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Original poster

Taking an 18 month old to Vegas

34 replies

Bojangles33 · 11/03/2019 19:58

Am I insane? We have a friend who lives out there and we aren't going to do a "Vegas" holiday, more just stay with him for a couple of weeks, maybe do a few days out to see things like the Grand Canyon and local national parks etc. Not expecting to go out gambling and drinking. But he's our first baby (currently only 9 months old) so I have no concept of what he'll be like at 18 months and it's an 11 hour flight so it seems a bit daunting. Can we do this or will it just be hell?

OP posts:
Soontobe60 · 11/03/2019 21:17

Vegas itself is totally unsuitable for small children.
There's lots of other places to visit but the drives are very long, e.g. From Vegas to the Grand Canyon takes most of a day. It's also very very hot, windy at times, and dry.

FenellaMaxwell · 11/03/2019 21:18

Hell. Sorry.

WhenZogateSuperworm · 11/03/2019 21:19

Far too hot!

GiveMeAllTheGin8 · 11/03/2019 21:20

You need to gamble in Vegas!! It’s vegas!!!! Definitely not a family holiday

kmammamalto · 11/03/2019 21:21

Yup hell. And I'm normally all for still doing stuff when you've got kids, but not this. Sorry.

HermioneWeasley · 11/03/2019 21:21

11 hour flight with an 18 month old will be a nightmare. They just want to be on the move all the time and don’t have attention span t9 sit and watch a film etc.

Original poster
Bojangles33 · 11/03/2019 21:22

@Soontobe60 Unsuitable how? I get that there's a lot of gambling and drinking etc but we won't be on the strip loads anyway and not staying in a hotel. Presumably people in Vegas do have children themselves so there will be some child friendly places! It's more the flight I'm worried about.

We are going in October so not concerned about the weather too much as it'll be warm still but much more tolerable than midsummer

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CheeseRolls · 11/03/2019 21:22

Just the flight will be hell ime with child of that age.

That's before the other stuff mentioned

Though some supermums will be along soon to say they took Tarquin and Persephone on a double round the world trip and they were a delight..... Wink

Original poster
Bojangles33 · 11/03/2019 21:23

@kmammamalto so if it was an 11hr flight somewhere else would you say do it?! Trying to work out if it's Vegas specifically that's the issue here or just the horrendous flight 😂

OP posts:
Original poster
Bojangles33 · 11/03/2019 21:24

@CheeseRolls yes that's my main worry to be honest. Part of me thinks it's just one day and we just have to get through it but the other half thinks oh god no

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CheeseRolls · 11/03/2019 21:26

11hts is a long time. Plus jet lag.
It's doable, you need to prepare prepare and prepare more. And assume you won't sleep on either leg of the flight.

I have done flight that long solo with two kids youngest was 4. I'm not keen to repeat until said child is utterly self sufficient!

HoHoHolittlepea · 11/03/2019 21:26

it's the flight..2 hours with an 18month old was pretty hairy for us..11 hours is madness...they are so actice at that age..and like pp said not yet really into screen time etc...much easier with a younger baby or older child but 18months likely to be horrendous.

CheeseRolls · 11/03/2019 21:27

Will it be two adults vs. One child?
Will you buy him a seat ?

That makes a big difference to your sanity

MynameisJune · 11/03/2019 21:31

The flight is crazy for an 18 month old. There is just no way I’d do it at that age. They don’t have an attention span long enough to watch a film/sit still for long etc. I’ve done the flight 4 times and I hate it myself.

Also from Vegas to the Grand Canyon is 5-7hr drive through mainly desert. How are you going to manage that with a toddler? In fact anywhere from Vegas takes a while in a car, there is no train station as far as I can remember.

If you’re determined then don’t think of it as a holiday, it won’t be. It will be the same stuff you do at home but in a different country without all your usual home comforts.

hammylehamster · 11/03/2019 21:31

I wouldn't even want to do the drive from Vegas to the Grand Canyon with an 18 month old, let alone the flight there.

hammylehamster · 11/03/2019 21:32

Cross post - same thinking!

kmammamalto · 11/03/2019 21:33

I actually think it's Vegas that's the worst bit honestly! The flight is meh. It would be shit but you could do it.. maybe baby would sleep... it is only one day. But then you're jet lagged and so on.
Vegas is soulless. It's miles from anything good, it's insanely hot and totally adult oriented. It's designed for drinking and gambling and not much else. I'm sorry I just don't think it will be much fun for a newly toddling small person. Go to a family friendly resort in Spain or somewhere and have a nice time 😁

JiltedJohnsJulie · 11/03/2019 21:37

Unless you upgrade on the flights, you are likely to have a quiet flight going and at 18 months your little one will probably want to be up most of the time and will have the attention span of a gnat.

MazDazzle · 11/03/2019 21:39

We took our 15 month old on a 9 hour flight. In the end the flight took 15 hours!

We survived (just!) and went on to have an amazing holiday. My sister took a toddler and a 4 year old to Australia on her own! My friend flew to Dubai with her 1 year old on her own. All of us flew regular class. It was tough at times, but I’ve had worse experiences in my own home trying to keep them happy.

Do your friends have kids?

anniehm · 11/03/2019 21:42

You aren't allowed to even pause to listen to the in casino (free) live music with kids (got tapped on the shoulder by security, they were both under 3 asleep in a double buggy!) but the restaurants are fine. Grand Canyon and hoover dam are good as is Zion National Park. Death Valley was very very hot! (But geologically very interesting).

Myshinynewname · 11/03/2019 21:47

I don’t know much about Vegas but have done several long flights with our (3) children. IMO 18 months is about as bad as gets for flying. They are too big to be content sitting on your knee or to easily sleep anywhere or to fit in the bassinet. They are too small to understand that they need to stay in their seat, that other passengers don’t want to spend 11 hours listening to them, to watch movies back to back to pass the time, to suck a sweet to stop their ears popping. I could go on. All kinds of no from me!

Original poster
Bojangles33 · 11/03/2019 21:48

Yeah we are still iffy about Grand Canyon as part of the plan because of travel and seeing if we can find some way of splitting the travel but not sure if there's anywhere appropriate to stop mid way, but not bothered if we don't do that.

Friend doesn't have kids that live with him but has raised children so understands the need to structure day around them etc.

It's hard because I can see how it will be hellish and I'm definitely not expecting it to be a relaxing holiday! But we sort of owe the friend a visit by this point and not sure at what point that sort of flight (and the destination) will be any better with a small child, i.e if we wait another year the challenges might change a bit but seem like they will still be pretty similar?

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Original poster
Bojangles33 · 11/03/2019 21:49

@Myshinynewname haha ok thanks that sort of helps! Maybe we just wait another year then

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MNSDKHheroines · 11/03/2019 21:53

We took DS at 15months to San Francisco. It all went much better than expected. Yes we had to work to keep him entertained but he wasn't grumpy or grizzly at all. You need favourite toys, some new things, a partner who will do half the entertaining & let DC watch cartoons. DS didn't sleep at all on daytime flight out but we anticipated that as he was never big on naps, nor that bothered by change in routine.

melissasummerfield · 11/03/2019 21:54

There is no way i would do an 11 hour flight with an 18mo Shock

2 hours is bad enough Sad

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