Using baby monitors in hotels.

[alismummy]

Hello. Does anyone out there use their baby monitor when staying in a hotel or b and b? I used to think it wasnt for me but this weekend we stayed an a family friendly hotel, the room was only a stones throw from the resteraunt and, more importantly, bar. I just wanted to go down for half an hour but I didnt in the end. What do you all think? My ds is 13 months and sleeps through the night.

I'm interested in the replies you get to this!

We have sometimes left them asleep upstairs in the hotel and gone for dinner, taking monitor with us - think the earliest was when ds was 14 months. The biggest issue is whether you lock them in, and generally we don't - as you are likely to hear an intruder but need immediate access in case of fire. Very much depends on the hotel - wouldn't dream of it in a big Marriott-type thing for instance, but fine in ten-room country inn.

I have used the monitor several times when we have stayed in small hotels. We stand outside the door to make sure they are asleep and then go down to dinner. So far it has worked quite well and I feel quite secure about it as we obviously always stay in the hotel and can check on them as needed

We have gone down to dinner in smallish hotels with our monitor, and i made dh go up and check the kids every half an hour. We booked dinner slightly later than normal so we could make sure they were sound asleep. Wouldn't do it if they were ill/teething etc, and the biggest hotel/B&B we have done it in had 25 rooms. I panicked the first time( when the dt's were 9mold) and felt really and , but am ok with it.

Yes, I did with ds1 when he was still quite young, but we were staying in a small hotel and he was in the room closest to reception. They actually listened in to the monitor for me, then came and got me when he was crying.

Talking about monitors, the other day I saw one that dials your mobile number in response to sound (this for hotels were a normal monitor won't work).

I have also seen hotels that advertise a "listening service" in their children facilities, do you know what kind of service is that?

Thanks everyone. I will give it a go I think. I was a bit apprehensive as we have been caught out with fire alarms going off twice in hotels. Had to grab ds and run down 3 flights of stairs. But should be ok if the room is not far from where we are.

A listening service is when you ring reception and leave the phone off the hook, so they can listen in. But most only listen in about every 20 mins, so you need to check. And rely on them not to forget!

Hotel listening services we've come across can vary from loan of an ordinary baby monitor taken with you or left on Reception, to taking the room phone off the hook where it is intermittently monitored by Reception and you then get called from bar or restaurant if they hear crying etc, or a system where you leave phone off and dial in to listen as frequently as you like.

Even the one in the Esprit hotel only meant a nanny patrolling the corridors every 30 mins and listening at doors for noise. dh went up to our room to check on dd and found her just inside the door having climbed out of her travel cot.

We have used these services as our kids are sound sleepers but only in certain hotels and I fret about fire.