Hotel stay with a toddler

[Abouttimemum]

Hi!

DS is aged 2 and although we’ve stayed in hotels with him when he was a baby we’ve not since lockdown (Just cottage stays where he’s had his own room)

So essentially, any tips?
He’s a good sleeper, generally shattered by 7ish and up at 6.30. He likes it dark (we have a travel blackout) and he struggles with noise when he’s going to sleep.

He’s not your typical on the move sleeper and wouldn’t just fall asleep in the bed with us when he’s tired.

He’s still in a travel cot for info.

I wouldn’t be fussed about late nights / lie in etc for a couple of nights but it’s an active holiday so we’ll need to be up and out early and if he does go to bed late he’s usually still up at the same time, and he’ll have to nap on the move (so he’d have half an hour ish rather than up to 2 hours) and this will all add up to crankiness.

Basically, I’m keen for him to get a reasonable amount of sleep still. He’s adaptable of course but not massively, if you know what I mean!

DH said we just put him to bed as normal and wait until he’s gone to sleep before whacking the TV on (which would be fine once he’s off and would only take 15 mins) / reading etc, but I feel a bit weird lying on the bed in the dark like a couple of stiffs until he’s asleep 😂 is that normal? Plus I’d probably fall asleep ha.

Any tips most welcome!

Hide in the bathroom with some wine while he falls asleep. Have a bath even!

We lay in the bed in the dark but he mostly just tries to catch our eye even then. So often hide in the hotel bathroom.

We just keep our lo awake a bit longer then all go to bed at the same time. Tbh I enjoy the extra sleep!
We stay in Premier inns quite regularly and it works for us.

When we stayed in hotels when ours were small, we generally went for Premier inns with pubs attached, so that when the kids went to bed we could take turns going for a drink with a book. Or just hide in the bathroom and go for an early night as previous posters have said!

We generally used a WiFi based baby monitor app on our phones and would go and sit in the bar.

@Aria999

We generally used a WiFi based baby monitor app on our phones and would go and sit in the bar.

Don't do this!!

I've stayed in hospitals a few times with dc.
We bed share.
She tends to go to sleep with white noise then I eat/ watch tv/ ipad etc.

We bed share, and go to bed early.

@user8984277

I thought someone might say this but I can't see any actual reason why not. What's going to happen?

I'm talking about being about 30 seconds away.

In case it's the WiFi hacking thing:

The entire communication is encrypted by industry standard SSL. When you use the Baby Monitor 3G on your local wifi, the audio and video communication is not sent to the internet at all.

[quote Aria999]@user8984277

I thought someone might say this but I can't see any actual reason why not. What's going to happen?

I'm talking about being about 30 seconds away.[/quote]
The bar is 30 secs away from your room every time?

The same reason you shouldn't leave young children at home alone.

[quote Aria999]@user8984277

I thought someone might say this but I can't see any actual reason why not. What's going to happen?

I'm talking about being about 30 seconds away.[/quote]
Because everyone who works in the hotel has access to the key to your room.

@Aria999

We generally used a WiFi based baby monitor app on our phones and would go and sit in the bar.

Wow 🤯

My DD is the same OP but bit more of a task to get to sleep. I've found our most enjoyable holidays where we've stayed in a villa or larger studio with lounge etc. Saves hiding in the bathroom 😆

@Aria999 how on earth do you manage to get a room next door to the bar every time? Does it not worry you that everyone who works there could get into the room? I can't get my head round this at all

Sit on the balcony having a drink

I am on the sit on the balcony with a drink approach or just go to bed early. We always put ours to bed but left a side light on so we could read.

We always got a suite/appartment unless it was just one night. So DD could sleep in peace and we could talk, watch TV, sit on the balcony.

Anything else would have been a disaster for all of us.

For the odd night I normally put DD down and DH would vanish for a drink at the bar and when DD was asleep I would text him and he would come with a drink for me.

@Aria999

We generally used a WiFi based baby monitor app on our phones and would go and sit in the bar.

Same…

We regularly book with a chain of hotels which gives you a video monitor for the duration of your stay

It’s a bit weird going to dinner in their fancy restaurant and seeing nearly every table with a monitor on it next to the bottle of wine but it’s makes it a nice relaxing break where DC stick to their schedule and we get time to relax

The distance from restaurant to room is about the same as the distance at home if we sit in the kitchen, and I don’t buy into this hysterical idea that every hotel worker is waiting to kidnap or abuse a sleeping child

@Aria999

In case it's the WiFi hacking thing:

The entire communication is encrypted by industry standard SSL. When you use the Baby Monitor 3G on your local wifi, the audio and video communication is not sent to the internet at all.

I'd be more worried if there was a fire and you couldn't get to your child...

@SW1amp Can you tell me what chain of hotels does this?

If the fire alarm goes off, you will be blocked from trying to return to your room. Which means you leave your baby or toddler there alone (possibly upset at the alarm noise) whole you stand outside at the fire point and wait for the emergency services to come and collect your child, mid fire, from the room.

[quote Indigopearl]@SW1amp Can you tell me what chain of hotels does this?[/quote]
www.luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk/

We’ve stayed at nearly all of them over the years and they are brilliantly set up for families but also for adults who want to carve out a bit of child free time

We’ve just come back from 10 days at Moonfleet Manor and it’s about the only place I could contemplate having regular UK holidays..!

We always book a suite so the kids can sleep undisturbed. Go for dinner early-ish then back to the room, kids to bed and we order drinks and desert through room service. Yes it’s considerably more expensive but I personally don’t view sitting on the loo with wine in a coffee mug as much of a holiday. I wouldn’t personally do the baby monitor and bar thing.

Pmsl that the distance from restaurant to room at Wooley Grange is the same as being at home in the kitchen.

Nice hotels but ok love 😂

@KindergartenKop

Hide in the bathroom with some wine while he falls asleep. Have a bath even!

We did exactly this in Paris once!!!

@Skyla2005

Sit on the balcony having a drink

A standard hotel room booking won't have a balcony.

I wish that would have been an option for us a couple of days ago. We had a very busy day and DH and I were sure DS would be knocked out come the night time. He fell asleep soon enough but woke several times throughout thenight, despite DH and I going to sleep early too.

Just following for ideas.