baby monitor for hotel room

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1

DH, plans to put the kids (6 and 7) to bed then go next door to BIL room OR a few doors down to a Cousin's room and hang out until the wee hours. What is your take on this, Safe??

The 6 yo wakes up alot at night at home saying she had a bad dream or her arm hurts or what ever. I'm thinknig she would freak out waking up in a new place with no grown up. If I take a baby monitor and set it up is there any reason it wouldn't work in a hotel???

added: MIl reserved the rooms- I had no control over that,, this is a weddign situation and we are going down a day early and staying the day after the wedding. Usually there is no alcohol but there is chance someone would have a case of beer. We are leaving in about 4 hrs and DH just mentioned this plan of leaving the kids. I wouldn't ask if I was 100 percent either way, but i can see both sides. And just to be clear, I am asking -- if the monitors do work if it would be ok to be next door for 1-2 hours. My kids have never wandered at night other than to come in my bedroom, they are responsible and woudln't be looking to play tarzan from the curtains or something.

You do have some good points about that abduction though.
thanks

2

well i think its irresponsable for you/ur hubby to be OKAY with leaving two kids alone in a hotel room even with a moniter being next door/down the hall. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!! I am not trying to bash you or your husband but seriously come on if you want to hang out with family/friends get a baby sittter or have someone else sit in the room that you trust with the kids so someone is there if something happens

3

Ditto to Rebecca

4

I second MegandOllie

5

I would get a monitor. That way your husband can hear if they need him. We travel a lot and I don't see anything wrong with your husband going a room or two down. baby monitor a great idea! It's not like your talking about leaving an infant ya no what I mean.

6

For those responses stating that there is absolutely nothing wrong with leaving children in a hotel room alone because the "door is locked". Please remember that EVERY employee of that hotel has access to keys to get into the rooms, therefore, unless you have the security lock on (course then you can't get back into the room) then the room is not truly secured (this is why EVERY hotel room door has a warning stating that you should use the security locks on the doors). In this sense it is not the same as having your child in your house unless of course you just randomly hand out keys to your house.*

First off-I am NOT bashing you!!! I applaud you for asking the question and for reaching out for other opinions. Also, I am very protective (not as protective as some of my friends but still pretty protective LOL).

Why not get an adjoining room and visit in the other room while the kids sleep in the adjoining room with the door between the 2 rooms cracked?

Leaving children alone in a hotel room is basically the same as leaving them alone at home. In my opinion.

Actually the first thing that I though of when reading your question is the family that was overseas and left their young daughter in the hotel room alone (she was sleeping when they left) and when the returned she was gone and I don't remember hearing that she had ever been found.

If you are determined to leave them alone in the room then yes definitely take a baby monitor. However, I don't know how far "down the hall" you are planning on being and so I don't know if the baby monitor would reach. Also remember that there is the possibility for a lot of interference...alarms in the hotel, other guests on computers, thicker walls...etc. So you may want to test it to make sure that it is even going to work. I would imagine that if you asked hotel staff if it was okay to do this they would STRONGLY advise against it.

My daugher is 9 and personnally I would never leave her in a hotel room by herself.

7

Um...what could happen to them in a hotel room? Is there a kitchen where they will get up out of bed and light a fire? A window they will jump out of?? I assume the door has a lock?

I would show my kids where I'm going to be (next door) so in case they need anything they can come get me, and put them to bed a bit later than usual, and they will sleep.

A baby monitor would probably work in a hotel. There might be more interference than usual, from wifi or other things, but you could try it, if it would make you feel more comfortable. Or, bring a cell phone with your DH on speed dial. Show your kids how to use it to call him.

**There are 73M kids in the U.S. and to find ONE example of one child missing from a hotel room we have to go to Portugal?? They left the ground level door open! The parents of that girl were suspects!! So, the incidences of "something happening" to a child in a hotel room in the U.S. is about 0/73Million. Google it if you don't agree.

V.M - do what you are comfortable doing, but I would be enjoying a bit of free time in the next hotel room after making sure my daughter was asleep.

