In room babysitting (this may get ugly!)

[jennifer293]

We bring the grandparents just for this reason. I actually think the girls would rather have a hired person come in because of the toys and arts factor though. My kids have yet to meet a stranger and that sometimes really scares me, but I am glad that they are social. If I had the extra money for this I would just hire a Disney sitter to give us and the grandparents a night out alone.

 

[jodifla]

Thank you DawnaJean. That is exactly what I was trying to say.

I can post various news stories that are "facts", not just my opinion as Jodifla stated is all I'm giving. I don't really know why you keep getting snippy. I had stated a few times that this is what works for us and only you can decide what works for your family. If you had a great experience then that's wonderful. Good for you. If a million people had a great experience I am happy for them too. We personally don't use unknown babysitters and telling why is no reason for you to bash us. I didn't tell you or anyone else not to use them. Just because the reasons I stated did not happen to you or anyone you know does not mean that they don't happen at all. You'd be surprised how many things actually do happen that never make the news. My opinions are based on facts- not just because it was a sunny day and I decided it sounded good. That being said - if you want to use a babysitter and you are comfortable with it then by all means go ahead. I am not telling anyone what to do- just giving the other end of the spectrum. Nothing wrong with hearing both sides. I think it's nice that some people use the same sitter every time and reccomend (sp?) her. As I have said quite a few times- you are the one who makes the decisions for your family- nobody else. We're not comfortable with sitters but many of our friends are. Does that mean we don't talk to them or try to "convert" them? Definetly not!!! They do what's right for them and we do what's right for us. I really am sorry that you seem so annoyed over my choice. I specifically tried to not make it sound "preachy" because I wasn't trying to preach to anyone. Just stating the facts. I hope you can see where I am coming from instead of making snippy posts about me.

I think that finding actually news stories about sitters from licensed services being abusive to children would be helpful to the debate. Could you post those links, please?

 

[justhat]

There was just a thread on the CB before Christmas about a 4 month old who was in the hospital for shaken baby syndrome and it was her daycare provider who did it. No, not the service anyone here would use in WDW, but it was a licensed babysitter either way.

 

[melomouse]

"My husband and I rarely go out"

....This makes me think... if you don't often get a sitter at home, in her own environment where she's safe and comfy, why do it at WDW where everything is - yes, exciting and magical, but can also be more unsettling for little ones?? Just a thought. Kids react differently to mom & Dad going out at night

I have always felt more comfortable using the kids club, but Maddy's not old enough just yet.If you do decide to go ahead - I have a feeling the sitter from FG will be fine.

That said - you guys sooo deserve a night out - ANYWHERE!!!
melomouse

 

[Gillian]

We used FG when DS was 2. DS was used other adults. It worked out well, the sitter was mature enough to handle a small problem (not with DS) that arose without calling us during Cirque.

The main reason we haven't used them again is cost. We will most likely use the clubs when both kids are over 4.

I don't want to start anything, but relatives can abuse children just as easily as people from an agency. It happens often and (I believe) is well documented.

It's very difficult for a responsible parent to know what to do sometimes.

 

[jodifla]

We used FG when DS was 2. DS was used other adults. It worked out well, the sitter was mature enough to handle a small problem (not with DS) that arose without calling us during Cirque.

The main reason we haven't used them again is cost. We will most likely use the clubs when both kids are over 4.

I don't want to start anything, but relatives can abuse children just as easily as people from an agency. It happens often and (I believe) is well documented.

It's very difficult for a responsible parent to know what to do sometimes.

Won't the kids clubs be as expensive for two kids? Just curious.

And you make a good point. People close to the family often are the child abusers...not hired sitters.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

There was just a thread on the CB before Christmas about a 4 month old who was in the hospital for shaken baby syndrome and it was her daycare provider who did it. No, not the service anyone here would use in WDW, but it was a licensed babysitter either way.

I did a huge research paper on this about a year ago and it is so scary that so many childcare providers are so uneducated on this subject. WDW sitters aside, this is a topic that every parent should discuss with whomever is carring for their child at anytime. The sad part is ,amost always the child care provider does not mean to harm the child but just gets overwelmed and flustrated with an infant that they can not console.

It is important for all parents to make smart, well researched choices when it comes to leaving your child with anyone.

 

[Leanne1977]

I totally agree with Mouse House Mama.

I won't take risks with the most precious things in my life.

 

[Karel]

It's great that you can work your life out that you stay with your kids all the time. At some point, though, you're going to have to leave them with someone - a dance instructor, a nursery at church, a preschool teacher, an elementary school teacher.

When is it ok to start trusting other people? Will your child be able to handle having another adult in charge? What if an emergency occured and you had to leave your child?

 

[Leanne1977]

Both of my children are perfectly happy in the company of other carers. My son is settled at school and my smallest boy aged 3 will be starting nursery soon and i am friends with the nursery teacher.

I am very happy in situations where my children are familiar with their surroundings and i am comfortable to leave them.

