a serious question

[goinback]

ok, I have a serious question. I was telling a friend of mine ( who is also Disney Crazy) that I wish my DH and I could have a date at WDW when we are there in Sept. She suggested that I let my 13yo, almost 14 on the trip, babysit our 9yo and 7yo in our room at POR. She does babysit for us at home and they obey her very well, but I just don't know how I feel about it. My first reaction was NO WAY, but she said it would be perfectly safe as long as they stayed in the room . What do you guys think?

 

[MSSANDRA]

My 14 year old would be fine baby sitting in the room. You have to know how mature and level headed your child is. Make strict rules on not leaving the room, fire safety etc. I would also not go too far, and be gone too long. Be sure that you could catch a cab back if needed and not have to depend on disney transportaion.

 

[disneymomto5]

I guess it depends on the child, but my 13 year old babysits for me all the time. Mind you, it's usually only a couple of hours at the most but I think it's fine.

 

[dogluva]

ok, I have a serious question. I was telling a friend of mine ( who is also Disney Crazy) that I wish my DH and I could have a date at WDW when we are there in Sept. She suggested that I let my 13yo, almost 14 on the trip, babysit our 9yo and 7yo in our room at POR. She does babysit for us at home and they obey her very well, but I just don't know how I feel about it. My first reaction was NO WAY, but she said it would be perfectly safe as long as they stayed in the room . What do you guys think?

My almost thirteen year old daughter babysat for us when we went in March. She watched my four year old, six year old and eight year old. We were gone for about three hours (6-9 p.m.). She had her cell and I told her not to leave the room for anything. It was fine. They had a blast. I think they really wanted to just hang in the room for a night and just play.

 

[ptmmg]

I think if the 14yo babysits at home and you feel confident about thier maturity I would say have a fun date!!

 

[goinback]

Thanks guys! You have made me feel better!

 

[ndgqccmiller]

I would maybe have something special for the kids to do. Like a new movie to watch or a craft or board game. Something to entertain them. You know how it is to get bored in a small place. It might make it easier for your daughter. I think it's a great idea and can't wait for my son to be old enough to baby sit. He's almost 11.

 

[happygirl]

I would say they should be fine maybe order a pizza for them for the night

 

[TupperMom7]

My last name should be Murphy, because anytime anything bad can happen, it does! We went out for our anniversary a couple weeks ago. I left my ds17 and ds14 in charge of our twins age8. Mind you, we were only going out for a couple hours and they had already been fed.

My ds17 was told to do the dishes while we were gone. He turned the water on and left the sink to help ds8 with a video game. The sink overflowed all over the kitchen floor, dining room floor and hallway!! He called me at the restaurant just as they served our salad - so I told him to take every towel he could find and clean it up!

My concern with your children would be if there was an emergency at the hotel, i.e. a fire, or just the smoke alarms going off, and your kids would have to react immediately without consulting you first.

Aren't there any activities they can be taken to at WDW while you are out on your date?

 

[Hannathy]

I think they would be perfectly fine...BUT I also think it could be incredibly boring to be stuck in one room while at Disney and knowing there was so much to do and you were stuck in a bedroom. Could you possible do something early in the evening with the kids, maybe even swim for an hour or two and you go back early and get ready to go out, then come back to the room and get a movie and a snack and then you and your DH go out late for a few hours, that way they will be tired, can get their showers and get ready for bed and possibly even go to sleep and not spend prime Disney hours bored in a room.

 

[MSSANDRA]

You know, I think i would rather have them awake just in case something did happen they would he alert enough to react quickly. Kids can be heavy sleepers.


Tubbermom- it is funny because the almost exact thing happened to DS this week when he was watching his younger cousin at our house. DN turned on the water and "forgot" and went to play video games. I hear it was a huge mess but DS got it all cleaned up and waited till we got home to tell us.

But you are so right they MUST know how to react if they are going to be left alone anywhere at anytime.

