Have You Left Your Baby In the Nursery All Day?

[lilpooh108]

We are considering leaving our 12 month old on the ship during an all day port excursion (Rome). We will have a UK cell phone number where the ship can reach us. We have also scheduled private transfers, so getting back early isn't a problem (knock on wood).

My husband is really really really against it, since the port is 1.5 hours away.

I am "more" for it, because I think it is easier on the baby and it's easier on us.

My mom thinks we should do it because it's not fair to the baby to have to go through our hectic Rome day schedule.

Has anyone left their baby in the Nursery all day on a port excursion? I remember reading some Alaska trip reports that mention this. What did you think? Pros? Cons? Regrets?

My baby is very sweet, but naughty. She needs constant supervision while playing b/c she's always climbing, and falling, and putting stuff into her mouth. Will it be safe? We've used the Nursery before for our older DD (she is not naughty at all), but only for 3 hours at most.

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

In 2005 you were not allowed to, I think two hours was the most you could do it for. Unlike the Clubs, space is limited. I think we were allowed two two hour blocks for our seven day cruise.

 

[peyjax]

We are considering leaving our 12 month old on the ship during an all day port excursion (Rome). We will have a UK cell phone number where the ship can reach us. We have also scheduled private transfers, so getting back early isn't a problem (knock on wood).

My husband is really really really against it, since the port is 1.5 hours away.

I am "more" for it, because I think it is easier on the baby and it's easier on us.

My mom thinks we should do it because it's not fair to the baby to have to go through our hectic Rome day schedule.

Has anyone left their baby in the Nursery all day on a port excursion? I remember reading some Alaska trip reports that mention this. What did you think? Pros? Cons? Regrets?

My baby is very sweet, but naughty. She needs constant supervision while playing b/c she's always climbing, and falling, and putting stuff into her mouth. Will it be safe? We've used the Nursery before for our older DD (she is not naughty at all), but only for 3 hours at most.

Something to think about is you can not be sure how she will react in the nursery. All kids are different. They really do not like to keep a kid who is crying the whole time. At least I don't think they do as my daughter did not last that long. She is very social and loves play things but she did not like it there at all. So it would stink to plan something like that and not be able to go cause of her reaction to the nursery.

Like the PP mentioned as of last year they only gave out 2 hour increments as well (anything beyond that they were being nice) so I think that might squash the idea. It is different if they are in the clubs.

 

[lilpooh108]

In 2005 you were not allowed to, I think two hours was the most you could do it for. Unlike the Clubs, space is limited. I think we were allowed two two hour blocks for our seven day cruise.

You can now. (I remember some Alaska thread discussing this, the year we were planning DCL Alaska.) All they ask is that you leave a contact number and to obviously, let them know your itinerary and the fact that you are going off the ship. I logged into my activities and I've even reserved the entire day for her.

Would love to hear any personal experiences . . .

 

[lbgraves]

You are able to book for 10 hours before boarding, however, I don't know if you can book the entire day. Most days at the nursery there are a few hours where they are not open at all. Not sure if you can find navigators from previous cruises at the same ports to see if they were open all day.

 

[jlwhitney]

Not sure completley, but you do have to pay for the nursery and you may not be able to book all the hours you need. YOu can only book a certain amount upfront.

Honestly, I am not sure its the best idea. If anything happened or they couldn't calm her down you would be a decent amount of time away.

 

[JimmyJackJunior]

You can now. (I remember some Alaska thread discussing this, the year we were planning DCL Alaska.) All they ask is that you leave a contact number and to obviously, let them know your itinerary and the fact that you are going off the ship. I logged into my activities and I've even reserved the entire day for her.

Would love to hear any personal experiences . . .

Well my daughter was very good with babysitters but reacted very badly in the nursery. Started crying uncontrollably and threw up on the poor nursery worker. We were in the movie theater so no big deal. With an infant you never can tell.

 

[lilpooh108]

You are able to book for 10 hours before boarding, however, I don't know if you can book the entire day. Most days at the nursery there are a few hours where they are not open at all. Not sure if you can find navigators from previous cruises at the same ports to see if they were open all day.

