Las Vegas with a toddler

[flipflopson5thavenue]

DP is going to Las Vegas for a week in mid-January for work. Would it be a crazy idea to take DS who will be 18mo then and tag along??

My worries are:
Long flight and lots of jet lag for just 1 week away.
Won't be much fun with a travel cot in a hotel room for several nights, although there may be the option of upgrading to a suite.
Lots of the children entertainment seems geared at older kids, so what would I do all day when DP is at work? (just 3 days, rest of week he'd be free)

BUT
I think it would be fun and exciting and I want DS to see the world and I don't think I could pass up the opportunity of seeing the Grand Canyon!

Any thoughts/ideas/top tips/things to avoid??

Might be worth adding that DP is Canadian and we've done two long flights (6/7hrs) with DS already, one at 6mo and one at 12mo, so we're a little bit prepared in some respect for long haul travel.

Something to bear in mind in January will be the weather; even though it is a desert climate the average daytime temp may only be around 58 degrees F which is about 14 degrees c.

If you do go fly direct. Both BA and Virgin offer direct flights to Las Vegas.

Where were you thinking of staying?. I would personally stay with a toddler in both a non gaming and non smoking facility like the Four Seasons or the MGM Signature (they have one or two bedroom suites and a well appointed kitchen with a full sized fridge). Other hotels are very large in terms of walking through them and many allow smoking in some parts of the casino itself. You will be able to walk through the casino gaming floor areas with your toddler but you will not be allowed to linger at all. The security staff will want you to keep moving.

Grand Canyon is a fair distance away (at least 1 hour) from Las Vegas itself.

I would never pass up a trip abroad, but the main problem with that trip for me would be the jet lag. It took my son a week to get back to sleeping normally, but as we were there for a few months that was tolerable. Also, it's pleasant and sunny that time of year in Las Vegas, but too cold to go in the pools. Having said that, if it's only three days you'd find enough there to pass the time. I found something I posted on a thread a while ago about las vegas with young children, when it was fresher in my mind!-

We took DS a couple of times when he was 3 because we were living in LA at the time, and he loved it - especially the Pirates show at Treasure Island as the risque content when straight over his head!

You can make it work with small children with a bit of planning and if you're happy to base what you see around them - off the top of my head I remember taking him to see the lions at MGM, the flamingos at the Flamingo, the Rainforest Cafe, watching the Bellagio fountains from the strip and the outside of New York New York which has miniature models of American landmarks. I don't know if it still has the rollercoaster, although I seem to remember it turned out to be a bit extreme for young kids. There was also a really good science museum just outside Las Vegas which DS enjoyed and a go karting and kids amusement place nearby!

We stayed at the Luxor and the Mirage and preferred the Mirage for it's central strip location and just a bit of a smarter feel. The pool was great but it was full of spring breakers smoking in the water which I was a bit taken aback by!! The all you can eat hotel buffets are also great for kids and I think they were free for under 4s.

Downsides for me with kids would be the way you can't stop on the gaming floor with them but at some hotels that's your only route to get anywhere, so every time you go out you have to contend with a toddler who just wants to examine a fruit machine.....I think the Mirage wasn't too bad in this respect. Hope that helps a bit!

the Grand Canyon is only an hour from Las Vegas if you fly. By road it is five hours.

I wouldn't. Vegas is a great adult playground, really not geared towards kids though.