Advice only - No flames please...

[310girls2]

My 12 yo is very responsible. when she was 10 and I was expecting her baby sister she actually called the paramedics and saved our lives. My DH was out of town and I had a severe potassium imbalance (like Terri Schiavo had). Doctors when this was discovered said that baby and I would not have made it through the night. I didn't even realize I was sick..

We would love to take a few days alone but have not family to help.. thats why we were toying with the idea of having a quiet drink in the lounge for an hour..our private celebration so to speak... but with all of your input - I think we'll just get some vino and apps (dose both kids with dimetapp ) and hope for the best for our mini celebration in room/balacony.. thanks everyone..

 

[DISLOVE]

I'm normally VERY conservative with this type of thing. But, I would be comfortable with this scenario if I was staying in the same hotel and the older child had a cell phone that he/she could use to get in touch with me immediately. I would review not opening the door for ANYONE (even a CM.. they could wait!) I would also talk about what to do if a fire alarm were to sound... and then I would go down and enjoy a drink or dinner with my husband!
Don't forget... Being so close one of you can slip up to the room for an impromptu check in!
Have a great time!!

 

[dtsaos]

Just wanted to say that me and DH are very protective (or paranoid) and even though everything would probably be fine, here's what i would do to be on the safe side...

Hire one of the sitters to come to the room to watch BOTH of them. That way as one of the earlier posters mentioned about her stepdaughter (I think), your DD12 can keep an eye on the sitter. I'm sure all the sitter's from those places are as awesome as everyone says, but we're too paranoid to use them with DS5, DD3 and DD 8 months. However, if there was a considerably older child in the mix, I'd feel much better about it. And that way you two could really relax and enjoy yourselves without worrying as much. You could still do the cell phone thing just to be safe.
Have fun!

 

[meandtheguys2]

Sadly I know a friend got in big trouble with the Las Vegas police because she left her 5 month old safely sleeping in hotel room in the playpen to run down to her car to get some baggage for less than 2 minutes. She was free to go but had the inconvience of going back for court. So check them laws is my advice.

OK, I just have to ask, how on earth the police became involved. Obviously there is more to the story, because I've never noticed them hanging ou in hallways checking rooms for sleeping babies! My curiosity has gotten the best of me!

 

[Berrygood]

Being a frequent visitor to Florida, I've seen way too many child abductions reported on the news in that state to be comfortable leaving a 12 year old child alone, let alone with a 2 year old.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Being a frequent visitor to Florida, I've seen way too many child abductions reported on the news in that state to be comfortable leaving a 12 year old child alone, let alone with a 2 year old.

Just my 2 cents.

I haven't seen any abductions of this type of situation, though. The news makes life appear to be much scarier than it is.

eta: Welcome to the Dis!

 

[dianemb]

Why not use the kids club and drop the 2 year old off for an hour and let the 12 year old wait in the room. Less worries. I think the 12 year old may be too old. Or maybe go during the day when the 12 year old can do some activity at the hotel.

 

[swimmom]

This trick works well for us and might help your situation. Bring two cell phones that have speakers. Place a call from one phone to the other and put the speaker on both phones. You will be able to monitor the goings on in your hotel room from your spot in the lounge.

We do this often when we are having dinner with our neighbors across the street. It works like a charm. If you hear anything that concerns you cyou can run upstairs in less than a minute!!!

 

[robinb]

Why not use the kids club and drop the 2 year old off for an hour and let the 12 year old wait in the room.

The kids clubs are only for children who are 4 years or older and potty trained.

 

[robinb]

For goodness sake! 310girls2 is not talking about taking the bus to Pleasure Island and partying until bar-time. She's talking about going to the lobby to have a drink. If she is needed for anything it's probably less than a 5 minute walk back to the room.

My 12 yo is very responsible. when she was 10 and I was expecting her baby sister she actually called the paramedics and saved our lives.

Your 12 year old sounds very responsible. Honestly, I think you and your children will be fine if you go down for a drink and a snack. I see that you are not going until December. If you want some extra piece of mind, why don't you sign your 12 year old up for baby-sitter training at the local YMCA? She will learn emergency procedures for use with your own 2 year old, plus it will be a good selling point if she wants to baby sit to make extra money for Disney .

Good luck!

PS: If you go the balcony route, you can look into room service or take-out. We returned to our VWL room last summer dead on our feet and there were no PSs to be had in the whole resort until 9PM. I really wanted BBQ, but that was only available at Whispering Canyon and then only on the All-You-Can-Eat Skillet. My DH went down to Whispering Canyon and they allowed him to fill a big Styrofoam container with stuff from the All-You-Can-Eat Skillet. We added an order of the Wild West Wings and all 3 of us were *stuffed* on one skillet and wings.

 

[grlzmom]

I would absolutely not do it. Actually, prior to our own bad experience I would have.

