Leaving Napping Toddler in Hotel Room?

Don't ever do this!!!! Ugh!!!!! I honestly cannot believe it would ever be a consideration. What about a fire? Who will get them out? Remember the little girl Madeline who was in the news and got kidnapped?

If I saw this going on, I would call the cops in a second. And if I knew my sister in law were doing this I would call the cops on her. Seriously. Child endangerment is what comes to mind...and possibly against the law.

I am also thinking that these poor children have a clueless mother!!! What else does she do to endanger her children.

Oh, and to Bridgett B. are you kidding me? Have you ever heard of a FIRE?! Like one of the other posters said, some people need to reconsider before having children if they are going to be an inconvenience.

Nope, wouldn't do it. As a parent you give things up and if that means missing the party, so be it!

My kids have skipped naps and/or missed events because I won't do things like this. One time my husband and I were given a key to a hotel room only to walk in on a sleeping mom and child! Mistakes and bad things do happen, we felt lucky for them it was us that got the wrong room key and not a person with bad intentions. Not just in other countries, these things happen here too, daily. Not worth it!

Nope.
If someone else jumps in front of a train,does that make it a good idea?
Seriously, how long is a nap for a 14 month old? 1-2 hours? Take turns reading a book in your hotel room!

I worked at a hotel for almost 13 years, and I can tell you that I would NEVER leave my children in a hotel room by themselves! Housekeeping, engineering, and front desk all have access to all the guest rooms, and even if you put a "do not disturb" sign on your door does not mean that they won't go in. These signs get removed from guest rooms all the time. You also have to keep in mind that many of the housekeeping staff are temps and the hotel does not do background checks on these people! Besides all of that, it would terrify my toddler to wake up in a strange place all by herself. This is really a bad idea in every way!!!!

ADDED: Another thing is that if the hotel finds out they would most likely give you a warning that if you do it again you will have to check out. This is a major liability that many hotels are not willing risk. If anything happens to your child because the hotel messed up they would be held responsible. I know you are the one making the choice to leave your child alone, but if they accidently gave another guest the wrong key and that person hurt/took your child you could sue them. Another thing to think about - What if there was a fire? The meeting room staff is requred to get all guests out immediately. They would not allow you to go back to your guest room! Your sister-in-law needs to rethink the situation she is placing her children in!!!

Not a chance. A few years back there was an American family who traveled to (Portugal--correction) and did have their toddler nap in their hotel room while they were at a restaurant in the hotel. When they returned to the room she was gone and has never been found. I think her name might be Madeline.

I would use that time as down time for myself and for my napping toddler, as traveling is tiring and I'd actually LOVE the chance to nap!

ETA: And yes, I realize the chances of your child ACTUALLY being abducted are slim, but as someone whose sister was nearly abducted, I don't take chances.

ETA2: here's the Wikipedia link to little Madeline's story: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Madeleine_M...

ETA3: Last winter there was a toddler at a hotel in Joliet who woke up during the night, managed to open the door, wander into the hallway, and fell to his death down a defective elevator's shaft. Unthinkable, but it happened.

I couldn't do it, even if my sister did (and I can see her doing it.) You have to do what you feel is right for you and your child.

And yes, they still haven't found Madeleine McCann, and for someone to trivialize her disappearance truly offends me, as I am the parent of a child who was kidnapped (through no actions of my own.) Her parents can never take back leaving her and her siblings alone.

NO.
There was a few years ago, a couple that left their kid in their hotel room or apartment in a resort area, while they went elsewhere. I think to eat.
The child was then missing.
They have not found the child yet.
I forget the details of it, it was a few years ago.
But the case has never been solved.
Madeleine McCann?

I would never... leave any of my kids, in a room, while sleeping or even if awake, while I went elsewhere in the hotel.
Never.
Hell no.
No way.
It is purely irresponsible and selfish, to do so.
And, purely stupid.