8

My older two are the same ages, and I would never consider doing this, nor would I allow my husband to. What if they wake up and wander out the door? What if he is not paying attention to the monitor and something happens? It is not like we are talking about a crying baby that cannot go anyplace and will "alert" the monitor upon crying. Bad idea.

Also, I assume during this "hang out till the wee hours" time will be spent with some drinking activites. Makes this idea even worse. (If I am wrong, ok, but still a bad idea!)

Good luck!

ETA: With the addition to your "so what happened" - I think if you are going to be there, you should be in the room with the kids. I totally understand where you are coming from, because everything you describe always "falls on me" too, like you say it does you. My husband would get to go visit with his fam, and I would be "stuck" in the room with a book. The joys of being a parent mean giving up fun sometimes.

But, if the kids are up till say 9pm, and you go to bed around 10 or so, it is really only an hour. So, do you really need to go to the other hotel room after the kids go to sleep? Or if you do go, you will have to keep your eye locked on that monitor for the hour you are gone. But, if you are being a responsible parent and watching that monitor the entire time, how much interacting with your friends and family are you really doing, and will you enjoy it?

And no, I wouldn't keep your kids up and make them feel like crap the next day just so you and hubby can visit. But, like you said, 30 min one way or the other should not be too bad. Anything beyond that though I would think uneccessary.

I still wouldn't do it. Stay in the room with the kids. You will get to catch up on sleep! That sounds glorious to me!

** And it is not "just like home" as another poster suggested. Unless you have tons of creepy people wandering back and forth RIGHT outside your front door ALL evening every night at home. I hope you don't!

Good luck!!

9

**I read your Edit: it does NOT matter, how old your kids are. They are 6 & 7... these are young kids.
Kids this age, do NOT have, the cognizance to self-regulate themselves.
When I traveled with my Husband and daughter... I STAYED in the hotel room as my daughter slept. My Husband meanwhile, went with his friend to go gambling. This was in Las Vegas. NO way, would I have left my daughter in the hotel room, as she slept. So what if I was bored or only read a magazine or watched TV. I stayed with my daughter as she slept.

If you and Hubby wanna go out until the wee hours, because you are on 'vacation'... then leave the kids home, with Grandparents, and do not take them with you. Thus, it will be an "adult" vacation... not a "family" vacation.

A baby-Monitor, is not a parent.

Okay, is your DH the only one and the only adult and the only Parent, in the room with your kids??? That is what it sounds like, from your post.
Are you going to be there????

If not, then no. I would not, use a baby monitor and then him going to the next room(s) after they go to bed.
NO WAY.
Of course not.

Do you know, that there has been a case or 2, of kids being left in a hotel room, while the parent(s) then went someplace else in the hotel, and the kids were then missing? I think in one case, they have never found their kids. Probably abducted or already dead.

Here is the link about the article about one of these cases:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/13/3216762.htm

Again, these kids would not be "missing" if the parents simply STAYED in their hotel room, when their kids went to sleep.
It was completely, avoidable.

NO way, would I leave my kids, after they fell asleep, in a hotel room and then leave that said room.

NOT safe at all. To say the least.

How can your DH think, that hanging out until the wee hours, in the other hotel rooms, is more important than his kids???

Good grief.

10

I know this isn't the exact same situation, but I can't help but think of Madeleine McCann. There is no way I'd consider leaving my sleeping children in a hotel room to go hang out in another room. The McCann's were within eyesight of their room. And their daughter is gone. And they'll NEVER forgive themselves for their devastating mistake.

It's not worth it.

11

Personally, I wouldn't be comfortable leaving my kids in a hotel room alone. Now that we are parents, we make a point of only staying in suites so that we can put the kids in bed, shut the door, and still have some space of our own. Is that a possibility in your case? Then your brother in law or cousin could come to your room.
I like the adjoining rooms idea, too. But I don't like it if the kids have access to a door that leads out to the hallway or walkway. Usually they put the locks up pretty high but kids can be very creative.
Of course you have to evaluate what your comfort zone is, but you'd feel awful if something happened while you were down the hall that could have been prevented if you were there in the hotel room.