I've actually logged into my activities and was able to reserve the entire day (well the time that we'd be out anyway). Not saying I'm going to use it, but I figure I should that while we're deciding.

 

[Namsupak]

You can now. (I remember some Alaska thread discussing this, the year we were planning DCL Alaska.) All they ask is that you leave a contact number and to obviously, let them know your itinerary and the fact that you are going off the ship. I logged into my activities and I've even reserved the entire day for her.

Would love to hear any personal experiences . . .

We did a long trip when we were in Tortola. I think we were gone for about 6-7 hours. DD was 2 at the time. I think there are a couple of things to think about here. Do you use day care at home. We just looked at it as a daycare day. We both work so we daycare from about 7:45am till 4:30pm. She has been in daycare since she was 6 weeks old. If you use day care it will likely be easier. Also we had used the nursery for her before so she was used to it. Set yourself up for success and make sure to try the nursery early in the trip to get her used to it. Definitely let them know you are doing an excursion the staff works extra hard to keep the kids entertained and they try not to bother you. This also goes for kids in the club in case you have adult dining that evening just inform the staff. We went back and forth about whether it was okay or not for us to do it but eventually we looked at it like this, it is our vacation too. She enjoys the nursery more than just being lugged around with us. And we enjoy having some adult time without having to worry about her. The ratio of providers to children is better than our day care at home so we were not worried about her not having supervision. We also carried a cell phone and we were not called. When we got back she was happily playing in the nursery without any issues. We didnt have any regrets and now we don't feel bad about booking excursions we like instead of trying to find ones we can take everyone on. Honestly our young one didn't do well on a long ferry or bus, we tried it before and it was hit or miss.

 

[lilpooh108]

We did a long trip when we were in Tortola. I think we were gone for about 6-7 hours. DD was 2 at the time. I think there are a couple of things to think about here. Do you use day care at home. We just looked at it as a daycare day. We both work so we daycare from about 7:45am till 4:30pm. She has been in daycare since she was 6 weeks old. If you use day care it will likely be easier. Also we had used the nursery for her before so she was used to it. Set yourself up for success and make sure to try the nursery early in the trip to get her used to it. Definitely let them know you are doing an excursion the staff works extra hard to keep the kids entertained and they try not to bother you. This also goes for kids in the club in case you have adult dining that evening just inform the staff. We went back and forth about whether it was okay or not for us to do it but eventually we looked at it like this, it is our vacation too. She enjoys the nursery more than just being lugged around with us. And we enjoy having some adult time without having to worry about her. The ratio of providers to children is better than our day care at home so we were not worried about her not having supervision. We also carried a cell phone and we were not called. When we got back she was happily playing in the nursery without any issues. We didnt have any regrets and now we don't feel bad about booking excursions we like instead of trying to find ones we can take everyone on. Honestly our young one didn't do well on a long ferry or bus, we tried it before and it was hit or miss.

Thanks so much for this. We are planning on trying her out in the nursery for 1 hour a day leading up to Rome to see how it pans out.

My mom also made the exact points that you've made -- to look at it as a daycare day (our older DD goes 2 days a week, but not the baby), and that the baby will be happier playing with toys all day rather than getting lugged around in the heat.

How did you handle feedings, etc? Did you have to leave pretty explicit instructions? Your daughter was 2 so I imagine she was having meals by then, but how did that turn out?

Well my daughter was very good with babysitters but reacted very badly in the nursery. Started crying uncontrollably and threw up on the poor nursery worker. We were in the movie theater so no big deal. With an infant you never can tell.

Thanks. We'll try out the nursery for her and see if we can get her familiar with a particular CM and then really decide what to do.

You are able to book for 10 hours before boarding, however, I don't know if you can book the entire day. Most days at the nursery there are a few hours where they are not open at all. Not sure if you can find navigators from previous cruises at the same ports to see if they were open all day.

Good points. Finding Navigator now to see if the nursery was open all day.