Last summer, stayed at Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky. Late evening, almost 2 yo twins asleep. Dds 14 and 13 watching tv in room. They wanted something to drink from the gift shop. So, I went to get it thinking they would be safe in the room with twins. Both are red cross sitter trained, cpr certified, possessing cell phones, what could possibly go wrong in THREE minutes. No sooner do I get to the lobby when the fire alarms begin going off and the building is being evacuated. I am NOT allowed back down my hallway and am ushered out the front door. My girls, alone with the twins are evacuated out another door which empties off to the side of the building. Although there was light from the parking lots, it was basically very chaotic, poorly lit and I was wandering around out there trying to find the poor kids for about 20 minutes. Thank goodness, all was safe, and the girls were calm and fine and taking very good care of the extremely cranky twins who were woken up from the alarms. However, I learned a lessson. What may be fine and safe at home doesn't apply on vacation. You can't control everything and unexpected things do happen.

Of course they babysit at home and at others homes, where they are familiar with safety plans, who to let in, who not to let in, etc. But after that, and them being outside in the dark alone with a bunch of other strangers who were also out there (most everyone in pjs), I just realized to think a littler harder about what can happen in three minutes.

 

[robinb]

No sooner do I get to the lobby when the fire alarms begin going off and the building is being evacuated. I am NOT allowed back down my hallway and am ushered out the front door. My girls, alone with the twins are evacuated out another door which empties off to the side of the building. Although there was light from the parking lots, it was basically very chaotic, poorly lit and I was wandering around out there trying to find the poor kids for about 20 minutes. Thank goodness, all was safe, and the girls were calm and fine and taking very good care of the extremely cranky twins who were woken up from the alarms.

I know that was very scary for you and your children. It sounds like your older kids handled a difficult situation very well. But, I have to ask you ... how often do you think that kind of thing happens? I know the standard answer is "It only has to happen ONCE!". However, if we try to protect against every eventuality, no matter how remote, we will live our lives in a state of fear afraid to step foot out of our homes. I don't mean to say that you should do anything differently ... what you do with your family is totally up to you. I'm just looking at the bigger picture.

 

[grlzmom]

I know that was very scary for you and your children. It sounds like your older kids handled a difficult situation very well. But, I have to ask you ... how often do you think that kind of thing happens? I know the standard answer is "It only has to happen ONCE!". However, if we try to protect against every eventuality, no matter how remote, we will live our lives in a state of fear afraid to step foot out of our homes. I don't mean to say that you should do anything differently ... what you do with your family is totally up to you. I'm just looking at the bigger picture.

Yes, my girls handled it very well. And, yes the standard answer is it only has to happen once. However, I absolutely stand by trying to protect my kids and prepare them for what may or may not ever happen. That just seems to come along with parenting for me. Had they not been so well prepared they wouldn't have handled it so well to begin with. Preparing/protecting your children does NOT equate with living in a state of fear and being afraid to step out front of your home. I'm not sure how you drew that conclusion from my post?

 

[robinb]

However, I absolutely stand by trying to protect my kids and prepare them for what may or may not ever happen. That just seems to come along with parenting for me. Had they not been so well prepared they wouldn't have handled it so well to begin with.

Hmmm .... maybe I misunderstood what you were trying to say. I agree with you 100%. Preparing our children for eventualities (remote and otherwise) is the way to go. The fact that your kids were prepared and had good heads on their shoulders allowed them to calmly exit the resort to safety.

Preparing/protecting your children does NOT equate with living in a state of fear and being afraid to step out front of your home. I'm not sure how you drew that conclusion from my post?

Here's where I was confused. You said that you wouldn't allow your older kids to stay with your younger ones again alone in a hotel room and then proceeded to tell a very scary story. It seemed to me that you were saying "Anything Can Happen!" and that you would be afraid to leave them alone and that the OP should be cautious about leaving her kids because "Anything Can Happen!".

My point was that yes, "Anything Can Happen!" but if we (as parents) are afraid of "Anything" we are afraid of "Everything". The solution, IMO, is exactly what you did. You prepared your children to handle difficult situations. You (and your kids) did good . This is what I suggested the OP do between now and her December trip.

I am sorry if I misunderstood you.

 

[undertheradar]

With all of these cell phone ideas comes one potential drawback: just about every area at WDW has "dead spots" where the signal cannot be received. Imagine the possible panic if your children tried to reach you and could not. I'm not saying that this will occur every time, but it is a realistic scenario. I would choose the balcony and be secure in knowing that I was right nearby.
Perhaps at another time during the trip you all could enjoy a family moment on the balcony as well. I have some great memories of reading the paper on our balcony at the Disney Inn with my 2 year old by my side.

 

[tlbwriter]

With all of these cell phone ideas comes one potential drawback: just about every area at WDW has "dead spots" where the signal cannot be received.

True... there's a thread about this very thing. If you go with that plan, be sure to check coverage first.

