Using a monitor in hotel Post Reply

[Nightingale]

We are off for a weekend in the UK to a small (20 room) high end hotel and I am intending to use a video monitor whilst we have dinner each evening in the hotel's restaurant rather than getting a babysitter. A few people I've mentioned to have raised eyebrows. I would be interested to know what others do in this situation.

Thanks

[kiwimummy]

i have friends that do this, although personally, I would not (to the annoyance of Mr Kiwimummy, who thinks I am very over protective).

The Madeline McCann case made me too afraid not to have a person there supervising the children.

I think it's your call though, and will also depend if you can get a good signal in the restaurant.

[NYE31]

I know people that do but I wouldn't because of a) the Madeleine disappearance & b) in case there was a fire.

Have you considerd eating earlier some of the nights & getting a baby sitter for the others?

[B&BsMum]

I wouldn't for the same reasons cited in the previous posts. It's one of those situations where I'm sure it would be fine but I wouldn't be willing to take even a minuscule risk. I've only ever used audio monitors at home, do don't know how a video one works but wouldn't it be quiet distracting from your dinner to constantly be keeping an eye on it? I can understand that a video monitor probably gives you a good view of your child, but wouldn't you have to be looking really often to be certain all was well?

I do know how hard it can be to have time to enjoy things like a proper meal in a nice restaurant but for me I don't think I could relax and enjoy it anyway if my children were unsupervised up in a hotel room. Sorry!

[erinisle22]

I've considered doing that and we have even taken our monitors places on occasions but the distances/walls have always made the monitors out of range...

[shaneleone]

Unlike the above posters, I've done this many times. I think a lot depends on the age of your child, but if it's a baby or toddler confined to a cot and you have the reception, it's been something I've been quite comfortable doing. A lot of my friends do this on a regular basis as well. There've been children kidnapped out of their own bedrooms, and fires in private homes and that doesn't stop people from using monitors at home. It's a personal choice.

It is worth checking that you'll get reception, and you could always request a room as close as possible to the hotel's restaurant. I've also brought a monitor, only to not be able to use it because of distance/walls/etc.

[Wheresmyschool?]

This is a really interesting question.

I hate myself for saying this but if I was in the restaurant and there was any noise/video flickering etc then I would probably ask the waiter to ask you to leave!

I feel so mean for writing it but I honestly would.

Although when push came to shove I might just mutter under my breath and sent over dirty looks in that very English way of complaining.

If we're away for a romantic weekend, we want to get away from kids and the thought of someone else baby monitoring crackling and flashing would be too much!

Having said that, I don't know what sort of hotel it is, so maybe they are cool with that because everyone is a parent with kids in the situation.

Sorry for being negative

[LidoLady]

We didn't have video baby monitors when our children were small and thought you might be amused to hear we once stayed at a pub in Wales, put the 3 children to bed in a room just a short flight of stairs from where we were eating (we knew we'd hear them if they woke up) and sat down to a lovely meal, taking it in turns to check on them every 20 mins or so. We were just relaxing, convinced they were all in a deep sleep when they all appeared at the entrance to the bar in their pyjamas, holding hands in an 'orphans-of-the-storm' way and the oldest one said 'You left us on our own and now we want to come down and eat with you.' Much amusement from the other diners and end of our attempt at romantic meal!

I'm not sure what I'd do now. I would think with a video monitor you'd be OK provided you checked the reception worked. But I still think I'd go up and check on them regularly. It's not just fire that's the risk. A child could develop a temperature in a few minutes (one of ours went from fine to dangerously croupy in about 20 minutes flat) or vomit, and the situation can go from fine to dangerous so quickly. Plus a child waking up with no parents there could be very distressed even though you've explained you're going to leave them and be 'just downstairs' or whatever. Which I guess is why our children made their somewhat dramatic appearance at our meal!