Have/would you leave your kids sleeping alone in the room and go f/swim? *SEE #159*

[MistressMerryweather]

I don't know, why don't you tell the front desk what you plan on doing and why you need a room right by the pool and see what they say about it.

I would feel quite comfortable doing this and I am fairly certain most wouldn't be the least bit shocked. I used to work for a resort babysitting service outside of Chicago. As sitters, we were told to sit outside of the room doors if the kids were sleeping. Most often there would be someone one door down, or across from me sitting and we would play cards in the hallway until the parents came home.

Seriously, out of the hundreds of thousands of parents staying at Disney, how often do you think CM's walk the grounds and see parents sitting right outside their room or a few feet away at a pool table. I'm sure an it's expected sight even.

 

[pinkprincess30]

Hi there!
After reading your question, I thought two things.

1) Just the fact that you are asking the question tells me that you are a loving, caring, diligent parent. So don't let the previous posts get under your skin.

2) Just the fact that you asked the question tells me that you have doubts about it. SO the swim probably wouldn't give the desired effect anyway (relaxation).

I say when in doubt, don't do it. You can bank on the idea that the kids will never know. But, the whole reason we don't leave them and go to the store is because of the "what ifs". What if you are enjoying a swim, and your 2yo wakes up hysterical and scares the other kids....and you hear the monitor but you are both drenched and trying your best to get your act together and get back in to the room. I wouldn't really want that kind of panic. I say save the swimming for family time And enjoy an adult-only swim in a few years when your oldest can baby-sit. It will be here before you know it!

Have a great time

 

[pinkprincess30]

He then reminded me of how many parents hire one of those babysitting services so they can go out. I know how they work, I used to work for one long ago. He said, "I would much rather sit 25 feet away facing the hotel room door with a monitor than invite a complete stranger to come in and sit with my kids while I am off watching fireworks miles away." Yet most people think nothing of that. Just a matter of opinion.

I do completely agree with you on that! Strangers do not babysit my children. Period.

Another thought about your initial question: IF IF IF something terrible did happen, which was completely out of my control, I could still be held "criminally negligent" to leave the kids alone like that. And even if I fought it and won, that's years of my life spent fighting it, and thousands of dollars. That thought scares me

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I actually have a 19, 15, and 13 year old as well so obviously I know about allowing children to do things as they mature. I know it is hard to believe but my 19 year old actually goes to college in another state. Also, we do have a fence around our pool as well as alarms on the doors leading out to the pool. No where did I say that I didn't have a fence. The pool was put in long before our 13 month old surprise was born.

Just because I wouldn't leave my 8, 6, and 2 year old alone in a hotel room doesn't mean I don't allow my children to mature or do things I don't allow my 13 month old to do. That is a completely ridiculous argument. Letting an 11 year old eat with a fork or climb stairs is far different than leaving your children alone in a hotel room. I don't know, why don't you tell the front desk what you plan on doing and why you need a room right by the pool and see what they say about it.

Then your post has ceased to make any sense to me. You have a 13 year old and a 13 month old. The OP's oldest child is far more like the former than the latter, and yet you compared her child to the latter. Why? To guilt trip the OP?

Letting an 11 year old eat with a fork is to letting a 13 month old eat with a fork, in the same way that letting an 8 year old be alone in a room with siblings and parents in shouting distance is to letting a 13 month old be alone in a room with siblings and parents in shouting distance.

I can not picture your pool at all. You have a pool. It has a fence that goes all the way around it and is locked. And yet somehow you have doors. Multiple doors, that open to the pool area? Wouldn't they open to a fence?

 

[imthatgirl]

Hell no, not at their ages. When my kids are all over the age of 12, then maybe we will. But still most likely we would just take them with us.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I agree with the majority that there is no way I would do it. I really do not think that if you do indeed get into the pool, you would be able to hear the monitor.Unless your have your eyes on the room and the monitor there is no way to know that someone has not messed with it while you are in the pool. BESIDES the fact one of the kids could exit or someone enter the room, I would worry that the two year old might simply wake and get up! Your room is not going to be childproofed the way your home should be and that could result in disaster! Does you room have a balcony?? Maybe that would be a safer choice, or each of you take one evening to get out alone why the other stays with the kids.

Fact is out of all the rooms at the resort, you getting the perfect room to accomplish what you want is pretty small anyway.

 

[imthatgirl]

Does anyone else remember Madeleine McCann?

 

[amylevan]

At first I thought no way because of the 2 year old. (8 and 6, possibly...)

But then I think about what I do. We have a 20 month old and last summer I routinely left him asleep while I sat outside on our deck or talked to neighbors (with a baby monitor of course). The only reason I'm not currently doing it is because its darn cold out!!!!

And we camp in a camper with friends and family. All campers have their doors on the left side, so if you're all parked next to one another, everyone's doors are facing the same way. I'd lock DS in our camper at night and take our baby monitor to our neighbor's site, where I could not see our door. Granted we always have our dogs with us, so they would bark loudly at anyone trying to enter our camper, but nevertheless, he's inside, we're outside and can't see the door.

So while I'm not sure I'd do it, I guess it's not crazy.

 

[lurkernj]

My kids are teens now, but if they were younger, I wouldn't have hesitated if the conditions were right. I've stayed at POR where our room was on the second floor but facing the quiet pool and wouldn't have had an issue. And at POP, we were ground floor facing the bowling pool which was even more optimal.

Honestly, after reading some of these responses, I don't know how some of you will adjust the first time your child wants to ride their bike down the street or walk to a friends house. If your going to compare to Madelyn McCann, think about how many kids are abducted during broad daylight on their own streets or front lawn. Heck, think of all the teen boys John Wayne Gacy kidnapped, does this mean I shouldn't let my teen boys walk the streets alone?