12

Take the baby monitor and see if it works Try it out and show the kids how that if they talk you will hear them. Make sure any windows or doors to balcony are locked!! If the baby monitor doesnt work you are stuck. the adjoining rooms idea is a good one. and then cousin could come to BIL room rather than you all going down the hall. I hope it works!

13

No. Not a good idea.

Call the hotel and ask about a referral for a babysitter for the night. If this is a wedding... ask the bride for the name of a sitter. IF you will be right nextdoor, the monitor may work, but this may not be a great idea!

Infants would probably be safer than school-agers! They can't wander out of a hotel room or into the bathroom... stick their fingers in plugs... attempt to turn on a lamp....

14

Oh geez c'mon people! I think that next door is just fine. Tell the kids where you will be so that they don't freak out if they do wake up and bring a monitor if it will make you feel better. Down the hall is a little sketchier. I'd be fine with it but I can see why other people would have second thoughts. If BIL doesn't have kids, then the partying can be in his room and not the cousin's.

It's too bad y'all didn't just rent a big house or condo that you could share - maybe that would be a good solution for future extended family vacations so that you can ALL relax and have fun.

15

can you get adjoining rooms?? Then they could just come through the door to the other room if they woke up and you could go back in there with them until they fell back to sleep. That would just be like you being in the living room of your own home while they are sleeping.... I would only do it if I had an adjoining room, otherwise I would just stay in the room with my kids.

16

I don't see how it's any different than at home. i certainly am not sitting in my sons room right now as he naps, and he is an infant. I even take the monitor and go outside to watch the older kids swim, or work in the garden, life goes on even when the baby is sleeping after all. Obviously monitors are funny, and it may not work, certain rooms in my own house and i get nothing but static, but if it works there is no reason you can't sneak next door for a couple of hours. and for the record, parents do a LOT worse all the time.

17

It isn't just like home. I believe a girl got kidnapped from her locked hotel room while her parents were down the hall. It's not safe in my opinion. If you have to hang out til the wee hours, then why not try and get a hotel that has 2 bedrooms and hang out in the main one. More expensive, but at least your kids are safe. If your down the hall or a few floors down (no offense, but you have to be kidding me) you will hear someone opening your door but you won't get there in time to save them. It doesn't take long to pick a sleeping child up and run out.
It is not a matter of them getting up and you not being there, they can understand that. It's a matter of safety. You never know who is staying in that hotel or who works at that hotel. Why don't you rent a house? They are very reasonable.

That's who I was thinking of Lee. They thought it was safe too and now have to live with that every day. That poor little girl. It doesn't matter what country it happened in, it can happen anywhere.

Your husband won't take turns with you? If not, that's pretty selfish of him.

No offense to other moms, but anyone who would get a babysitter based on the advice of a stranger is pretty foolish. You have no idea who the babysitter is or who the hotel concierge is so I don't think it would be a good idea, but from some other responses people do it.

@Erin, there is also a kidnapping case where a child was kidnapped even though the parents were to checking on her every 30 minutes and I believe next door or a few doors down. I'd have to find the exact case but I read it last week (happened mid March this year). My child's life, to me, is not something I gamble with. Both cases were totally avoidable.

18

OK, maybe I'm missing the obvious and easy solution here...

Your kids are a little older, which means that they understand what "right next door" means.
Bring your monitor, and tell them that you'll be right next door if they wake up and you're not there. You'll hear them on the monitor.

And unless your kids are prone to wandering off on their own, I don't think I'd worry about them taking a tour du hotel while hang out in the next room.

Only other option - try renting a house or a sharing a suite with your BIL?

Short answer, I don't think it's a big deal. Go for it!

19

do you and your hubby each have a cell phone? if so leave one with the kids so they can call you if needed.

20

I've used a baby monitor in a hotel room (with my cousins next door in an adjoining room to also "watch") but the monitor will work, if that is your question. I didn't really think twice about safety when I did it.