Hotel babysitting..

[Deleted]

Would you use it? We are looking at a little family trip and the hotel offers babysitting which seems awesome but then I'm not so sure.. I don't have more details- like I'm not sure if it's a daycare type setting or they come to your room. It would be nice to go out to dinner one night but I don't know... Obviously it's not some stranger off the street, it's through the hotel, which is Hyatt so it's reputable.. Hmm what do you think? Has anyone used a service like this??

[eav2c]

I would look into how they hire the people/what makes them qualified (like, do they have degrees in ECE?)/etc. I would also meet with the person/people who would be watching her beforehand - not 15 minutes beforehand but perhaps the day before so then Laney can meet him/her/them. My only thing against stuff like hotel babysitting is that our LO's are so young that they can't speak to tell us if something is wrong. When we were on a cruise (hey, the same cruise you took, actually!), it looked like the kids were having a great time with the on staff babysitters but the kids were all old enough that I would feel comfortable that they would tell me if there was an issue. KWIM?

ETA: Also, I would probably feel more comfortable if there was like a nursery/play room rather than come to my hotel room. But I guess if it's a date night, Laney would possibly already be asleep? But I should add I'm really nutty about all of this kind of stuff so I'm not very fair when it comes to childcare.

[Deleted]

Apr 11, 2013 0:29:30 GMT -5 eav2c said:

I would look into how they hire the people/what makes them qualified (like, do they have degrees in ECE?)/etc. I would also meet with the person/people who would be watching her beforehand - not 15 minutes beforehand but perhaps the day before so then Laney can meet him/her/them. My only thing against stuff like hotel babysitting is that our LO's are so young that they can't speak to tell us if something is wrong. When we were on a cruise (hey, the same cruise you took, actually!), it looked like the kids were having a great time with the on staff babysitters but the kids were all old enough that I would feel comfortable that they would tell me if there was an issue. KWIM?

ETA: Also, I would probably feel more comfortable if there was like a nursery/play room rather than come to my hotel room. But I guess if it's a date night, Laney would possibly already be asleep?

Very true! Hmmm the funny thing is I wouldn't think twice about the cruise daycare setting- maybe because it reminds me of our church nursery or something? I can't wait to go another cruise!!!!

[eav2c]

Apr 11, 2013 0:32:50 GMT -5 ladybug said:

Apr 11, 2013 0:29:30 GMT -5 eav2c said:

I would look into how they hire the people/what makes them qualified (like, do they have degrees in ECE?)/etc. I would also meet with the person/people who would be watching her beforehand - not 15 minutes beforehand but perhaps the day before so then Laney can meet him/her/them. My only thing against stuff like hotel babysitting is that our LO's are so young that they can't speak to tell us if something is wrong. When we were on a cruise (hey, the same cruise you took, actually!), it looked like the kids were having a great time with the on staff babysitters but the kids were all old enough that I would feel comfortable that they would tell me if there was an issue. KWIM?

ETA: Also, I would probably feel more comfortable if there was like a nursery/play room rather than come to my hotel room. But I guess if it's a date night, Laney would possibly already be asleep?

Very true! Hmmm the funny thing is I wouldn't think twice about the cruise daycare setting- maybe because it reminds me of our church nursery or something? I can't wait to go another cruise!!!!

Yeah. I mean, it looked like the kids were having a blast so I'd definitely be down for it! I just am afraid of the closed setting type things. I think you really will just have to meet the sitter and see how comfortable they make you feel.  I would also ask if they run regular background checks. 

I want to go on another cruise too. I want to go with a group of people though. We had planned on trying to get our siblings to go but... lol. We both have shitboxes for siblings so I figure that isn't happening. Boo! Lets go on a cruise

[Deleted]

eav2c (didn't want quote tree) I was totally going to say we should go on a cruise too!! That would be awesome!

Also I'm dumb and realized my friend lives like 15 min away from where we are going and can totally babysit! Woo hoo- date night!!

[Deleted]

We had hotel babysitting while in Thailand.  And yeah, I totally get the anxiety about kids who can't talk.  I feel much safer with DS1 knowing he generally talks nonstop and tattles on DH to me, about his brother, about whoever, etc etc, and we've had many of the stranger danger/private parts talks. But a baby, it's a different story and gives me anxiety to think about the possibilities!!

[rjamz]

We used it in Florida but only at night after he was asleep so we weren't stuck in the room at 7:30. The lady was certified in infant first aid, CPR, etc.

[BlueNotebook]

I"d want to know whether they were CPR certified. Whether they had any training and what kind of experience they had. I'd also want to meet them for a while beforehand. And even then I'm not sure I'd feel 100% comfortable. But I'm really paranoid. We have a 'no one but immediate family watches the kids for at least the first year' rule in our house. (Other than daycare.) We have a lot of family so we can get away with that.

[laurack]

I'd probably only be ok with it if it were a daycare type setting aka more "public". not someone just coming to our room and being in our room alone with our baby. Also one of the reasons I send her to a daycare and don't have a nanny, I get freaked out by the thought of her secluded in a room/house with nobody but this person. I blame the media for my terrible paranoia.

I assume I'll feel differently about this/less paranoid when she is older though.

[AndyCohen]

I would be fine with it if she was already asleep.

[Regina Philange]

Id definitely use it! If it was a legit place, of course.

[jfh]

Reading these responses is making me feel like I'm not paranoid enough. I wouldn't have a problem with it, but I would prefer that Kai meet the person the day before. I also probably wouldn't do it at night, because if he woke up in the middle of the night (to him), I wouldn't want him to wake up to someone he didn't know. But I'm weird about nighttime. I haven't left him overnight, which I thought I would do early on.

[jfh]

P.S. Probie cruise???

[Regina Philange]

Apr 11, 2013 8:22:42 GMT -5 jfh said:

P.S. Probie cruise???

Disney cruise!

[TrudyCampbell]

I'd do it if she was asleep

[Deleted]

Apr 11, 2013 8:26:08 GMT -5 Regina Philange said:

Apr 11, 2013 8:22:42 GMT -5 jfh said:

P.S. Probie cruise???

Disney cruise!

Yea please!!

[eav2c]

Apr 11, 2013 8:54:37 GMT -5 ladybug said:

Apr 11, 2013 8:26:08 GMT -5 Regina Philange said:

Disney cruise!

Yea please!!

I would legit do it. Come on guys!!!!!!

[melis74]

I'm a paranoid freak about it until they can talk and tell me if shit went down.

Cruises, yay! We are going 11/24 on RC's Allure of the Seas, anyone wanna join us? hehe

[careyalis]

I used to be a hotel babysitter! I worked at a Hilton for the kids crew. It was just a big group setting with all sorts of fun activities. In my experience, everyone who worked there were there because they loved kids. It was mostly high school to college-age girls.