Child care options

[tkmcw]

I've been looking into child care options for my 1-yo DD.

We will be going to La Nouba (MiL paid for tickets) and my two oldest children will be going with us, however I do not believe we should take our youngest with us (is it even allowed?) and have been considering child care for her. It seems the only options are in room and they (Kid's Night Out) seem to be outrageously expensive. I'm looking for anyone with past experiences with Fairy Godmothers, Kid's Nite Out, and Kindercare (both in room and at their facility). We're going to the 6:00 pm show, so we could take her to the off site Kindercare, but wont' have a car to get there.

Thanks!

Kim

23 days and counting!

 

[Buckleybunch]

We did Fairy Godmothers- the lady that watched the kids was great. I was suprised that she had them all in bed sleeping when we got back. She played games with them, gave them snacks, then to bed.

 

[jodifla]

I've used Fairy Godmothers twice for my son, who was 1 at the time. I was quite pleased both times and plan to use them again later this month.

 

[MissMagnolia]

I hope that these services come with great references. Just reading this thread gave me a panic feeling. I can't even IMAGINE leaving my child with a complete stranger in my hotel room in a city I am on vacation in. Not to scare you, but yikes!!

Take this from someone who has a DS(3) and a DD(8 months) who have never had a babysitter.

 

[AnnaE4]

Well, I have to add to this discussion as we have used Fairy Godmothers 4 times for our DD. The first time was when she was about 1 year old and the last time was last August when she was 3 years old. The first time our sitter was Vera who was a lovely woman about my mother's age. She seemed very gentle with our DD who didn't even notice that we were leaving because she was playing with the sitter! And, when we returned, our DD was asleep and Vera was reading a book in low light so she wouldn't disturb our DD. This has been our experience with the other 2 sitters we had. Velma (another older woman who carries a supply of My Little Ponies) has watched our daughter twice and last August, Vera's daughter sat with our DD and she was just as kind and caring as her mother (and just as pretty, too).

We have been very pleased with their service. My DH and I have only left our DD with family when we need a babysitter at home and the first time we left her with a non-family sitter, it was with a Fairy Godmother and has always been a very positive experince for us. Matter of fact, the sitters have always resembled some members of our family!

We are going to WDW in April of this year and will be using Fairy Godmothers again.

Denise

 

[tkmcw]

Does anyone have a list of how much Fairy Godmothers charge for their services? How do they compare to Kid's Night Out?

Kid's Night out charges:

Rates are based upon the number of children --

* 1 child $13.50 per hour
* 2 children $15.50 per hour
* 3 children $17.50 per hour
* 4 children $19.50 per hour
(For groups of more than four children, all children must be 2 years or older. Call Kid's Nite Out for rates.)

NOTE: After 9:30 p.m., there will be an additional $2 an hour charge. A one-time transportation fee of $8 will be applied to each bill.

All rates are hourly, with a 4-hour minimum. Cancellations require 4 hours notice to avoid the 4-hour charge. Advance reservations are required. Prices are subject to change without notice. For childcare on holidays and special events, rates are subject to change.


Thanks!

Kim

19 days and counting!

 

[Selket]

We were there in August and used Fairy Godmothers and my experience was mixed. I wish I could find my old post but the search function is disabled yet again. She arrived about 15 minutes late and was knocking on the wrong door (across the hall from us...we only noticed cause we opened the door to go get some ice). And she left her toys in the car for some reason. The weather was rainy. I left my 1 yr old with her and later regretted it it and came back early to the room (leaving DH and older son at the park on an eride night). In the end she was fine and did everything well. I would in hindsight do these things: use Kid's Nite Out cause they are the official disney service, ask to see some identification and know the name of the person coming beforehand (I couldn't get her name beforehand) and perhaps have a time arranged to call the room to check on things (like...I will call at 7pm so please be there to answer). I have never read anything negative about FG so my experience could be based on a onetime thing and my personality but that is my experience! She seemed a bit "ditzy" but believe me....when you are ready to leave...everyone is waiting on you and you got the very expensive tickets to something you need that sitter to walk in (maybe even 5 minutes early) and be PERFECT and put you at ease. My older son was in daycare from that age so I'm used to other folks watching my kids.

Don't fear using a service but do whatever you need to put yourself at ease before you leave the kid or you'll be miserable like I was the whole time!

CarolG

****edited to add that the price for FG was about the same as for KNO...in the end for us would have cost almost the same.

 

[disneymom3]

Regarding cost--Kids Night out sounds quite a bit more expensive. I left all three of my kids with Vera from FG last Dec so DH and I could go the MVMCP on our own. (She was fabulous and the kids wanted to know where she was when the woke up in the morning!) We paid an $8 travel fee and had the same 4 hour minimum but paid $12 per hour for all three. Honestly the first thing I read when I read the KNO rates was, "Of course they are the Disney sanctioned service. They charge an arm and a leg!"