 

[barkley]

i would'nt personaly do it (i have a thing about leaving kids alone in hotel rooms) but if you choose to be aware that if the kids don't behave or some issue comes up where they have to call for the assistance of hotel staff, depending on the circumstances it can endanger the remainder of your stay.

not sure if disney has it in their fine print, but it's become more common for hotels to have a clause in their contracts that say minors are not permitted to be unsupervised (by adults) in the rooms, and that failing that part of the contract can result in immediate termination of your stay.

when i worked (long ago ) at a hotel the biggest issues we had with kids alone in the room was the noise factor (gentle roughhousing at home does'nt translate into much peace and quiet for the adjoining rooms), kid's taking up our time playing with the phone and older sibs getting locked out of the room (younger sibs would push out and put security lock on).

 

[dogluva]

I think they would be perfectly fine...BUT I also think it could be incredibly boring to be stuck in one room while at Disney and knowing there was so much to do and you were stuck in a bedroom. Could you possible do something early in the evening with the kids, maybe even swim for an hour or two and you go back early and get ready to go out, then come back to the room and get a movie and a snack and then you and your DH go out late for a few hours, that way they will be tired, can get their showers and get ready for bed and possibly even go to sleep and not spend prime Disney hours bored in a room.

My kids were not incredibly bored in a room. They were ready for some down time and time just to play in the room. They pretended all kinds of scenerios-hosptial, travel agency. They were looking forward to it all night. I am sorry but I do not feel kids need to be entertained all the time (even at Disney). Sometimes they like to make their own fun.

 

[write2caro]

I was left in hotel rooms on occasion around that age in charge with my younger sister (3 yrs younger). We always had fun and it was no problem at all. At that age I was babysitting around our neighborhood as well. I would do the same with my kids at that age. I would probably see to it that they had some movies to watch, or something else fun to do if they didn't come up with stuff to do on their own (although I know that at that age I didn't need any help in that area and loved the independence). My husband and I both have cell phones and I would trust mature/responsible kids at that age to handle themselves for a short time in a hotel and call if they had any issues at all. Again, it depends on your kids, of course.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Babysitting at home vs. at a hotel is two different things. You have to do what you feel comfortable with but I would not leave them. JMHO.

 

[momof5boys]

I think it's fine. She already babysits at home where there are no adults around if there's a problem. If a true emergency arose at Disney there are alot of CM's around. I think we micromanage our kids too much and it shows in that they are very immature and unable to think for themselves, sad yes and I too am guilty but trying to get better! Just do what the chaporones on my DS12 overnight band trip did, close the door and put tape over the edge of it. If the tape seal is broken then you know they opened the door. Have a reward ready if they kept the door shut. Have a great night out!

 

[meandtheguys2]

My guys would be fine with it (13, 10, and 8). They love being left on their own, because it usually means pizza, movies, and free computer/gameboy time.

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

I think if you're comfortable with it then don't worry what anyone else says or does. The one issue I would have with that is I would feel guilty going out with my husband to have a good time and leaving the kids cooped up in a small hotel room. But I guess if they're ok with it, then you should be too.

 

[goinback]

I think it's fine. She already babysits at home where there are no adults around if there's a problem. If a true emergency arose at Disney there are alot of CM's around. I think we micromanage our kids too much and it shows in that they are very immature and unable to think for themselves, sad yes and I too am guilty but trying to get better! Just do what the chaporones on my DS12 overnight band trip did, close the door and put tape over the edge of it. If the tape seal is broken then you know they opened the door. Have a reward ready if they kept the door shut. Have a great night out!

Thanks!, You are right about there being plenty of Adults. and, I know if you are the mom of 5 boys, and feel ok about it, I think I can too! If you can survive five boys, you must be a wise woman!

 

[BuzzLightYear3]

Just adding myself to the list of people who think it's fine. In fact, I'm planning on not one but two nights out on our upcoming two week trip. DS-just turned 14, DD-just turned 10, and DS-7 will be fine. Typically we only go someplace within walking distance. My only real concern is about the noise associated with any arguments, but we'll be staying in a 2 BR which has 3 TVs, so that should cut down on any fights. The kids don't mind at all.....as one of the other posters mentioned, after several days of running to parks and doing lots of activities, they are begging for a night of just "vegging" in the room.