Anyone take a babysitter with them to WDW?

[disney longhorn]

Hello all. We took a sitter w/us to DL this past January and it worked out wonderfully.

We split the cost 50/50 w/another couple. We paid for her airfare, park tickets to DL,her meals and cash for the day that she watched our two children for spending money for herself and the kids. We stayed at an Embassy Suites so she stayed in our room on the sleeper sofa.

We absolutely loved the experience b/c we knew our little ones were in familiar hands and well looked after. The kids were able to have a great time while we did our thing and we too were able to have an adult good time.

What was also wonderful is that she was a college student and very flexible. The most important aspect I believe is to communicate w/the parties involved well in advance of making any plans--what will be split, what her hours will be, what she is expected to do and be responsible for.

Communication between the parents and the sitter is probably the most important component of a successful trip with a sitter (especially w/such a large group involved).

Hope this helps.

 

[budbeerlady]

I think it is a great idea! Considering it is $10 per hour per child at the childrens club even a dinner out for just adults would add up pretty quickly. I would pay for her expenses and then hourly for when she works.
I think you need preset days and times that she is expected to work (subject to change) I dont think it is really fair for her to be in another park waiting for a ride, then have to come find you to take the 3yr old back to the hotel when you call. If you ask that she meet you at the hotel every afternoon at 2pm that is one thing so she can plan, but I wouldnt call her all the time to come meet you at a whim. That is just me, I wouldnt be comfortable with that. She knows your kids and I think this could be a great trip for everyone.

 

[my4kids]

We made the choice early on that we would never have more kids then what we could handle. We belive that no one would ever watch our kids like we do. So no we would never bring a sitter to watch the kids in a strange place.

Holy cow, you must have the most boring life in the world. No one plans on having more kids than they can handle....Even a couple with 1 kid needs a night out by themselves once in a while, it makes them better parents and shows their child a healthy example of a relationship. Not everyone has an in town parent or relative to dump the kids with. OP didn't even say how many kids she has - between the 3 couples - there are 5 kids! -she might have one!
Not that it would matter if all five were hers. I usually try to ignore absolutly ignorant posts like this - but this one just had me laughing too hard. OP is not looking for someone raise her children , just be an extra hand to hold in the parks, another set of eyes watching...be in the room when the kids are sleeping so she can enjoy time with husband and friends. You should relax and ask your husband to take you out to dinner tonight (oh - thats right, you can't, only you are able to be with your children)


Anyway - OP - it is good you are thinking this out ahead of time... what ever you decide, make sure you are up-front with the sitter and her parents about what your expectations are and what you think fair payment would be.
I have been on both sides of this (as the sitter when I was young - and now as a parent) - I usually expect the sitter to be on "light duty all day" which means she is there to help take kids to the bathroom hold a hand in the park (or beach) generally be a mothers helper, but if there is a ride she wants to do she is free to jump on it and meet up with us (I actually end up having fun doing rides with the sitter that my husband won't do.) I expect full duty for a few hours 1 or 2 nights of the vacation, (for me to go out with hubby). I have the sitter share a room with my daughter. Never put a sitter in a living room on a pull out couch. It is hard enough for them to be with a different family for a whole week, they do need some privacy. I tend to take care of them like they are one of the kids, making sure they have a clean towel, are getting enough to eat etc. (Some kids are shy and afraid to ask for things they need - so be mindful of this and ask them once in a while if they need anything) I also give them my prepaid calling card to call home every night and check in with Mom. When we go to the beach with 3 families and there are 8 kids, we each take a sitter and give them sitters night out, when we stay home and watch movies and the sitters go to the movies or shopping or something.. (I don't know if you would want to do this since she is by herself) Anyway, I would never expect someone on duty 24-7. We pay for all food, trip, flight, and give about $100 for the week as a thank you. I usually buy a thank-you gift or souvenier that I saw the sitter admiring during the week and surprise her with it when we are leaving. I had concerns about taking a sitter the first time, but if you have a girl that you and your kids are comfortable with, it makes the vacation great! - I don't think I could vacation without one again. As far as spitting up the cost - I would think that if 3 couples are splitting the cost of her trip it really is not that expensive for you....so maybe each couple should chip in a monetary "thank-you" based on how many kids you have... one other note...one year we shared a babysitter with dear friends of ours on a trip. I had clear guidelines set up with the sitter ahead of time but apparently not with the other Mom. She used the sitter as a slave, even asking her to walk back to the beach house from the beach to make sandwiches for her and her kids!!!!! (appropriate use of a babysitter would have been to say, "can you take the kids to the pool while I make lunch" (you are still the parent), she also did selfish things like get up from a dinner that I had just made for her and announce that she was going out shopping with her husband and the sitter could watch her kids. (since all the kids were not in bed yet, it would have been too much for us to leave our 4 with the sitter too, so we had to stay home) needless to say, we don't vacation with this couple anymore (their kids are brats anyway) Oh that is another thing! I try to take my kids vacation into account as well....I only vacation with families that have kids that my children enjoy...it is an awfully long week when your kids have to deal with your friends brats.