For me it is too much of a risk to go to a different country and hand my children over to a complete stranger. I am very aware that Fairy Godmothers for example is a well respected sitting service and i do not judge others that wish to do this. If you feel it is right for you and your children that is great that you are your husband can get a break.

For myself and my family is it too risky.

Just my personal opinion of which i am entitled.

 

[jodifla]

It's great that you can work your life out that you stay with your kids all the time. At some point, though, you're going to have to leave them with someone - a dance instructor, a nursery at church, a preschool teacher, an elementary school teacher.

When is it ok to start trusting other people? Will your child be able to handle having another adult in charge? What if an emergency occured and you had to leave your child?

Yes, I've never understood the mind-set. Eventually, other people will watch your children....unless you home-school, I guess. And what kind of message does it send to kids to be afraid of other people? Of course, parents should practice due diligence. But the fact is that there are lots of great baby sitters out there. My son has totally benefitted from getting comfortable with his baby sitters. Each one has something to offer him that he wouldn't get from me.

 

[Steph H]

Let me just give my actual experience. We used Fairy Godmothers service, set up through the Concierge at the GF. I have to say that although the experience was not BAD per se, I would definitely make my own reservations, probably with a different service. Here's my story:

We asked Concierge at the GF to arrange a sitter for us, and they did so through Fairy Godmothers. When the time came, I was a little surprised at the sitter. I expected her to be a mother or grandmother, as it says in the Unofficial Guide, but she was actually fairly young—not long out of college, dressed fairly trendy. I didn't ask her if she had kids (I forgot), but based on her age, and the fact that she was planning to fly to Phoenix for work the next week, I doubt she did. I asked how long she'd been working for the company, and she said about 6 months. When I asked her how she started working for Fairy Godmothers, she said, “Oh, a friend of mine in college worked for them, and I wanted some extra money on a flexible schedule, so this fit perfectly.” Nothing about liking kids or anything like that, just that it was extra money and convenient. I also expected her to come with games (Gertrude at FGM said she would), but she had none (thank goodness my DH and I had bought Jamie a new set of Buzz Lightyear figures that we'd saved for that night!). I at least felt confident that she was a kind-hearted person—she worked for the ASPCA, and was currently working on reuniting pets found after Hurricane Katrina with their owners (the trip to Phoenix was to deliver a cat they had matched with its owner!). We left Jamie with her as he ate Pizza (his favorite food) from Gasprillas, and he didn't act at all unhappy to be left with a sitter. (The pizza no doubt helped!)

We arrived back at the room much earlier than anticipated (11pm), barely meeting the four hour minimum for the babysitting. To my dismay, my son was still awake! That right there told me that the young lady didn't have much experience with kids, since she obviously didn't want to be authoritative enough to make him go to sleep at a decent hour. The price was only $64 for the four hours, plus I gave her a $21 tip (maybe too much, but I figured 20% was expected, even though she didn't live up to my expectations). Next time, I'm definitely going to try Kids Night Out, and I'm definitely going to call and ask a LOT of questions. Concierge served us well in almost every instance on this trip, but this particular instance, I think I would have been better doing it myself.

So my advice is to definitely do your research and ask a LOT of questions, and then make sure you get what you ask for when the sitter arrives.

 

[jodifla]

Let me just give my actual experience. We used Fairy Godmothers service, set up through the Concierge at the GF. I have to say that although the experience was not BAD per se, I would definitely make my own reservations, probably with a different service. Here's my story:

We asked Concierge at the GF to arrange a sitter for us, and they did so through Fairy Godmothers. When the time came, I was a little surprised at the sitter. I expected her to be a mother or grandmother, as it says in the Unofficial Guide, but she was actually fairly young—not long out of college, dressed fairly trendy. I didn't ask her if she had kids (I forgot), but based on her age, and the fact that she was planning to fly to Phoenix for work the next week, I doubt she did. I asked how long she'd been working for the company, and she said about 6 months. When I asked her how she started working for Fairy Godmothers, she said, “Oh, a friend of mine in college worked for them, and I wanted some extra money on a flexible schedule, so this fit perfectly.” Nothing about liking kids or anything like that, just that it was extra money and convenient. I also expected her to come with games (Gertrude at FGM said she would), but she had none (thank goodness my DH and I had bought Jamie a new set of Buzz Lightyear figures that we'd saved for that night!). I at least felt confident that she was a kind-hearted person—she worked for the ASPCA, and was currently working on reuniting pets found after Hurricane Katrina with their owners (the trip to Phoenix was to deliver a cat they had matched with its owner!). We left Jamie with her as he ate Pizza (his favorite food) from Gasprillas, and he didn't act at all unhappy to be left with a sitter. (The pizza no doubt helped!)

We arrived back at the room much earlier than anticipated (11pm), barely meeting the four hour minimum for the babysitting. To my dismay, my son was still awake! That right there told me that the young lady didn't have much experience with kids, since she obviously didn't want to be authoritative enough to make him go to sleep at a decent hour. The price was only $64 for the four hours, plus I gave her a $21 tip (maybe too much, but I figured 20% was expected, even though she didn't live up to my expectations). Next time, I'm definitely going to try Kids Night Out, and I'm definitely going to call and ask a LOT of questions. Concierge served us well in almost every instance on this trip, but this particular instance, I think I would have been better doing it myself.

