Hey guys. This morning I read this blog post about a recent incident where the parents of a 5 month old baby girl were left a nasty letter by the occupants of the room next door because their baby cried during the night:
I thought this posed an interesting question about travel and societal expectations of families, and I would like to hear other's opinions on it. What's your take on the situation? Aaaaand go!
Re: Discussion Topic: Babies in Hotel Rooms
This of course doesn't mean you shouldn't be kind and considered of others, it just means you can't be expected to always be invisible.
Eta: changed should to shouldn't...
I think parents need to be curteous to others in a shared enviroment. Yes, it's really annoying if I'm out to dinner at a nice place and someones kids is running around or screaming. It would be really difficult to enjoy a hotel stay if I heard a screaming baby at night.
It just really depends on the place for me. If it's a 'family style' restaurant or hotel, then it's expected to probably happen. If it's an more upscale place, I'd be pissed off.
I'd say just do your best. I know I'm going to have a hollering baby soon, and I'm the type to take baby out of the situation to calm them down. That means leaving a place or going outside, etc. If possible. Or, I go alone to places, like grocery shopping, or bring someone with. I have that type of help, some people don't.
But other people need some tolerance. Babies cry for Petes sake!
"Your truth is different from my truth, and we're both right."
TTC since March 2013. BFP 4/13/13, blighted ovum discovered 6/6/13, m/c 6/8/13.
BFP 11/10/13, EDD 7/25/13 - stick little owlet!
That being said, I wouldn't be happy if I paid to sleep in a room and wasn't able to sleep from a crying baby. I think I would have been more proactive, though, and requested a room change, even if it was 11pm at night to let the hotel deal with it since they are the ones who chose to skimp on how soundproof their walls are. I definitely don't see the need for leaving a nasty note after the fact, though. That doesn't do anyone any good and doesn't solve anything, it's just being sh*tty for the sake of being sh*tty.
We travel. We take our children on planes, to hotels, and even restaurants...real ones, not just for fast food! We prepare, we control and our children as best we can, we do not expect more from them than they have already proven capable of handling. In general they behave beautifully...really we have had so many compliments so many times for other diners, airplane passengers, etc. and yes we sometimes catch that glare from someone who basically thinks children should not be allowed out of homes or schools or something. And yes, they have a bad day now and then and we handle it appropriately.
Ultimately I am like ten thousand times more sympathetic to parents whose child is acting up than I am to idiot, ignorant adults who ought to know better, have no real excuse, do not try to modify or mitigate their own bad behavior, and are unapologetic. We all know when a kid is acting up most times it is the parents who are bothered and distressed the most (exception for the occasional crappy parents who don't care or do anything of course). The adults on the other hand usually don't care or even think of anyone but themselves.
We always ask for a room away from other guests, if possible. Usually the hotel will oblige. We try to be considerate of other guests and keep the volume of our children down as best as possible, but there is no way that I am going to stop traveling and staying in hotels because I have young children/baby.
Babies crying doesn't really bother me and never has. However, screaming kids running up and down the hallway in the middle of the night does, but I still wouldn't write someone a nasty note about it. I think people in general just need to be more tolerant.
BFP#3 10/29/13! Beta#1 at 4w5d - 2141, beta#2 at 5w1d - 7651! U/S 11/21/13 showed baby measuring 2 days ahead with a heartbeat of 127 bmp!
our oldest daughter was born in another state and we were told it would only be one to two weeks before we were able to take her home. we stayed in the hospital until she was released, rented a condo (VRBO) for a week, and then went to a comfort inn assuming we would be going home in a matter of days.
due to an idiotic social worker, it ended up being 1 day short of 4 weeks. more than two weeks in a hotel room with a newborn, while constantly being told we should be able to go home 'any day now'. luckily, our daughter is an angel AND dh and i were both there to keep her (mostly) happy. AND the hotel staff was awesome. and we there weren't any problems (that we were told about, anyway).
but i remember vividly the severe frustration with the situation and whenEVER i'm in a position to help a parent with an unhappy baby/toddler, i take it!!
Married and TTC: 30AUG2003
5 IVF cycles with no conception: 2006
DD born and in my arms through domestic adoption: 06FEB2008
Loved and lost (MMC): AUG2010