Sorry this was soooo long winded - I'm looking at all the work I need to do today and I guess i'm trying to put it off a little...

 

[jennilouwho]

I went with the family I nanny for to Disneyland. They paid everything, but I didn't get paid my hourly on top of it. I was just happy to go there! I don't know how much you want the sitter to do, but I pretty much toured the parks with the family. At nap times and evening times the dad and I switched off so that either he and his wife could do the grown up rides and nighttime entertainment or his wife and I could. If you are expecting her not to be in the parks that much, then I would definately pay her an hourly on top of her other expenses. If she will get to experience most of the parks, then I think she'll probably just be happy for the free vacation.

 

[Cynt]

I think this is a fabulous idea. I would love for someone to invite me along as the "sitter". An all expense paid vacation and all I have to do is watch/monitor/babysit/nanny 5 children. Just the vacation would be pay enough for me. YIIPPEEE!!! I'm a Children's ministry leader at church. I wonder if I let the parents know I'm available to nanny during their vacations this summer if they'll take me up on it. WOW!! I should have thought of this years ago.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I don't travel with my employers, but if I did choose to travel with them my expectations would be:
To have all of my travel expenses paid (airfare, hotel, food).
To have my own bed and preferably my own room depending on how the room would have to be shared.
To receive my standard weekly salary plus overtime for any days/hours in excess of my typical schedule.
To receive time off after returning home if the travel included a weekend. (If we returned home on a Sunday afternoon I would not be back on duty Monday morning.)

Granted I am not a college student, but as a career nanny those are the guidelines I would follow. If I chose to stay home I would still get paid my weekly salary, and going along would NOT be a vacation for me even if my duties were less than usual. The benefits would have to outweigh the option to stay home.

I would suggest that you write up a "contract" of sorts that spells out exactly what you are expecting. Let your sitter have a few days to review it and ask questions before she decides. Also, I wouldn't want to be responsible for 5 kids all at once. Obviously she knows all 5 children, but if she has never been in charge of all 5 at the same time I would ask her how she feels about that. I refuse to look after more than 4 kids at one time, and that's just in their home. Remember kids at WDW may not behave like kids at home, so make sure you aren't asking her to do something that will make her feel overwhelmed.

 

[disneymom3]

I swear these boards are just getting filled with everyone's pushed opinions, values and morals of their own lives. Why do you bother coming and logging on when you don't even answer the OP's question but instead try and degrade or embarrass them. This is the 3rd thread I have seen today where someone is on purposely try to hurt the OP with an opinion they weren't even asking for.

Yes, well the very same poster came on the thread I started about how people have told their kids they were going to WDW (just mom and dad) and basically told me that life was too short and vacations should be all about family. That was not the question, but it must be nice to be so superior to all the other posters on the board. (For the record, I have no guilt about going just was feeling unsure how to break the news to begin with. )

RadioNate--I went on a few trips with sisters as their mothers helper when I was in high school and college (most of my sisters are quite a bit older than I am.) They always paid for everything, we mainly stuck together where ever we went but on occassion the mom and dad would go out and I would stay back with the kids. I was never paid any extra for that, but it was family so a little bit different. I really like the idea of her bringing a friend with her so she has something to do and someone to hang with at times that you won't need her. Guess it depends on how close you are to her though. I know our current sitter would fit in just fine and be able to all be comfortable together all of the time. Maybe when I get over being the bad parent that I am by not bringing the kids at all, I will try your method and bring the sitter along!

How did the meeting go on Sun? What conclusions did you come to? (That was this last Sunday, right?)

 

[Suzanne74]

Yes, well the very same poster came on the thread I started about how people have told their kids they were going to WDW (just mom and dad) and basically told me that life was too short and vacations should be all about family. That was not the question, but it must be nice to be so superior to all the other posters on the board. (For the record, I have no guilt about going just was feeling unsure how to break the news to begin with. )

I saw that too!!! It is discouraging and normally I choose to ignore them but there just seemed to be so many lately. There was a mom whose daughter's teddy bear was lost at WDW (housekeeper took it by accident with the sheets) and she posted to say how nice it was that WDW returned it. Well, it only took one "I would never ever leave my daughter's stuffed animals on the bed, I feel bad the housekeepers have to deal with them, they must be so annoyed" to ruin the whole nice post.

