In-Room Baby Sitters

[1Princess1Prince2006]

Has anyone used these services? If so which one and how good were they? What type of activities do they do with the kids?

 

[tinkandpan]

We used Kids Nite Out and were very impressed with the service. The have a great website to check out www.kidsniteout.com and you can see all their credentials etc. The woman who watched my 2 yr old brought toys, coloring books, read stories, went for a walk (with our permission) and watched a little tv (i was okay with that as it was getting close to bedtime but I didn't want the woman to put her down).

 

[tinkandpan]

We used Kids Nite Out and were very impressed with the service. The have a great website to check out www.kidsniteout.com and you can see all their credentials etc. The woman who watched my 2 yr old brought toys, coloring books, read stories, went for a walk (with our permission) and watched a little tv (i was okay with that as it was getting close to bedtime but I didn't want the woman to put her down).

 

[WhoLetTheMouseOut]

I don't know if it's the same or not, but we used Fairy Godmothers and were very pleased. (407) 969-9847 and toll free 877-611-4314

 

[jodifla]

I don't know if it's the same or not, but we used Fairy Godmothers and were very pleased. (407) 969-9847 and toll free 877-611-4314.

Fairy Godmothers is a different company. It's small and privately run, and it has been around 20 plus years.

We use them all the time.

Sitters normally bring toys that are age appropriate for the kids. They don't do any water activities like baths or swimming, but can do most other things.

 

[CarolinesMom]

We used Kids Nite Out and would recommend them. I will be using them again. They are the only ones that are Disney Certified.

 

[HitchhikingGhost]

They are the only ones that are Disney Certified.

What does that mean?

 

[tinkandpan]

I believe it means they are the ones that Disney suggests. All KIDS NITE OUT Employees have to go through Disney Traditions Training. I have never been but this is what I came up with that meaning:
All new Cast Members attend 'Traditions' on their first day of work; this class imparts the importance of the Disney history, legacy and brand through several promotional videos, group workshop exercises, and prize winning opportunities. The entire building is set up with two floors of class rooms where job practices are taught and Cast Members can practice on cash registers, ticketing machines, and ticket turnstiles. After a formal training period, Cast Members continue to their job locations for further on-site training

 

[odc146]

We used Fairy Godmothers 5 yrs ago when my DS was just shy of being 1. We used them on 3 seperate occassions and requested the same sitter for all 3 times. I can't remember her name, but she was great. At the time my son was very shy and he took right to her. She was in her late 50's or early 60's, seemed like a grandmother. She brought toys and things to play with and took him for a walk around the resort in his stroller. Also the Poly was able to provide a key for her without the charging privlages so she could go in and out of the room

 

[rt2dz]

I have not used in-room babysitting; will the next trip on our anniversary. I hear a lot of good things on these boards about KIDS NITE OUT, but everyone I know IRL uses (and LOVES) Fairy Godmothers--including my sister. People use the same sitter over and over, but that sitter varies from family to family. Makes me think they have a ton of good sitters that everyone wants to keep using the sitter they had last time, but each family has found a great sitter the kids love. I'm sure you can't go wrong either way.

Info from the Unofficial Guide:

KNO: male & female sitters; minimum charge 4 hours; 1 child $14, 2 children $16.50, 3 children $19, 4 children $21.50; transportation fee $10; starting after 9 PM +$2 per hour; cancellation deadline 24 hours prior to service when reservation is made; payment amex, discover, mastercard, visa; gratuity in cash; will not transport children in private vehicle, take children swimming or give baths.

Fairy Godmothers: sitters mothers and grandmothers; minimum charge 4 hours; 1 child $16, 2 children $16, 3 children $16, 4 children $18; transportation fee $12; starting after 10 PM +$2 per hour; cancellation deadline 3 hours prior to service; payment cash or travelers checks; gratuity in cash; will not transport children, give baths, swimming at sitters discretion.

There is also All About Kids.

 

[rt2dz]

Oh yeah

Kids Nite Out: 407-828-00920, 1-800-696-8150 http://www.kidsniteout.com

Fairy Godmothers: (407) 969-9847 and toll free 877-611-4314

All About Kids: 407-812-9300, 800-728-6506, http://www.all-about-kids.com

 

[chrisw127]

We just used Kids Nite Out for our 9 month old twins. We needed two sitters since we had two non-walkers, but they found one sitter who was willing to watch them both. In the end, we just went with two because we were going to be gone all day. It was expensive but worth it. The two women, both in their early 20s, had known each other since high school. One was in college, the other in law school (comes in handy if a baby has tricky constitutional law questions, I suppose). They were great. Worth every penny.

 

[Thats_for_Shore]

Here's an additional question.

If you use one of these sitting services, I would imagine you should tip the sitter, right? What is an appropriate tip?

 

[DisneyGuy758]

We used Kids Nite Out in August and it was great. I would recommend them highly. She was on time, thorough and had plenty to do with the kids. Two kids was around $86. Now after reading the last post, I'm kind of embarrassed, I didn't tip the poor girl! It didn't even come to my mind to do so...I'm a heel.


Andre

 

[gottalovethem]

My concern is I worry about the kids getting bored for four hours -- any insight on what they do?

 

[DisneyGuy758]

They play with whatever toys you have, or what they bring. The lady that came for us brought a HUGE coloring book and they did that some. We had two of the potato head boxes we bought at the toy store so the boys played with that. Depending on what time you use the service too, we had a late dinner, and the boys bed time was at 7pm, so they only had around 2-2.5 hours of awake time with the sitter.

Hope that helps some...


Andre

 

[chrisw127]

My concern is I worry about the kids getting bored for four hours -- any insight on what they do?

If you leave a stroller they will take them for a walk. For older kids, I've heard they will take them to a nearby playground or walk around the grounds. Basically, whatever you ask them to do.


As for the tip, maybe an extra hour's pay, depending on how pleased you were?

By the way, don't forget snacks. One of the sitters we hired said that sometimes parents forget. I don't want a tired, hungry person watching my kids (well, unless it's me, because sometimes that can't be avoided). I like the keep sitters happy.