Hire a sitter or not?

[daisy2jae]

We are going the first week in Sept to WDW. We're staying at the POR. I'll have DD10, DD5, DS3. We're not able to use kids programs since my Jaxson is too young. We'll be there Sat 4th to Sat 11th. Wondering if we should get a sister for an evening so my husband and I could go out the two of us. If so who should we hire and what should we do. We're simple people and don't want to do anything over the top. However is there anything special we should do as a change to what we're use to? Or should we just enjoy the trip as a family and have a date night at home.

 

[CLR4321]

I like to have at least one night just for me and my husband when we go to WDW. We use one of the kids clubs when we go. If I had a kid who was too young, I would use Kids Night Out. http://www.kidsniteout.com/

 

[Hannathy]

I always had too much fun doing family things with my kids at Disney when they were younger to want to go to dinner with just my DH. I always figured I could have dinner with him out at home almost anytime BUT I would only be with my kids at Disney when they were young only once, they next time we would be back they would be 3-4 yrs older. And lets face it there are things to see and do with kids at Disney you won't find anywhere else! But my DH will be there.

I'm very glad now that they are older that I did what I did.

 

[momofsamandeden]

We used care.com to find our sitter when we visited non disney Orlando a few years ago for a family funeral. It was last minute and the site provides free background checks and references from other members on the site . We were able to talk to the people ourselves and we ended up having someone for a few hours with no minimums etc that the services charge. We are going to use her again as a mommy helper at the parks and a few date nights when the kids are sleeping in November. The 12 per hour for three children is worth it for some stress free time in the parks!

 

[njgeneral]

When we went to WDW last year we used kidsniteout.com It was fantastic! We were there from a Sat-Sat with another family at OKW. It was a very cold week so we were unable to do most of the things we had planned and really enjoyed and adults nite out. They were professional and unbelievable with the kids. All 4 kids loved the girl that was there! I would not hesitate to use them again.

 

[happymommy]

I always had too much fun doing family things with my kids at Disney when they were younger to want to go to dinner with just my DH. I always figured I could have dinner with him out at home almost anytime BUT I would only be with my kids at Disney when they were young only once, they next time we would be back they would be 3-4 yrs older. And lets face it there are things to see and do with kids at Disney you won't find anywhere else! But my DH will be there.

I'm very glad now that they are older that I did what I did.

We had the same feeling, but that's just us. Also, we were so tired after a day out with the kids that we'd just rather relax at night.

We did use the kids club one time, when our kids were almost 5 and 7, but my son was a bit bored (my DD loved it though). It was $60 for the three hours, so that isn't cheap. We stayed at the resort (were staying at AKL and used Simba's Cubhouse, ate dinner at Jiko), as I didn't want to be far from my kids.

We don't go full throttle at Disneyworld, but still after a busy day didn't really feel like going out much. I'm also a bit overprotective!

Everything at Disneyworld is so kid friendly. We really just enjoyed being with the kids.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

I am not comfortable leaving my child in a hotel room with a stranger. I would enjoy your time as a family and have a date night when they can be cared for by someone you know and trust.

 

[annette20071]

I also would not be comfortable leaving my child with stranger in a strange place. Every family is different, though. I do a lot of researching and interviewing for the babysitters we use at home. So, I would just enjoy family time and then have a date night when we got back. Have fun.

 

[jodifla]

We are going the first week in Sept to WDW. We're staying at the POR. I'll have DD10, DD5, DS3. We're not able to use kids programs since my Jaxson is too young. We'll be there Sat 4th to Sat 11th. Wondering if we should get a sister for an evening so my husband and I could go out the two of us. If so who should we hire and what should we do. We're simple people and don't want to do anything over the top. However is there anything special we should do as a change to what we're use to? Or should we just enjoy the trip as a family and have a date night at home.

We used private sitters at WDW when our child was young, and I'm SO GLAD WE DID!!!!!!

We went out near DS's bedtime, so it's not like we missed precious Disney hours with him. He got a good night's rest, we got a nice adult evening out for just the two of us, which was a totally different experience than having a 10 month old or 2 year old at dinner with you.

The only downside is the cost. I found our sitters to be really interesting and reliable folks (through Fairy Godmothers) and one sitter sat for us at least 6 times, so whe was no longer a "stranger."

DS is old enough to go to the Kids' Clubs now, but when he was younger Fairy Godmothers was a perfect fit for us.