 

[imthatgirl]

My kids are teens now, but if they were younger, I wouldn't have hesitated if the conditions were right. I've stayed at POR where our room was on the second floor but facing the quiet pool and wouldn't have had an issue. And at POP, we were ground floor facing the bowling pool which was even more optimal.

Honestly, after reading some of these responses, I don't know how some of you will adjust the first time your child wants to ride their bike down the street or walk to a friends house. If your going to compare to Madelyn McCann, think about how many kids are abducted during broad daylight on their own streets or front lawn. Heck, think of all the teen boys John Wayne Gacy kidnapped, does this mean I shouldn't let my teen boys walk the streets alone?

I personally would never compare my children riding their bikes in their own neighborhood to be alone in a resort room. I guess we all have our own levels of comfort.
Just because you feel comfortable leaving small kids alone in an unfamiliar place....doesn't mean everyone should. Certainly you don't think you are the standard for how the world should feel

 

[lurkernj]

Certainly you don't think you are the standard for how the world should feel[/QUOTE]

As you apparently do?

 

[imthatgirl]

Certainly you don't think you are the standard for how the world should feel

As you apparently do?[/QUOTE]

Where did I ever say anyone was wrong...or I was right? As you have?
I'm pretty sure I clearly said we all find our own levels of comfort.

 

[lurkernj]

As you apparently do?

As you have?
[/QUOTE]

Which line stated that I was right? I stated what I would have done.

My comment about some being overprotective was geared more towards those who won't even go in their own yard while their child is asleep in their houses.

As you said, comparing leaving a child in a hotel room WITHIN MY SIGHT to letting a child out on their bike where I cannot see them is very different, I'd consider the bike ride to be much more dangerous. Just my opinion.

 

[imthatgirl]

As you have?

Which line stated that I was right? I stated what I would have done.

My comment about some being overprotective was geared more towards those who won't even go in their own yard while their child is asleep in their houses.

As you said, comparing leaving a child in a hotel room WITHIN MY SIGHT to letting a child out on their bike where I cannot see them is very different, I'd consider the bike ride to be much more dangerous. Just my opinion.[/QUOTE]

lol, ha ha...yes you simply stated your opinion without judging other peoples parenting choices. well, I guess reading comprehension escapes even the author at times.

 

[nibor]

DEAR DISNEY HASE IN ROOM BABY SITTER;S, CALL YOU RESORT AND SET ONE UP, THEY ALSO HAVE KID CLUB'S THAT WILL WATCH YOUR LITTLE ONE'S. WHEN WE ARE YOUNG WE DO NOT THINK ANYTHING WILL HAPPEN TO US. TILL IT DOES. IN THIS DAY AND AGE A WALK TO THE BUS STOP COULD BE YOUR LAST.. SAD AS THAT IS.. GOOD LUCK DEAR AND I KNOW YOU WILL DO WHAT IS BEST.

 

[DeniseinNS]

There is no way that I would leave kids of those ages alone in the room to go swimming, no matter how close the room may be to the pool. Bad things can still happen and I imagine that if the kids woke up they would get scared finding out that they are alone in a hotel room not able to find their parents. Plus how are you going to hear the kids on a baby monitor if you are in the pool swimming????

I will put them my kids (5 and 9) to bed and go out front on nice evenings to chat with neighbours. Only because we have a wooden fence in the back that locks from the inside only so I am closeby the only accessible entrance and my kids are old enough to know that we are right outside the front door of our own home if they need us.

 

[WantToGoNow]

If it weren't for the 2 y/o, I would say it's fine as long as you physically can see the room. However, a 2 y/o is a baby and the 8 y/o or 6 y/o shouldn't be put in a position of responsibility to care for the younger child. I have left my children asleep and been outside - they were probably safer then because I was awake than in the middle of the night when we are sound asleep.

Now my dd27 left dd7 in the room at CBR while she ran to the Custom House to get her luggage. She said she asked me first (I was at home in Ohio) but I must not have heard her because I would have never left her and went that far. But she did and dd7 was fine when she returned - watching TV just where she left her. She also told me she went to put the laundry on one morning while dd was still asleep.

 

[tlbwriter]

Does anyone else remember Madeleine McCann?

Not really a good comparison. While her parents kept claiming that they were very close and could see their room, the truth is that they were over 100 yards away from the room and could not see the door from where they sat.

 

[Diegosmom]

When I first read the post I thought no way. But I have not seen the rooms that you speak of so I cant say for sure. I do run out to my car (in the driveway) or go get the mail or chat with a neighbor when DS is in the house (either watching tv or sleeping). But I would never say drive to the store or anything like that.

I am pretty certain when we go to disney that when DS crashes I will crash too...lol...so no midnight swims for us. But if for some reason he crashed super early I can see hubby and I sitting outside the room (I picture sliding glass doors though so you can still see in the room). And hubby isnt a big swimmer so I could see him sitting by the door and me jumping in but I probably wont have us both in at the same time. All I can picture is DS waking up and come looking for us (he is very quite when he gets up) and seeing us swim in the pool and wanting to get in.

Anyone have a pic of these rooms?...would love to see them. On side note if you are that close to the pool is there any concern about a kid running off and falling in the pool?

 

[NYEmomma]

Wow, honestly kind of shocked at the overwhelming opinion against the idea. :dunno:

I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. Under the right conditions, like the OP suggested. A room close enough, a functioning baby monitor & a quiet time at the pool.

In the proper circumstances, the distance to the pool would be less than the distance from your LO's room to the living room in some people's house (lol, not my tiny little 1100sq.ft. house, but a girl can dream!).

I would do it w/o any hesitation.