Chuck E. Cheese question - am I crazy? Update in #12

[magnoliaparadise]

Hi,

My almost 5 yo DD was invited to go to Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party today after school (Wednesday, Jan. 9) and I am planning to go, but I couldn't find a sitter to care for my 15 mos old daughter.

The mom of the party girl said I could bring my 15 month old if I could keep her with me at all times and felt comfortable watching my older DD. She said it would be a mad house.

I'm just worried that I won't be able to handle Chuck E. Cheese with both kids and that it will be unsafe - I should add that we live in a big city, so I suspect the Chuck E. Cheese will be mobbed and not overly classy (!). It is located in a safe enough, but not great part of town - kind of up and coming. It is not a crowd in which I can count on almost any support looking after my little one, even if I run to the bathroom. And even if I could, she would scream if I left her for a minute.

I should add that my 15 month old is fully up and running, into everything and been walking for a while (now into running). She is pretty into her own independence and in full toddlerhood mode so not a fold-and-go baby... if she were a wee younger, I would not be worried.

If I had a sitter for my 15 month old, I would feel more comfortable looking after my 5 yo and not too worried.
Since I don't have a sitter, in this situation, would you...
- go and just hope for the best and try to watch your 5 yo knowing it'll be tough to keep track of her?
- not go and just decide it is too much to watch both, especially because my 15 month old will want to follow her big sister and may kick off.

Amy I crazy to contemplate even going? Also, for those who think I should go, any Chuck E. Cheese suggestions that you might have would be appreciated...

TIA

[AJP]

Any chance you have a carrier and she'd be ok contained? That's the only way I'd manage it. Obviously your on-the-go toddler might not go for it!

[llama8]

We have done Chuck E cheese with a 2.5 year old and a fully walking 13 month old. We made sure the 13 month old was in our umbrella stroller. We only took her out for certain rides and she went right back into the stroller. It made it manageable. I could not have done it if she were not contained.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I think it'd be fine. They stamp hands and match up families before allowing them to leave. Your big kid will be fine. Just watch the little one, like host suggested. I've btdt and it worked out.

[egoldber]

Your big kid will be fine. Just watch the little one

:yeahthat:

I don't really shadow younger DD at CeC. She mostly runs around with her friends. I give her 3-4 tokens at a time, so she has to keep checking back in with me to get more tokens.

[*myfoursons]

I would go and plan on focusing on your youngest. At that age, I wouldn't have a problem with letting my older dc run around and plan on checking in occasionally, espcially as they'll be there for a party. I've gone with all 4 by myself at various ages and I just focus on the youngest 2.

[JustMe]

I would go and plan on focusing on your youngest. At that age, I wouldn't have a problem with letting my older dc run around and plan on checking in occasionally, espcially as they'll be there for a party. I've gone with all 4 by myself at various ages and I just focus on the youngest 2.

If at all possible, I might also plan things so your 15 mo old will be hungry, and then either bring or buy food to carry around and feed her (may slow her down)!

[KrystalS]

IME CEC isn't that crowded on week nights. It's completely crazy on the weekends and we avoid it at all costs! I guess it could be different in other cities though.

[vonfirmath]

Hi,

My almost 5 yo DD was invited to go to Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party today after school (Wednesday, Jan. 9) and I am planning to go, but I couldn't find a sitter to care for my 15 mos old daughter.

The mom of the party girl said I could bring my 15 month old if I could keep her with me at all times and felt comfortable watching my older DD. She said it would be a mad house.

My son had a birthday party to attend at a similar place mid-December. I took my August 2011 girl as well...

It would NOT be my preference. It was hard to handle both. It would have been easier with a stroller (though I would have had a hard time keeping her in the stroller too). For this particular friend, we'd do it again. For a generic kid from school? probably NOT.

[magnoliaparadise]

Thanks, all.
I am waiting to hear from one last sitter whom I just thought of, but either way, we are set to go - DC1 is excited about it and her classmates are all going so... I feel like I am in at this point.
I liked your ideas, a lot. Thank you. And kudos to some of you for doing it with three and four kids!
Here are things I will try doing...
- keep DC2 in a stroller (hmmm, not likely once she realizes what the place is all about but I will try).
- keep DC2 in carrier (a bit more plausible, but she'll still want out quickly - but a good idea and back up plan if I have to contain her)
- I'll see if I can 'time' things so she is hungry there - not a bad idea. Though my kid is not into food at all and happily forgoes food for fun (errr, unlike me who sees food AS fun) - but I will try this. And I'll have my 'milk on demand' ready for her, which might help a bit, if I can do it discreetly.
- I'll dole out 3-4 tokens at a time to DC1 - I hadn't thought of this. I'll definitely do that to give her incentives to come back to me often... and tell her that that is part of the rules allowing us to stay (otherwise I'm going to go mental wondering where she is).
- DC2 is really tired (didn't nap much) so mayyyyybe she will sleep there, though fat chance knowing her.