I thought the disboards was magical

 

[hollyb]

Holy cow, you must have the most boring life in the world. No one plans on having more kids than they can handle....Even a couple with 1 kid needs a night out by themselves once in a while, it makes them better parents and shows their child a healthy example of a relationship. Not everyone has an in town parent or relative to dump the kids with. OP didn't even say how many kids she has - between the 3 couples - there are 5 kids! -she might have one!
Not that it would matter if all five were hers. I usually try to ignore absolutly ignorant posts like this - but this one just had me laughing too hard. OP is not looking for someone raise her children , just be an extra hand to hold in the parks, another set of eyes watching...be in the room when the kids are sleeping so she can enjoy time with husband and friends. You should relax and ask your husband to take you out to dinner tonight (oh - thats right, you can't, only you are able to be with your children)


Anyway - OP - it is good you are thinking this out ahead of time... what ever you decide, make sure you are up-front with the sitter and her parents about what your expectations are and what you think fair payment would be.
I have been on both sides of this (as the sitter when I was young - and now as a parent) - I usually expect the sitter to be on "light duty all day" which means she is there to help take kids to the bathroom hold a hand in the park (or beach) generally be a mothers helper, but if there is a ride she wants to do she is free to jump on it and meet up with us (I actually end up having fun doing rides with the sitter that my husband won't do.) I expect full duty for a few hours 1 or 2 nights of the vacation, (for me to go out with hubby). I have the sitter share a room with my daughter. Never put a sitter in a living room on a pull out couch. It is hard enough for them to be with a different family for a whole week, they do need some privacy. I tend to take care of them like they are one of the kids, making sure they have a clean towel, are getting enough to eat etc. (Some kids are shy and afraid to ask for things they need - so be mindful of this and ask them once in a while if they need anything) I also give them my prepaid calling card to call home every night and check in with Mom. When we go to the beach with 3 families and there are 8 kids, we each take a sitter and give them sitters night out, when we stay home and watch movies and the sitters go to the movies or shopping or something.. (I don't know if you would want to do this since she is by herself) Anyway, I would never expect someone on duty 24-7. We pay for all food, trip, flight, and give about $100 for the week as a thank you. I usually buy a thank-you gift or souvenier that I saw the sitter admiring during the week and surprise her with it when we are leaving. I had concerns about taking a sitter the first time, but if you have a girl that you and your kids are comfortable with, it makes the vacation great! - I don't think I could vacation without one again. As far as spitting up the cost - I would think that if 3 couples are splitting the cost of her trip it really is not that expensive for you....so maybe each couple should chip in a monetary "thank-you" based on how many kids you have... one other note...one year we shared a babysitter with dear friends of ours on a trip. I had clear guidelines set up with the sitter ahead of time but apparently not with the other Mom. She used the sitter as a slave, even asking her to walk back to the beach house from the beach to make sandwiches for her and her kids!!!!! (appropriate use of a babysitter would have been to say, "can you take the kids to the pool while I make lunch" (you are still the parent), she also did selfish things like get up from a dinner that I had just made for her and announce that she was going out shopping with her husband and the sitter could watch her kids. (since all the kids were not in bed yet, it would have been too much for us to leave our 4 with the sitter too, so we had to stay home) needless to say, we don't vacation with this couple anymore (their kids are brats anyway) Oh that is another thing! I try to take my kids vacation into account as well....I only vacation with families that have kids that my children enjoy...it is an awfully long week when your kids have to deal with your friends brats.

Sorry this was soooo long winded - I'm looking at all the work I need to do today and I guess i'm trying to put it off a little...

Boring because we want to spend time on vacation with our kids? Are you on drugs? We have many nights out at home where the kids stay with a sitter. We do not go vacation and leave them. Sorry if that makes us boring. We call it being good parents who love our kids.

 

[jodifla]

Boring because we want to spend time on vacation with our kids? Are you on drugs? We have many nights out at home where the kids stay with a sitter. We do not go vacation and leave them. Sorry if that makes us boring. We call it being good parents who love our kids.

Here's the thing: Parents who use sitters on vacation (like we do all the time) are good parents too. Just different.

Our DS goes to bed by 9, so he stays with a sitter while we go out late. He's well rested in the a.m., and we've had a fun night out.

