Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Original poster

So when do you leave them alone in a hotel room?

264 replies

meditrina · 17/04/2011 09:36

with the holiday season coming up, I was wondering what is the MN consensus on when children can be left alone to sleep in a hotel room, say in these scenarios:

a) you are staying in a hotel with a "secure" perimeter (everyone has to pass reception to go in or out, fire doors cannot be opened from outside and are alarmed), you aren't leaving the hotel and there is continuous monitoring eg baby alarm?

b) same, but it's occasional phone monitoring, or the child has to ring down to reception for attention?

c) same, but perimeter not secure

d) you want to leave the immediate premises, even if it your destination is nearby?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
shitmagnet · 19/04/2011 12:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PixieOnaLeaf · 19/04/2011 12:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

exoticfruits · 19/04/2011 19:10

I think that my DSs would be horrified if we left them to have dinner! We have however left them in the hotel, by the pool to get their own lunch while we went sightseeing for the day-everyone was happy!

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General parenting
seeker · 19/04/2011 19:16

I cheerfully leave my two alone in a hotel room watching a movie while we go downstairs for dinner. They are now 10 and 15 - we first did this when they were 7 and 12. We do it on one night every holiday - they love it and so do we.

seeker · 19/04/2011 19:17

I have to bribe them with room service though - or they wouldn't leave us alone!

Ba8y1 · 19/04/2011 19:27

Goodness I was at boarding school at age 11 - would have been seriously annoyed if my parents hadn't thought me old enough to sit in a hotel room by myself while they had dinner!!

exoticfruits · 19/04/2011 19:38

I expect they would love room service but we never gave them the option!

seeker · 19/04/2011 19:50

It's worth it for a lovely peaceful grown up dinner one night in a holiday!

seimum · 19/04/2011 19:52

We have been happy to leave DC's in hotel rooms (in admittedly, generally small chalet-hotels) from an early age.When they were babies, we would have a baby monitor + nanny-listening service, once the eldest was old enough to come down and find us in case of trouble we managed without. At this point they were 4, 7 & 10.

This was hotels where the set up was kids tea at 5.30 & grown-up dinner at 8pm, so everyone staying in the hotel did it.

The tricky age I think is 2-5, when they can climb out of cots, but don't have the sense to call you, and can wander off etc.

Once we had more than 2 DCs they have generally been in their own room at night, occasionally in a family suite, but often in a separate room.

So much depends on the size/location of the hotel & attitude of the managment.

I certainly wouldn't have teenage kids in our room for a holiday (maybe for an overnight stop on the journey, but not if either us or the kids wanted a holiday).

exoticfruits · 19/04/2011 19:53

I can see that seeker-years of missed opportunity!

CoteDAzur · 19/04/2011 19:54

No dinner is worth the myriad dangers in a hotel room for small children imo.

Little wet (sucked) fingers sticking into electric sockets or opening the door and wandering off, to name a few.

exoticfruits · 19/04/2011 19:55

Does anyone have teenage DCs in their room for the night-other than Travel Lodge on a one night cheap option? It doesn't seem a holiday for anyone.

seeker · 19/04/2011 20:34

Nmm - so maybe not everyone still has a teen occasionally creeping into bed with them when dp's away..............

cory · 19/04/2011 20:34

Have just shared hotel room with 14yo dd for a week, while ds (10) shared with dh. Basically, because they both have physical disabilities and dd wasn't walking at all well; seemed a lot to expect a 10yo to deal with, he's not brilliant at managing the wheelchair, and certainly couldn't help her if she needed the loo in the night.

Have to say it was a very pleasant holiday, lots of chats, lots of laughs, couldn't have enjoyed it more really. Not sure sharing with dh would have been any more relaxing tbh. But then I enjoyed our dinners out too.

pointydog · 19/04/2011 20:45

I'd never do it.

Doesn't really bother me what other people do.

exoticfruits · 19/04/2011 20:52

What point is never pointydog? 12yrs, 15yrs, 17yrs?

pointydog · 19/04/2011 20:59

In theory, I'd leave my 14 and 12 yr olds in a hotel room but in practice it wouldn't happen.

We really enjoy each others' company on holiday, we always eat together whether it's in the hotel or not. I do not long for adult only time any more because the dds only add to the evening.

So I don't believe it will ever come about that I leave them in a hotel room.

exoticfruits · 19/04/2011 21:00

We found the same-except they had to be alone to sleep.

pointydog · 19/04/2011 21:02

Ah, alone to sleep. I'd be happy for them to have their own room to sleep in. Cheaper to share though.

AnnieBesant · 19/04/2011 21:11

I think I probably would, if we had hotel holidays (we camp usually). They are 9 and 7. But then, we leave the older one at home alone for short periods now, and I know many won't do that either. We would probably have dinner with them - we rather like that (although a dinner for two is lovely too). But leaving them to sleep while we go to the bar or something, that we might do!

notrightnow · 19/04/2011 21:15

I'm a bit mystified by this. Are those of you with children over 10 still sharing hotel rooms on holiday? (I don't mean a quick night in a motel on the way somewhere, but a whole week). Don't you all go mad? How does anyone have any privacy?

Anyway, this year we went on a hotel holiday for the first time in a few years (have been self catering with friends for the past few trips) and the children had their own room. They are 13 and 11. The hotel was in a remote area and the rooms were around a courtyard. There was a gate to the compound that was locked from midnight to 6am. It was fine and they loved having their own room.

However, my son is going abroad to summer camp for a month this year so I am probably at the farther end of relaxed risk assessment!

pointydog · 19/04/2011 21:16

Don't do hotel holidays. Too expensive. Have cheap hotel breaks away.

notrightnow · 19/04/2011 21:55

Well quite, pointydog. I'd rather not go, or do something else (like self catering) than share a room with my two rather large children for a week!

cory · 20/04/2011 08:25

notrightnow, not everybody goes mad just because they are sharing with a teen

as stated in my previous post, I was sharing not for safety reasons, but for practical reasons, but I didn't find it at all stressful or an invasion of my privacy, any more than sharing a room with dh would be an invasion of my privacy (he snores!)

we also do it during the summer holidays, simply because my parents do not have enough room to provide separate accommodation for every member of the families of their 4 children- and this is the only way we can afford a summer holiday (and get to see my family)

sharing a room is the norm in most of the world, not just on holiday but all year round

of course if you absolutely want to have very noisy sex on holiday then the presence of an inquisitive teen might be a bit of a drawback, but I slept like a log at night having worn myself out sighseeing in the day

seeker · 20/04/2011 08:32

We enjoy sharing a room! [wierd family emoticon] We have weekends in London sometimes when we share a room. We send dp out early in the morning for a MacDonalds breakfast and we watch DVDs [classy emoticon]