Leaving 14 month old in hotel room

[Maybush]

Hello! Your advice would be much appreciated...

We're going away for one night next week to celebrate my mum's birthday. THere's a restaurant in the hotel we are staying at but our room is in a separate annex to the main part of the hotel and apparently the baby monitor won't work that far. Would you leave your 14 month old in a cot in the (locked) hotel room for a couple of hours while you have dinner? She doesnt tend to wake up once she has gone to bed, but I am having reservations (what if there's a fire? What if she does wake up screaming as she is in a strange place? abduction?! etc).
We've tried to take her out to dinner asleep in her pushchair before, and it was fine, although i did spend 3/4 of the evening rocking it! I would keep popping back to the room if we did leave her in there, I'm just wondering if it is a real parenting sin?

No way. Not capable of getting themselves out of the room in a hurry = not left on their own for a significant length of time.

My mil and dh's family persuaded me to do just this when dd1 was 8months old. I felt sick about it and knew I did not want to do it but everyone made me feel like I was insane and a totally overprotective mother. I lasted approx 3 minutes at the meal before excusing myself and never going back! Fire doesn't knock!!! And also any old weirdo could have the key to that room. I don't regret leaving a boring meal for my baby. But I almost certainly would regret forever something happening to my dd. mil did apologise to me about two years later, but only when a high profile case in the media highlighted that it is not safe to leave a baby left in a room. You would not leave your baby in your house and pop next door for a meal would you?

Firstly I am not a parent (don't know if that makes any difference), but have been a nanny for more than 10 years. My first reaction when Maddie McCan went missing was "Why did the parents leave the children alone?" I think you have answered your own question as you have said you reservations.

There's a few similar threads if you want to search for them. An alternative to the baby monitor is an app called baby monitor, works via wifi and is a webcam/ baby monitor.

No, never. We have a 13 month old and on a recent hotel stay we just got her to sleep in the pram by having a walk before dinner at her bed time then popped a blanket over the pram so it was a bit darker etc and she slept in it next to the table while we ate.

Are you actually mad?

No way would I do this. Either skip the meal and stay with her or take her in her pushchair. Or see if you can give her a late afternoon nap, book dinner for an early sitting and enjoy it all together.

Even if she doesn't usually wake at home, that's no guarantee she won't wake up here. It's a new place, new and different noises etc. a noise could wake her up and she would be awake, crying, all alone in a strange place, that would be pretty scary for a small baby I should think.

Do you even need to ask? I wouldn't take the risk ever!

Never. Maybe you old do a nice long lunch instead.

if the baby moniter wont work and you are in a seperate bit of the hotel then no i wouldnt do it, IF you were close to your room ie less than a minute and the baby moniter worked and you made a risk assesment, knew the room was safe etc then yes i would and have done it, but in the scenario you describe no i wouldnt.

I think you are all clarifying what i really thought, thank you! I wasnt comfortable with the idea. I think I will follow your advice MamaGeekChic and walk her about and hopefully have her join us asleep. THanks too Gracie for the app suggestion - will look into it.

Similar occasion heading my way at Christmas - wedding in a hotel. There are three of us with little ones and we are having a baby sitter that is provided by the hotel. I would imagine the poor girl will be mithered by three neurotic mothers all evening and get no peace!!

Love the irony of this thread coming under "parenting".

There's also usually a nanny service if not at the hotel, in the area. If you google it you can find out what credential they should come with. Just thought this was another option and might help. Glad you won't be leaving her alone. xxx

I have a 14month old DS and have stayed with him in hotels a few times when he was younger and will be doing so again next week. It has NEVER crossed my mind to leave him alone. Take him to the restaurant with you or get a babysitter. I'm a bit loathed to say this next bit...but here goes... please remember how Madeline McCann disappeared - her parents probably thought she'd be fine also.

we've done it when the room was directly above the dining room and the baby monitor worked without any worry (tiny hotel with only access to rooms through bar and staff who popped up to check at door as well). I don't think i would in a separate annex. we have used the i-phone app before as well when in another hotel

No way! I have only done this when at a party at someone's house when I've had a baby monitor. Any member if staff could access that room with a spare key!

We have done this but only in a small B&B within range of baby monitor and where we knew everyone else staying.

At other hotels we have just coughed up £30 for a babysitter for the night so that we can relax downstairs and have a drink after dinner, knowing that a responsible adult was watching our child. We arranged for the babysitters to join us for dessert/coffee so that we could see them interacting with DD before leaving them alone together. We found a local agency that we liked the sound of, after chatting to the lady that ran it. The hotel may be able to recommend a service locally too, so it's worth asking them. It costs about £10 - £15 an hour.

No way, I wouldn't even do it if the baby monitor did work that far

Absolutely not. Wouldn't consider it.

I'd take the baby to the restaurant (have done this in the past).

I wouldn't

Absolutely not a chance in hell. NOTHING, I mean NOTHING is worth that sort of risk.

Bring her in a pushchair.

It's a no from me too. I would not consider it for one second. I used to get them to sleep in the pram or get a babysitter.

Are you crazy? No way!