When children are abducted... is it NOT for nice reasons.
WHY put your child, through that... or even open up the chance, for this to happen? Why leave children, in a hotel room, by themselves???
Inane.

A video monitor is not a babysitter.
A video monitor, is not a substitute for preventing an abduction or a fire or an accident or a kid who freaks out if their parent is not there.
A video monitor, even if you can see them and IF something is happening... it may be TOO late, to even prevent your child from getting hurt or abducted. And what if those kidnappers or molesters are armed? And they are, dangerous.
What good is a video monitor, while leaving your kids alone in a hotel room? It does not, prevent things.
I wonder, what a Cop... would say to this?

Heck no! That is crazy talk. There is a famous kidnapping case involving the disappearance of a toddler girl from a hotel room. Her parents left her sleeping while they went to a restaurant to eat dinner. They came back and she was gone.

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-11/world/portugal.madelei...

There are other horrible stories of toddlers wandering from their hotel room and drowning in pools and other unthinkable things. No do not do this. It should be all or nothing. The child stays with you at the dinner with family, or you beg out early to be with the baby while the party goes on without you.

Some hotels have staff you can hire to babysit. I'm not a fan of this either. Short of you having access to a criminal database and the ability to do a thorough background check, I wouldn't trust a stranger to watch my children either.

No, I would not be comfortable with a baby, unless I were literally in the next room in the same suite. I might consider it with a law-abiding, capable 3yo for brief periods. But travel tends to throw off a baby's sleep schedule, and it would be a shame if your little guy woke up in a strange environment with nobody there – even if only for a few minutes.

Would it be possible to find a babysitter for the parents to share?

Hell no, never in a million years.

That is how that one little girl Madelaine, in Portugal got kidnapped when her family was on vacation... well, supposedly, noone knows for sure how she went missing. Never been found either, so sad. Anything could happen, whether it's a tantrum from being in an unfamiliar place, to getting into something, or being kidnapped, not worth the risk.

No way, never in a bazillion years! Just let your toddler sleep in the stroller right next to you....

Nope. And I am the bad mom who leaves her kid in the car for 30 second while I run in to grab something. My two main reasons: hotel rooms aren't child proof, so little ones can get themselves into a whole lot of trouble while you are on your way to get them. And second my DD would FREAK OUT if she woke up all by herself in a room she wasn't familiar with.

Then there is also the fact that you can't really control who has access to the room and therefore your child - but honestly it is probably no more likely for your child to be abducted from a hotel room than it is happening in your own home...

If you have a bunch of small children that nap, maybe you can let them all sleep in the same room and the adults can take 30 minute shifts? That way it won't be too long for everyone and you really would not miss anything of the celebration.

Good luck.

Madeleine Mckann
Google it. You won't want to leave your child in a hotel room any more.
In case you don't feel like googling it, she was a 3 year old staying in a hotel with her parents. They went to eat at the restaurant next door - about 100 yards away, leaving the children sleep. When they came back she was gone - and she has never been found.

She was British, not American, and the parents were staying in a holiday resort, the restaurant they ate at was in the resort complex, and within view of their hotel room. Personally I would not leave my child in an unfamiliar place, even with a video monitor. There are obviously going to be lots of people in and out, don't do it!

Jane - Yes Madeleine was in an appartment, and they probably didn't have keycard entry, BUT anyone can hold the door for anyone else - why even risk it, just a crazy thing to do!

How long do you think it would take for someone to walk into your room, over to the pack and play, and out again with your child in his/her arms? Maybe 30 seconds. I can't even fix my coffee in 30 seconds. So you decide to hit the dessert table and grab a cup of coffee. You are away from the monitor for a few minutes, max. but that's more than enough time for something to happen. I don't mean to make you paranoid but I just couldn't do it. I would be so worried, I wouldn't enjoy being with everyone anyway.
Just my personal opinion.

Honestly, it is the Madeline story that makes me feel the way I do. Heartbreaking story!

I second all these intelligent women with a resounding giant HELL NO.

