Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

What do you do when you stay in a hotel room with a baby?

74 replies

Ceebee74 · 09/08/2007 08:40

We are going away this weekend (for a couple of nights in the UK) for the first time with DS (13 months). He is usually in bed by 7-7.30 which we could probably push back to 8. But as he is sleeping in a travel cot in the hotel room, what are me and DH meant to do? Can't watch telly, can't have a light on to read - what do other people do? Do we just have to accept that we will have to sit in the dark until we are tired?

I know this is probably a stupid question but I am interested in what others do and any tips so me and DH can still enjoy ourselves without being in bed at 8 o'clock!

OP posts:

Heathcliffscathy · 09/08/2007 21:11

and agree that otherwise, what on earth is the point?

Spockle · 09/08/2007 21:12

Cot mattress in the bath???
What a terrible idea; my DD would be turning the hot tap on and drowning and scalding herself in one go....don't do it!!!

Quattrocento · 09/08/2007 21:13

We have had years of family holidays eating at 5 pm and going to bed at 8pm. We used to avoid hotels unless we could arrange for connecting rooms so that we could watch TV at least.

I am pleased to report that now the DCs are 7&9 and we can now eat dinner at a normal adult sort of time.

The intervening 9 years have been a bit of a re-education though. I mean before children, we used to travel loads and do loads of stuff and it was fun!!! It's getting to be fun again now though.

FunkyGlassSlipper · 09/08/2007 21:13

We did this with DD2 this weekend. She was in travel cot at the end of the room. We put the bags next to the cot between her and us so she couldnt see us from the cot and it would act as a noise buffer. No problems.

oliveoil · 09/08/2007 21:15

I wouldn't us a monitor personlly and wouldn't bother with a hotel

but if I did, I would eat early (with baby) then get baby to sleep and watch tv, read or whatever

babies do not need silence and I speak of a parent of a very bad sleeper

I would no way be able to enjoy a meal downstaris in a hotel with my children upstairs

dyzzidi · 09/08/2007 21:16

I either put the travel cot in the bathroom or book a familly room so there is more space to find a darkish corner. If you can't book a family room ring the hotel tell them you will be bringing a travel cot and sometimes if unbooked they will give you a disabled room as they have lots more space.

Lazycow · 09/08/2007 21:23

Have done it once or twice out of necessity but would much rather not do it.

Agree with whoever said they'd rather stay at home but that may just be my ds .

I'd take a reading light in case the side lights for reading in the room are too bright.

Also Dh and I take a dvd player and some dvds (we are gradually working our way through the Sopranos seried 3 at the moment)
and use the headphones if we are worried about the noise but tbh ds wasn't bothered by the noise 'once he was asleep'. The problem is always getting him to go to sleep in the first place and getting him to stay asleep in the morning.

Three nights of 10pm to 5am sleeps followed by days with a cranky tired child were enough to bring me home exhausted and vowing to never do it again.

Skribble · 09/08/2007 22:20

I used to work for a baby sitting service and the hotel rooms were a pain, usually put a bath towel over the cot, put the loo light or bedside light on and the telly very low, perch on end of bed in front of telly, 4 hrs later one very stiff, bored babysitter.

lilolilmanchester · 09/08/2007 22:25

haven't read whole thread cos supposed to be packing.
Take a travel cot and put it in the bathroom while you and DH have a glass of wine/chat/romance. Then move it back into bedroom while you're using the bathroom before going to bed.
i know you're only talking about a weekend, but this is precisely the reason we've only ever done self catering holidays since we've had the DCs. A couple of nights I can deal with, a couple of weeks I need the space and therefore multi-roomed apartments a much better option IMHO./

FrannyandZooey · 09/08/2007 22:29

Nowt wrong with a quiet game of Scrabble

I love going to stay in a hotel with my family; it's a big treat and we're doing it this weekend. Putting ds to bed in an unfamiliar place is always a pain, so it's much easier to be in the same room as him, and it doesn't cramp our style. I like lying quietly reading and chatting to dp - it's very relaxing, and just being away from home is fun IMO

skibump · 09/08/2007 22:29

We've variously sat in the bathroom, sat outside on the kirb and sat in the bar/restaurant with a baby monitor....also tried the 'exhaust him during the day and he'll pass out when we put him to bed' which sometimes works well BUT, it's always fine to do anything once he's asleep. Totally disagree with Cod (do I dare?) we've had loads of fun and its not too much extra hassle. Enjoy yourselves

Quattrocento · 09/08/2007 22:35

One thing that recent events have taught me is that there is a massive gulf between the Paranoid Parents (who feel uncomfortable leaving a baby alone under any circs) and the Laissez-Faire Parents (problem? what problem?).

