Staying in a hotel with baby.

[wellsie]

HELP!
I think we're being invited to a party which requires the whole family, including DS who will be 11mths.
We will have to stay in a hotel but DS is a really light sleeper so I'm going to be worrying about noisey guests, plus he'll only sleep ina dark room so when he goes to bed at 7ish so are DH and I.
What have other MN'S done? What is a baby listening service? And can you get rooms with separate little rooms for babe to sleep in?
Sorry if I sound really thick but I'm freaking out. I don't want to go to this do but feel we have to - long story!
Advice most welcome.

wellsie

I have stayed in hotels with same age baby quite a lot recently, although mine is not a woken by light or noise, I have to tell you that the hotel experience does tend to disturb their routine.

Why don''t you take advantage of this and keep DS up with you at the do untile he zonks out and then slip him in to bed later? You may pay for it the next night at home with some disruption but it would save you the hassle of trying to make everything perfect in a strange place.

HTH

Haven't done it with ds but certainly did with dd at a similar age and did as suzy suggested, just kept her dancing 'til late and then she went off no problem. Saved the who will party and who will sit in the room debate

Wellsie,

SW is right - I was terrified of disturbing DS's routine at this age. We went to party one night and he stayed up till late (eventually conked out in his pram about 10pm). He went to bed that night and slept in till 9.30am the next day. I tell you it was a revelation and because it was a one off he wasn't even particuarly grumpy the next day.

HTH

Thanks everyone, perhaps we'll take him with us and then at least he'll be the great excuse for having to leave early.

Our DS is only 7 months and we've had one very offputting hotel trauma so far (just wouldn't settle, got over-tired and we all had a miserable time), so our rule now is, if we can't afford a suite, we can't afford to go away! Got a suite last weekend for a wedding - DS slept in the sitting-room part and it was BLISS, especially as we don't have a separate room for him at home - all 3 slept "like babies" all night!!

We don't do hotels for the same reason. Try a cottage? or interconnecting doors in the hotel? (pricey I suspect)