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Original poster

Two children sleeping alone in a hotel room!

72 replies

user1486164258 · 03/02/2017 23:51

The hotel is safe and my room is on the same floor as them (possibly next to them), plus continuous monitoring. (two monitors and a phone)

Ages: 8

Thank you!

OP posts:
brokenheartdog · 04/02/2017 07:55

We tried this once. Not intentionally, booked a family room, got there and they had double booked so put us in two suites, one adult and three kids.

UK small hotel room a couple of rooms down. No balcony etc, only for one night and kids were desperate to try their own room so I took the youngest and the older two took the other room. One of the kids was scared of a picture on the wall. So by five pm we were all in one room sharing a bed or on the sofa.

Looking back it was a bad idea anyway.
It isn't worth it.

RacoonBandit · 04/02/2017 07:57

Crickey there is no need for some of the nasty responses! I hate the mental health name calling Hmm

If they are sensible 8 yo and your room is next door then I cant see a problem. They dont leave the room and only open the door to you. Only you can gage how your children will behave.

As for the Mcann comment this situation is very different.

kilmuir · 04/02/2017 07:59

Who are you sharing with

Chinnygirl · 04/02/2017 08:04

I think that they are still too young. It can be very scary alone at noght and who knows what they will do.

brokenheartdog · 04/02/2017 08:05

Actually thinking about it.

At nine i went on a school trip to London, sharing a room in a normal hotel with class mates with a teacher down the corridor in another room.

At ten my DD shared a dorm with other children again with a teacher nearby on a French trip.

Not that much older really.

PandasRock · 04/02/2017 08:06

Would depend on several factors.

Type of hotel (small boutique vs huge premier inn type)

Where the rooms are located - you say 'possibly even next door' - that would have tone guaranteed for me to even consider it.

How your children are (general behaviour, anxiety, and ability to maintain that with each other and no adult present).

For me, it would be a no. We are travelling g this weekend and have 2 rooms booked as no connecting rooms available. In theory, that should be H in one plus child/ren and me I. The other plus child/ren (we have 3 dc). In practise, it will be me with all 3 while H has a peaceful night elsewhere (eldest will be with me, meaning middle one will choose me and youngest goes wherever middle one goes!) so be it.

brokenheartdog · 04/02/2017 08:10

The screaming at the OP about the Mcanns is a bit unfair to be honest. Their children were 1 and 3 and they left them asleep in a room and left the building!

I'm actually fairly surprised at the responses. Mumsnet is usually fairly liberal about kids being home alone and I remember being told I was being ridiculous for worrying about dd being put in a dorm some years ago.

PigletWasPoohsFriend · 04/02/2017 08:10

@ImaLannister How about you lay off with the MH remarks..

OP I would get either a family room or connecting rooms.

AtSea1979 · 04/02/2017 08:13

No absolutely not. I thought you were going to say they were teenagers.

I had to do this at a b&b once. There was 3 rooms and they messed up my booking and gave the family room to someone else so 9 year old DS got a twin room and my and 6 yo DD slept in the double. Was worse nights sleep ever as was too busy fretting about DS and at about 2am I heard DS room door open and he was stood there crying he was scared. I felt so bad for him. I wished I'd found somewhere else but after 4 hours of driving and arriving at bedtime I didn't want to have to go out and look for somewhere else.

canihaveacoffeeplease · 04/02/2017 08:14

Slightly different scenario, but I used to work as a ski rep for PGL, not all hotels were whole group exclusive hotels ( so there were other guests), we had kids as young as 8 who of course shared with each other without an adult present. There were teachers on each floor but obviously not in each room and we never once had a problem apart from general mischief which is to be expected on a school trip!

Having said that, if it was just me and 2 kids I'd do my utmost to get a family room/ suite/ interconnecting room. It's a different scenario when it's just you and 2 young kids.

Our kids are very young and we often look for serviced apartments which are about the same price as a decent hotel and usually far cheaper than 2 rooms/ a suite. Better facilities for a young family too-kitchen and separate living room area.

No need for the nastiness and name calling, it is a fair question asked by someone who genuinely isn't sure and is asking for guidance.

juniorcakeoff · 04/02/2017 08:17

Do they share a room at home? Reduces buggering about chances. Check room safety, do windows open, any fire hazards, remove kettle maybe. Ensure rooms are not on ground floor and are next to each other. If children are mature and sensible, would consider as long as you are always immediately available i.e next door and monitor on. Not illegal to leave children unsupervised unless at risk.

MorningHeavyWeight · 04/02/2017 08:20

I think you're getting far too hard a time here OP. Try to ignore the vitriol.

If I had another option (family room / suite) I would use it as a preference. Feels safer. If you don't have another option then needs must.

