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

[FirstTimeLucky]

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?

Depending on the hotel you might love it, for example the four seasons Orlando has no curfew in the cocktail bar so you sit with your child asleep in a stroller whilst sipping a Cosmo and no one bats an eye!. A bit surreal but wonderful if you have had to sacrifice nights out in bars in favour of CBeebies bedtime hour the rest of the year. There are many many family friendly hotels these days that understand that parents still want to have lovely meals and drinks and they cater accordingly. We stayed at lovely place called fowey hall and they have loads of kids stuff and you don’t have to feel awkward in the dining room as families are given their own section.

Why on earth is an early restaurant meal unsuitable !?!?! My kids were eating out from being babies. Its 6.30pm not 9pm. Mine never got home from nursery / afterschoo until 6 at that age. They might go to bed a bit late but should sleep quickly and then you can chill. I'm not seeing an issue either

Plenty of people take their kids to hotels. Just feed them sandwiches at 5pm and they could just have a dessert / fruit salad while you're having dinner. Let them stay up late.

I take it you don't like your in laws much?

My DC have been going to restaurants and staying out until midnight since they were born.

Ah no.. am getting suspicious now. First thread and only one post...

I'm failing to see the problem. The meal is a sensible time slot. The DCs are 3 & 5 not the social hell of 18m where they have no attention span and just want to wander and cause chaos. Sharing a room isn't the greatest joy in the world, but perfectly tolerable for a night or two. Admittedly for a full holiday, I wouldn't stay in a one room hotel.

I voluntarily took my then 4&6 year olds for a night away on my own mid week in the holidays to catch up with relatives and it was fine.

My DCs love a Premier Inn breakfast. Great value when two ravenous kids are free with one adult!

Oh ffs, have we been duped?

In fact DS2 and I did exactly that last night.

Seriously???? We do this probably every 6 weeks with our 5 year old. Never an issue. Everywhere does kids meals. 6:30 is not late for a one off meal! Take pushchair/ iPad and let them chill out til about 9/10. Put them to bed take glass of wine to room and watch tv. See it as a start to getting your kids more flexible. What do you do on holiday?

Hmm perhaps everyone was supposed to slag off the MIL even though she's been more than reasonable?

You know, just because she's a MIL?

Strange thread.

I’d go, but my heart would sink at the thought. We stopped booking hotel rooms when my dd was around a year old and opted for Airbnbs instead so that my DH and I could put our dd down for the night and we could eat / drink / watch tv without disturbing her.

Despite my efforts to not rigidly stick to a routine, my dd has other ideas and needs to be fed by 5pm and asleep by 7.30pm or she’s a screaming mess. She’s not known for her flexibility or patience

Where has the op gone?

It is for one night for a big birthday for FIL. One night. So the kids are tired the next day no big deal. Can I go instead? My dc would be thrilled.

My DC love a hotel! They especially love it when we all sleep in the same room in a Premier inn or something for a night. Agree the set dinner time might be a bit of a pain but get some ready pasta from the supermarket and give them a snack or make them a sandwich/

I've not RTFT although I've looked for further posts from the OP.

This is a poorly disguised reverse, isn't it?

Wind up & run....

OP must have found a way to get through this as she hasn't been back - maybe she hasn't gone "To Slough" and enjoying Hull instead?

We do this regularly. It's fab. After dinner I always volunteer to put DS to bed so DH can spend time with his parents. It's a fruitful, cunning plan. DS is out like a light within 10 minutes and I get the whole evening to binge watch trash tv in peace. DH thinks I'm a trooper and hasn't figured out yet that he's the one with short straw.

This has got to be a wind up. No one that pathetic could make it through daily life could they??

6:30 is early for dinner, so I think your pil have tried to be considerate here.

They've also made sure to book a hotel with family rooms.

It's a milestone birthday, a one-off, your dc won't spontaneously combust by eating a bit later than usual or going to bed later than usual - to them it will be a wonderful adventure, surrounded by family, and they will sleep well for you after their late night I hope.

I've got four dc and they've all regularly stayed in hotels from being tiny babies, so I'm afraid I also think you're being a bit pathetic and joyless.

But that's exactly what I don't understand primal. Unless there's a backstory/ special circumstances I don't understand why it would be disruptive, don't people just do this type of thing from the start?*

You really can't understand that all children are different? That some things you like don't work for other people? That maybe no, people don't all go away to hotels with their babies from the start?

Weird.

I hated staying in the same room as my daughter when she was still feeding as a toddler. She is a v light sleeper and would wake then be attached to me all night. DS was/is an anxious child who thrived with a v strict routine. New things stressed him out a lot. Also, they both woke v easily if there was even a chink of light. For some reason, clearly my deficient parenting, going to hotels when they were small was just not worth it for me.

It is for one night for a big birthday for FIL. One night.

TWO NIGHTS.

RTFOP.

Hang on.. when OP said they were sharing a room you don’t think she meant a family room with PIL?!
All adults top to tailing like Charlie Bucket’s grandparents?

Yeah, big deal about it being two nights! What's the difference?

Is FIL a nice person? Do they help you / be kind? Does your DH want to go?

I'd go and tbh my main moan would be that in laws would be there but that's cos we don't get on! Don't understand why the meal etc isn't suitable. Yes family rooms are a challenge but that's life and it's only a couple of nights.