So my advice is to definitely do your research and ask a LOT of questions, and then make sure you get what you ask for when the sitter arrives.

Hmm. This is an interesting experience. I've always set up with Gertrude directly, not through the concierge. And my sitters have been mothers/grandmothers, not younger girls, although I've heard they do have a couple of younger sitters.

I assume you told the sitter his bedtime, and she was unable to get it to work.

Definitely not ideal, but not dangerous, either.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

It's great that you can work your life out that you stay with your kids all the time. At some point, though, you're going to have to leave them with someone - a dance instructor, a nursery at church, a preschool teacher, an elementary school teacher.



I think that the difference is that these situations do not leave one adult alone with one child. Most groups including scouts, preschools, clubs etc. do not allow one adult to be alone with just one child and in many cases forbid one adult from being alone with a group. There must be two adults present. Our church's insurance policy requires that no adult can ever be alone with a group of children. This includes sunday school, youth groups etc. This is a rather small country church where the same families have attended for years but this rule is set in place by the insurance co. to protect themselves.
I would be interested to see what type of policy these child care companies have and how these service might change as more and more companies adopt these type of rules.

 

[jodifla]

It's great that you can work your life out that you stay with your kids all the time. At some point, though, you're going to have to leave them with someone - a dance instructor, a nursery at church, a preschool teacher, an elementary school teacher.



I think that the difference is that these situations do not leave one adult alone with one child. Most groups including scouts, preschools, clubs etc. do not allow one adult to be alone with just one child and in many cases forbid one adult from being alone with a group. There must be two adults present. Our church's insurance policy requires that no adult can ever be alone with a group of children. This includes sunday school, youth groups etc. This is a rather small country church where the same families have attended for years but this rule is set in place by the insurance co. to protect themselves.
I would be interested to see what type of policy these child care companies have and how these service might change as more and more companies adopt these type of rules.

I'm fairly paranoid, but this is just beyond the scope to me. Why do people assume that if you're with children, you're going to abuse them? Teachers are often alone in a class with kids....

ANd besides outlawing babysitters, not sure what you mean about how they'll change their services.

The only poster who's had a bad experience didn't like the fact that the sitter was younger and didn't have toys. It's not like she was some sort of predator.

Geez.

 

[robinb]

We used the Fairy Godmothers 3 times for my DD when she was too young for the kids clubs. We all liked the sitter each time and never had a problem. The downside was that in-room sitters are very, very expensive. I recall paying $80 for the evening.

 

[Rowlf]

Just because you hear about an isolated incident on television doesn't mean that whatever you heard about is rampant. Really. Look at the statistics - your child is very, very, very unlikely to be abused in any way by a paid caregiver. Too many parents make decisions based on perceived risk rather than real risk. If you were concerned about REAL statistical risks, you'd be much more willing to leave your child with a KNO babysitter than drive him/her to the grocery store because the risk of a car accident is MUCH greater.

And, as harsh as it may sound, even if the person isn't Mary Poppins and they aren't spoken to in the absolute most loving way for three hours, I really don't think their ability to function later in life will be harmed. Honestly.

We used a woman from KNO twice when DS was 15 months old. Although he didn't go to sleep until WAY past his bedtime when he was with her, he had a good time, read books, and played. I would use KNO again in a heartbeat.

 

[robinb]

Mouse House Mama: I was following along with your opinion just fine until I stumbled over the following hyperbole:

P.S. Here's a question- Would you give your pocketbook that is full of all your personal papers/money etc. to some random person at Disney to hold while you went on the rides? That's kind of how I feel about leaving the kids with an unknown babysitter.

For me, the use of such exaggerations makes me discount what might be an otherwise perfectly reasoned and well written discussion. I really mean no offense. AFAIC, if you feel uncomfortable leaving your kids with a sitter, that's A-OK with me.

 

[twojo21]

my family has used kids nite out accouple of times & has been happy with the service & adult only time. KIDS NITE OUT 407-828-0920

 

[Mouse House Mama]

RobinB-

The reason I used such an exaggeration is to show that while I have no problem leaving my kids with a babysitter that I know and trust, I do have a problem leaving them with someone I just met. That was the point I was trying to get across. It's not that we never go out- we just will only leave our children in the care of someone that we know and trust. We are not comfortable leaving our most precious children in the care of someone we know nothing about. I used the pocketbook analogy because while it is indeed not as important to someone as their kids, it is a pretty important item. Also- another person mentioned that it is a very low risk for abuse- that may be true but I don't want my kids to be the ones who are actually abused. That may never happen and I hope it mever happens to anyone- but I just am not comfortable with it. That is my comfort level. It doesn't have to be yours and I am certanilyl not condeming anyone for their choices so I would appreciate it if we could all respect what each other's choices. .As I have previously stated- they are your kids, you know what's best for you and your family and we know what's best for ours. That being said- I hope that whatever you chose results in a great time at WDW!