Have your child skip his nap, or stay with him while he is napping. It's just not worth the risk.

I personally would use her resting as an excuse to get out of the hustle and bustle of all that family for a few hours. I would never leave a child of any age asleep in a room where I am not in the next room or in the house where I could hear her breathing and if she was starting to stir around.

I see where you are coming from but I personally would not do that. I know my daughter too well ( almost 17 now) but when she was small she never ceased to amaze me and what she could get into in a very short period of time. That would not work for me, monitor or no monitor. I could not in good conscious leave her. We would simply take turns staying in the room with her.

That said.....You know what is right for yiur family and you make decisions based on your family and yiur family's needs. Dont let someone railroad you into doing something you don't feel comfortable with. Stand your ground for what you want for your family.

I think your SIL is foolish. I stayed in the room on a cruise with my DD who was about a year old at the time. I ordered room service for my lunch. No way would I have left her by herself. Now that my DD is 3...too many non-kid appropriate things in a hotel room and it takes so little time for them to get hurt. She could pull the TV over before you'd notice and get in the room. If you think she won't climb out of the pack n play - it never seems to fail that they learn things when you don't want them to. My DD learned all about zippers on a camping trip (I was just a few feet away at the fire, with the monitor, but I heard the zipper before I heard her over the monitor).

On vacation, I have instead allowed DD to nap in my arms or I put her in a stroller where she was with me, but napping.

When you are a parent, you need to put your child ahead of what's easy sometimes. Listen to your unease. There's a reason it doesn't sit well with you.

I would.
The fact that everyone heard about someone in Europe being kidnapped in a similar situation does not make it a bad idea. When we have stayed in hotels we will leave a sleeping baby in our room with the monitor while we are across the hall. At home I leave my child asleep in his bed, in a room with the door closed, on a whole different floor of the house from where I typically am, but I am not afraid that someone is going to sneak into my kids' room and make off with him. In the hotel you would be able to see both the entrance to the room, as well as your child sleeping on the monitor. I don't get what the big deal is. What are you worried would happen?
Some other posters have mentioned kidnapping. Really? A stranger kidnapping your child is similar in probability to winning the lottery. It’s not likely to happen to you. In fact, it is unlikely to the point of near impossibility, but it has happened to other people. That leaves room in our minds that we could be that one person. Just the chance, no matter how small, is enough for most people. Thus, we have people who consistently play the lottery and people who fear that their child will be abducted by a stranger. Not a rational fear, if you ask me.

No way. Only takes a few seconds for someone to kidnap your precious child.

Sorry I'm not convinced that this is a good idea. Try taking turns.... This is not a good idea, video monitor or not. At 14 months, my child learned how to open and close the front door. Think about the safety of your child then talking with relatives in a conference room. They will understand.

No way on earth I would be able to do that! I don't even go outside in the yard when my kids are napping.

This is part of the reason I am so glad my kids could nap in the sling so easily. I could get them down and have them right there with me no matter where I was. Or they could nap in their stroller depending on where we were. My kids can sleep anywhere LOL

I would take a break from the festivities and rest in the room while your little one napped or find a way for them to take a nap with you during the festivities.

I would want to use that time to hide out in the room and take a nap myself :)

NO!!! I would Not let my kids sleep in the room unattended. Period. Lots of things could happen and its not smart or safe to leave toddlers unattended for any period of time.

Bring a stroller. Bring a pack and play. Set it up in the conference room in a quieter spot and put your child to sleep there---with you in the room. GL

M

Never.
The fact that you even asked this question means you are unsure of it yourself. Listen to your instinct.

Never ever ever!!!! This is not the same as leaving a child upstairs in your home while you dine -- this is a hotel and a gazillion people have keys and access to that room (maids, engineers, room service, etc).

As another poster mentioned -- you cannot possibly spend the entire night glued to your monitor -- if you are engaging in a conversation, getting dessert, whatever -- your attention will be diverted, and that is all it takes.

