Family wedding away from home-don't know what to do re dd's bedtime.

[Ilovebunting]

Dd has always been a terrible sleeper, so have started a strict bedtime routine that I am v loathed to break. We have a family wedding this weekend and we're all staying in the same hotel (or should I say taking over the hotel-it only has 10 rooms so we have booked the whole place!). All the reception events and drinks the night before are at the hotel too. Someone has suggested putting dd to bed at normal time (or she won't sit through the speeches the next day) and then putting the monitor on and coming down stairs, but it's ringing bells in my head. Do I just stay upstairs with her from 8pm? I'm worried I'll seem rude but don't want anything to happen to her.

She's 4, sorry!

could she not sleep in a buggy and saty with you?

He he didn't think of that . We've always stayed at relatives houses before so it has never mattered, I've always put her to bed as normal, so don't know what to do in a hotel situation!!

Could you ask in the hotel if they could recommend a babysitter to sit in the next room? With a babyphone to be sure that she hears DD if she wakes?

We went to a family wedding when DD was 4 and DS was 2. DS was put to bed a bit after his normal bedtime. DD held on till 9.30pm (normally went to bed at 8pm) and then slept like a log. We used a baby phone and checked on them every 30 mins.

When i got married last year i got a registered childminder from the list of minders in the area and she sat in the room with the dd's once they had gone to bed in the evening.

You can enjoy your night and not have to worry about dd.

There are three other little girls going (4 and 7), but am not sure if they are going the night before or on the day, but as the wedding goes on into the wee hours we might be able to put them all in together and do a rota or something to keep an eye on them. Thank you all for your suggestions, was so worried I would get flamed for asking!

With only 10 rooms it must be a fairly small hotel (ie not a big 10 floor Hyatt) and only your family is staying there - it might not be much different from having her upstairs in a large house with a babyphone and checking her every half an hour. Obviously haven't seen the venue but I think that's what I would do.

I've been to bbq's and popped her in a travel cot in the lounge and been in the kitchen and things and it has always been fine, I think it's just the fact it is a hotel, not a home of a friend or family member. It is totally wedding guests there though. I sound so pathetic to myself now though! I think I will take the baby monitor and then play it by ear when I get there. If she won't sleep then she stays with me, or we go for a long walk around the grounds in the buggy, or if it doesn't feel right stay with her. Thank you xxxxx

Just for once I would chill out and let her stay up late, she will probably fall asleep on your knee (or a relatives) before 10pm and sleep later in the morning, thats what mine used to do.

I didn't mind breaking routines for one night, but any more than twice and I would worry that it would become a habit.

I agree. One night is not going to do any harm.

what did you do Ilovebunting? I've got three weddings in one week coming up and for the first ds (9 months) is going to have to sleep in a pushchair as the reception is not in a hotel, but for the other two the reception is in the same hotel we're staying in, they're both relatively small hotels (say 20 rooms) which will only have wedding guests in, I was thinking of buying a cheapo baby monitor and leaving him in our room with the monitor on. I too thought I'd get massively flamed for even asking, I'm so glad you got there before me

I'm still having a toss up between buggy and monitor. Tbh I don't want to inflict my family on dd for too long as they are constantly telling her she is bad/naughty/a terrible child (which she is not may I add-she has her moments but is beautifully mannered!), so think I may get her off to sleep in the room and raid the mini bar! Will get a cheapy monitor anyway, even if we just use it to play walkie talkies!!!

Oh sorry, I thought you'd already had your wedding. I think that's the right course of action, play it by ear. I feel it's probably a bit unfair of me to inflict my social life on my ds so sleeping in our room would be kindest for him rather than in a pushchair. I'll see when I get to the hotel how far our room is from where we our and make a judgement call then I think. Have fun at the wedding!

He he, same to you. Don't worry about inflicting your social life on him-do it while you can!! He will think it is exciting! Once they hit 2 your social life will suddenly go up the Dyson and you will spend the next 20 years wondering where it went!
Sleeping in the pushchair for a few hours is no hardship to him whatsoever, and as he is such a tot I'm gathering your pushchair reclines quite well, so he will have no difficulties. My dd still quite happily sleeps in the buggy for over 5 hours on long train journeys at 4, so at 9 mo there is nothing to worry about!

yeah, it does recline pretty well, almost flat, plus he's got a lovely snuggly sheepskin in there and I usually put him in his sleeping bag when we do things like that so I can just lift him out and put him to bed later in the evening with no wrangling in to a sleeping bag.