Vegas with a 4YO, where to stay, babysitting and things to do?

[becpee]

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[becpee]

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[jpeppers]

My thought is the best place to stay with a 4 year old is at home which is also the best place to find a sitter. I'm really not trying to be negative although I know how it will look. Vegas is for adults! It is about alcohol, gambling, Mexicans handing out porn on the street, and from what I have seen on my last few trips....lots of hookers, even in the nice hotels. I think Vegas is wonderful and is so much fun but I would never take my child there. I know they have Circus Circus there and the amusement park but it is away from the main casinos. They used to have an amusement park at MGM but it is gone. They also use to have a waterpark by the Stratosphere and it is gone. All the casinos will cater to kids to an extent but they are not welcome on the casino floor which is the majority of the 1st floor. The pools are also great but unlike Disney that has pools open late, in Vegas they close around 6 pm so they can get everyone in the casino. There are 2 things in life I really hate.......(1) my daughter having to wait behind adults for characters autographs at Disney and (2) myself having to wait behind people pushing strollers in Vegas. I'm not trying to be judgemental, I just want to make sure you realize it isn't the family friendly place they use to advertise. Your child won't be damaged by what they see there but there are much better places to go.

 

[jpeppers]

I just noticed the babysitting question..........under no circumstances would I ever let someone I didn't know watch my child in Vegas. I have still never used Disney babysitting but I am atleast confident that they would use some screening process but in Vegas I would be very scared. Once you make your trip hopefully you will understand.

 

[caz]

We are taking our children aged 8 , 10 and 12 in August.We have been before without children and as I don't use the casinos I can honestly say I am not concerned .My children won't be out late and we will be out and about mostly during the day.We have picked the Mandalay Bay for the pools and it is at the end of the strip.I think Vegas can be what you want it to be it certainly wasn't all about drinking and gambling when we went , it was more about shows, fine dining and sight seeing.I personally never use any sitters apart from at home and only then those I know very very well, but I have no experience of any agencies so am not best placed to advise.I think if the OP has booked already telling them that it is not a place for children is a bit like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted so negativity is unhelpful if she hasn't already booked then fair play you can make an informed choice.But my children are going and I am sure we will have a fantastic time !

 

[jlima]

Just wondering where in Vegas is a good place to stay with a child?
We have a 4 year old (he will be then anyway) and are wondering about casino's that allow kids to stay there.
Also what is a good time frame to be there and also what things to do (besides shopping) with a child?
Also has anybody used any of the babysitting services as we will be wanting to gamble (my bad) and maybe explore a little on our own.
Are the baby sitting services govt certified or anything?

Every property "allows" children to stay in a room with their parents. There are some (Wynn) that don't allow strollers, if you are not a hotel guest.

I would recommend The Orleans. It is off the Strip on Tropicana, but not too far. It is a Boyd Gaming property and they have a Kids Tyme facility, which offers supervised child care for a maximum of 5 hours per day. My kids have "aged out" of Kids Tyme, but I believe it's $6 or $7 per hour. Bring shot records; kids have to be potty trained & need to wear socks. I never had an issue when we left our kids there so DH & I could be adults. Bear in mind, you cannot leave their property while your child is at Kids Tyme; i.e., you can't check them in and jump in a cab & go somewhere else. Look at The Orleans website for more info; they have a play structure, movies, arts & crafts, video games, and when our kids went regularly a few years ago, they had Barbies, Legos, Hot Wheels & more.

The Orleans has a movie theater, bowling ally, food court, TGI Friday's restaurant and an arena and showroom. There are things to do with your daughter, plus you and your DH could possibly see a show & gamble if you left DD at Kids Tyme. The Orleans Arena has had Disney on Ice, Ringling Brothers Circus, etc. in the past; if you stay there, check their website for what's in their arena over your dates.

You may also want to consider a Station Casino; most of their properties have child care facilities called Kids Quest . . . however, they do not have any strip properties; everything they have is off the Strip. The Palms also has a Kids Quest.

