Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Las Vegas with a toddler. We travelled with Isaac from London Heathrow when he was 17-months-old for our friends’ wedding.
I’ll do a quick update on how it was to fly with a 17-month-old. Isaac had just turned one when we last flew long-haul and I wrote about that experience here. A lot of it is still relevant, so I’ll just update the parts that aren’t below. If you’re wondering about jet lag, I’ve also written a pretty extensive post on how to manage jet lag in babies and toddlers.
Long-haul with a toddler
I will do a long-haul with a toddler update post, but for now, this is my long-haul with a baby post. He had just started walking at the time, but we found he was quite a lot more active this time.
If we didn’t have the Babybjörn Carrier, I think we would’ve struggled. Isaac can wriggle around in our arms and escape, so it was good to have something more permanent if we needed it.
We flew in Virgin’s business class again and this time we had access to the first class lounge area on the plane which did make a big difference in terms of keeping him entertained. There was a lot of space in there. As I’ve said before, requesting the front seat of business makes a big difference space-wise as there’s a lot of leg room.
He slept for two hours on the way there are six on the way back so I’d say that’s an improvement on the first long-haul flight.
He didn’t really play with anything for any length of time but he loved Blippi on the plane TV and watched it for about two hours! Aside from that he liked wandering around and eating. Take all the snacks.
TOP TIP: We were told that Virgin wouldn’t give us whole milk on the plane, but they did, happily, when we asked. They warmed it up for us, too. They also poured boiling water in a pot of ready-made porridge that we brought with us.
Staying in Las Vegas with a toddler
We stayed at The Aria and I would definitely recommend it for children. I read quite a lot of reviews online saying it wasn’t child-friendly but I didn’t find that to be true at all. We spent most of our time in the pool and there was a good selection of food to eat around the pool to keep him entertained. Food and a pool is really all you need to keep a toddler happy.
We stayed on the 39th floor and the view over Las Vegas entertained Isaac for hours every day. He could see the planes and helicopters take off and has come back with such a love for them, it’s really cute. Running down the corridors was also an activity he would enjoy for hours.
There was a huge restaurant selection, too.
Given the jet lag, we decided to have Isaac sleep in our bed most of the time. He doesn’t do this at home (even if we wanted him to at times, he’s just not into it) but we found it was a godsend when we were in Las Vegas. When he woke up because of jet lag, he would usually be content to just lay there whereas when he was in his cot he would cry and want us to get him out.
At night, we got him to sleep in his buggy and then went out for dinner. One thing I would say, is that Las Vegas at night is rowdy and he would often wake up because of the lights and noise. This is when noise cancelling headphones, if your baby/toddler will wear them, would come in really handy. I’d also recommend a Snoozeshade to keep out the light.
Eating in Las Vegas with a toddler
My plan whenever we go away is for Isaac to have 2 decent meals per day and then if the other one has to be less balanced, it’s ok because we’re on holiday.
Breakfast was an easy one to do well. There’s a lot of LA influences in Las Vegas, so we found it easier to get an abundance of fresh fruit, açai bowls, yogurt, scrambled egg etc. Our favourite place for breakfast was Salt & Ivy at the Aria. There’s a lovely outdoor bit overlooking the pool there. There’s also a pressed juice bar in the hotel which sold lovely açai bowls, which Isaac really enjoyed sitting around the pool.
Lunch was typically the one that involved chips, fried chicken, nachos, dips, crudités etc. On the days we were around the pool we got a big selection and all shared it. He loved curly fries so much.
If we were going out for dinner, we would give him his dinner and a bath and bottle before we left for the evening. We would usually get that from room service & have it in the room while looking at the planes! The hotel’s room service would make you anything you want, so we’d often go for something like spaghetti and meatballs, pasta, mashed potato (or wet potato as they call it in that hotel, randomly) etc. We went for his favourite foods so we knew he was nice and full.
I didn’t manage to find many amazing snacks there, so I’d take a good selection of their usual snacks from home (way more than you think you’ll need). Then, we supplemented these with fruit or vegetables like cucumber and carrot sticks.
Food and drink are quite expensive but if you need essentials, there are loads of local supermarkets within driving distance, or there are plenty of smaller supermarkets within walking distance. There was one opposite the hotel.
TOP TIP: Do your tastebuds a flavour and go to Eggslut in the Cosmopolitan. It is just something else.
What to do in Las Vegas with a toddler
There’s a lot more to do in Las Vegas with children than you think. I used this guide as a base. But, I quickly realised when we arrived that he was quite happy running around the hotels and didn’t need any entertainment further than that.
When we weren’t in the hotels, we were in the pool. I would say that if you know the weather isn’t going to be as great, that guide will really help you to keep the kids entertained. The weather meant that we could spend all day at the pool.
If you’re planning to take them anywhere on the strip, you’ll need to make sure you’ve got plenty of sun tan lotion and a hat because it is a SUN TRAP. We queued up for a photo at the Las Vegas sign and there’s no shade there at all, so come prepared.
TOP TIP: If you’re coming from the UK, you might find that your toddler wakes up super early in those first few days. Instead of staying in the room, (if they’re not going back to sleep) take them out. Las Vegas is completely dead at 5am. It’s probably about the only time that it’s quiet, and there’s something so cool about seeing it like that.
What to pack for them
I suppose this comes down to what time of year you’re visiting Las Vegas, but if you’re going in spring (we went at the beginning of April), I would recommend packing in the same way you would pack for a beach holiday. Lots of loose fitting dungarees etc.
It’s a good idea to pack a thin blanket because it can get a little colder at night but if you want to transfer them straight from the pram to bed, you’ll need to layer them with blankets rather than clothes.
TOP TIP: The floors in Las Vegas are really dirty. They don’t look dirty, but I think because of the sheer volume of people, they are just grubby. Pack darker coloured clothes and shoes.
Las Vegas Airport
An airport is an airport, but, as far as airports go I didn’t think Las Vegas’ was great. There was really only a Starbucks with options to eat and the options for Isaac’s dinner were limited.
We did manage to get his bottle filled up with whole milk, but it was otherwise quite rubbish for him.
What do you think?
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