Baby Sitting Delima

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

I would probaby do the kid's club. However, (three couples)we did have a few drinks at Rix and brought four kids with us. Rix has a lot of high-backed booths and they sat with snacks and played their DS's. It was not crowded and they were well-behaved and out of the way of others. We did go back to the room when they were tired, but it worked out fine.

 

[bwilcox]

Like I said, to each their own. My son asked that I don't put him back in the kids club because he was bored. When he was there , only 1 gaming system worked and he said as well as my 6 yo DD the only games available for the system that worked were old and games my son doesn't usually play or interest him.

Sorry, but I hear violin music playing in the background when I read this!

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Sorry, but I hear violin music playing in the background when I read this!

Wow rude much!

I'm not telling you people what to do with your kids. I could care less where you put them. Your kid your decision.

I just stated that my 11 yo didn't like the kids clubs anymore, he was bored because he felt there was nothing to do and all the kids there were alot younger than him on the last 2 visits. Gees people.

If your older kids love the kids clubs so much put them there. Mine doesn't, what the heck is the big deal?

I'm not telling you not to put your kids there. I'm saying I'm not putting my son there anymore. Its not a big deal to me if DH and I don't get an alone date night on our WDW vacation. DH and I take a week long alone trip to the Carribean every year without the kids plus have date nights at home twice a month. So we get lots of alone time. So when my kid told me he didn't want to go to the club anymore, no big deal. We usually go to the ESPN club to watch a Steeler game. DS loves football, we'll take him and still put DD in the club. We get plenty of alone time other times of the year, that 4 hours in WDW isn't going to kill us.

 

[Ava]

OP, in your situation I would just plan for the night at Jellyrolls and tell your DD she needs to try the kids club. If she doesn't like it, she doesn't have to go to one again (she'll be too old in a couple years anyway). Have her take a book or handheld game system (if she has one) so she'll have something to do if nothing the club offers appeals to her.

I personally would not leave an 11-year-old and an 8-year-old alone in a hotel room. I'm not usually a paranoid person, but in a strange environment with no one familiar nearby to help them if anything were to happen, I wouldn't risk it. Also I believe it's technically against the law to leave a child under 13 alone with another child. If anything did happen that required them to call on CMs for help, Disney may be obligated to report that they were left alone in the room.

 

[lucyem]

I would give my kids the option of kids club or sitter. I try to allow some choice for my kids within a situation. But it would be one or the other - not a choice of mom and dad not going out. I would also explain that mom and dad need some parents only time. I would also point out I would appreciate her acting mature about this as it would determine when she could start staying alone or just with her brother.

 

[moray26]

Kids club is definitely the best option for the Jellyrolls night. For the night you go to Rix...maybe you could request a room at CSR in one of the buildings close to the main buildings, like Casita 4 or 5? I would think your kids would be fine for a few hours behind their locked door if they were able to call you on your cell phone if they had any problems. You would literally be within 5 min. walking distance from them if there were any problems.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Op just put your kids in the kids club. There is one right at the Beach Club that I've used for my kids. Like I said in prior posts, my son loved it until this past visit.

She may love it and beg to go back. My daughter made all kinds of crafts in the club when she was there.
She is asking to go back to the club when we go this year, but I think baba is going with us this year so we won't need a sitter.

 

[happymommy]

My kids did the clubs once (Simba's Cubhouse) and my DH and I ate at Jiko (so we were right there, and we were staying at AKL). They were almost 7 and almost 9. My DD loved it, but my son, almost 9, really hated it. He was the oldest kid, and just played video games. It wasn't horrible, but expensive and he was bored. I know lots of kids like the clubs, and I wanted to give it a try, it was the holiday time and DH and I wanted a quiet dinner (and we didn't think the kids would like Jiko too much).

We've left the kids at 8 and 10 at the Boardwalk one night and went to Epcot for a couple of hours. They were much happier staying in the room, and my son had his cell phone so he could call me and vice versa. They kept the chain on the door, so really, they were fine. It really depends on how you feel with your kids, though, but that was fine for us.

In our county (I looked it up years ago on our police website) they can stay home alone at 8, and watch siblings under age 8 at age 12. Our kids have stayed home alone for short periods of time since then, so they're comfortable with that. They've never been in daycare, so they're usually with me.

At the ages the OP is mentioning, I personally find dinner with the kids fine. We don't go out too often without our kids, but my DH works a lot, so weekends he likes to spend time together with us all. We have taken one 5 night vacation away, though, which was really great!

I'd either take the kids to dinner or let them stay in the room. They'd be fine if they have cell phones, and you're right there at the resort. I'd be much more comfortable with that than hiring someone to come in, and when I was 11 I would have hated having a sitter. I don't know what a sitter would actually need to do other than be a warm body anyway.

 

[littlbugmom]

I would not leave the children alone even if the 11yr old said she was comfortable with it.

I would not leave the children alone with a stranger even if the 11 yr old said she was comfortable with it.

Since your child is nervous about both situations, respect that. She has been to the Kid's Clubs before, so I'd stick with that. I know you said it wouldn't work for the other night you wanted to go out but missing that second night isn't all that bad. You and DW still get a night out alone while on vacation.

 

[pixiepower1971]

To the best of my knowledge ( my kids are 13 and 11 so I have not researched the laws in a few years) FL has no minimum age to be left home alone. The OP would be within legal rights to leave her children in the hotel room alone if they knew what to do in an emergency and have the maturity to handle the situation.


There is a wide range of maturity in 11 year old girls. My 11 year old would HATE the kids club and I would never make her go and be miserable while I went out with my husband. The clubs are not geared towards mature tweens in the least bit.

I would personally leave them in the room alone IF she has had the experience of watching her siblings home alone before.