I don't have any experience with babysitting services. There are several in town that will send someone to your hotel room to watch a child. I would call guest services at wherever you stay; and ask them what service they recommend to their guests. I believe all child care workers would have to have a health card and be CPR certified; and the agency would have to be licensed & bonded.

(Completely OT, DH & I used one of these services in Orlando back in 2001 when we stayed at The Dolphin when DS 9 was 16 months old; and we had no problems with the young lady who came to our room to sit for us.)

Have fun planning your trip!! If you want suggestions to take your DS on the strip, try the Adventuredome at Circus Circus, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay or possibly the Dolphin Habitat & Secret Garden at The Mirage. The Conservatory at Bellagio can be pretty impressive to a child, but check their website for dates, to be sure they aren't changing over when you are there. Maybe the Eiffel Tower elevator ride might be fun; or maybe just ride The Deuce bus up & down the strip on the upper floor of the bus for some site-seeing. The M&M Store would probably be fun; and some of the Themed restaurants (Rainforest Cafe) would be fun also. Also, if you wanted to take her to a show, I recommend Lance Burton at Monte Carlo.

 

[Disneylvrforever]

I would definately go to the Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat @ Mandalay Bay. I wanted to go there last year when I was in Vegas, but we arrived there too late. At the Flamingo, they have a Wildlife Habitat w/ flamingos & other birds and that attraction is free unlike the Secret Garden of course. M&M's World would be fun for him to check out. They have a 3D show that's free, but I believe they only have it on certain days. Many of the hotels also have arcades & I remember going to the ones in NY NY & Excalibur years ago when my cousins were very young. When I was a child, my parents took me to Circus Circus & I had fun playing the games and watching the performers. And a gondola ride @ the Venetian might be fun. I went for the 1st time on my vacation last year & it was cool bc the drivers will also sing in Italian!

 

[carole88]

Every property "allows" children to stay in a room with their parents. There are some (Wynn) that don't allow strollers, if you are not a hotel guest.

I would recommend The Orleans. It is off the Strip on Tropicana, but not too far. It is a Boyd Gaming property and they have a Kids Tyme facility, which offers supervised child care for a maximum of 5 hours per day. My kids have "aged out" of Kids Tyme, but I believe it's $6 or $7 per hour. Bring shot records; kids have to be potty trained & need to wear socks. I never had an issue when we left our kids there so DH & I could be adults. Bear in mind, you cannot leave their property while your child is at Kids Tyme; i.e., you can't check them in and jump in a cab & go somewhere else. Look at The Orleans website for more info; they have a play structure, movies, arts & crafts, video games, and when our kids went regularly a few years ago, they had Barbies, Legos, Hot Wheels & more.

The Orleans has a movie theater, bowling ally, food court, TGI Friday's restaurant and an arena and showroom. There are things to do with your daughter, plus you and your DH could possibly see a show & gamble if you left DD at Kids Tyme. The Orleans Arena has had Disney on Ice, Ringling Brothers Circus, etc. in the past; if you stay there, check their website for what's in their arena over your dates.

You may also want to consider a Station Casino; most of their properties have child care facilities called Kids Quest . . . however, they do not have any strip properties; everything they have is off the Strip. The Palms also has a Kids Quest.

I don't have any experience with babysitting services. There are several in town that will send someone to your hotel room to watch a child. I would call guest services at wherever you stay; and ask them what service they recomment to their guests. I believe all child care workers would have to have a health card and be CPR certified; and the agency would have to be licensed & bonded.

(Compltely OT, DH & I used one of these services in Orlando back in 2001 when we stayed at The Dolphin when DS 9 was 16 months old; and we had no problems with the young lady who came to our room to sit for us.)

Have fun planning your trip!! If you want suggestions to take your DD on the strip, try the Adventuredome at Circus Circus, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay or possibly the Dolphin Habitat & Secret Garden at The Mirage. The Conservatory at Bellagio can be pretty impressive to a child, but check their website for dates, to be sure they aren't changing over when you are there. Maybe the Eiffel Tower elevator ride might be fun; or maybe just ride The Deuce bus up & down the strip on the upper floor of the bus for some site-seeing. The M&M Store would probably be fun; and some of the Themed restaurants (Rainforest Cafe) would be fun also. Also, if you wanted to take her to a show, I recommend Lance Burton at Monte Carlo.

