Bellagio Botanical Gardens

I LOVE the botanical gardens at the Bellagio. I try to visit them as often as possible. My kids also love them. The great thing is the gardens are changed seasonally and never look the same. So, even if you have seen them before, they are worth seeing again (and they are FREE). We like to make an event of it by experiencing several of the sites at the Bellagio. First, we start by walking through the gardens. They are usually themed to the holidays and seasons. We were last there for the fall display and my kids loved the "talking tree" and 800+ lb pumpkins.

After walking around the gardens several times we pop into the chocolate shop just behind the gardens. The name is Jean Phillipe Patisserie and they have on display the world's largest chocolate fountain. Depending on the time of day we will wait in line for crepes and have them filled with eggs or ham and cheese or my kids favorite, strawberries and chocolate. They also have delicious pastries. We then find a seat at one of the tables near the windows overlooking the pools.

After a little snack, we head out front to watch the marvelous fountain show. Along the way, we pass through the beautiful lobby of the hotel which has a ceiling covered in glass blown flowers- it really is a beautiful display.

The fountain show hours vary by day, weekdays 3-8pm every half hour and 8pm-12am every 15 minutes, weekends 12-8pm every half hour and 8pm-12am every fifteen minutes- shows could be cancelled if there are high winds- which are very common here in Vegas. For the best view of the show, walk out to the street and watch from the somewhere near the middle. You and your kids will be blown away by the height and sounds of the fountain show. If you have time, watch more than one show because there are several different choreographed versions. My favorite is "Time to Say Goodbye" by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. The shows are about 4 minutes long. Enjoy!

Town Square

A great place to spend some time as a family is at Town Square. The center is located just off of Las Vegas Blvd, at 6605 Las Vegas Blvd South- if you are staying in a strip hotel, you could easily take a short ride in cab or on the city bus. Once there you will find great shops, delicious restaurants, a great park, and a movie theater. There is even a Whole Foods market where you can pick up any last minute trip essentials. The center is open Monday-Thursday 10am-9pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-10pm and Sunday 10am-8pm. Be sure to check the events calendar for upcoming activities.

Family trip plans:

The children's park, located in the middle of Town Square, is one of my favorite places to go with my 3 and 5 year old. If you are in town on a Wednesday, you can catch their interactive storytime from 11:00-12:00 pm and then let the kids run free- the park has a tree-house, hedge maze, princess tower playhouse and a designated toddler playhouse. In the warmer months, the park has a water feature that sprays up out of the spongy soft ground. This is a great way to cool off from the desert heat! After all of the playing, everyone is usually hungry so we walk over to California Pizza Kitchen for some lunch where the kid meal options are delicious and nutritious. Or sometimes we bring a lunch and picnic on the grass at the adjacent park by the water fountain. There is also a great little shaved ice stand nearby where we can grab a chilled treat to refresh everyone's pallets. Then, if the children aren't too tired we catch the latest kid flick at the Rave Motion Pictures movie theater. Before we go, a few fun shops we love to stop at are the Gymboree clothing store and the Apple Store, where they have a few computers with children's games loaded up.

(Photos courtesy of townsquarelasvegas.com)

Indoor fun

As summer drags on in the Vegas Valley, the daily question is "What am I going to do to entertain the kids today?" We recently rediscovered the Lied Discovery Children's Museum. They have just finished renovating and there are lots of great areas for the children to play. There is stuff for children of all ages, including an area dedicated to babies and toddlers. My 3 and 5 year old children love to experience the winds of a 78 mph tornado in the wind tunnel. They also love the pretend areas where they can pretend to work at the grocery store, the auto mechanic shop, or at airport security. We can spend hours at the museum and no one gets bored- plus it's indoors and air conditioned.

Summer Time Babies!

One of the best things Vegas hotels has to offer for families is their wonderful swimming pools! The perfect place to relax at the end of a long day of walking up and down the strip or the ideal way to spend an entire day is emerged in the cool waters! Check out several pool reviews or look into the pool(s) offered at your hotel. I am sure you will want to spend some time there. And now, Las Vegas Baby Equipment Rentals offers pool and toddler floats, as well as pool toys. Don't forget the sunblock!

Car Seat Rental Agencies

There are a few things you should know about renting car seats from a car seat rental agency:

First, take a moment to read this investigative report about what one mother found out about the treatment and condition of car seats used by rental car agencies, imparticularly Advantage Rent-a-Car.


It has been my personal experience that car rental agencies are in the car rental business and will do their best to make sure you have a great rental car- unfortunately, they are NOT in the baby equipment rental business and can not make any guarantees about the car seats that they rent.

Here is a photo- personally taken: This is how they sanitize the car seats they rent at a rent-a-car company in Las Vegas. First they use the car seat tether straps to attach them to a chain-link fence and then they use the same pressure washer they were just using to wash the rental cars to hose down the car seats. I'm not quite sure, hose water is going to kill germs or protect the integrity of the car seat straps.


