in room sitter poll

[diselderm]

I've been trying to decide if my husband and I will leave our 2 1/2 yo DD with an in-room sitter one evening while we eat out. I've read good things about Fairy Godmothers, but more recently it seems that comments on the boards may favor Kids Nite Out.

They may both be equally good, but if you had to pick one who would you pick?

(Sorry if I can't figure out how to post a poll before I submit this!)

 

[diselderm]

Wow--I didn't know anyone had voted til I clicked the view results button. Does anyone know if Kids Nite Out takes any requests on the type of sitter you prefer (such as older vs. younger, grandmotherly, etc.)

 

[Selket]

I know that KNO told me that if we wanted to take a sitter to the park they'd likely send a younger person. They would also try to send someone who has diabetes or is familar with it if they could as my 2 yr old is diabetic (because I'd need someone able to do finger testing). So I think you can request but perhaps not guaranteed!

 

[jodifla]

My sense of it is that FG tends to have older sitters...hence the name. Most of the sitters have been with the company for quite a while. I think the person we use at FG has been there for 12 years.

 

[diselderm]

Thanks for your replies.

When I first tried to research the sitters, it seemed that Fairy Godmothers was most popular. So I went ahead and reserved them for one night of our trip. Lately I've seen a few less favorable comments about them so I was trying to decide if I should switch.

I think they are both probably good overall. I may wait to see if anyone else votes before deciding for sure.

 

[Kmygrl73]

I am too paranoid to leave my 2 little ones with strangers. Wish we could but we just can't do it. We usually only have family babysit.

 

[Fox&Hound]

We had a very pleasant experience with Fairy Godmothers. Our babysitter was Marguerite (this was 2 years ago), and she brought a bag full of toys for the boys to play with. They were so excited, they were practically pushing us out the door. I was a little surprised that they were so eager to get rid of us, and when I asked my oldest, "How about a hug?", he ran over to Marguerite and hugged HER! (LOL)

When we returned several hours later, both boys were asleep. The little one fell asleep 30 minutes after we left. While I can understand some people being nervous about leaving their children with strangers, (I was one of them), my HUSBAND was the one who insisted that we get a babysitter to give ourselves a break from the kids. I'm glad he did. I wouldn't hesitate to call FG for our next trip in December.

 

[diselderm]

Good to know. Thanks Fox&Hound.

 

[been there done that]

We will be in Disney late July and are having KNO come to our room for a few hours one night. They are sending 2 sitters because they will have our DD-5, DS-19 months, and our friends kids to that are the same age. They bring age oriented toys and though this will be our first time using them, I've heard such good things about them that I'm really not worried. You can request a grandmotherly type if you feel more comfortable. It is expensive but it's worth it for one night. We're going out to eat and to the movies!

 

[DisFam95]

We used KNO for our 17mo. I've never left him alone w/ anyone other than family so this was not an easy decision by any means. I laso had researched on here and heard great reviews on both. I only chose KNO due to the fact they have to go through Disney training as well even though they are not Disney employees. They do criminal background checks and finger printing (I assume FG does too unless they're nuts).

I think her name was Eva Rodriquez and she was great with him. We could never get him to sleep early but she said he was out by 8:30 and we came back at 11:30 and she was stting on the couch reading w/ the lights dim and our DS asleep on a pallet at her feet.

I also like the fact they had a website to get info. I just thought it was odd that FG did not have one.

I think you'll have a good experience with either company.