Your thoughts on baby listening services in hotels?

[Mummy Bean]

-perhaps look at getting an apartment instead of a hotel. Like if you go to centre parcs you can choose to go to the family restaurants or you can get take away/room service to your apartment. then you can enjoy adult dinner with a glass of wine whilst the children sleep?

can recommend the longleat one in the west country. Got loads to do for the little one!

 

[Kittycat155]

Curious how often this is offered as never heard of it. Maybe they figure certain parents leave the kids anyways so at least the ones who use this they will have a heads up to try to keep issues to minimum for room damage/other guests? Can't see this being all that great for child safety unless it is a baby who is to young to get out of crib

 

[Mrs Doddy]

Absolutely not- we always eat together - wouldn't be comfortable with it - the kids are our responsibility and it's us that has to make a sacrifice

 

[Rhio92]

No way. Never even heard of this service.

 

[bumpy_j]

I dunno, if I used something like that, I would still probably go up and check myself a few times, so I wouldn't see the point. I'd probably just go for the family dining and possibly have one night of that service near the end of the holiday if I had confidence in the system they were using.

 

[kaths101]

No way, I wouldn't be able to relax at all and would eat my dinner so fast it wouldn't be enjoyable haha.. But I wouldn't do it anyway. How do you know the staff are listening the whole time especially with such a young baby I wouldn't even consider it.
I may have a babysitter, I'd be like you and see how i felt when I got there. That's no different than leaving the children at a nursery or kids club (which I wouldn't do when they were so young either)..

 

[supertabby]

No I hate the thought of them - reception listening in is no substitute for proper supervision. I don't feel it's safe.

Since having lo we just do self catering, so that we can put her to bed and still stay up ourselves but she's close by, safe and we can hear. If we want to go out for a grown up restaurant meal then we'd either go when we're at home and can get a trusted babysitter or holiday with family and share the babysitting (which we've just done, we've babysat neices and sil has babysat for us etc). We've let lo go overnight to grandparents from about 6 months old and even the occasional long weekend so I wouldn't say I'm "overprotective" about babysitting (though nothing wrong with parents having different comfort zones, I'm not knocking those who didn't feel ready for overnighters till much older) but I really don't feel the hotel listening services are a sensible option.

I think a lot of the big resorts will have apartments so you can get the best of both worlds? A family resort would have no issue with noisy children dining and it's nice to spend that time together imo.

 

[lau86]

I guess since becoming a mum what I've missed is my holidays and I just haven't found anything that comes close to the holidays we went on before. I had big reservations about the baby listening service before I posted this topic but reading everyone's thoughts its definitely not the way to go. The thing with self catering is I will likely end up cooking alot of the time and I wanted a break. I just can't see an equivalent to the 'all inclusive' option that there is in Europe, but in the uk. I think the family dining may come close and its just accepting things are different now, its hard and I'm being selfish I know but it doesn't make it any easier I work dam hard and need a rest.

 

[suzib76]

We go self catering and just go out for meals

 

[Pearls18]

I guess since becoming a mum what I've missed is my holidays and I just haven't found anything that comes close to the holidays we went on before. I had big reservations about the baby listening service before I posted this topic but reading everyone's thoughts its definitely not the way to go. The thing with self catering is I will likely end up cooking alot of the time and I wanted a break. I just can't see an equivalent to the 'all inclusive' option that there is in Europe, but in the uk. I think the family dining may come close and its just accepting things are different now, its hard and I'm being selfish I know but it doesn't make it any easier I work dam hard and need a rest.

It's not selfish hun just remember it's not forever and it will get easier, maybe the family dining is the compromise for now and one day you will get lovely holidays again, in fact they'll get even more fun because your children will get older and will enjoy them more so it'll be a whole new thing

 

[monkee12]

I wouldn't do this either, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my kids in a hotel room withut me or their dad being there x

 

[Nela]

I couldn't do it but nothing says you cannot grab takeaway from a local place and bring it back to the hotel and set it up to be romantic. I know it's not exactly the same but I'd feel so much better doing that than trusting a stranger with my child. I couldn't even do it with my dog to be honest. Not in any way judging you or criticizing you for thinking of it!

 

[kerrie24]

No I dont trust some family members with my kids so no way would I leave it to a stranger to watch them,plus family holidays wouldnt be the same if you went out and didnt take the kids.People may as well leave them at home with a trusted grandparent or something,its safer.

 

[lovelylaura]

We've just been to butlins and they have a creache what about something like that? so you can atleast get to eat in piece. I don't think it's selfish i miss our adult holidays too, i didnt really enjoy our holiday it's so much hard work with 2 toddlers it was harder than being at home. Oh also we didnt try the creche as my husband didn't want to do it ( i would have though!)

 

[CRWx]

Nothing helpful to add BUT I read the title a

'Your thoughts on eBay listing hostel services'

 

[icklemonster]

OP - I might have another suggestion.....We just got back from a cruise with P&O. They had a fantastic night nursery where we put Charlotte for anything between 1 hour and 3 hours on 7 out of the 12 nights of the cruise - you can put them in anytime between 6pm - 2am (well last entry is 11pm).
They gave us pagers, and paged us on the two occasions where Charlotte woke up and they couldn't resettle her - it transpired she decided to get her first 2 teeth while we were away.
The night nursery was clearly a very safe/careful operation, with lists everywhere of room temperatures, how they check the babies, (who were all lined up in a total of 8 travel cots), and what they would do in the event of a ship emergency.
It was quite expensive, but I couldn't recommend it enough. The baby and children services are fantastic on board, and they supplied baby food, or the chefs would make purees out of the evening meals. They gave you travel cot, sterliser, bottle warmer, baby bath etc. We all had such an amazing holiday - the ports, entertainment, food all fantastic.
It was very clear that the night nursery was very well staffed and a safe environment. If it is of any help it was P&O Ventura which we sailed on From Southampton (so you could take as much luggage as you liked) xxx

 

[amytrisha]

We've just been to butlins and they have a creache what about something like that? so you can atleast get to eat in piece. I don't think it's selfish i miss our adult holidays too, i didnt really enjoy our holiday it's so much hard work with 2 toddlers it was harder than being at home. Oh also we didnt try the creche as my husband didn't want to do it ( i would have though!)

This! The ladies that work in Butlins creche are lovely (at skegness anyway). I'd trust this 100% but I'd never do the listening service, esp after watching crimewatch tonight it's too risky. If I wanted a couple of hours alone with OH I'd prefer somebody to be actually watching LOs, and if it can't be somebody you know I'd say the next best thing is a trained professional x

 

[babycrazy1706]

Nooooooo!

I think its a terrible idea to offer to take responsibility of visitors children by 'listening' and awful of parents to trust strangers to do so. Really dangerous IMO!

 

[Emma&Freya]

No I wouldnt, I wouldnt be able to relax if my girls are away from me. I get panicky when I havent got Mia next to me

 

[Chellxx]

Id go self catering and find a nice resturant near by to have dinner at! There is no way id leave my kids in a hotel room, id worry to much, there are too many hazards as it is in hotels! We love haven holidays in the uk!