It is not only strangers entering and kidnapping concerns -- what happens if your child wakes up and starts crying, or climbs out of the crib, or gets hurt. There is no adult there to respond, and you will simply not be able to monitor every minute. If there are three kids between you and your sister in law -- spring for a babysitter -- or take turns on shifts.

But please don't think this is a safe option.

No, too many terrible things could happen, and besides, it's a perfect opportunity to take a nap as well, or do some solid reading!!

No, I'd never dream of doing anything like this!
I didn't want my son waking up in a strange place and not knowing where Mama is.
And besides, hotel rooms are not adequately baby proofed.
We had a toddler fall backwards through a balcony railing 5 floors up with Grandma right beside her (child died) this last summer at the beach front.
When child takes a nap, you have a chance to take a nap yourself, or you can read.
What ever you do, stay with your child through nap time or you and your hubby can take turns doing nap duty.

NO--NO--NO--NO--NO--NO--NO--NO AND A FEW MORE TIMES NO!!!!!!

As many of you know I am a psychic/medium. I was contacted by one of the police officers working on the Madeline Kahn case. She has not been found. She disappeared from her parents hotel suite in Portagal while they were eating dinner. The parents were eating at a terrace restaurant directly below the balcony of their suite. I believe the suite was on the 3rd floor. There were 2 other kids sleeping in the room. Madeline was targeted.

There are too many poeple who have master keys to hotel rooms. Maids, maintaince men, bell hops, front desk personel--and you know nothing of their history. It would take less then a minute to walk into your room take your child hand her/him out the window to someone waiting and for that person to take off in a car and you never see your child again. And that person walks out of your room but is wearing a uniform and says he had to check your room for a leaky water pipe.

I wouldn't be comfortable doing this at all. Even if I were in the same building. Even with my room right next to the conference room. I would leave one parent in the room with the child that's napping at that age in a strange place.

All I can think of is Madeleine McCann.

NO WAY!!!
I have a friend that does this whenever they are on vaca, but it is not for me now way.
You need to trust your own parenting instincts.
Your life can change in a sec.

Don't let yourself be bullied into behavior that you are not comfortable with.
Just cuz someone else is jumping of a bridge....

Nope. I wouldn't do it either. I would just stay in the room until my child woke up. Otherwise, I would constantly be up and down checking on him/her I wouldn't be having a good time visiting anyway.
HTH,
A.

Nope. I wouldn't do it. My kids are 6 and almost 8 and wouldn't even do it with them, much less an infant.

No way. That' is just asking for trouble. Makes me cringe just thinking of it.

All I can think of is Madeline McCann. Also, depending upon where this is, it MIGHT actually be against the law.
Hire a sitter.. most hotel concierges can help you with that.

Not in a zillion years. No one is going to sit there and stare at the monitor every single second and there are too many employees with keys to the room.

Nope. I wouldn't do it.

My original answer was going to be "absolutely not" because kids have gotten kidnapped that way but then I read further. The video monitorand being next door makes me feel a little better about the situation... but not so much that I would be comfortable if I did it with my son. I say if you do it, it wouldn't exactly make you a bad mom... but if you are uncomfortable, stick with your gut. Sometimes mother's intuition is our children's best protection.

My daughter is almost 2 yrs old and I don't personally think I could do it. I would just stay with her in the room while she napped for those 2 hours and return to the party later. I would use that time as down time in the hotel room to check email, play on my ipad and whatnot.

No, i don't think it's a good idea even with the monitor. You would be stressed the whole time anyway so why not take a nap instead :) To avoid anyone giving you a hard time when you and baby emerge just explain that she had a hard time going down so you had to stay. An hour or two away from the gathering is not that bad and if you really napped you would feel wonderful. Happy Thanksgiving.

No way. I would never feel comfortable doing that. But that is just me. There is a reason you have a gut feeling...go with it.

