Should I Take My Laptop to Vegas?

I would suggest leaving the laptop and just calling once in a while! Honestly, at that age, she's not going to understand "Skype" and why she can see mommy on the t.v., but can't access you.

I travel quite a bit for work and my 3 yr old recently asked if he could call me on the computer next time, but this is the first time he's asked. Don't call too much b/c the grandparents are probably going to be spoilling her rotten and remember... they did a great job with you so they are going to be great with her!

Enjoy your much-needed break and know that your little one will miss you and will be a little clingy the first day or so after you come back. Don't forget to say good-bye to her when you leave, even if it makes you both weepy and DO NOT feel guilty about spending time alone with your husband! A happy mommy & daddy with a good relationship will only lead to a stronger family!

You didn't say exactly how long you'd be away, but I think I would skip taking the laptop if it was me. I've only been away from my kids a few times & I'm not going to lie & say it was easy, but it was never as bad as I thought it would be.

I was gone for a day & a half for a wedding when my son was 4 months old, my sister kept my kids again for a day & a half when they were 4 & 5 years old, and then DH & I went to Disney (yes, without the kids) for 5 nights/6 days when they were 6 & 7 years old. The one long trip was right after a 4 month deployment DH had come home from & we had been having very serious issues before he left. I won the vacation through a 'Biggest Loser' competition from the company I was working for at the time which was the only reason we could afford to go & it was the best thing in the world for us to have some alone adult time together to get to know each other again & realize we still genuinely liked each other.

I think your husband is probably right about if you see your daughter you might get too worked up to even allow yourself to have any fun. A couple of phone calls a day to hear each other's voices & tell her you love her will be enough for her & believe it or not, it'll be enough for you, too. You know she's with your mom & so totally safe & sound so go & enjoy yourself!!

Leave the laptop at home. With all the security regulations in place in airports now it is a pain to travel with a laptop. You don't want to pack it in your luggage in case of damage or lost luggage, so you would have to include it in your carry-on bag. TSA makes you turn it on at checkpoints to make sure it is not a bomb - etc... Also, you really don't want to take the school's property on vacation - I would not want to be responsible for that on my vacation...it would be different if it were a work trip.

While you will miss your daughter, she will be well cared for and this trip sounds like a lovely time to re-bond and spend quality time with your hubby. Call her on the phone, pack a photo (or 12) of her to take with you, pack a photo of you and hubby for her to take to your parents' house, then relax and enjoy your vacation.

Have a lovely trip.
God Bless

This is a vacation.

Leave the laptop at home.

Relax and enjoy just being with your husband instead of worrying over your kid. She'll be fine and will have a ball during these special times with the grandparents.

No, it's not your property. If something happened to it (lost/stolen/dropped, etc), you'd have to pay to replace it.

it's your vacation time. don't be a goober! HAVE FUN WITH YOUR HUSBAND!
i was worried last year when i left my 2 boys to go on a short trip, but i called once in the morning and once in the evening. had a great time with my husband, and reconnecting was so important. we came back happy, relaxed, and ready to be fun parents again. you have a cellphone. no news is good news, so if they don't call you for 30 minutes, it means nothing has happened in 30 minutes.
i think all parents need to reconnect, just the 2 of ya, in an adult setting. i'd be mad if my husband got on the internet.

.

I'm with the crowd on this one. Leave the laptop at home.

1. It is not yours but the schools

2. Your daughter will be fine without you but will you be fine seeing her and not being with her? By your own admission, probably not.

3. This is a vacation. To vacate means to leave (ie don't take it with you).

4. Your daughter will grow up and move out but you want to keep your husband for a lifetime. You do that by fostering a great relationship with him. So shower him with ALL your attention and affection on this trip.

You should return refreshed with a fresh perspective.

SIDE NOTE: I would turn in the laptop to the school until I returned from the trip this way you are not responsible for it if it grows legs while you are away.