Anyway, thanks again. Bumped into mother of the birthday girl today and she told me that 4 - 6 pm today was going to be the worst 2 hours of my life and the best 2 hours of DC1's life... :)

[redhookmom]

I am curious. She was invited to a party but you are expected to go as well?

I would talk to her and one of her friends about using the buddy system.

[magnoliaparadise]

Hi,

Update - we went. All was fine. It was a Chuck E Cheese in Harlem. Very new (not sure if it really is or just looked new) and clean. Not too crowded (at least at 4 - 6 when the party took place). Chuck E Cheese Staff did a very good job with the party - I don't know if they are all the same party models throughout the country, but I was impressed.

And... I am so glad it is over! It was fun, but I was exhausted and we didn't get home until 7:30ish and my oldest fell asleep late (for her - 8:45).
I used some of your ideas - thank you. I doled out coins to DC1, which really helped keep her coming back to me (all her other friends held onto their coins themselves, given by the birthday mother, so my DC1 didn't like the idea at first but warmed up to it once she saw that I would give her coins whenever she wanted).

I also kept DC2 in my carrier for about a half hour, which was great. But after that, I basically had to run after her. She would climb onto rides and refuse to come out or push into other kids' arcade games and I did lose her a handful of times, but never for long. She fell asleep upon leaving promptly!

DC1 also went out of sight multiple times, but never for long. She did feel she lost me once, apparently, and went to a friend's mother and asked her for help finding me. But she wasn't particularly scared or upset, which was good.

As an aside - I think that Chuck E Cheese character is kind of scary - a rat, yuck... my DC1 wasn't scared, but one or two kids were and went home.
As a second aside - when we left, the place was getting more crowded - I guess parents returning from work bring their young kids there... at 6:30, 7? Eeeek, seems kind of late for a barrage of stimulation IMHO, especially on a school night.

In response to the prior poster - yeah, here at least (NYC) parents are expected to come to 5 yo birthday parties (unless drop off is stated in an invite, but even then, the invite always says parents can come if they want). I hear in other cities the 5 yo parties are mostly drop off. That being said, there were two kids who were without their parents (due to the time of day) and came to/from the party with another family. I think my DC1 would be too shy and scared to hang out at a Chuck E. Cheese, flush with her own money, for 2 hours at a party. And, honestly, I think I would feel uncomfortable with her doing that.

Thanks again for your advice.

[khalloc]

In regards to the drop-off or stay question. I will drop-off if the party is at a person's house. But if the party is at a venue I usually stay. Because I can keep track of my own kids and because sometimes its easier than having to drive home and then back to the venue to pick up.

[egoldber]

There are many venues or homes where I would drop off, but CeC is not a place where I would personally feel comfortable dropping off a 5 year old. A 10 year old yes.

[vonfirmath]

I would not drop off at a venue at 5 years old!

i'm JuST getting to the point where I'm comfortable with my 5 year old going on a playdate next door without me.

[div_0305]

As an aside - I think that Chuck E Cheese character is kind of scary - a rat, yuck... my DC1 wasn't scared, but one or two kids were and went home.


I didn't realize he's a rat. I thought he was a mouse!

[magnoliaparadise]

I didn't realize he's a rat. I thought he was a mouse!

OK, because I OBVIOUSLY am procrastinating major issues in my life, I googled this - and we are both right! He WAS a rat and now is a mouse!!

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/chuck-e-cheese-makeover-mascot-rat-rocker-mouse-article-1.1107959

ALSO, on a different subject - drop offs: In NYC, almost no one has at-home birthday parties (because everyone lives in such quarters). Besides one friend who has a big apartment and has them every year for her kids, we have only been to one other.
And even at those parties, the parents all stayed - even at a 6 year old party we just went to in a home. Interesting the different norms in different cities vis-a-vis drop-offs! Even with playdates, we have YET to do a drop-off, though to be fair, I notice that a lot of other kids do them in my DC1's class.