Kids & hotels.. no idea what to do!

ArcticFox

I am sick just thinking about this...

We are going to a wedding in two weeks and staying in a hotel.  DH is going to be a wedding photographer, and I just found out they are doing a toast at 9:30pm (the ceremony is 4pm).

It didn't even occur to me that he would be out that late (and that's fine).. but I am terrified as to what to do with the kids.  They both go to bed around 8:30 and I have no idea how I am going to put two kids to bed in a hotel room by myself.

How am I possibly going to do this?  My toddler isn't going to want to go to bed when she knows I'm trying to get the baby to go to sleep.  I'm going to need some light to see what I'm doing with the baby.

In other words, how do I put two kids to bed in the same room at 8:30pm?  And then what do I do?  I'm not going to bed at 8:30!  And how am i going to prevent waking them up if I go to the bathroom or whatever?  Those hotel doors are so loud!  And, how do I make sure DD (she's 3) doesn't roll out of bed?

RubyRed1085

I'm not sure about the rest of it as DS isn't even a yr old yet and when I went to a retreat I had someone there just to watch him. But as far as rolling out of bed, do you have bed rails at home that you could bring? Would your DD be able to watch a video or something while you get the baby down? And just leave the bathroom door open a crack so that it doesn't shut all the way and make any noise when you go in there.

Oh, and you can leave the light on in the bathroom and the door closed a bit so there is still light in the room, but generally hotel rooms are pretty dark even when you have a light on depending on where you stay.

 As far as what you do after they are in bed sleeping... do you knit/crotchet? Read a book? Watch a movie? Catch up on emails,etc?

It will be okay. And it probably won't be as bad as you think it will be.

jewelsonu

did you already book the hotel? could you look at staying  at an embassy suites or hilton garden inn? they are all 2 rooms so that would be a lot easier. we haven't traveled yet so i don't know how it works. 

wendyj

First of all - breathe. It will be OK. Staying anywhere but your own house is difficult, and a hotel is a little worse. I think you just have to go with the flow. Treat it as an adventure - read to the girls, watch a movie while snuggling together in the bed. That way you can do your thing with H while N is occupied with the movie or whatever. Relax their bedtime a little. Staying in an unfamiliar place isn't always easy for them, and their routine will already be out of whack. To keep N from falling out - you could request some extra pillows to put around the bed. For when they're asleep - invest in a book light. It will give enough light so that you can read without disturbing them. In the end, you'll probably sleep worse than they will or for that matter, your husband will, but you'll be home soon enough and can back into your normal routine. Good luck, and have fun!

MrsWhiteonWhiteSt

Can you stay in something with a balcony? It gives you a nice place to hang out while kids are sleeping.

If they were my kids, I'd pop in a movie for DD while I put the baby to sleep. In Disney we put Justin's PNP kind of in the closet- (it had a sliding door that was held open by the pnp so it couldn't shut on him) it made like a tiny "cove" that blocked a lot of noise & light. DD might be too excited to fall asleep on time- but she will eventually. You might have to be flexible. On our trip to letchworth last year my niece was up til almost 11. She was too "cranked up" to sleep. We figured it was only 1 night and she slept late the next day. As far as falling, can you set a "bed" up on the floor?

MarcyIam

First - breath.  ;-)  It won't be as bad as you think.  We've done the hotel thing and it honestly wasn't that bad at all.  Just need to be a little quieter than usual.  Granted, we don't have 2, but I def. think it would be manageable.a 

Bedtime:  I agree with being somewhat flexible re: the bedtimes - it's not home and things are going to happen.

N vs. H:  let N watch a movie on your laptop/tv while putting H to bed.  Or give her something to color or w/e to entertain her.

N's bed:  can you make a bed on the floor?  Or bring bedrails?  Or use extra pillows/your suitcases to block her in?

You:  once they're both to bed, I saw just watch tv or read.  If the tv will keep them away, brint headphone and plug them into your laptop.  Watch TV/movies that way.  Youtube, hulu.com, nbc.com, abc.com, etc... all have things you can watch online.  Or you can bring dvd's to plug in and watch.  And since you'll be listening via headphones, the noise won't wake them up.  And, as an added bonus, the light from your laptop can be used to light up the room should you need to move around.

Seeing in the dark:  hotel rooms are pretty dark to begin with, but perhaps prop the bathroom door open a bit, use the light from your laptop or cell phone, or just memorize the room and pee in the dark with the door open.  lol

It won't be as bad as you think - just consider it an adventure, try not to stress too much and have fun!