How to Make Staying in a Hotel With Kids Less of a Waste
Taking small children to a hotel is a real experience. No matter how many times you try to explain it, their minds remain in an almost constant state of awe. Is this our new home? Is this soap mine? Wait, are we sleeping here?! Staying in a hotel with young children can certainly be fun, exciting, or fun, but more often than not, it can also be crowded, chaotic, and messy. Here are some tips to make staying in hotels with small children easier.
Get the biggest room possible
I know it seems obvious, but I must say: if there is a suite, take it. It helps a lot to have a separation area where children (or suitcases or other road debris) can be left behind when you need a few minutes in the sleeping area to clean up or unwind. See also: Two televisions.
Bring your own protective gear for children
If your kids are at an age where every outlet needs to be touched and the contents of every closet need to be checked, bringing a few child-proof items with you can make the process less worrisome. Plastic outlet covers, cabinet locks and sharp corner protectors, while not 100% necessary for fun, can dampen the little ones’ vigilance that accompanies them everywhere we go.
Pack your own snacks (and headphones)
While it’s tempting to pack light and adopt a “they’ll have snacks there” mentality, it’s wise to bring your own stash. Hotel vending machines and snack shops may not offer options that your children enjoy. It saves money and sometimes you just need to quickly throw something reliable at them before sibling whims and squabbles rear their heads in close combat.
Also, remember that you won’t have any of your usual places to escape to, and you can share your bed with a three-year-old that you want to fall asleep before you do. If you want to enjoy your precious daily mental sprouting before you pass out, take your headphones with you so you can watch a video or show on your device of choice while they (hopefully) nap next to you.
Set “zones” for each child and adjust as you go.
While this can be tricky to achieve if you’re staying longer than overnight, try to make room for your belongings. Place for backpacks, place for shoes, place for suitcases, place for dirty clothes. Get the kids (if they’re old enough) to pack up their stuff and put it in the right place before they can get that sweet, sweet iPad time.
Bring a white noise generator (and a nightlight)
As a light sleeper who wakes up every time my husband moves a part of his body at night, sleeping in the same room with a lot of other rustling people is not my problem. While you can sometimes rely on an air conditioner fan in your room, not all of them provide a continuous stream of white noise throughout the night. (Besides, you never know if you live on the floor with retirees in the city for a bingo tournament, or with a bunch of noisy college students who can party until dawn.) inside and outside your room. In a pinch, you can play something loud through your phone’s external speaker ( there are plenty of white noise videos on YouTube ).
And since blackout curtains live up to their name, if you don’t want to leave your bathroom light on all night, bring a night light with you to help your little ones get to the bathroom in the dark. While you’re at it, spare your back the hassle and bring a folding stool with you if you have one. Because babies can’t reach that shell on their own.
Lay out the breakfast buffet rules in advance
If your stay includes a continental breakfast buffet, hallelujah! However, this bonus comes at a cost. Know that unless the buffet rules are clearly laid out, your kids will return with a 2-inch dome of bacon that spans the entire diameter of the plate (only to eat three pieces later) and enough pancakes for the entire school swim team. They will then want to sample each juice in the machine and make several trips to sample the muffins, donuts, banana bread, or sugary cereals on offer.
If you’re willing to let your kids go to the buffet for a day or two, you’re a fun parent. If you’re more like me and don’t want your kids to use seven packs of syrup or throw eight uneaten sausages in the trash while the rest of the guests are left without sausages, set some ground rules before they see the reward and go crazy . (For example: one sweet, one protein. Must have a piece of fruit to pass. Yes, you can have Cap’n Crunch, but not that, but waffles and a bagel.)
Set up a queuing system with the push of an elevator button.
You think I’m joking, but I’m not. When there are several small children in tow, the system of who presses the elevator buttons (and when) is paramount. Honor is not taken lightly; shoes have been lost, knees have been scuffed, scratches have been delivered, all in a heated, bickering race to get to the elevator first. But every shriveled parent knows not to let the one who comes first push him! No, no , it’s not fair . And justice must prevail.
Would you let one child press the elevator call button and another child press the floor number? Or would you give each child a complete button press cycle, including the call button and the floor button, and then alternate? What happens if another guest clicks too, will the child be able to “repeat” their move next time? Or maybe they can make up for their losses with a digital room key to unlock the door? Think about it. These things matter.
Bring some plastic cups (and bags)
Some hotels have paper or plastic cups in your room, but many still only provide glass cups, a material that young children mistreat. To help with brushing your teeth and all those desperate sips of water before bed, bring along a few plastic cups (or bottles) that you can throw away when you leave. And pack extra plastic bags; they can be useful for temporary placement of dirty laundry, stinky panties or wet swimwear.