(I have a whole list in my head, but that is for another day!)
One of the ones that I would have never thought about prior to kids is staying in hotels. When Caleb was a baby, Joseph had a TDY (military term for business trip) and wanted Caleb and I to go. I was hesitant but Lovey was insistent so we went.
And it was a long time before we stayed in another hotel.
We have tried several things - closets (rarely big enough), bathrooms (rarely big enough), kids parked next to the AC in hopes that it would be loud and then we turn the light off and try to be quiet until the kids are asleep or we are which ever comes first (hours of silence in the dark is hard for a tired mama to stay awake through!) so that once the kids are finally asleep we turn the TV on just loud enough so that it makes it easier to read lips.
Doesn't that sound like fun?
So when Joseph and I were talking about our 3 week odyssey with 4 kids, the hotel room was a huge fear. H-U-G-E! I couldn't even imagine 1 room with 6 of us trying to sleep.
But, I came up with an idea that worked like a charm! I bought some cheap black flat sheets and thumb tacs. We made walls around the girls pack 'n play's and put a sound machine under them with white noise.
Here is our evidence:
and here are the boys:
They fell asleep in different beds and then we would carry one of them to the other's bed. It worked out perfectly! They were so tired at the end of a busy day and when they aren't in the bed and can't talk, they go to sleep. I usually blogged during this time while Joseph did... After the boys fell asleep we turned the tv on to normal volume and everyone slept through it!People have asked how in the world we all slept in a hotel together and this is my secret baby!
It worked like a charm for me!! For more ideas, head on over to Shannon's!
8 comments:
I LOVE this idea.
You are a genius! Thanks for sharing this idea, I'm going to remember it!
PERFECT!!!!!!!!!! I'm so totally impressed. My WFMW is about traveling, too, always extra stressful with little ones.
We also fork out extra money for two room suites that are separated by a door. I will call the hotel specifically and ask how the room is laid out (the 1800 number people have no idea what each individual hotel is like). Sometimes it's just separated by a doorway with no door, and in that case your idea would be great, too.
COOL!
Fabulous idea, Sab Mad! But I have a question...how did the hotel let you stay in one room with four children when most hotels have an occupany limit of 4? ;) In the past, we have had to get a suite or pay for two rooms!
EC, don't be jealous that my winning personality and having twins allows for special circumstances!! ;)
What an awesome idea! I may not be able to use that one as the boys will probably be much older by the time we are brave enough to travel again but maybe you could market it somehow? A must have traveling companion for babies/ toddlers...
HA! HA! HA!
Love ya!
I love this idea and will do my best to remember it next time traveling demands we stay in a hotel. Much better than the wear-them-out-turn-off-the-lights-and-run-a-baby-einstein-dvd plan that we came up with.
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