Just wondering where in Vegas is a good place to stay with a child?
We have a 4 year old (he will be then anyway) and are wondering about casino's that allow kids to stay there.
Also what is a good time frame to be there and also what things to do (besides shopping) with a child?
Also has anybody used any of the babysitting services as we will be wanting to gamble (my bad) and maybe explore a little on our own.
Are the baby sitting services govt certified or anything?
Every property "allows" children to stay in a room with their parents. There are some (Wynn) that don't allow strollers, if you are not a hotel guest.
I would recommend The Orleans. It is off the Strip on Tropicana, but not too far. It is a Boyd Gaming property and they have a Kids Tyme facility, which offers supervised child care for a maximum of 5 hours per day. My kids have "aged out" of Kids Tyme, but I believe it's $6 or $7 per hour. Bring shot records; kids have to be potty trained & need to wear socks. I never had an issue when we left our kids there so DH & I could be adults. Bear in mind, you cannot leave their property while your child is at Kids Tyme; i.e., you can't check them in and jump in a cab & go somewhere else. Look at The Orleans website for more info; they have a play structure, movies, arts & crafts, video games, and when our kids went regularly a few years ago, they had Barbies, Legos, Hot Wheels & more.
The Orleans has a movie theater, bowling ally, food court, TGI Friday's restaurant and an arena and showroom. There are things to do with your daughter, plus you and your DH could possibly see a show & gamble if you left DD at Kids Tyme. The Orleans Arena has had Disney on Ice, Ringling Brothers Circus, etc. in the past; if you stay there, check their website for what's in their arena over your dates.
You may also want to consider a Station Casino; most of their properties have child care facilities called Kids Quest . . . however, they do not have any strip properties; everything they have is off the Strip. The Palms also has a Kids Quest.
I don't have any experience with babysitting services. There are several in town that will send someone to your hotel room to watch a child. I would call guest services at wherever you stay; and ask them what service they recommend to their guests. I believe all child care workers would have to have a health card and be CPR certified; and the agency would have to be licensed & bonded.
(Completely OT, DH & I used one of these services in Orlando back in 2001 when we stayed at The Dolphin when DS 9 was 16 months old; and we had no problems with the young lady who came to our room to sit for us.)
Have fun planning your trip!! If you want suggestions to take your DS on the strip, try the Adventuredome at Circus Circus, Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay or possibly the Dolphin Habitat & Secret Garden at The Mirage. The Conservatory at Bellagio can be pretty impressive to a child, but check their website for dates, to be sure they aren't changing over when you are there. Maybe the Eiffel Tower elevator ride might be fun; or maybe just ride The Deuce bus up & down the strip on the upper floor of the bus for some site-seeing. The M&M Store would probably be fun; and some of the Themed restaurants (Rainforest Cafe) would be fun also. Also, if you wanted to take her to a show, I recommend Lance Burton at Monte Carlo.