Las Vegas & a young child

[natsprat04]

We have been to Las Vegas a number of times, but are bringing our DD4 for the first time. We will be staying at The Signature at MGM which is nice because the hotel is 100% non-smoking & is a little farther away from the hustle & bustle of the city. We wanted a quick getaway to go shopping & sit by the pool but I am a little weary of taking our daughter to a city like Las Vegas.

Also, our hotel is about 5 mins away from the airport, any ideas regarding a shuttle without bringing a car seat? Can I cab it with no carseat??? <yikes>

I appreciate your input!

 

[Pezalicious]

I just went for a trip there, and I have to say, I was appalled by some of their advertising. On more occasions than I can count, I saw these trucks going up and down the strip with the sole purpose of advertising hookers. There would be giant pictures of the girls on them. I'm planning my wedding in Vegas in a year, and there will be 3 children along as guests, so keeping this side of Vegas from them is a concern. My brother lives there and says it can be hard taking his daughter out and not letting her see anything. Sometimes it can't be helped. Just be quick to point at interesting sites when something like that comes along.

 

[jlima]

We have been to Las Vegas a number of times, but are bringing our DD4 for the first time. We will be staying at The Signature at MGM which is nice because the hotel is 100% non-smoking & is a little farther away from the hustle & bustle of the city. We wanted a quick getaway to go shopping & sit by the pool but I am a little weary of taking our daughter to a city like Las Vegas.

Also, our hotel is about 5 mins away from the airport, any ideas regarding a shuttle without bringing a car seat? Can I cab it with no carseat??? <yikes>

I appreciate your input!

There are shuttles at the airport that are operated by a company called Belltrans. Signature is literally minutes from the airport and I wouldn't stress too much about a few minutes without a carseat for your daughter.

http://www.bell-trans.com/vehicle_airport_shuttle.htm

Your daughter might enjoy Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, the Secret Garden/Dolphin Habitat at Mirage, or the Adventuredome at Circus Circus.

Good luck & have fun!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

We went last August with both of our daughters, ages 3.5 and 1.5 (at the time) and we had a blast. We arrived on a Friday afternoon and after hanging out in our room for awhile (we stayed at the Monte Carlo), we went out to a nice dinner at the Red Rock Resort (we did have a rental car). That Saturday we literally spent all day at the pool thanks to renting a cabana ($100) - we were able to get out of the sun and rest for awhile. That night we just walked around some of the other hotels and ate dinner. Our last day Sunday, we took the girls to see the lions at MGM, The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, the M&M Store, had lunch at ESPNZone and let them play the midway there. If you go with the right mind set, there is actually a lot to do with kids. My now almost 4 year old has been talking ever since about wanting to go back.

 

[ZekeKelso]

The Signature MGM is wonderful. It's only about 1/2 mile from the edge of the airport property, but the cab ride from the terminal is about 3 miles.

I wouldn't worry at all bringing a 4 year-old to Vegas. There some adult stuff to be seen, which might give pause to parents of older kids. But it should go over the head of 4-year old.

As for the cab, car seat thing...

First, the factual information - it's legal in NV to have a kid in a cab without a car seat.

As for the "should you" question - in my opinion, people get a bit nutty about kids and car seats, saying a parent should never, ever, ever allow their kid in a car without one. It subjects the kid to a tiny amount of risk. And it's hard to argue with folks saying don't subject a kid to the risk.

But, personally, I dont' see the difference between the tiny amount of risk of taking a kid without a car seat, and the hundreds of other equally tiny risks parents allow their kids to be exposed to every day.

Do whatever you think best.

 

[Disney Brat]

We have been to Vegas a couple of times without DD4. She has seen the pics and is dying to go and see it herself!! LOL Great thread...I know it is about the car seat, but it is nice to hear people talking about bringing kids to Vegas without being overly critical, as it seems we may be bringing DD with us next time!!

As for the car seat, I would try to use my own discretion. Is your DD small for her age, etc. It is such a hard choice to make...I had to bring DD home from preschool without a car seat, about five blocks, the winds & wind chill had really picked up and we couldn't walk, so a class mate of hers gave us a ride home. No big deal, and I was surprised at how well she actually fit on the seat with the seat belt on and no car seat.....JMHO

 

[ptlycloudy]

We brought our dd's 6 & 4 to visit a sick relative. I brought a backless booster for my 4 yr old since it was small and easy to gate check. She doesn't quite meet the 40lb requirement but it put my mind at ease. My girls liked to see some of the lights at night, M&M world right next to MGM where they picked out a small bag with their favorite colors of M&M's and the hotel pool. There was quite a few questions about why there were so many pictures of women in their underwear!! We did not do much walking around because of the suggestive handbills handed out. The man who tried to hand my 6 yr old dd a handbill with a topless women on it got quite a tongue lashing from me about his intelligence was questioned (out of earshot of my dds). Most just avoided us, but my girls were still curious about what they were giving out so we careful where we went.

Overall my girls had a fun trip because it was mostly spent at the pool, shopping and taking a cab to a few select spots and seeing the lights of the hotels outside MGM. We went to one resort to go bowling and a movie.

 

[Judy from Boise]

I guess i tend to be much more like the Europeans in my attitude toward nudity, but really I see it as harmless, or good for a chuckle.

In fact the biggest giggle for my DD was in front of Ceasars