bad experiences with inroom sitters??

[maepartner]

Call me neurotic, but this post had me thinking of when I first took my oldest....then 3 yrs old..... to her first day of pre-school. I agonized terribly over this thinking "what if they don't comfort her if she cries,,,,what is she is totally miserable and they dont call me....what if? what if? what if? Drove myself crazy with it....so I left work....drove back over there....peeked into the window....and to my amazement,,,,she was happily playing with the other children and (sniff) didnt miss me at all! Somehow my children managed to grow up unharmed (in spite of me, LOL)....thank the Lord

Now I agree, as another poster stated....that it would be a bad idea to test the "separation anxiety" at Disney where they are probably experiencing sensual overload to begin with....so maybe try leaving them for a short time BEFORE the trip,with a trusted person or reputable day care center (after checking it out of course).

But, I would DEFINITELY stay with the Fairy Godmother or Kindercare person for at least twenty minutes before you leave to get a feel for her and to see how she interacts with the child. Also, I would make sure I had a cell phone/pager in the event of some problem. Calling a half hour later....talk to the child, not just the "nanny".....dropping back unexpectedly (listening by the door first,,,,,,arent i awful) should make you feel more comfortable about it.....and if you do have a good experience,,,,please share the name on the board with other young mothers, as it is SO critical to an evenings enjoyment if you can get positive feedback and the name of a specific caregiver.

Thank GOD I dont have to worry about that again (at least until I have grandchildren) but I sure feel for you moms and dads that do MAE
p.s. I feel for you Tluv2talk,,,,my heart would have been broken even if it werent my nephew, poor thing. Good for you! (methinks I feel some flaming coming on, LOL)

 

[Janet2k]

A few times we have used the in-room sitters that Disney supplies and have always had a wonderful experience. On one particular occasion we returned to pick up something that we had forgotten, only to find that we were locked out of our suite (none of the doors would allow us access). We knocked on the suite's main door and the sitter came and opened it. We asked her why all the doors were locked and she told us that it was company policy, for security reasons. I should note that before she would even open the door for my husband and myself, we had to prove to her that we belonged in the suite (I can't remember how we did that, maybe we slipped her our driver's licenses or our son ID’d us through the peephole??). I was the one who hired the sitter through Disney, but since she was primarily watching my sister's baby and preschooler, I didn't have a lot of interaction with her when she arrived to start her services. Since my sister was not with my husband and myself when we returned to the suite to pick up our forgotten item, I was impressed that entering it was almost like entering Fort Knox (since we had to prove to her that we belonged there). When I relayed the story to my sister and brother-in-law at dinner that evening, they got a big kick out of it. It made them feel good that their children and nephew were in such excellent hands. For several years after that particular vacation, the sitter kept in correspondence with my sister, and they even exchanged Christmas gifts. I thought that was lovely.

 

[Sleepy]

I think it would be a good addition for these childcare programs to charge a small deposit on beepers for cases where the child does not adjust well. I too would feel much better knowing my child was happy. My son is 10 and I still feel uncomfortable leaving him with a strange daycare atmosphere. I have always made a point to carry my cellphone (or use a payphone) and call within the first hour to make sure he is adjusting well. The last thing I would want is to know I enjoyed myself with a night out while my son cried his eyes out the entire time.

 

[elemusing]

We used Fairy Godmothers last year and they sent a nice older lady named Helen. I have requested her again for our May trip. When my (2 year old) ds saw her he said "Grandma!" and ran right to her. He showed her all his books and toys and she in turn showed him all the stuff in a bag of toys that she brought with her!

I was sooooo nervous thinking that they would send a very young possibly foreign person who he would have trouble understanding. When I told Helen of my relief to see her, she said that Fairy Godmothers only hires older women who speak first language English.

He loved her and she was wonderful with him!

It was definitely worth the money.

Angie