to take double buggy to wedding... or go back to hotel after service so kids can nap?

[bedraggledmumoftwo]

Wwyd really. Trying to pack for weekend away in hotel for a wedding, and in a bit of a quandary about what to do about buggies and naptimes for 7mo and 2yo!

never received my invitation as it went to wrong address but family wedding so just said yes and booked hotel. Finally asked dm what time service was and she said be at church for 1145 for a 12pm wedding. Which clashes nicely with 2yo lunch and naptime. Well both actually, but whereas dd2 is portable and flexible, dd1 has always been a bit of a diva. Was already wondering if i could get her to sleep in pram in the evening, but now applies for naptime too!

We have a britax b dual, Phil and teds style but quite bulky. Or a single umbrella style just for the baby. My husband is keen to either miss the service or leave straight after, so she can nap in hotel room! Or i could take said bulky tandem buggy and hope she sleeps for a bit, even though she wont get a proper nap. Figure the wedding breakfast wont be till threeish. And same issue in the evening. Again, dh volunteering to go back to hotel with iPad to escape my family. But i am keen to try and be flexible, although then i thought they might be more annoyed with the bulky pram than half attendance... Any advice? Please!

I wouldn't be annoyed about a pram in my wedding. Or someone escaping to hotel for nap.
I think either option is reasonable. Which would you prefer to do?

Personally, I would leave the DCs at home with someone and go and have a bloody good child free day!

Disclaimer: my babies are all 11+ so it's been a while.

Can you discuss with your 2yo that it's a very special day, and she gets to wear a very pretty dress and go to a grown up occasion, so she has to be a big girl even if she's tired, then after the service is over stick her straight down for a nap? I think slinking away after the service but before the wedding breakfast is more acceptable than missing the service tbh, but if she cuts up and screams then you will have to have a plan b to remove her ASAP!

Sleeping in the pram in the evening is fine IMO, and common to see at late events where babies are present.
Your DD may surprise you though, my DDs were very fixed in a routine but at events would often get a second wind and be dancing around all night. Of course, you pay for that in tired sulks the next day, but it gets you through the wedding!

Aww cute I love wee one dressed in their Sunday best. Do whatever you feel will make the most sense. I've been to things where I've just excused myself and taken the pram round the block a few times to get mine to sleep. But the hotel room might be more comfortable and a lot less effort so I like that idea.

Agree with Gradually... Would DD1 go the distance without nap? We took our 2 year old to a wedding recently (left baby with sister in law), no nap, she managed fine and had a ball! The bride had left activity bags at the tables for the little ones and had a bouncy castle so that helped a lot!!! She was staggering around the dance floor in tiredness by 8pm at which point we departed for home... she was asleep in the car after ten seconds. Admittedly the day was much more manageable as we didn't bring the baby..

Sounds like DD2 will be easy. For DD1 I would

Give her a big early breakfast (with tempting things I don't normally offer eg pancakes or bacon rolls)
Take snacks and drinks to church that aren't noisy (raisins, sandwich) to keep her topped up
Put her in pushchair at the venue and wheel her round while photos are being done so she gets a rest if not a nap

And yes, I would definitely bring the double buggy... we would have brought ours if the baby was with us

Thanks guys. Think i will take the big pram just in case, but may give dh leave to nip off after service and get her a proper nap so that she lasts longer in the evening. Otherwise the chances are we would have a meltdown at cake cutting time!

We took our P&T to a recent family wedding. 7mo had a decent sleep in it and 3yo pageboy had "five minutes with his eyes shut". I would not have been without it, despite the minor hassle.

I did contact the venues in advance to see about access.

Have a great time.