 

[3DisneyGals&1Grumpy]

Our family brought along our favorite babysitter two years ago. We paid all expenses and gave her time off. She had friends vacationing at the same time as we were so she had buddies to hang out with on her off time. While we loved the babysitter we felt this was not the best arrangement for our family.
We stayed in a two bedroom two bath villa but still felt we didn't have much privacy. I also wanted her to feel comfortable so we let her have some input in our Disney schedule. Unfortunately, she was ill on the day my husband and I had planned to use her the most. (Stomache virus) Bottom line.....we spent a lot of money for childcare that we didn't really get to utilize. The following year we chose to let the kids attend a few "kids only' activites that let us enjoy an hour or so of adult time and then had one night out at the California Grill while the kids enjoyed a Disney kid's club. We all had a blast. We all were more relaxed not having to worry if the babysitter was comfortable and we saved a lot of money!

 

[disneymom3]

Here's the thing: Parents who use sitters on vacation (like we do all the time) are good parents too. Just different.

Our DS goes to bed by 9, so he stays with a sitter while we go out late. He's well rested in the a.m., and we've had a fun night out.

THANK YOU!

 

[goofiecrazy]

The family I am a Nanny for took me in 2000 for 4 days while the mom had medical conferences in the morning till like after 1 in the afternoon. It was me the 2 kids and the mom while their dad stayed home..She paid for everything for me all I needed was spending money..I took the kids into the parks everyday till the afternoon and came to the hotel to pick their mom up have lunch and head back to the parks.. It was the younger of the 2 kids first time there and I was the one who took him to the parks for the very first time...

 

[jessica52877]

I have done this, as in I was the babysitter, several times. I would pay for all things for the sitter, food, room, etc but there is no pay (hourly wage) required. Any souveniers the sitter is responsible for.

I have always had my own room per say with the kids. The one time it was in Bermuda at an all inclusive resort, they had connecting rooms, it was me, their daughter 9 and their daughter 1 in the one room. They did keep the baby 4 nights and I kept her 4 nights. Although I wouldn't have minded every night.

Another time it was a penthouse and I had a room with the son who was 5.. Both times all worked out great and I have no regrets. I wasn't expected to pay for anything and wasn't paid for my time either. I spent all time with the family, no alone time by myself, but I wasn't expected to do everything for the kids. The family helped out. I did have time where I had just the kids while the adults went off.

I would split the costs by 3. I understand that one family had more children but that gets too technical when splitting. Two kids might be older or require way less attention, you can't really start breaking it down that way.

Just my opinion. And I will tell you I know as a sitter I watched more closely, played more and spent more quality time with their kids on those vacations then the parents would have ever. So I would not doubt the quality of service you will receive, especially since this is a regular sitter and not just someone you met. I would be 100% comfortable doing this.

 

[jessica52877]

Here's the thing: Parents who use sitters on vacation (like we do all the time) are good parents too. Just different.

Our DS goes to bed by 9, so he stays with a sitter while we go out late. He's well rested in the a.m., and we've had a fun night out.

I think a good parent is making sure their kids are well taken care of! And I think we all do that, in many different ways! Sitters or no sitters! No one is going to leave their kids with someone they don't trust!

 

[my4kids]

Boring because we want to spend time on vacation with our kids? Are you on drugs? We have many nights out at home where the kids stay with a sitter. We do not go vacation and leave them. Sorry if that makes us boring. We call it being good parents who love our kids.

not to mix it up again, I know it has been a few weeks since you posted this......but I just never saw the post...and maybe I have a last word issue, but I just didn't want you to think I did not respond because "you told me" . Anyway, if you see this I just want you to know that -no I'm not on drugs, but I think you are very closed minded. Read this whole thread, I think others feel the same way...if you don't have an answer for the OP than keep your opinions to yourself. What the heck is the difference between having a babysitter at home, and having one on vacation?????
If it is not the thing for you - I totally understand, no one is telling you to take one. Maybe the OP took 6 vacations with her husband and kids this year and did nothing but spend time with the kids, and wants a 7th vacation with adult time....you have no idea what others situations are and are assuming that everyone vacations the same. I think it is great that you choose to spend vacation time with your kids. I also think it is great that I enjoy alone time with my husband on vacation. In fact i have taken whole vacations with him and left the kids at home!!! It was great! Does that mean the kids never get a vacation? NO! We are fortunate enough to take many vacations and believe me they get plenty of time with us. Anyway the moral here is...do what works for you, just stop telling everyone else what they should do.

 

[Andy123]

I think that if you are asking someone to come on your trip to work, then you pay for ALL of their expenses (except for souveniers) - park tickets, ALL meals, separate room. However, I do not think that you need to pay them an additional fee (perhaps a nice tip at the end of the week if they did a great job I think would be appropriate). How it's divided up among the families, I'm not really sure. As the other posters have said, it depends on how much time the sitter is spending with each of the kids. If someone was going to make me pay some of my expenses AND have to work, I can't see how anyone would take that job.