 

[k3chantal]

We are considering leaving our 12 month old on the ship during an all day port excursion (Rome). We will have a UK cell phone number where the ship can reach us. We have also scheduled private transfers, so getting back early isn't a problem (knock on wood).

My husband is really really really against it, since the port is 1.5 hours away.

I am "more" for it, because I think it is easier on the baby and it's easier on us.

My mom thinks we should do it because it's not fair to the baby to have to go through our hectic Rome day schedule.

Has anyone left their baby in the Nursery all day on a port excursion? I remember reading some Alaska trip reports that mention this. What did you think? Pros? Cons? Regrets?

My baby is very sweet, but naughty. She needs constant supervision while playing b/c she's always climbing, and falling, and putting stuff into her mouth. Will it be safe? We've used the Nursery before for our older DD (she is not naughty at all), but only for 3 hours at most.

I left all my children 11, 9 and 18 months old in their clubs. I was very happy with the care they all received while we were on our port excursion.

I felt the most safe about my 18 month old. She had clearly had a good day and was not fussy when I picked her up. I did NOT notice anything out of the ordinary; no rashes from being left too long in a dirty diaper, not hungry or overly needy for me.

No regrets for me! And I am a stay at home mom so my child is not use to daycare or being left yet she was happy and engaged as I left and watched and as I waited a few minutes to pick her up.

 

[bumbershoot]

IMO babies want to be where mom and dad are. I would put DS in an Ergo carrier and head on out with him.

But I don't feel that climbing, falling, and putting things into the mouth is "naughty". I call that "being 1". So I wouldn't even be considering the option at all. And in a back carry in the Ergo, it's hard for baby to do much of anything that *would* be naughty. Closest DS ever came was when he dumped cold water down my back when we were at Disneyland. And then I realized that it felt GOOD in the heat, and kept giving him more water to drink, hoping he would do it again.

I say, enjoy Rome as a family! And expect lots of attention; DH roamed around Rome and said that people pay LOTS of attentions to babies and little children.

 

[k3chantal]

Thanks so much for this. We are planning on trying her out in the nursery for 1 hour a day leading up to Rome to see how it pans out.

My mom also made the exact points that you've made -- to look at it as a daycare day (our older DD goes 2 days a week, but not the baby), and that the baby will be happier playing with toys all day rather than getting lugged around in the heat.

How did you handle feedings, etc? Did you have to leave pretty explicit instructions? Your daughter was 2 so I imagine she was having meals by then, but how did that turn out?




Thanks. We'll try out the nursery for her and see if we can get her familiar with a particular CM and then really decide what to do.



Good points. Finding Navigator now to see if the nursery was open all day.

If you are booked on a long excursion, the nursery will work with you.
But it does 'eat' up a lot of your dedicated time for the nursery. Luckily this does tend to open up once they are sure that everyone has at least the minimum amount of time they want. For us, it was 18 hours before boarding that we could reserve and then after one day aboard the ship we could book additional time for the nursery. We did not bring any toys for our 18 month old to play with so she was happy to have a place to play and explore safely.

 

[AZMermaid]

Is it 18 hours for a 7 night cruise?

We considered leaving our kids for 4-5 hours while we went on an excursion in Ketchikan (Deadliest Catch one). We found another one through DCL that sounds really similar with more nature stuff mixed in that the kids can go on, so we decided to go do that one. But, if when we book that one is full (which seems unlikely based on the review threads, not many people did it before) we will do the other one and leave them on board. My son has never met a stranger and he will be fine (well, fingers crossed) my daughter is more skiddish, but I think with her brother in there, she will be fine too. We do plan on using the nursery 1-2 hours most night at dinner as well. They will be almost 3 and 17 months when we sail.

 

[lilpooh108]

IMO babies want to be where mom and dad are. I would put DS in an Ergo carrier and head on out with him.

But I don't feel that climbing, falling, and putting things into the mouth is "naughty". I call that "being 1". So I wouldn't even be considering the option at all. And in a back carry in the Ergo, it's hard for baby to do much of anything that *would* be naughty. Closest DS ever came was when he dumped cold water down my back when we were at Disneyland. And then I realized that it felt GOOD in the heat, and kept giving him more water to drink, hoping he would do it again.

