to consider leaving 5m DD in hotel room witgh monitor while we go to DH's work Xmas meal in the hotel?

[sassyhopper32]

As the thread title says, my DH's work is having a Xmas meal in a couple of weeks at a nearby hotel. The only way that we could both go would be to book room overnight and have DD in the room and take monitor. I am going to find out from the hotel exactly where the meal will be so that we can specify room as close by as possible and we would also check on her periodically as well as using the monitor. They don't have a baby listening service or babysitters etc.

We don't have any family nearby who could babysit and the only people we know locally will all be at the same function. We haven't been out together without DD since her birth and I haven't been out at night at all. Is it totally a no-no to even consider this? DH has no reservations, but I think it's maybe different for blokes.....and one of his friends and wife have also said that they're doing same thing, which doesn't make it wrong or right IMO.

'Are those mums doing this REALLY and trurly comfortable with this? (lots of defensive unconvincing posts on thread...)'

I'm neither defensive or unconvincing, I don't think. I took a calculated assessment of the location, the risks and made a decision. On the half dozen occasions we did this our children were fine (actually oblivious as they slept).

It may come as a huge shock to know that this was widespread up until about five years ago.

Huge shock. Hugely shocking but hey they are your kids just wouldn't dream of doing the same with mine. Each to their own I suppose...

In the small, family-run hotel in the Tyrol where we stayed, there is NO chance that the hotel manager would 'prevent' us going back to get the baby if there was a fire.

Leaving a baby on floor 20 of the Hilton would be quite different.

These blanket 'you must never do this' statements are just OTT.

Abra (-defensive...hm yes) - what you are describing is clearly very different to that bring debated. In addition, I am not making sweeping 'you must not' statements, merely stating that 'i never would' !!!

abra1d, I'm absolutely with you on this.

I make risk decisions on a case by case basis.

So, last time we were 5 to a family room (emergency dash to FIL's deathbed) - no, I wouldn't've left the dc on the 10th floor of a horrible chain hotel - too many drunks staggering down the corridors falling into the wrong doors, too many people with access to the room, too scary to contemplate a fire alarm & not being able to get back to our room to get the kids...

...& where would we have gone, anyway? Grim hotel bar?

OTOH - db's wedding. Small hotel, fully booked by family & friends. Dh got kids settled (since it was my db's do) - & we then took turns in checking every 30 minutes. Everyone was fine. In fact, the bar was closer to our room than I am to my kids in their bedroom now.

Thanks hucaspontas, if anyone knows of any way this can be displayed I would be very grateful!

Quintessential - firstly, I have already said, some way back, that I agree that this is not at all reasonable and I am NOT doing it, and you may not have seen that reply. But I really object to your snidey remark suggesting that we were planning an all-night booze-fest - where did I imply that? The original question clearly said 'meal' not Bacchanalian orgy and I and DH would checked on DD every 30 minutes and I would have gone to bed shortly after the meal. But the point is moot now, as we're definitely NOT doing it and I'm not attending the event.

Has anyone mentioned Madaline Mccan?

Just wondering.

Madaline Maccan!

Ignore all the judgemental posts Sassy - you made it clear you will not be doing it so I don't know why the pitchforks are still out.

Madaline Maccan?

VS yes several times

Victoriascrumptious, if you'd read the thread, you'd know that yes, Madeleine McCann has been mentioned a few times. You'd also know that THE OP IS NOT GOING TO THE DO!!!!!!

Just wondering like...

Madaline Mccan!

victoriascrumptious, if Madeleine McCann is so important to you that you need to post her name four times, please learn how to spell it! You have misspelt both her first name and her surname.

Has anyone mentioned Tsunami's yet?

How can you hear if a baby chokes on vomit on a monitor? Just because people used to do it, doesn't mean it was right. The McCanns have learned to their horror that its not as safe as they thought and i could cry for them.

Even if you checked every half hour, two minutes after you leave the room, the baby could take ill. And there would be little enjoyment of the meal, so little point.

I realise you are not going now, just wanted to comment.

Also a friend of a friend had a baby which was left in a room overnight.....

wild dingos were able to bluff their way past reception and trip the lock on the door with their pointy claws

...I don't think i need say anymore on that score

rupert22 - yes, that is a very good point, but does everyone not use a monitor at home either? Or does everyone stand by the cot at home every evening until it's time to go to bed, because they wouldn't hear choking on the monitor if they were in the kitchen or the living room? I don't know anyone who does this.

I know that I said I personally wouldn't do it but in reply to someone who said it was commonplace 5 yrs ago. Mine was that age 15 years ago and it wasn't the done thing then. Many a child fell asleep under the table or in a buggy when we went on our jollies.

However, I can remember when I was little in the 60's and many families went to Butlins. The parents left the little ones in the chalets whilst they took to the ballrooms and bars which could have been half a mile away. Childrens nurses would patrole the chatlet lines and report back. My friend's parents were alerted to 'baby crying in chatlet 10' they went back and she wanted a drink of water. So guess in was commonplace 46 years ago.

Where is this hotel Sassy? Is it bear country?

My Aunties's sister left her child in a room in Northumbria once. She went downstairs to watch Dr Phil forgetting of course that she hadn't locked the backdoor. Shortly afterwards a bear came in...attracted by the smell of sudocreme (which bears like). The bear was halfway up the stairs before anyone noticed. I dread to think what could have happened

ooohhhhh no don't do it...... far too risky..... I would rather have babe in a car seat or pram at the side or not bother at all.

It is a no-no to even consider it

everyone knows that the presence of a baby's mother protects a baby from any harm

and there are boogie-men under hotel beds

but actually the risk is negligible

My DH and I tried this at a birthday do for a friend of DH's son (sorry, v complicated). However, the monitor was out of range within 50 paces of my hotel room door. The floors were definitely too thick for the monitor to penetrate. So DH and I took turns at the meal, and then I went to bed early.

Sorry, no go!

However, you could go to the hotel and stay over, so that DH will come back to you for some drunken sex (nice bottle of wine for you, too?), and then you have a leisurely breakfast the next day before he babysits and you use the hotel pool/spa.

WingedVictory - that's a tempting idea!!