I know that this post is a gazillion years old (and of course the OP is long gone!), but I just got back from Vegas on Monday and I definitely feel like this topic needs addressing (just in case like-minded parents want to check in!). It's interesting that someone replied to this post today, which brought it to the top of the topic list - as I have very strong opinions on this subject!

Just as background, I'm in my mid-thirties and I have two sons (ages 3.5 years and 13 months). I love my kids more than anything in my life and love to include them in as much of my life as possible (e.g. when our eldest son was 12 months old, we traveled around California for 3 weeks and did some hiking, sightseeing, eating out etc.). That said, my husband and I just got back from 4 days in Vegas. We went just the two of us and left the kids at home with my parents (our first trip alone in over 4 years!).

During our stay in Vegas (it was a first in Vegas for both of us), we were truly amazed at how many people had their kids (including newborns) with them. By amazed - I mean somewhat disgusted.

Honestly, I agree that kids should be involved in their parents' lives. I also agree that some newborns are extremely well-behaved and thus can be taken to restaurants etc. But Vegas is definitely not a place for a baby. There's the smoke. There's the "sin" aspect of Vegas (it's not always the most flattering (or G-rated) side of mankind . And worst of all, there's the overstimulation (lights, noise, crowds). Most of the newborns that we saw were absolutely screaming. Those parents probably thought that their newborns would be "well-behaved" enough to handle Vegas too... but the stimulation is just too much and alas the babies were screaming. I felt so badly for the babies (it broke my heart) every time I saw one of them.

I'm not saying that no-one should take their child or baby to Vegas (well... maybe I am!). But if you're going to do it, be appropriate about it! Stay at one of the child-friendly hotels (most of them are no longer gearing towards the family vacation! As another poster said, "That experiment failed"!). Hang out by the pool or walking along the quieter sections of the strip (if there are such places). Get a great room/suite and spend some quiet time there. Eat at the more family-friendly casual restaurants. DO NOT head into the fancier restaurants or into the shows (where people have paid good money and will without question be disturbed by a baby in the crowd). Do not have your baby out in the casinos in the wee hours of the night. Las Vegas is very much an "adult playground" - people count on that and spend big money based on it - and it's not fair to other vacationers or to the baby to do otherwise.

The fact that the OP originally asked about which restaurants "or shows" to take her baby to immediately got people's guards up. And frankly, with good reason. Most of the parents that I saw with newborns in Vegas last week were completely inappropriate. As I say, the babies were screaming, often inappropriately dressed (we hit a cold patch of weather and honestly these babies were out with bare feet and shorts and no jackets -- it was FREEZING, it even snowed in the outskirts!) and often out at extremely inappropriate hours (even though a newborn may wake up through the night, that doesn't mean a newborn should be out and about in the casinos/hotels at 1:00a.m.!).

Anyways, I digress. I could write and write on this subject. It was one of the only things that made me completely uncomfortable about Vegas. The only thing that made me more uncomfortable than seeing the babies out and about was seeing the older kids (e.g. 8 or 9+) that actually could watch (and scarily, learn from) the debauchery going on in the streets around them.