Hi everyone,

Wevare travelling with our one yr old to California in November and are looking for reliable babysitters in Sonoma, Carmel and LA.

Thanks!

Often hotels have a list of sitters; call and ask them.

You would take referrals for babysitters from random Internet strangers? Please leave your baby at home where she'll/he'll be safe.

Honestly, I would never leave a one year old with a sitter I didn't know.

That is bizarre. I have friends who won't even let people they know sit with their children!!

Ask at the places you are staying for referrals. Or, bring your own sitter with you on vacation. We always brought our teenage niece with us so it would really be a vacation for me!

I don't think bringing a family member babysitter along on the trip or leaving the babies home are options in this case. From the other thread the trip in more than 6 weeks long which complicates things just a bit.

Also, it may be there are two babies - that wasn't totally clear but it does sound like it is two couples each w/ a 1 yo.

fell: I'd really consider bringing a nanny w/ you if you are traveling that long w/ two little ones. If that isn't an option, you may have to cut back on the number of posh/adult things.

I would not trust someone I did not know with my children.

Can't you leave the baby at home? It would be much better for her, than having the weird schedule that comes with traveling.

Would also free you from having to be back at your hotel at nap times. It's not like the baby is going to remember this trip. But you will! A tiny one like that needs a lot of attention.

I was always hyper-vigilant about babysitters, too. Would never leave a baby with a stranger. Seriously.

I think the trip it too long to leave their kids behind.

“We are traveling with another couple and their 1 yr old to California from mid October to the beginning of December and planning to start off in Napa and then go from there to San Fransisco and then on to Carmel, Big Sur and Los Angeles.”

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...babies.cfm#top

Ok, I understand!

In Europe good hotels have babysitters or you bring your nanny with you. So, this apparently works the same way in the US. In Sweden you can also go through an agency to get specially trained babysitters that know CPR etc.

This was never a question of whether anyone here had a number for a random babysitter but rather a question of how this works in general in the US.

And no, I wouldn't leave my baby with someone I didn't feel completely at ease with.

I would have loved to bring a nanny or a family member but as some of you noted that's not a possibility.

I guess finding a babysitter once you're already on vacation is something we do in Sweden (and maybe also the rest of Europe?) but it's obviously not for everyone.

Look on care.com babysitters have to get a background check before they can register and people who use them post reviews. My friends daughter Erin Kelley is in the la area and babysits for families all the time.

re care.com - it's often up to the family to do their own background checking on candidates.