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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think hotels and restaurant meals are not suitable for DC?

238 replies

FirstTimeLucky · 04/01/2018 21:12

Me, DH and our two DC, aged 5 and 3, are being forced to stay in a hotel for two nights with MIL, FIL and SIL for FIL’s milestone birthday. We are staying in a family room which MIL has booked. I have no desire to take all the chaos of Home and put us all in one room. On top of this, they have booked a 6.30pm meal for us all in the hotel restaurant. AIBU to think this is totally unsuitable for a 5 and 3 year old?? And then what will we do? Sit in the dark in our family room while they go to sleep? We’ve never stayed in a hotel with DC before. Added to this, neither DC are great sleepers and so will inevitably be difficult to get to sleep and up early. AIBU to really not want to go, or should we just suck it up for FIL’s bday?

OP posts:
TheQueenOfWands · 04/01/2018 21:13

How are you being forced? Do they have a gun to your head?

Don't go. Say you have the squits or something.

SweepTheHalls · 04/01/2018 21:13

Depends on your children. When we had just one child I would have said no way, ironically now I have 3 (9,6,2) it would be fine!

wizzywig · 04/01/2018 21:13

If you wanted to go then you'd go. A 6.30 dinner is fine. Kids will be excited

BusyBeez99 · 04/01/2018 21:14

I took DS away from aged 1 to hotels. He just used to fit in. We all went to bed at the same time (later than his usual bedtime) and apart from a bit of being silly as he got to you kids age, it all went well

So YABU just go and enjoy a different environment for a couple of days

NewIdeasToday · 04/01/2018 21:14

It’s just one evening. Let your kids stay up a bit later than normal and enjoy the celebration.

FluffyWuffy100 · 04/01/2018 21:14

How is the meal unsuitable? They will probably do you something plain if you ask.

TroelsLovesSquinkies · 04/01/2018 21:15

My kids ate in hotels and restauants at that age with no problem. I didn't sit in the dark though. I let them stay up late, brought paper, crayons and quiet toys and a pushchair that reclined, plus a couple of soft blankets for if they fell asleep.

SellFridges · 04/01/2018 21:15

Is it a one off? 6:30 would not be a late meal for our two similarly aged DC - they often don’t get home from school and Nursery until 6pm.

Unless there’s some drip feeding to come I think you’re being a bit daft.

AnnoyedByAlfieBear · 04/01/2018 21:16

We have a 3 and a 5 year old. This is a regular dinner time for us (on a non-school night). We regularly go on 2 week caravan holidays which our bedroom and the kids are only separated by a curtain. It's honestly fine.

windowSong · 04/01/2018 21:16

Jeez, you're being over the top. Relax and enjoy the very kind gesture from your PIL!

FluffyWuffy100 · 04/01/2018 21:16

Let your kids stay up a bit later than normal and enjoy the celebration.

My mum still brings up all the times the other children stayed up and enjoyed parties.... and I was asleep on the floor / sofa / on Mum or Dad.

She’s quite bitter about my lack of staying up power as a small child.

TopangaD · 04/01/2018 21:16

What do they normally eat? My children eat the same meals that we do and they are as young. Stay up, relax and enjoy the special occasion

HarryDresdensLeatherDuster · 04/01/2018 21:17

You clearly don't want to go! I genuinely do not understand why people are so negative about eating out and travelling with children - surely these are adventures and a great chance to spend time together??

A 6.30 meal sounds ideal and as if your ILs have booked it early so the children can come. Afterwards, either go up with them and read etc or one of you go, the other one stay up/swap etc. You don't sound like you like FIL so go up r=early with the children and have a nice bath then snuggle with your children and read - sounds like a perfect evening to me!

Elementally · 04/01/2018 21:17

There's nothing wrong with it as a concept, it's just that you don't want to go. If you feel you have to then try to make the best of it. It will all be fine.

angelikacpickles · 04/01/2018 21:17

What's wrong with a 6.30pm meal? My children are 3 and 6 and that's the time we would book a meal out if we were going with family. It's dinner time surely?

I do agree that the hotel room thing is a bit of a pain. We rarely stay in hotel rooms but when we do we just watch something on TV with the volume low when the kids fall asleep. My kids actually love staying in hotel rooms - they love the breakfast the next morning!

Fitzsimmons · 04/01/2018 21:17

Aww, my kids are 5 and 2 and we regularly stay in hotels. Take some crayons, paper and stickers to the restaurant. Don't be too rigid about bedtime, it's only one night. Once mine are asleep they are usually not disturbed with us having the tv on quietly. They're usually poor sleepers but they seem to cope just fine!

ShatnersBassoon · 04/01/2018 21:18

If you're gearing up for a miserable 24 hour test of endurance, of course you need to pull out to save your in-laws the expense and embarrassment.

MrsJayy · 04/01/2018 21:18

It is 1 night 6.30 dinner is fine or give them a bigger lunch and give them soup or something sit in the hotel bar with inlaws take screens for bedroom it will be fine you are making it sound like torture.

IWantAPinkHouse · 04/01/2018 21:18

I stayed in a hotel nye with my 5 year old. She had a snack at 6pm, dinner in a restaurant was at 9pm and she saw the new year in too.

We co-sleep anyway so sharing a different room for one night wasn't a problem and she slept really well after all the excitement.

Other people can come to your room if they are asleep or you can let the dc stay up later as a treat, there will be others around you to help entertain them anyway.

StinkPickle · 04/01/2018 21:18

Would be a nightmare with my 1 year old. But if it was just my 3&5 year old would be lovely.

Just play on your phone in the dark when they go to sleep and once they’re asleep put a lamp on to read.

No big deal.

inkandstone · 04/01/2018 21:19

All sounds perfectly fine to me. Do you not get on very well with them or something?

pitterpatterrain · 04/01/2018 21:19

I'm actually not sure what the big issue is in your OP

Is it the time of dinner or sharing a room?

Coloursthatweremyjoy · 04/01/2018 21:19

My two love hotels. We can be having the best day out ever and they will be asking when we can go to the hotel. "There's a bathroom mummy! In the room!"

Sure, they don't exactly get to sleep at their usual time, but it's part of the experience. I don't sit in the dark, I take my kindle and put it on low light.

Sirzy · 04/01/2018 21:20

Neither a meal or hotel stay are unreasonable things for children to be part of.

It’s pretty obvious from your post you don’t want to go though

DillyDilly · 04/01/2018 21:20

Book another room yourselves and you take one child and your DH the other.

They will be fine for dinner, bring crayons/paper and other bits to keep them occupied.

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