I was about 8 in a room down a corridor and around a corner from my parents, I was in with my sibling, who would have been 10. There was a fire alarm. All was fine. Kids know what to do in fire alarms, they do them so frequently at school, just make sure they know the hotel fire safety info, good practice regardless of whether you are in separate rooms or all together.

Both 8yo - twins or friends? If either of the children aren't yours then you must inform their parents of your arrangements.

cariadlet · 04/02/2017 08:20

I wouldn't at that age. We've always had family rooms. DD didn't have a room on her own until she was 13 and that was only because one of her friends came on holiday with us.

At that age I'd have worried about her waking up with a bad dream in the middle of the night or about fire. Plus separate rooms are more expensive. Wink

claraschu · 04/02/2017 08:22

I wouldn't do it, but I think that's probably because I am too cheap. Two of my 3 kids would have been fine at that age, and I think the worries about fire and abduction are silly based on the statistics (though I am a worrier and always have to give myself a good talking-to).

ForeverLivingMyArse · 04/02/2017 08:23

I would be more worried about the carry on!

GavelRavel · 04/02/2017 08:25

this reminds me of a childhood incident. when my sister and I were 8 and 6 in about 1979/80 we were on holiday in Las Vegas with parents and big family group. Massive hotel/casino complex. we were left upstairs in the hotel room asleep while the adults were downstairs at the casino and of course woke up. my sister was crying so I decided to take her to try and find our parents. when we left the room, in our nighties, the door locked behind us, of course, and we were locked out in the corridor.

she eventually stopped crying and we started wondering around. we found the emergency stairs and I remember we had a whale of a time running up and down corridors on different floors, playing with the ice machines. we eventually made it down to a balcony over the casino and had more fun looking at the adults, but couldn't see our parents. We eventually went back to our floor (remembered the number, luckily), ran around some more, ate some more ice, then found the door at the other end which led to some metal fire escape stairs down the outside of the building (we were on 18th floor). we decided to go down them but, luckily, I think we had set off an alarm, and a nice cleaning lady with her trolley came out and grabbed us back in. she didn't speak English but was very friendly. we found the locked room and she let us back in with her master key. To this day, my mother refuses to believe this happened.

I think this Memory has put me off leaving young kids in hotel rooms alone. We were fine of course but could have got out of the Hotel or met someone less friendly. I do always wonder as well how many people in a hotel have master keys to the rooms and how that could be abused.

Different in a much smaller hotel.i guess or with baby listening etc.

GreatScot8 · 04/02/2017 08:26

I'd do it.

Not really sure how it's any different to having your children sleep in one room at the end of the house while you sleep at the other; or how it's any different to allowing your children to "camp" in the backyard... Yet both of these things are acceptable.

The kids are 8, not 8 months.

ForeverLivingMyArse · 04/02/2017 08:29

You have more control over your home environent and the children are familier with it. Not the case in a hotel.

Chelazla · 04/02/2017 08:30

Not personally, I wouldn't settle. I see the point of people who say it's just like sleeping next door at home but for me it's not. They doors are locked so dc can't get to you or they open them and are wandering communal hall to get to you. I think people are being a little harsh and it's not like the mccanns who went for dinner! But I just think that incident made people want to keep their kids extra close.

Wondermoomin · 04/02/2017 08:33

Interconnected rooms yes, otherwise no.

Is there a reason you can't be in one room?

AuntieStella · 04/02/2017 08:40

If they are next door, and if you have checked that the monitor actually works in between the rooms, and if you stay upstairs once they go to bed, then yes at 8 I would.

Assuming of course that the room has no obvious hazards (so unplug/remove kettles lock any balcony doors and read riot act about behaviour)

I've done similar in small hotel. Not so sure I I would in a huge mega complex.

And now mine are all secondary age, I would do it without thinking twice.

Buggerlugs123 · 04/02/2017 08:58

Mine are 11 & 13 and we have just booked a hotel but will be staying in the same family room- so I would say definitely not.

MollyHuaCha · 04/02/2017 09:10

When my DCs were 8 and 10, we had an adjoining room at a Heathrow airport hotel. There was a lot of squealing as they shared out complimentary snacks and toiletries. Then it went very quiet. We discovered them watching the ten second adult movie trailer on a loop.

AttilaTheMeerkat · 04/02/2017 09:10

You cannot blithely assume that the hotel is safe.

You need an interconnecting room for this to be at all viable. Many hotels will not allow children under the age of 18 occupying their own room without a responsible adult being present in it.

treaclesoda · 04/02/2017 09:14

I wouldn't do it. But in any case, my DD wouldn't have wanted to be in a strange room with no adult at that age anyway. In fact, she is almost 11 and still wouldn't.

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