We are going to NYC the week before Christmas with our 6 and 9 year old boys. When we originally started looking we heard that the Hilton and Doubletree had kids programs, but as it turned out they don't and nobody else does either.

We plan to keep the kids with us 90% of the time. We are only staying 3 nights. However, after reading another post I'm wondering if it is possible to get a sitter for just one night so my husband and I can have dinner alone.

I'm apprehensive about calling a service and having a complete stranger come to our room to watch the kids.

If anyone has any imput I would appreciate it. Are there services that do background checks on their sitters. Is there a service that others have used and is trusted.

Thanks!

The hotels have sitters they recommend on a regular basis. Contact the hotels directly.

I would recommend contacting the hotel concierge. We've used hotel sitters numerous times in hotels by in the US, Mexico and Europe. The hotel often uses the same people.

The concierge can tell you exactly what requirements they have for the sitters they use.

Thanks! I'll call the hotel about it.

I hope I am not sounding like an alarmist here but I worked at a hotel years ago in my youth. They had a day care/baby sitter who was employed by the hotel itself. I later found out some things about this person and their treatment of children which was alarming. The person later married and had a child. The other parent left with the child and moved back to the country the parent was from. I know I am being vauge about this but I don't want to reveal the family members. I have no idea where they are now, and I don't want to make it worse all these years later for the now adults.

My advise is to make sure you meet and talk with the sitter so he/she knows you are real parents who really care about your children. Yes, I know that sounds obvious but I suspect that some parents don't do this. Do not assume that the hotel has done a proper background check on the sitter.

Use a web site like publicdata.com to check for any criminal records on the person. It has an annual fee but it is well worth it. You may have a problem becoming a member if you are not an employer but try it anyway.

I have been amazed by the backgrounds of people who I have met or who have applied for jobs in my company after checking their background on the web site. I have also typed in the license plate numbers of people parked in front of my business and found out about them before they get to my door.

I wish there would have been these kinds of resources when I was a kid. My sixth grade male teacher molested me. Nobody knows except me and the this jerk. I don't want to drag the worms out of the can. He now lives in a retirement building and has no access to children as far as I know.

Morale of all this... Check out the people you leave your children with before assuming they (male and female) are safe.

Try Barnhard Sitters or pinch sitters. They are both reputable agencies in NYC.

I'm intrigued by the lindanu's statement "I'm apprehensive about calling a service and having a complete stranger come to our room to watch the kids". I'm not trying to sound preachy but short of bringing your own babysitter with you on the trip isn't anyone you find in NYC going to be a complete stranger? My point being that just because the hotel or an agency recommends someone doesn't mean they are above reproach or that the agency/hotel has properly vetted the individual. Chances are you will be OK but make sure you are comfortable with whomever you choose to stay with your children. Personally, in this day and age I wouldn't leave my children with people I didn't absolutely trust. Do your homework.

I seem to recall someone mentioning in a trip report they used a good service. Maybe that's the other post you were reading?

I found the report. It is here
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...1&tid=34571777

The poster (from the UK) wrote

We used a service called the Baby Sitter’s Guild. The service was expensive but fantastic. We paid $20 per hour with a minimum of four hours. The sitter was always 15 minutes early and brought toys and books. She gave our son his baths, fed him and any other instruction we left. They have sitters who speak multiple languages as well. We can highly recommend this group. Their website is www.babysittersguild.com.

My "homework" before using hotel sitters made me aware that you are significantly more at risk by leaving your child with a "trusted loved one" than with a female babysitter at well-known hotel chain.

I had help with my homework from my FIL, a retired Federal Marshall.

I used that UK poster's suggestion and had a sitter from Babysitter Guild. We were very pleased. She was a preschool teacher by day, and she was very good with our kids.

Thanks for all the information. Originally I was hoping for the 'childrens club' as advertised for the Hilton NY and Doubletree. I've done this with my kids before and trust an organized system in which the kids go to a specific room with other children and several adults supervising. When I found out that neither of the hotels really offered this arrangement I decided that we would just keep the kids with us the whole time. It is only 3 nights and I know we can find places to go. My kids are 9 and 7 so they are fine with us at dinner. It was only after I was reading other posts that I started to rethink the situation. Originally I was I wasn't comfortable having the hotel call a service out of the phone book and having 'whoever' show up. However, it appears that there are probably reputable services out there which is why I posed my original question.

I definitely need to do my homework and this was the beginning of it. I'll check out that site and call the hotel and see what I find out.

I appreciate everyones input. Keep it coming!

Homework Project #1:

Checked out the Babysitter Guild with the Better Business Bureau. They are registered, have been in buisness for over 40 years and haven't had any complaints filed in 36 months.