P.S. You'll find the most vocal people against sitting services are those who never have used them.

 

[Amy8888]

P.S. You'll find the most vocal people against sitting services are those who never have used them.

Wow, you're not kidding!

DH and I are going to hire in-room sitters for our trip in June for our 3 and 4 year olds. I don't think I'll be robbing us or them of any magical experiences or whatever. Sitters at these services are screened way more than most people you know back home who you happen to leave your kids with. In other words, just because you know someone doesn't mean they're the best sitter in the world.

And honestly? I love my kids but I just KNOW there will come a point in the trip when I can use a break from them and they can use a break from me.

As far as the argument that you could just have a date night at home so why bother with one in Disney, I have to say that that is not true for me. There are some awesome looking restaurants at Disney that simply don't exist near me. No way could we get decent sushi around here. And no way would my kids want to sit quietly in some fancy restaurant while DH and I took our time to enjoy our food.

Maybe that makes me a terrible mom who is trying to ruin her kids' experience, but whatever. I guess that's what I am.

 

[brandip22]

We are also wanting to have a date or whatever night. For us, it'll be my 7 y/o ds and our 22 month old ds at the time. We really want to go to DW alone, but are too guilty! So, I think we can handle one night away. Of course I am anxious about leaving them with a stranger. However, kidsnightout gets rave reviews and have been in business a while. So, I think it'll be OK. I am not sure if we'll do a dinner date night or just go to a park and ride things together since we never get to do that anymore!

 

[littlbugmom]

P.S. You'll find the most vocal people against sitting services are those who never have used them.

Since the OP is asking if she should hire a sitter or not, I think she wants to hear from both sides.


To the first question.....should you?:
I would not be comfortable leaving my children in a resort room with a stranger. If using a stranger is the only option, I would just wait until we were at home and go out then.


To the second question....who should you hire?:
I've never used one, so I can't comment.


To the third question....what should you do?:
My sister visits us while we're at WDW. She lives in FL and usually spends a couple days with us. DH and I have gone out once for a quiet breakfast together and on another trip, we've spent time at the resort while the kids were in the room with their Aunt. We didn't have the energy or desire to do anything more elaborate than that. It was very nice to have a few adult moments, though.

 

[littlbugmom]

Wow, you're not kidding!

DH and I are going to hire in-room sitters for our trip in June for our 3 and 4 year olds. I don't think I'll be robbing us or them of any magical experiences or whatever. Sitters at these services are screened way more than most people you know back home who you happen to leave your kids with. In other words, just because you know someone doesn't mean they're the best sitter in the world.

And honestly? I love my kids but I just KNOW there will come a point in the trip when I can use a break from them and they can use a break from me.

As far as the argument that you could just have a date night at home so why bother with one in Disney, I have to say that that is not true for me. There are some awesome looking restaurants at Disney that simply don't exist near me. No way could we get decent sushi around here. And no way would my kids want to sit quietly in some fancy restaurant while DH and I took our time to enjoy our food.

Maybe that makes me a terrible mom who is trying to ruin her kids' experience, but whatever. I guess that's what I am.

The OP asked if she should and people are answering that question but I haven't seen any debates or negative remarks in this thread (unless I've missed it?). I do not think you are a "terrible mom" for using a sitting service at WDW. I am not comfortable doing that and since the OP asked, that's what I'm going to tell her.....but nobody is judging you for doing it. Have you been judged in other threads about it?

 

[mybabesuz]

We have used Kidsniteout for 5 trips now.
My kids are 4 and 5yo. now... They were 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 the first time we used them.
Our kids go hard all day and actually enjoy the downtime.
It makes everyones vacation nicer when the kids get some down time and a good nights sleep.
And a night out does wonders for recharging Mom and Dad.

 

[daisy2jae]

thanks for the thoughts. I think we're going to enjoy WDW with our family this trip. I think I'd be worried too much about them if I left them. I'm a worry wart. I think they'd be fine with a sitter. However we could always do a date night when we're home and we can even make a trip to a neighboring town to make it exciting. I know I'd love an evening with him at WDW but I guess that will have to wait till another trip. We're going next year with my DH's family. Perhaps we'll have grandma babysit one night and get a night at disney together. I love we have options we could look into and I think the kids would really enjoy it. I just think we'll stick to family week at WDW. I'm glad I asked if anyone has used it so I know my options. Sounds like some have had really good experiences with it.