Why doesn't anyone offer babysitting services?

amother

Cognac

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 7:15 pm

What about dh stays with the kids for a few hours while you go, and then you stay with the kids for a few hours a different day while he does his own thing? My husband and I have done that. Still leaves plenty of time for you to do stuff as a family.

groovy1224

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 7:23 pm

Not only would I not trust my kids with random sitters, I wouldn't allow my daughter to babysit for random families coming in for vacation. People can be psychotic! Just like you have to be careful about who you hire to babysit, the actual babysitters need to be careful about whom they accept jobs from.

amother

Natural

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 7:46 pm

groovy1224 wrote:

If my kid was going to be awake, I used to drop them off at the sitters house. It always made the mom more comfortable and I called references.

amother

Lightgreen

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 7:54 pm

amother [ Mauve ] wrote:

As a single girl, my friends would sometimes join their relatives on vacation. They were thrilled to have a free vacation and their relatives were glad to pay to have a babysitter.

I did that once when I was in high school. I went with cousins as a mother's helper kind of thing. It was a nice trip to Montreal and Quebec City but I never did it again. I had very little authority and the kids were all off schedule and in a strange place and it was hard.

Machel

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 8:03 pm

groovy1224 wrote:

Not the same thing but when I stayed with a Chabad family while traveling they called and got references about me before letting me come (I was staying at their home not just coming for meals). I feel like they would/could do the same before giving a recommendation

amother

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 8:10 pm

Thanks for all the replies.

My kids are not difficult bh. My 3 year old would be happy with magnatiles and cookies and the baby will nap and eat Cheerios.
I'm talking about max 5 hours-the amount of time they spend at their morah every day. And of course I would ask for references.
We didn't plan the vacation around universal. We planned it around my work schedule and cheap tickets and houses with a pool. I happened to notice that were super close to universal and decided I'd love to go.
I've thought of bringing my teenage sil but we're going at a random time and she can't miss school. It's a great idea though.

Does anyone have phone numbers for chabad of Orlando?

amother

Rose

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 8:11 pm

amother [ Opal ] wrote:

This! How can you do that to your kids. Just leave them with a complete stranger so you can vacation? I would never do that sorry. Really unfair to the kids.

Overnight babysitters are usually really good with babies and have other children who make it very fun.

amother

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 8:11 pm

amother [ Cognac ] wrote:

Lol really? Have you done this specifically at universal? Its kinda pathetic to go to a theme park yourself. But maybe.

Machel

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 8:13 pm

I know it's not what you asked but SeaWorld is in that area. Their kids section is Sesame Street. If that is something your 3yo enjoys they do an incredible job. We took our 2.5yo and 6 month old and had a blast.

amother

Lotus

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 8:43 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Teenage babysitters in Orlando will also be in school. Also I personally wouldn't want my teenage daughter babysitting for a stranger who just came to town for a few days, I certainly wouldn't want my rabbi giving my number out for someone else looking to hire them unless he knows the caller personally and can vouch for them. I'm not going to start calling references so my daughter can babysit and that really isn't something a busy rabbi should be expected to do, either.

amother

Opal

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 9:05 pm

Even if your kids are easy it’s still unfair to leave them with a total stranger .
This has nothing to do how difficult or easy they are. This has to do with their emotional security being a top priority in their moms life.
As an aside a toddler and baby should have more needs then cookies and Cheerios for 5 hours. There should be a meal time ( or 2) or one meal and a snack. Drinks and bathroom/ diaper changes. Not sure why you think Cheerios and cookies will suffice for any kid no matter how easy they are.
As an aside, enjoy your trip! It’s so nice to getaway and I hope it all works out!

amother

Emerald

Thu, Jan 20 2022, 9:32 pm

amother [ Opal ] wrote:

True as well. Side note: the parents who think their kids need nothing and “should be fine” end up being the hardest in many cases.

amother

Papaya

Fri, Jan 21 2022, 8:22 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I personally think kids could be totally fine for a few hours at a theme park with you. I would pick Disney World instead of Universal.

amother

Papaya

Tue, Feb 01 2022, 11:16 am

amother [ Mauve ] wrote:

As a single girl, my friends would sometimes join their relatives on vacation. They were thrilled to have a free vacation and their relatives were glad to pay to have a babysitter.

That’s very nice of them! My single SIL came with us but she wanted to go on all the rides.

amother

Mocha

Tue, Feb 01 2022, 11:22 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Lol really? Have you done this specifically at universal? Its kinda pathetic to go to a theme park yourself. But maybe.

Going to a theme park solo is pathetic but dropping your kids off with a babysitter you barely know is totally ok? Something is backwards here.