I couldn't agree more with jlima. We have also used Kids Quest and
Kids Tyme and our kids loved them both. Unfortunately both of our girls have aged out of these clubs. Our girls are actually the local babysitters now. While I do agree that Las Vegas is set up more for adults, it is offensive when people say that Las Vegas is only about drinking and gambling. I hope you see some great shows and enjoy fabulous meals!

 

[GeminiAngel]

I couldn't agree more with jlima. We have also used Kids Quest and
Kids Tyme and our kids loved them both. Unfortunately both of our girls have aged out of these clubs. Our girls are actually the local babysitters now. While I do agree that Las Vegas is set up more for adults, it is offensive when people say that Las Vegas is only about drinking and gambling. I hope you see some great shows and enjoy fabulous meals!

Fellow Las Vegan here! BUMP! Families can have plenty of fun here.

 

[ashpinoza]

WOW! i cant believe all the negative comments about vegas with kids here! i was born and raised there. i now live in a VERY small area in central illinois. i can tell you it may not be AS bad here, but heavens there are still drugs and crime area! there are plenty of certified day cares! and there are SOME hotels that do offer a daycare service. and all the hotels allow children pretty much. it is not like other states in which pretty much the laws are no one under 18 allowed ANYWHERE in the casino, not the dining areas, not the show area, not the hotel area, none! i think that is INSANE! ive been in all the casinos with my family since being a child. it is standard there. and apparently all day care providers in vegas are poison or something? thats really nice jugement there people! and NO its not all alcohol and parties! there is tons of fine dining, plenty of family activities as well, like the "factories" and the mirage, circus circus, and MORE!

 

[TheAmazingSpidey]

I grew up in Vegas and turned out just fine.

It's not the super horrible place a lot of people think it is. (Just, uh, avoid downtown as much as possible.)

Anyways, the wax museum at The Venetian is a fun thing to do. It's family friendly, though of course more enjoyable for the adults. I don't know what your kid likes, but they have Spider-Man, Wolverine, Indiana Jones and even Alvin and The Chipmunks there.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I agree with everyone else. I've been going to Vegas since the 70's when my grandparents took me as a young kid. I remember Circus Circus and Caesar's when there wasn't much else in between the two except dust and sand. I've been taking my son there with us every year since 1997. He's now 20 and he's turned out just fine. I've never used a Kids Quest but that's because we have family in Vegas whom I would send my son to spend time with so DH and I could be adults. I wouldn't be opposed to using it if I had a child who needed it. They are certified by the state and all that. And for what it's worth to the people who are opposed to kids in Vegas, I just got an offer from MGM Grand that said bring the kids; kids 12 and under get to eat for free. I think they are beginning to find out that the Paris Hilton Wannabes don't gamble, so they are now attempting to lure back parents with kids, because guess what? We have money, as opposed to the 21 year old still in college wannabes. It worked too. When I was at MGM last month, the pools were packed with kids, and Paris Hilton wannabes along w/ the typical meat-head/muscle-head wannabes, and the typical hoity toity folks too. There were all types there. And the pools stayed open until 8pm. The Lazy river closed at 5 or 6.
If MGM were smart, they would bring back their theme park for kids. And the only reason the water park closed down was because the landowners wanted to sell the land during the real estate boom. Wet N Wild would've renewed the lease if they could have, but the land owners wanted out so when the lease was up, they were out.
OP, just remember not to lose your mind in the casino and you'll be fine. It's your kids vacation too, and if you look at it that way, you'll remember to include him/her in some fun daytime activities so you can have some fun adult time at night. Call the hotel you're staying at and ask them if they have in room babysitting services. Some do. I looked into years ago, but never took advantage of it. Believe me, the casinos would rather your child be attended to, than left in the room by himself. BTW, it is illegal to leave a child under the age of 12 in the hotel room unattended. Just fyi...