For the poster who is concerned about the safety issue, all of these sitters are fully screened with background checks etc. They are bonded, insured and all of that good stuff. We were told ahead of time (told to call when we arrived in Orlando to find out) who our sitter was and as soon as she walked in the door she handed us her card with her name and the name of the service. We stayed about 20 minutes to make sure we felt comfortable. I used to direct a child care center and am really picky about who I leave in charge of my kids. We were ready to ditch the MVMCP tickets if we didn't feel comfortable leaving the kids. We had allowed an extra hour from the time we had her come to the time we really wanted to be to the park, but honestly we seemed in the way after 20 minutes so we left.

I would do this again in a heartbeat. The kids had a great time. She took them to the playground at the resort we were at, they read tons of books, played playdoh and with toys and she made and served them dinner as well as got everyone into bed and sleeping long before we got home.

 

[jodifla]

My experience the last two times was just like disneymom3. The women came on time (early, even), they had a suitcase full of toys and had fliers from the Fairy Godmothers service. It was $60 for the evening (4 hours) plus tip.

 

[dmonroe]

We had a good experience with FG too! We had 2, Vera and Marguerite, to keep 3 boys (ages 18 mos., 3.5, and 5.5--all from different families). Marguerite stayed in one room with 18 mo. and Vera took the older boys to play. When we returned all the kids were asleep--which was amazing because 18 mo. sleeps with his parents and holds his moms nose when he drifts off! We will use them again with our new baby if we decide to have a nice dinner out on our next trip.

 

[mayson12]

What a good post to find. I've been wavering about possibly trying out the childcare, but after reading this I feel good about the Fairy Godmother service. There is something reassuring about the grandmotherly type women. Thanks to the feeback, perhaps DH and I will attempt a night out on our own.

 

[ZachnElli]

We also used Fairy Godmothers. Our kids were 2 1/2 and 6 at the time. We had Vera and she was very professional and very good with the kids! They were even calling her "their other grandma"! I believe you can specifically request a sitter if you want and Vera gets lots of raves!

 

[DisFam95]

Fairy Godmothers (407) 969-9847 and toll free 877-611-4314
4hr minimum

1 child - $12.00
2 - $12.00
3 - 12.00
4 - $14.00

Does not mention travel fee.
Per The UnOfficial Guide


How long do most people use sitters for???? Anyone know how late they will stay???

 

[jodifla]

There's a $12 travel fee, bringing the total to $60 for 4 hours.

We've only used them for 4 hours at a time, but i think they'll stay as long as you need them.

 

[dreaminofdisney]

I called them yesterday to schedule a night with them for next month. the above amounts a correct and they will stay as long as you like. In fact they didn't even ask.

I am also hesitant to use child care but after reading this thread I have chosen to try Fairy Godmothers. Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[2minny]

just be careful (obviously), a friend used this service while staying at the Grand Floridian 4 years ago, when she got home she found the sitter breast feeding her baby. No joke. It was a horrible experience. The sitter didn't know why she was so upset, she said "the baby was hungry, we ran out of bottles and I breast feed my baby". I can't tell you the emotional stress this caused my friend. However, I can not tell you EXACTLY what sitter service it was, it was through the hotel 4 years ago. I guess my point is, ask for older sitter and make clear what can and can't be done.

 

[DisFam95]

That is gross and I hope she reported the woman !!!!

I wish FG had a website that had all of their policies. Anyone know of one???

kidsniteout.com states they do no water activities (bathing included) and all people must go through Disney's "Traditions" training program.

 

[jodifla]

Sounds like an urban myth to me. You actually knew this person, or it's the friend of a friend kind of thing?

First of all, FG's employees are the grandma type and have worked for the company for years, so it's hard to believe this was the service you're talking about. Disney did used Kindercare up to a few years ago, then dropped them for Kids Nite Out.

As far as policies for FG, it's a family run kind of thing. If you want corporate policies and paperwork, you are better off with a group like Kids Nite Out.

 

[DisFam95]

What is wrong with 'corporate policy'. KNO has a very nice webpage with everything clearly outlined, that's all I ask..FG has nothing out there. If you have an issue with corporate policy what are you doing at Disney. NOthing wrong with paperwork either. Not sure about you but I'd prefer to see the details when it comes to my child.

As far as policies for FG, it's a family run kind of thing. If you want corporate policies and paperwork, you are better off with a group like Kids Nite Out.

 

[jodifla]

No need for an attack, DisFam95. Nothing is wrong with the corporate way, but it's just not how FG is done.

It's been run by the same woman for about 30 years, and I guess it started before things were so formalized like they are now. From what one sitter told me, the FG owner has downsized quite a bit in the past few years as she has gotten older.

I was just pointing out that the two companies are quite different in that way, and if you want something that's more formal, you'll be more comfortable with Kids Night Out. I was originally going to use them but didn't find many testimonials for them, so I decided to try FG instead.