
Must-Read Baby Hotel Tips
If you need baby hotel tips for your next trip, you’ve come to the right place. This post will be especially helpful to those who are traveling to a new city, staying in a hotel with their baby, and using a babysitter during their trip.
One of the most stressful things about traveling is delays. When you finally arrive exhausted at your hotel, you want to be whisked away upstairs to a pristine room.
But sometimes, even if you arrive ’on time’, the room isn’t ready.😡
Today we’re sharing baby hotel tips and discussing how to manage stressors that may come your way.
For example, how to handle arriving at a hotel with your baby when your room isn’t ready. Did I mention that you’re traveling for work? And P.S. you’re meeting the babysitter for the first time.
All of those elements combined are enough to ruffle the feathers of even the calmest mama.😡 Don’t stress. These baby hotel tips will help you out.
If your company won’t allow you to travel the night before for a work trip, there are some things you can try to make the best of the situation. I’ve compiled tips for working mamas who travel.
Now on to the baby hotel tips! Let’s start with #1.
1. Request early check in
Our first baby hotel tip has to do with check in.
This is a situation where once just isn’t enough.
Request early check in TWICE–once when you make the reservation and then again, the night before you check in.
Both times you will make a phone call. You’re trying to find out if the hotel is at maximum occupancy. If they are, at least you know in advance you need to have a plan lined up to buy you some time.
If they aren’t at maximum occupancy, remind them to leave a note in your reservation that you will be arriving EARLY WITH A BABY so a room can be earmarked for you.
2. Call your childcare provider immediately
Our second hotel baby tip has to do with communicating with your childcare provider.
If you’re not using one the day you arrive, you can still benefit from this tip. The only difference is, you will be the one executing the plan.
If you called the hotel the night before and found out that early check-in wouldn’t be available, reach out to your childcare provider immediately.
Let them know that a room won’t be available until later, and identify your meeting spot (i.e. right side of the lobby, in the hotel restaurant, etc).
If your childcare provider is local, ask them what kid-friendly spots are nearby. You would have already done your research prior to this conversation, but they may know of some local spots that you overlooked!
If there is a hotel shuttle that can whisk your childcare provider and your baby there, even better! Oftentimes they will drop off/pick up within a 3 mile radius and if you’re lucky, a mall might be within reach.
Whatever you decide, give your childcare provider permission to take your baby there and provide them with the details they need to make it back to the hotel, safely.
3. Pack an empty duffel bag
Baby hotel tip number three has to do with preparing an extra bag for baby. Again, if you’re not having a babysitter arrive on your first day, you will be the one heeding this advice.
You already have a diaper bag packed and ready for your childcare provider. However, you want to fill the extra duffel bag with a water bottle, snacks, a meal, a book, a bowl and utensils, a couple of toys and a small blanket.
Remember, the hotel room won’t be available for awhile, so your childcare provider needs to be armed with all the arsenal you can muster.
Stash the duffel bag in the storage section of the stroller and ask your childcare provider to wear the diaper backpack.
4. Approve for lunch to be eaten at a restaurant
Our fourth baby hotel tip has to do with food!
Chances are, your room won’t be available until 3 pm. By that time, you might be in meetings and your childcare provider is busy entertaining your child. Your luggage is in the storage room near the front desk and no grocery shopping could be done.
Bite the bullet and approve for your baby to eat out. It doesn’t have to be costly; if you packed a microwavable meal, most restaurants would be happy to heat it up, as long as there is a paying adult on the tab.
This is a great opportunity for your baby to experience new sights and sounds in an unfamiliar city.
Work trips are how my baby got hooked on grilled chicken nuggets.
5. Check in with your childcare provider
Our final baby hotel tip involves checking in with your childcare provider.
The hotel will alert you when the room is finally ready. Ask them to make an extra key and place it in an envelope with your child provider’s name on the front.
Text your childcare provider. Let them know that their key is at the front desk and to make themselves comfortable in the room.
All of these new experiences likely tired out your baby, so they should transition nicely into their afternoon nap.
Final Thoughts on Quick Baby Hotel Tips When Traveling for Work
While placing yourself in a stressful situation is never fun, you can make the best of it by being prepared.
Today we learned there are five baby hotel tips you can use to help smooth over a sticky situation.
You’re going to request early check in, TWICE.
You’ll then decide on a place in the hotel for you to meet your childcare provider. The plan will be for them to take your baby to a fun place around the corner, while the room is being cleaned.
You’ll provide them with the extra duffle bag and the diaper backpack. You’ll decide if it is okay for your baby to dine in a restaurant.
Lastly, you’ll check in throughout the day so you know baby is safe and you’ll notify your sitter when the room is ready.
Yes, it’s a lot to manage, but pat yourself on the back for crushing yet another working mama challenge. 👊🏾
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These are good tips for those who are traveling with babies. I shall share this post with my cousins and friends who have babies. Thank you for sharing.
Appreciate the share, Fadima!
These are such helpful tips to make your experience as pleasant as possible. Making sure to request early check in twice is such a great idea, it’ll definitely lessen the stress when you arrive. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for reading! Xx
These sound like really useful tips for people who may need to travel with babies for work or otherwise. Thank you for sharing your experience and suggestions. Have a fabulous August!
Lauren
Thank you, Lauren! Xx
These tips are useful and I love the tip about finding out whether the hotel is at full capacity.
Yes, I learned that trick the hard way (thankfully before I had kids). I was waiting in the hotel lobby for HOURS for a room to be ready.
These sound like really useful tips for those parents who are travelling with young ones! I’ll for sure be passing these onto family and friends who have babies as I think they’ll really benefit from reading this. Thank you so much for sharing with us lovely! Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
Thank you for reading, Elle! Xx
Gosh it does sound like a lot to manage but I guess as a parent, you just get on with it. These are great tips for those parents who are taking their baby to a hotel for the first time x
Kids make parents have to up their time management / planning skills, that’s for sure!
This practical advice is great for parents who may not have travelled with little ones before. Or are just too tired to think about it all, hehe!
Agreed! It’s also good reality check if you aren’t a parent. Lol