Vegas (with a) baby!

In parenting wins this week …

1. Our daughter was kicked out of a bar in Las Vegas for being underage. She’s 9 weeks old.

2. We figured out how to get a 9-week-old to sleep for 14 hours straight.

Last Thursday we got the three older kids off to school and headed to the airport for our overnight trip to Las Vegas. Now, before you go judging me for taking my baby to Las Vegas, know that this was a work trip. 

Of course, I forgot to bring a copy of the baby’s shot record, which meant we had to endure a lecture from the worker at the check-in counter because, if you’re traveling with a lap child, you must either show a copy of her birth certificate or shot record. I hadn’t brought either, but I offered a half-hearted apology and promised not to forget it next time, which seemed to suffice. (There’s a better than even chance that I’ll forget next time, too, but I promise to try not to forget.)

When we got to the gate, it was time for the baby to eat. I was carrying her in the Ergo and wanted to wait until we were on the plane to feed her which meant letting her scream until we boarded. The people around us at the gate were suitably horrified with our parenting and were all silently praying that it wasn’t a full flight, so they wouldn’t get stuck sitting next to us. (Thankfully it wasn’t a full flight, so we had an empty middle seat.)  The baby screamed bloody murder until we got onto the jetway where she promptly passed out.  Being a strong believer in the “never wake a sleeping baby” approach, I didn’t wake her, and she slept for most of the flight. When she did wake, she nursed and then looked around without making so much as a peep until we landed.

The baby was mostly unimpressed with Vegas (not that I can blame her, really) and fussed much of the time we were there (less than 24 hours). She slept in the little crib provided by the hotel at night but otherwise stayed awake and complained the rest of the time. She was very good on the flight home (which was very bumpy due to stormy weather), so overall I’d say the trip was a success.

Apparently Vegas is exhausting when you’re 9 weeks old, though, because when we got home, the baby proceeded to sleep for 14 hours straight. So there you go; if you want your newborn to sleep, all you have to do is take her on an overnight trip to Las Vegas. Don’t, however, try to get a drink at the casino bar while you’re there because if you do, the bartender will demand you leave immediately on account of the fact that your child is younger than 21 years of age. 

Or do take her to the bar. And that way she can cross “Get kicked out of a bar in Vegas” off her bucket list—one less thing you have to worry about her doing when she gets older.