My brother is having an evening wedding and my 3 year old son is the ring bearer, so getting a sitter is not an option. I will also have my baby girl at the wedding as well. I'm wondering what to do with the kids during the reception after the dinner. Do I let them stay until they crash? Do I send them home with my husband, which would entail taking two cars? Any other suggestions?
Since I assume all your family will also be at the wedding, I suggest asking a friend or neighbor to come pick the kids up at a designated time (after the reception formalities) and take them home to your house and get them to bed.
You can lend her your car so you don't have to worry about carseats. If she can, have her over sometime next week in the evening so she can be part of the bedtime routine in advance. You'll have to figure out a child care trade or treat her to a night out as repayment!
Otherwise hubby can take them home and Maybe you can get a ride home from someone else?
Congrats to your brother on the big event!
I suggest you let the kids crash. Weddings don't happen often so they can be up one night.
If not, can you get a sitter to attend the wedding with you? You may need to negotiate this with your brother because it would be another "guest"
Hi Cara,
Where is the wedding? Does the site have a back room/area? If its a hotel, do you know someone who has a rented a room? If so perhaps you could hire a babysitter. She could take the kids there & keep them until you're ready to leave. That way you take one car.
Depending on the site location, I may be available. Please check out my profile on www.care.com, see Nadia Edwards.
Please send your brother my best wishes on his wedding. Hope my response helps you. Thanks!
Hi Cara, If they arent having an no children wedding, i would just let them stay.You didn't mention the age of your kids, your son is the ring bearer so he will probably be at the table with the wedding party. Two me taking two cars is a hassle, and then it also means your husband has to leave early, heck I say let them stay. Julie L
I have a very large family...many weddings. Both my girls always came. The played until they couldn't play any more. They they fell asleep...wherever. I remember my oldest was about 18 months, she was in her exersaucer...she fell asleep right there, right on the table top. I took her out, laid her in her playpen, she slept the night away.
It really depends on your kids. Do they sleep well? Will they wake up in the middle of the night and be scared? Are they comfortable being with a lot of people?
Barbilee
Family Wellness Coach
I see many kids a weddings and I am there often. I am a photographer and people bring them all the time, so long as it is okay with the bride and groom. Some would prefer not. They will crash at the wedding and if not, in the car. Just take a little blanket for them to lay on and one to throw over them in a corner. Hopefully it is not too crowded.
I wouldn't send them home with the hubby. That is a little night out for him too.
Otherwise, hire a sitter there. I think Nadia has that covered for you.
Carla
Hey Cara,
We gave our ring bearer a plastic tub with new toys in it. He had a great time playing with his new cars, mini lego set,etc. We did not need to keep him amused at any point during the wedding and BOTH his parents were in our wedding.
Also, we chose to put everything in a plastic shoe box with a lid because some of his toys had little parts and we figured that we keep him from losing any portion of his gift.
Have your husband take them home and meet a sitter there. Or, have the sitter meet you at the wedding and take them home. You want to be able to enjoy yourself at your brothers wedding. Two little ones that are tired and cranky are no fun!!
Have a sitter come and pick them up or if you use tteenage sitters have your husband drop the kids off after the meal at the reception and come back to have fun with you! Have fun!
Take a sitter with you who can watch the kids, as well as look after them if they fall asleep. take blankets and a pillow for them. Most likely, there is an area where the kids can crash, and if u hire a sitter, she can attend to them while u enjoy the wedding.
Hi Cara,
I had my 6 month old at my sister's wedding. My extended family would have killed me if they didn't get a chance to see and hold him. However, we wanted to have the evening to ourselves as well. We ended up taking him to the ceremony so all of the family members could see him. Once there ceremony was over, while the bridal party was taking pictures and everyone was driving to the reception site, my husband took my son home to our babysitter and then returned to the reception during cocktail hour. He only missed a little bit of the fun, but it was worth it because we had the rest of the evening to ourselves.
Good luck!
Stephanie
HI Cara,
My sister just had an evening wedding. We had a suit on the grounds that we had access to just for that reason. My kids are 5,7,and 10. They were all in the wedding. If you don't have access to something like that I would hire a sitter to come to the wedding (so you and your husband can be together and you don't have to worry about the kids) to watch them! Bring a pack and play, kids are pretty versatile. Or have the sitter go back home with them?
Good Luck!!!
If yu have a reliable neighbor, family member, or sitter who drives , you can have them attend the wedding and take the kids home afterwards. Hence, one car for you and your husband, and a date night alone!
good luck,
Marisa
Hi Cara,
I operate a sitter referral service and I have had this same situation occur with one of our clients. I suggested that she could have a sitter on standby. Either designate a time for her sitter to pick-up her children from the wedding and take them home for her or have a designated area at the reception, possible a quiet nearby room, where her sitter could watch her children.
As it turned out, she found out other moms needed childcare as well. So they had a small group of children stay with two of our sitters right down the hall from the reception. Everything worked out great. The children were able to play and the little ones fell asleep in pack-n-plays. Best of all, mom and dad were able to enjoy themselves stress free.
I hope this suggestion helps. Best of luck.
Jada S.
TLC Companions
(Owner/Developer/MOM)
[email protected]
is there a room at the reception location where you could haved a sitter watch your kids? That's what I did for my sister-in-laws at my wedding which was in the evening. Your daughter could be watched by the sitter the whole time and then your son could join her after his ring bearer duties were finished. Then you and your husband could enjoy yourselves at the wedding, but your kids would be nearby until you are ready to go. Maybe you could set up a place for them to sleep there too until it's time to go home if you could get a seperate room to leave with a sitter in.
Get a sitter and whisk them away after the ceremony. You can request of the photographer that they take all the needed pix or the kids at the church.
Or, if you can find a driving sitter, take them to the reception for dinner and then off they go so you can dance the night away with your husband. I think letting them stay until they crash would just be a bummer for all. If you think of it, bring jammies for the kids so they can change "on location" and then if they crash in the car, no big deal.
Have fun!
If your husband is leaving early, I'd send the kids with him, even if you have to take 2 cars. If the kids get tired or overstimulated and wound up, nobody will be happy!
Have your best friend pick them up and take them home! She will need to stay until you get home but you and your hubby can have a fun night!
Dear Cara, Why can't you get a babysitter? We went to a family wedding in New Jersey, we live in southern california. Children were invitied to the wedding but not to the reception. I asked my sister in law if she could please find a friend that was not going to the wedding that could babysit our two daughters 5years and 10 years old. After the wedding we went out to eat and fed the girls then went to her wonderful friends house visited for a while and then my husband and i went to the reception. It was in oct 2000 and i paid the friend $40.00 We are still friends with Linda and try to at least say hello whenever we go back there. Jane H.