Visiting Las Vegas with a Baby

I have always loved traveling to Las Vegas. My husband and I drove there quite a bit after we married because we lived relatively close by in San Diego. Then we moved back East and had not been in several years. We decided to go last June but one thing has changed - we had a baby! Flying with a one year old was not nearly traumatic as I had imagined, but I really was not sure how well we would be able to do the things we love to do in Vegas. When my husband and I visited Vegas in 2000, it was still working on its "family-friendly" vision. Unfortunately, for us at least, now that we were a "family," Vegas decided to embrace its "Sin City" image once again.

Turns out, having a baby in Vegas was actually fun. We brought the stroller and walked up and down the Strip. We stopped in most of the casinos (although Wynn's would not let us in with a stroller - it is posted on the door and they have guards who stop you, just in case) and had a great time. While one of us was playing the slot machines, the other found different things to do with the baby. You can stroll around the casinos with a baby; you just cannot loiter at any of the slot machines. I think this rule is a bit silly. Given a quarter, my son would be much more likely to put it in his mouth than a slot machine! However, he did love seeing all the bright and flashing lights and hearing all the bells and whistles. My son loved the Excalibur with all the knights and dragon statues.

We went to the game room below the casino and won him a Blue's Clues stuffed dog. When we went to Boardwalk, I found a series of computers with an Internet connections. For a reasonable price, I was able to sit with the baby and check email while my husband played Wheel of Fortune - a mere 5 feet away! The Mirage has the magnificent Secret Garden where Siegfried and Roy's beautiful white tigers and lions roam. We also found great places to just sit and relax. MGM Grand had a Starbucks right beside the slots, so my husband sat and enjoyed an espresso while I was playing nearby slots. We even got a cute picture of daddy, baby, and a Vegas showgirl at The Riviera casino.

Of course, the best casino to visit on the Vegas Strip if you are traveling with a baby is Circus Circus. They have free circus acts every 30 minutes during the day. They also have a huge game room above the casino (we won an Elmo stuffed animal there). One of the best parts was the bathroom. Unlike many casinos, they actually had a baby changing station.

Overall, we all had a great two-day trip to Las Vegas. And, if I only had a quarter for every time someone owed and awed at my son, I would have come home a rich woman.