I would lead the small children at home and make this an adults only trip.

I live in Las Vegas - There is a lot to see on the Strip and surrouding areas- The great majority of the sights are adult oriented. There is ALOT of walking - even between casinos there is alot of walking. There is MEGA traffic (on foot and in cars/cabs/buses, etc) on Las Vegas Blvd. The streets are alive, bustling with visitors from many countries, and strip club hawkers - The casinos are smokey, crowded, and children are not allowed.

Downtown Las Vegas is exceptionally beautiful at night, and it's a very exciting destination- but not for young children. Leave them at home with a reliable sitter!

I just saw your new post- th

Part II- sorry, finger hit the send button.

Your new post says the babies are 1 and 2 yrs old- Nope- don't bring them- or wait til they are 21 yrs old-

Netplayer

Not sure the long haul flight was the issue, she suggested Orlando instead.

What is the difference between family friendly and not when the kids are only 1 and 2 years old? They won't really know whether they're in Disneyland or Las Vegas, nor will they care. Do SIL and FIL get along?

Like most others, I would say that Vegas is not kid-friendly, but it is certainl a destination where you can take children and still have an enjoyable time. My husband, sister & brother-in-law, and I went with my then 10-month old son. My son was enthralled with the lights and the different things to see in the casinos. We took him to the show at the Excaliber, which he enjoyed as much as a 10 month old could. We did switch off so that each couple had a night out without the baby, which was fun.

As far as the flight with young kids - it will be long but it's certainly doable, especially if you have extra adults to keep the kids entertained.

I would say go for it - it's a great opportunity for the whole family to get together.

I originally thought we were talking about older chidlren. LV is definitely not a great place for older kids - but at least they could go to the video arcades, swim, etc. But with two toddlers It wouldn't even be a good place for the adults. You cannot leave the little ones on their own to swim or anything and you cannot take them inside the casinos. You will be stuck w/ strollers on looooooong walks between hotels and once you get to them you can't go in any of the gaming areas.

Try to convince the FIL to go to LV for a couple of days and then meet up with everyone else in a more family oriented place.

It does not matter at all where you go with kids that young, as long as the amenities and logistics work. Issues we had with traveling with kids that age were ease of getting to destination, type of rooms (we liked a suite, refrigerator and microwave), etc. No matter where you go, the kids are obviously not going off on their own. Life is short and family is important. If sister-in-law is daughter of father-in-law, let them work it out. If she is sister-in-law by marriage, I sense a family war starting here.

No. I bought into the "family friendly" it is okay mentality and deeply regreted it. We did not see anyone naked or doing obscene things but I HATED having to take my children through smoke filled casinos to get to our room, go to a show, to the pool etc.

I guess it all comes down to the fact that taking kids to Vegas is a big pain in the neck !

Hi.

I am not a big fan of kids in Vegas and have no intentions of ever bringing one myself, but I think you can make this trip work. Investigating it 9 months in advance is a great first step.
The kid's ages are important here. Since they are 1 and 2, it should be less of an issue than if they were 9 or 10. At one or 2, the kids don't have the mobility to get into too much trouble by themselves. I suspect you will be carrying them or using a pram most of the time or someone will be in the hotel room with them.
There are a lot of non-gaming things to do. You are not going to run out of options in 5 days. I typically gamble less than 2 hours a day. I get bored with gambling, not with Vegas. I spend a lot of time wandering, checking out casinos I haven't visited before, seeing shows (free shows and pay shows - concerts, comedy, theater, 'Vegas' reviews and production shows, etc.), checking out the restaurants and clubs, seeing some of the natural wonders ... you get the idea).
Beware that even the common areas in the casinos/hotels can be noisy and might frighten the kids from time to time.

YOU CAN MAKE A TRIP TO VEGAS WITH A KID JUST LIKE A TRIP TO ANYWHERE ELSE WITH A KID. The drawback to doing this is that the trip becomes more like a trip to anywhere else instead of a trip to Vegas. I still think you can make it work in this case and not run into any problems that you wouldn't run into anywhere else.

There are other threads about more specific non-gaming activities as well as things to do with kids (although typically older than 2). You may want to do a search for them.

Have Fun.
I hope you have a great trip to Vegas!
Mark

"I guess it all comes down to the fact that taking kids to Vegas is a big pain in the neck!"

so you think the hour long lines at disney are better? or, where would you take a 1 and 2 year old that you think they wouldn't be a "pain in the neck"?

"where would I take a one or two year old that wouldn't be a pain in the neck?"

An excellent question. I have an 11 month old that I love very much, but I haven't discovered the place that isn't a pain in the neck! If anyone finds this mythical place -- let me know!

I think taking a 1 or 2 year old to Disneyland would be a big pain in the neck, too!
In fact I'm with the last poster! And I'm kinda thankful my kids are teens, now! xxxooooxxx!

Kureiff - I know! For me it was the grandma's house

Will be at a convention in Las Vegas in March. I have to bring my son and need a reliable baby sitter for a night or two while I go out with a client.

Do you know of any babysitters you can recommend?

Thanks.

My personal opinion is that if I'm having to hunt down family activities, guard my kids from some sites (or sights, either way),have security ushering me and my kids throught the casinos, and have people telling me not to take my kids to Vegas, then some red flags would be flying.

I would not plan on taking kids to Vegas.

Why not just split the party up, have FIL and the guys spend a night or two in Vegas and then catch up with the rest of the family in Disneyland in Southern California?

It really never occured to me to take my stepchildren to Vegas even though two are of age.

Dve5410 as a Las Vegas resident I will tell you to please do not leave your child with a babysitting service in your hotel room in Las Vegas. If you are desperate than you can try a place where you can drop the child off in a day care center but it's too dangerous to let a stranger watch your child alone in your hotel room.