I say, enjoy Rome as a family! And expect lots of attention; DH roamed around Rome and said that people pay LOTS of attentions to babies and little children.

Wow! I appreciate everyone's advice but I have to point out that your post was a little judgmental. All of a sudden I feel like I'm on Babycenter defending my parenting choices.

I do Ergo my child, all the time in fact. I wore her nonstop for 5 days in WDW --she refuses to be in a stroller so I got a good workout walking miles and miles with her. I plan on Ergo-ing her the entirety of my 17 day trip to Europe since we don't want to bring 2 strollers.

My question and concern was over one day, a hot day in June with no shade.

I wore my older DD when she was 6 months when we went to Coba, a pyramid inland in the Yucatan and at Chichen Itza. You know what I learned? It wasn't fun for her. It was hot, she was bored and there's only so much relief from the sun we could give her (I held a dorky umbrella). Hence the thought about trying a different option on this trip.

And my younger DD is naughty, as babies go. No need for stories on that

 

[lilpooh108]

I did NOT notice anything out of the ordinary; no rashes from being left too long in a dirty diaper, not hungry or overly needy for me.

Thanks -- this addresses my major concerns.

 

[k3chantal]

Is it 18 hours for a 7 night cruise?

We considered leaving our kids for 4-5 hours while we went on an excursion in Ketchikan (Deadliest Catch one). We found another one through DCL that sounds really similar with more nature stuff mixed in that the kids can go on, so we decided to go do that one. But, if when we book that one is full (which seems unlikely based on the review threads, not many people did it before) we will do the other one and leave them on board. My son has never met a stranger and he will be fine (well, fingers crossed) my daughter is more skiddish, but I think with her brother in there, she will be fine too. We do plan on using the nursery 1-2 hours most night at dinner as well. They will be almost 3 and 17 months when we sail.

yes, it should be 18 hours for a 7 night cruise. It was on the Wonder in 2011. And, this is really just to make sure everyone has the ability to book time. Once, the CM's are sure there is space you can book additional time in the nursery. We quickly found out that dinner for our 18 month old was better spent in the nursery for both us and her.

 

[jm106]

IMO babies want to be where mom and dad are. I would put DS in an Ergo carrier and head on out with him.

But I don't feel that climbing, falling, and putting things into the mouth is "naughty". I call that "being 1". So I wouldn't even be considering the option at all. And in a back carry in the Ergo, it's hard for baby to do much of anything that *would* be naughty. Closest DS ever came was when he dumped cold water down my back when we were at Disneyland. And then I realized that it felt GOOD in the heat, and kept giving him more water to drink, hoping he would do it again.

I say, enjoy Rome as a family! And expect lots of attention; DH roamed around Rome and said that people pay LOTS of attentions to babies and little children.

well said. I think the best way for kids to learn how to handle a variety of situations is to be a part of them. At 1, they explore, its normal. I loved my baby wearing, great for all day events.

 

[lilpooh108]

I loved my baby wearing, great for all day events.

I completely agree. I wear my baby all the time. She refuses to sit in a stroller anyway. We're considering trying something different this time.

 

[Meghatron]

I completely agree. I wear my baby all the time. She refuses to sit in a stroller anyway. We're considering trying something different this time.

I think you are absolutely right to consider how your baby will feel being in the hot sun all day long with no significant stimulation. We are baby wearers as well and are booking DS into the nursery for one almost all-day excursion on the WBPC. It's through DCL, so we aren't taking a cell phone with us (Port Adventures will know how to reach us), and given our previous experience with the nursery while onboard with a toddler DD, I have NO qualms about my son being fed, happy, loved, and NOT overheating in a foreign country.

Sometimes people forget that attachment parenting is about doing the best thing for the child, and not our constructed image of what an ideal parent should be in every single situation without taking context into account. I'm sorry some are making you feel judged for considering all your options as a responsible, loving parent.