Although I am firmly in the Paranoid camp, I am given to understand that there are lots of parents in the second camp.

You haven't heard enough from them IMO. Stuff about making sure the room is a sprint away from the restaurant, taking really good monitors, regular checking etc

macmama73 · 09/08/2007 23:03

We used to do the monitor thing, but one time we were sitting in the restaurant and I had a funny feeling. Went up to check, DD was wandering around the hotel room. She was about 2 at the time.

After that we took her with us to have a meal. She would then go to sleep and we could read or watch tv without bothering her.

Now we tend to go sc if we can, or at least get a family room. I like sc better, at least when they get up early you just go and make breakfast. DD once wakened at 6am in a hotel and was starving. No breakfast till 8am. Queue frantic searching through handbag for anything edible.

orangehead · 09/08/2007 23:12

mine would fall asleep in pram so took them with us, but suppose lucky as not all kids will do that. Have once stayed in the room whilst everyone was downstairs of hotel at a wedding it was very depressing, but Id rather me be depressing but know they ok

aloha · 10/08/2007 14:57

Er, some babies/toddlers do need silence to sleep, actually. And some need to be in a room by themselves to sleep. They are not fun in hotels.

motherinferior · 10/08/2007 15:21

Agree with Aloha.

I could frankly see myself getting so fed up I'd leave them all there and go off on my own to a bar

aloha · 10/08/2007 15:42

Yes, oooh, that sounds nice. All rest of family miserable in hotel room, you with glass of red, bag of cashews and a good book in hotel bar...

Beetroot · 10/08/2007 15:45

we crammed the travel cot into the bathroom with ours.

Then got interconnecting rooms as soon as poss.

Mine never needed silence - but then we were never silent aroudn them so they got used to sleeping with noise

Beetroot · 10/08/2007 15:47

one hotel we went to we had rooms on the gorund floor, we could sit in the reception area and see the door to our room - about 20 steps away. we woudl then sit and have a drink while popping back every 10 mins

Dinosaur · 10/08/2007 15:47

Is there a bar in the hotel, and do you have a baby monitor? If so, you could consider having a drink in the hotel bar, with one of you running back upstairs (honestly, it's great exercise) to check on him every 15 minutes or so.

Or you could just switch on a dim light and share a bottle of wine in your hotel room.

aloha · 10/08/2007 15:47

Believe me, you would have been silent if the alternative was being awake all night!

FoghornLeghorn · 10/08/2007 16:14

I did the checking every 10 mins thing on DD1 once and it was awful.
Twas the night before our wedding last year and I had DD1 with me in hotel - she was exhausted so once she was suitably tired I put her upstairs in her travel cot and then checked on every 10 minutes. I went to bed earlier than planned in the end because I wasn't comfortable with it at all.

Hope you have a lovely weekend

Beetroot · 10/08/2007 17:40

we took it in turns, we were so near it was liek being at home - just down the corridor we coudl see hte room. This was at about 10 at night when kids little and tired and we fancied a drink with the family.

We have also sat outsidde the room with a bottle of wine and a couple of chairs

newgirl · 10/08/2007 21:59

ceebee

i think in your case i would just have a really full day with a good lunch out, then put little one to sleep at 8/9 (bath etc so routine the same) then when asleep, have a mini picnic in your room and get an early night. I think you can turn small lights on and watch quiet tv when baby is asleep as unlikely to wake up

and next time maybe try a b and b that has some sort of self-contained family room? on special places to stay website you can get a room with a kitchen/sitting room for between 60-100 a night with breakfast made for you and often a garden too

Flip

1 2 3