Maybe this will help you decide - my husband and I traveled to vegas 2 years ago, stayed in a nice hotel on the strip. We were out to dinner, and while we were gone, someone (who likely worked in the hotel I'm assuming) used a key to get into our room and steal my husband's laptop. Disaster.

I think this will be the same. The actual leaving her will be the hardest but once you are there you will be busy and enjoying yourself. I think skyping with her may even make it harder on her and the sitters too! maybe once you end the skype shell be upset or not understand that you are gone. It is better to just go and enjoy your trip. You are a better parent after a nice break and you are allowing your baby to bond with her grandparents. It's a win win! Enjoy!!

I took my laptop to Vegas last year, we were having a business meeting. I thought I could get on line at the hotel..........well ......It's Vegas!!.... They don't want you on your computer!!!! It was like $15.00 a day for personal internet access!!!! We had the meeting at a major hotel and they were going to our company $700.00 to be able to connect for 3 days!!!!! Not worth the hassle!!! Have fun in Vegas!!!!

Yes it is hard leaving your child for the first time. But you are leaving her with the people that raised you so I do believe that she will be fine since you made it. Just think about this trip as if is was 20 years ago before skype and laptops and enjoy. If there is a problem I am sure your parents will call you like we did in the olden days. Enjoy, because there will come a time when she is so busy that they may not want to watch her for a whole weekend. Trust me I am a grandma and my 3 almost 4 year old grand daughter gives me a run for the money now. If she was older it could be fun but at this age just go and enjoy.

Most hotels/motels have a business center with computers for guests to use. If you want to check your emails or Skype with your daughter you should be able to do it from the business center. Check the hotel web site for info.
I agree with the posters who said the laptop could get stolen and the TSA will need to check it out so it may be more of a hassel than anything. I have a Thinkpad and while I love it it's also heavy. If you end up sitting in an airport for an extended layover you are going to have to carry it if you go to the restroom or to get coffee or a meal. And if you are running from gate to gate it will get heavy and cumbersome to lug with you.

Leave the laptop at home. I just returned from Vegas. To have wifi it was $12.99 per day added to your room. I paid for it for my iPhone4 so I could "FaceTime" my kids. The internet strength wasn't strong enough.

If you decide to take the laptop, make sure to call your hotel ahead of time to see what kind of internet access they have and how much it costs.

Leave the laptop. Just call to check on her if you feel it necessary. Your husband will appreciate it much more, even if he doesn't say it. :) I am a true believer in keeping the "love" alive in our marriages because in the long run, it will only make things better. It's ok to worry about your daughter, i do it too, but make that time special with your husband, i am pretty sure he deserves just as much love and attention from you right now as your daughter.

I've read the other responses and I'm going to weigh in on the other side. I travel about every other month for work and I have a 3 year old son. I always take my laptop with me and it's no big deal at TSA. Heck, 2/3 of the people I see in the security lines have laptops too. They have never asked me to turn mine on, but if they did, no biggie. Yes, you have to have it in your carry on. The advent of Skype has made my business travel soooooooo much better! My son is perfectly happy at home with my husband, but we both enjoy Skypping when I'm away. No, he doesn't really understand it, but he doesn't care. All he knows is that "Mommy's in the computer" singing songs, reciting our favorite passages from his books, showing each other our feet (I don't know why, but we always do and it's just plain silly). Most hotels have free wifi somewhere, even if it's in the lobby or something. You will likely have to pay from your room, so if you're worried about the cost, call ahead. As for having a laptop stolen from a hotel room, you can buy a laptop lock pretty inexpensively anywhere they sell computer gadgets. It's easy to set up. And if it's really the school's computer, are you not supposed to take it anywhere? I would make sure you are within the rules on that one, but as far as having Skype make being away easier, my vote is a big YES!! (It certainly isn't harder on my son after Skypping as he usually loses interest after 5-10 mins and wanders away saying "Bye Mommy".) Good luck deciding, and have a great trip with your hubby!!!