Why not bring stroller that reclines? She can sleep there right next to you. Just bring her for a little walk. That is what I used to do.

:( Never. Take turns staying in the room until nap-time is up.

With the room being right next door with a video monitor, yes, I would, assuming the baby would be in a safe place, like a pack and play. But that would be the only reason. Any farther away, no video monitor, and no pack and play, no way!

I would be perfectly fine doing this with the monitor turned on.

But beware, the last time a simlar question was asked, there were many many outraged responses to this idea...

YEP - Here we go the one little girl in Aruba/Portugal/Spain story...

I wouldn't do it

I have an idea - Tag-Team sitting - I don't see any reason why you can't work up a schedule with family members you love/trust to rotate in to watch him. Heck, most people I know would be willing to take a 15-20 minute break from the crowd to sit and relax.

No please dont do it - other people (hotel staff) have keys to your room!! Please do not do it just because your sister-in-law says its ok...Its not.

If you have a video monitor then you'll know she's safe. I think I'd be okay with it, especially if she's in a pack and play and can't climb out. I'm sure most people will say no, but then you have to think there's kids in these big homes or napping in their room at home with their parents out in the yard even further away than you'll be and that's considered safe. The only difference I see is that people do have access to your locked room- as in hotel staff. So I would definitely keep that in mind.

I'm next door and I have a video monitor that I KNOW works...if it had sound also then yeah *I* would. Video alone- no because your not going to be staring at the thing the whole time. I would also put up a special sign that says children sleeping please be quiet and do not disturb (most people wouldn't think they are alone). I have family members with huge houses...and fire/kidnapping/etc could all happen just as easy there and I promise it would take way longer to run across the house than it would to run next door in a hotel. Now with that all said...go with your gut. If your not comfortable with it than don't do it. Plan and simple...we have mother's intuition for a reason.

Nope, I wouldn't do it. My kids go to sleep better when they're alone, so this summer when we traveled we would sit in the hall right outside the door and read a book while they were falling asleep.

Either take turns being in or right outside the door to the hotel room, or use it as time for yourself to rest up as well.

Never would I do that. What is more important, your child's security and safety or being with relatives?

Taking an hour or so break from everyone is not a big deal. Besides, I would take that time to nap, read or just relax in quiet while baby naps..

I never did this because my children would have freaked out if one of us was missing if they woke up. I used to bring our stroller which was big enough to let them sleep there or I brought a pack n play since my children can sleep with crowds and noise.

absolutely NO...never would I do this in a hotel.

One person has already said that the chance of your child being kidnapped is very small. That may be statistically true, but I would still be real worried. Aside from kidnapping, there are a million things that could happen to an unattended 14 month old(barely a toddler, basically still just a baby).You just never know. I'm with the person who suggested tag teaming between you and your husband. Another idea, if this hasn't been suggested, is to hire a relative who is in junior high or high school to stay in the room with the baby for part of the night at least to give you a break. If you have that many people at a family reunion, you should be able to find someone willing to help.

I see you have a lot of responses already which I have not read, but if you want an answer to your question, google the name Madeleine McCann. Enough said.

Never would I be okay with leaving my child/children alone in a hotel no matter how close by I was - If its not in the room with them then its just too far away for me. Plus you need to take into consideration that if you are at the 'party' or 'gathering' in the conference room then your attention is not where it should be and there is just so so much that could happen so I say no way

If I had a video monitor and the proximity was such that I could be there in less than 15 seconds I would. Absolutely. Madeleine McCann was left in an apartment (not a hotel room) where any one could wander in and around the resort area. Most hotels have pretty good security and not just any one can wander around unnoticed. The layout of the Portugese resort and lack of security where Madaline went missing is not much like most american Hotels with their cameras and need for a card to access all doors but the hotel lobby.