We ARE in the business of renting baby equipment and do our best to provide high quality, super clean, and top safety-rated infant and toddler car seats! We can guarantee that you will receive a car seat that will keep your most precious family members safe while you are on vacation!

Babysitters

I am asked all of the time if I offer nanny or babysitting services. Unfortunately, Las Vegas Baby Equipment Rentals only offers the gear! But, I have stumbled upon a great website that might be able to help you out... http://www.sittercity.com/ The great thing is, the services offered by Sittercity can help you with housesitting or petsitting at your home while you are away, and they can connect with you a babysitter for while you are on vacation. Many of the sitters have a background check on file, a picture and a brief description of themselves. Good luck with your trip planning!

UPDATE: I now personally know a woman who works for a nanny company. She is wonderful! Ask me about Sandra when booking your reservation!

Car Seat Selection

We offer several different types of car seats and some people are thinking, "How do I choose the right car seat for my child or visiting grandchild?" Here is some specific information about each of the car seats that we offer. Please make sure that you choose a seat that is age, weight and height appropriate. If you need help deciding, please call us at (702) 343-7933 and we will be happy to answer any additional questions.

Infant Car Seat

We offer the Graco Snugride 2 infant car seat. This seat is typically designed for infants up 0-12 months. However, the baby should weigh between 5 and 22 lbs. and be less than 29 inches. Infant car seats can only be used in a rear facing position.

Convertible Car Seat

A convertible car seat can be used in both rear or forward facing position- making it compatible for both infants and toddlers. We use the Britax Marathon convertible car seat. In the rear facing position this seat can accommodate infants 5-35 lbs. The seated shoulder height should be 9.5-16 inches (This is the measurement from the child's rear end up to their shoulders). In the forward facing position, the child should weigh between 20 and 65 lbs. and have a seated shoulder height of 12-16 inches. Please remember that all children should stay in the rear facing position until they are 20 lbs AND one year old.

Forward Facing Car Seat

The Graco Nautilus is designed to accommodate children in the forward facing position only, meaning it is appropriate for children over one year in age. This car seat provides the safety of 5-point harness for children 20-65 lbs. The Graco Nautilus can also be used as a high back or no back booster for children up to 100 lbs.

High Back Booster

The Graco Turbo Booster is a belt positioning booster seat. It does not have any harnesses or buckles. It works with your cars seat belt to prop toddlers up to a safe height. The high back booster can be used forward facing only and is designed for children 3-10 years. The weight recommendations for this seat are 30-100 lbs. and the child should be between 38 and 57 inches tall.

Backless Booster

The Graco Backless Booster is another belt positioning booster seat. It is suitable for children ages 4-10 years old who weigh between 40 and 100 lbs. The height recommendations for this seat are 40-57 inches.

Some family fun things to do in Las Vegas

Moving to Las Vegas with a family-oriented mind was difficult, because when most people think of Las Vegas they think of casinos, gambling, the "strip"- adult entertainment. I was quite surprised to find so many fun things to do. Aside from the strip, there are lots of parks with play structures, swings and water features. There is a zoo but I would never go there again- if you have been to any other zoo, this is a joke. There are chickens running everywhere and the animal pens appear to be to small for the animals housed in them- it's a sad and gross place. There is also the Red Rock Canyon or the Boulder City train. On the strip, there is the M&M factory where you can take a tour and buy any color of M&M you can imagine. There is also Circus Circus- an indoor circus with free circus acts performing throughout the day and games and rides that are appropriate for about 3 and up. There is also the dolphin habitat at the Mirage that is more than just dolphins- there are also numerous big cats. Another great place is the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay where there are lots of sea life creatures. The Excalibur also has a great dinner show with knights and horses. For older kids there are rides and arcades at the Stratosphere and the New York, New York. If you are staying with family and would like a night out, some of the casinos, including The Palms, The Orleans and most of the station casinos (you can check their webpages) offer hourly childcare for children 6 weeks and up. These are great places with separate rooms for kids under 2, with more focused care. The "bigger" kids can play in the free roam area where there is a huge jungle gym, karaoke, art, basketball, and several other activities. These centers can fill up- especially the younger rooms- so call ahead for reservations. There are lots of other things to do with families here in Vegas, but hope this information is helpful and provides a good starting point.

For families who are new to rentals

As a mom to two boys, I know that traveling with kids requires extra packing- If they are still little, they need something to sleep in, they need a car seat, they need a stroller, possibly a tiny tub, and of course toys or some sort of entertainment. It is impractical to lug all of that gear with you. Now, there is an alternative- Baby Equipment Rentals. The gear that we use for rentals is all kept in great condition. Each piece is meticulously cleaned and checked for safety when it is returned and again before it goes out. Not to mention, we only carry JPMA certified products- this includes brand names you probably use in your own home- Britax, Peg Perego, Graco, Fisher Price, Evenflo and more. Like I said, I am a mom and would not rent an item out that I would not use with my own kids- meaning it needs to be safe and clean. I hope you find this information helpful and look forward to helping you with all of your little one's traveling needs!