Robinb has a point about not being afraid of "everything." You have to take *some* risks or you'll never leave the house. So, the question is, what's the risk and what's the benefit? And is the risk worth it? For me, the opportunity to sit in a bar? lounge? with my husband is not worth the worry. I would be too concerned and distracted to have a good time. Others feel differently.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

This might sound silly but I would feel more comfortable about my 13 yo sitting with our 1yo baby at Disney resorts than at home. I just always worry that at home he would forget the baby trying to save his fish if the house caught on fire. Or would go back into the burning house after saving his sister to rescue the hermit crabs. I know this seems funny but honestly that's why I wouldn't do it at home.

Now at the resort I'd do it!! No distractions, we'd use our nextels to constantly be keeping in touch and you'll only be a few floors away. I like the idea of another posters to have a code word to only open the doors for someone who uses the code word. You know what...I'd probably test the 12yo before I got too far away and see if they opened the door. We left the 13 yo, at the time 12 to go for a walk around the neighborhood, and he called us in a panic on the nextel phones because someone was knocking on the door. (it was us forgot keys) It really let us know though that he listened to our rules of don't answer the door for anyone!! (poor thing could have loooked out the window and seen good old mom and dad, but he told us that he was afraid if a bad person saw him looking out the window that they wouldn't leave...pretty smart!!)

Do what ''''feels right" to you. Each trip we've made to Disney we've gotten a babysitter for at least one Adult Night Out and I know lots of people think we're criminals for that. That is an option for you. We use Fairy Godmothers.

 

[devotedchristian]

Yes, my girls handled it very well. And, yes the standard answer is it only has to happen once. However, I absolutely stand by trying to protect my kids and prepare them for what may or may not ever happen. That just seems to come along with parenting for me. Had they not been so well prepared they wouldn't have handled it so well to begin with. Preparing/protecting your children does NOT equate with living in a state of fear and being afraid to step out front of your home. I'm not sure how you drew that conclusion from my post?

Umm grlzmom...I COMPLETELY agree with you.

 

[grlzmom]

Hmmm .... maybe I misunderstood what you were trying to say. I agree with you 100%. Preparing our children for eventualities (remote and otherwise) is the way to go. The fact that your kids were prepared and had good heads on their shoulders allowed them to calmly exit the resort to safety.



Here's where I was confused. You said that you wouldn't allow your older kids to stay with your younger ones again alone in a hotel room and then proceeded to tell a very scary story. It seemed to me that you were saying "Anything Can Happen!" and that you would be afraid to leave them alone and that the OP should be cautious about leaving her kids because "Anything Can Happen!".

My point was that yes, "Anything Can Happen!" but if we (as parents) are afraid of "Anything" we are afraid of "Everything". The solution, IMO, is exactly what you did. You prepared your children to handle difficult situations. You (and your kids) did good . This is what I suggested the OP do between now and her December trip.

I am sorry if I misunderstood you.

I am sorry if this sounded so confusing, wasnt meant to be. I was simply sharing an experience we had. If I made it sound like we never leave the older ones with the younger ones in a hotel room, that isn't true. It was true until recently as dd1 and dd2 are now 15.75 and 14 and the twins are going to be three. What is true is that I wouldnt leave a 12 year old with a 2 year old (which is what the op was asking about). I think just having the experience we did gave us a little different perspective. Its one thing to watch them when everything is going smoothly, but once a crisis ensues all the plans go out the door.

I think that telling your kids not to ever open the door is in theory probably a good idea. However, we now know that when a fire/bomb threat ensues, at least at the resort we were at that the hotel staff/security come room to room, banging on each and every door to make sure the building is cleared. If the door isnt answered, they open it with a master key and physically check to see that it is empty. And, if you are in another part of the building when that happens, you are prevented from returning to your room for any reason, kids included. Yes, this is an uncommon occurence, maybe even a rare one. However, I still think its a topic better covered than not.

I still would feel safer with my kids watching the little ones at home on familiar territory where everything is childproofed, all the outlets covered, the corners rounded, none of the lightbulbs within hands reach, and the furniture all bolted to the walls Toddlers and babies are just totally unpredictable. On a recent disney trip, my dd2.5 blindly reached up on the table (she is very short), grabbed a full unopened can of diet pepsi and dropped it onto her big toe, breaking it. What a way to start a vacation. I watched the entire thing, too slow to grab her.

As a mom of seven, four of them who are very involved in lots of sports, we have probably had more injuries/incidents than most and each one is a learning experience for us. I totally agree that cellphones are a great security tool for the kids and I also totally agree that each and every family knows what is best for them.

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

DH and I just discussed this, and we say yes. But it depends on the maturity of your 12-year-old. I wouldn't be gone long.

DH and I would drink a glass of wine on the balcony while DD22mos. (turned TWO TODAY!!) fell asleep in the room during our June visit. I came back in for the travel plan folder and she popped her head up over the crib and said, "Turn light off, Mommy!" So either way, you get your down time.