Absolutely not. The only way it is ok is if, and only if, the hotel room opens into the conference room. Kids can wake up and wonder. There are also a lot of sickos in the world today. Accidents happen...locally a kid about 3 wondered out of a hotel room while the adult was asleep and fell into a neighbors pool. If the child is not old enough to be left home alone, they are not old enough to be left in a hotel room alone...and even then, I would be cautious because you don't know who else is in the hotel. Ever hear about the McCann toddler?

You can't parent based on what your SIL is doing.

If your room was right next door and you had a video monitor then why not?

Madeleine McCann. That's all I can think of when I hear someone leaving their sleeping child in a hotel room. Ain't worth it.

It depends on a lot of factors, not all of which are clear in your post, but most likely no. When you say "right next" to the conference room, do you mean adjoining walls or directly across the hall? Can you confine your child in something where he/she cannot access the rest of the room? Are you sure that you and your husband will pay attention and respond at the first moment the child stirs?

A hotel room is not baby-proofed, and a strange environment. I would feel uncomfortable leaving a child asleep inside alone. Put all the kids inside a single hotel room and round-robin. With 4 adults you'd miss max 1/2 hour each of a multi-day event and gain peace of mind.

Just an idea. Since you are renting out the conference room anyway is it big enough for you to have a partition put in a quiet corner of the room to have a pack n play put in or roll-away bed/crib etc. in that space to have your child sleep in there? The reason why I ask is that when my son was about a year old we went to a family reunion and we rented out conference space where we asked the hotel to put up a quiet space in the conference room that was easily accessible for us . They put in a small partition and a pack-n-play. My son slept in there even through all the loud talking/noise. We checked in on him and it worked out beautifully. When we were done we just picked him up and took him to our hotel room. We were able to enjoy ourselves and have peace of mind that our son was safe. I bet if you asked the hotel for options they can come up with a great solution. By the way, it didn't cost us extra. Personally, I wouldn't leave my kid alone in a hotel room. Good luck.

No. I would NOT leave my child alone in a hotel room even if I had video monitoring.

Great idea to have people gather at one place like that!!!

Bottom line? I would NOT leave my child alone in a hotel like that. Maybe you guys can share the duty - if the kids nap at the same time?

is it right next to it as in its literally right next door, then i guess maybe. since you have a video monitor it seems ok, but if i couldnt get to the door within 2 seconds then i dont think its a good idea

Madeleine McCann also comes to my mind. In your case it probably would have been fine since you were next door and have a video monitor, but honestly I just don't think it's worth it. You made the right choice, mama. :)

Your right next door. you have a video monitor with you. There will 40-50 people walking past the monitor at any given sec plus you watching. Yes I would.

Yes people can get into your room like the hotel staff, but unless you asked for matience or housekeeping chances of someone going into your room are slim.

IF someone did go into your room... your watching, and by the time they ran out of the room right next door you would have been running faster and would meet them before they got out of the room. Honestly what are the chances of it happening.

Now if you were going to leave the door opened with the latch lock, then that would be the obvious no.

Enjoy your kids napping and you spending time with your family. If your not comfortable with it, then enjoy some down time with your sleeping child.

if you have a video monitor and are on the same level of the hotel then I say you are fine

I dont believe you are worrying to much about this at all. The very fact that you've second guessed it means this is not a good choice for you. What works for one parent, and what they feel ok doing or not doing doesn't mean it's right for all. I think you already know your answer. I have sat many hours in hotel rooms while my husband is out doing with our oldest.

No. I would never leave my child in a Hotel room unattended. At a family event, things can get distracting and all it takes is a few seconds for things to go contrary to what you "planned." So many accidents can happen and worst of all, hotel staff may enter without you knowing it and harm your child at the worst. To each his own on what to do with their child but I certainly would not do this. I think a few hours to take away from the family would be ok and if it is not and the only option is to leave your child unattended then too bad!!! Always follow your instincts, which I am glad that you did. What is ok for one regardless of who it is, if it is not ok for you then do not do it. Think about it, how many children have drowned in the bathtub nad the caregiving said "It was only for a second, or I only went to go get the phone or towel...."