, monitor worked, friends 40th) It was fine, but the only thing was that the meal was so noisy, we couldnt really hear the monitor so had to keep going to check. Ours were much younger and in cots, I think with older children I may be tempted to have the wiith me at the meal as they could wander, open doors etc

MrsSchadenfreude · 02/01/2011 17:50

I would do this - and have done so. Hotel room on second floor, dining room on ground floor. Baby monitor worked, and had one of them woken up, we could have been upstairs as easily as we could have at home.

If dining room is on ground floor and your room on 1st floor, it's not really much different to being at home, is it? Not the same as the situation with the McCanns at all.

If you lived your life by "what if?" all the time (fire, intruder, accident etc etc) you wouldn't do anything.

vintageteacups · 02/01/2011 17:51

If there wasa fire, what would you do? There's a high possibility you wouldn't be able to get back to the room.

Would you lock the room - another risk that they coudn't get out if needed.

As your youngest is only 16 months as well....I just wouldn't risk it.

Hotels aren't locked either so potentially anyone could walk in.

expatinscotland · 02/01/2011 17:52

I wouldn't do this. We got adjoining rooms with my folks once and had a takeway in the other room and some wine and had a little sort of party that way.

vintageteacups · 02/01/2011 17:52

The situation is different schaden as the hotel is open to the public and yes, it's highly unlikely, the risk is greater.

MrsSchadenfreude · 02/01/2011 17:53

If there was a fire, I would, err, run up one flight of stairs to get them out. The same as I would at home.

MrsSchadenfreude · 02/01/2011 17:54

I would also lock them in.

I think we are veering onto the "paedophile/child abductor on every corner" territory now.

employmentlawquery · 02/01/2011 17:55

I would see whether there is room sservice available and get as nice a meal as possible in the room. Then have a cosy evening sharing a bottle of wine, hopefully, while the kids dose. I would also enjoy a nice lunch in the hotel restaurant with the kids the next day.

sparkle12mar08 · 02/01/2011 17:57

Problem with that MrsS is that you wouldn't be allowed back up the stairs by the fire marshalls, you would be directed straight outside to the assembly points.

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