hawaiindays

My husband and I and our 15 month old are leaving for Hawaii in less than 3 weeks. We wanted to at least have one romantic dinner or a walk on the beach and thought I could leave the little one with a sitter for just a couple of hours. I contacted the hotels, Sheraton in Kaui and Royal Kahana in Maui. They suggested The Nanny Connection. Any experience with them, or another sitting service? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Leaving the little one home is not an option.

Iregeo

Hi Hawaiindays. On Maui, I have twice used a babysitting service for my then school-age son, although it was at least 5 years ago. I got the company name out of an old Frommer's or Fodor's guidebook, which I no longer have. It may well have been the Nanny Connection. Anyway, both experiences were good, with the first being better than the last. The only problem, if you can even call it that, was that the sitter allowed my son to watch one t.v. show that was, IMO, clearly inappropriate for his age. Oh well, no permanant harm done, and DH and I had 2 lovely evenings! Have fun!

ms_go

hawaiindays, we stayed at the Kea Lani and used the in-room baby sitting service a couple of times for our 13-month-old, and everything worked out just fine. Granted, this was close to 10 years ago, but I'm almost positive that The Nanny Connection was the name of the agency (their website says they've been in business since 1991, so that would be consistent with our trip). They were referred by the hotel. You might call around to a few other hotels to see if they refer people to the same agency, how long they've been doing so, etc. I searched and found their website: www.thenannyconnection.com.

Good luck, and have a great trip.

Iregeo

ms go, I did the same thing. I called 2 or 3 of the better hotels, and they all referred me to the same agency.

hawaiindays

Thank you for your input. I got on the Nanny Connection website and going to give them a call. Looks good. Thanks again

wow

You are going to leave your "little one" w/ a total stranger so you can grab some "romance"? Please. Are you crazy??? And, stop being the martyr: "We wanted to at least have one romantic dinner or a walk on the beach...." When your child goes to bed there's lots of time for romance...

GoTravel

Maybe an older child but this doesn't seem to be too smart of a thing to do for such a young child.

Could you order room service after Junior goes to bed?

Iregeo

hawaiindays - trust your own instincts. If you check out this organization and feel comfortable, go for it. If you can't find a level of comfort, then don't. But don't let another total stranger guilt you in or out of anything.

wow

Something is bothering me about your original post. You are speaking in the past tense. "We wanted..." "I thought..."
Weird. Sounds like you have already made your decision.

Miranda

When our kids were younger, we used nanny/babysitting services recommended by good hotels a couple of times. We've never had a bad experience with such services. Many times the sitters are very experienced with children, quite often teachers earning some extra money in the evening. Enjoy your evening out!

If you feel a bit nervous, you can of course bring a cell phone with you to dinner and/or choose to dine at the exact same hotel where you are staying. That way you know you can be reached in an instant. Another tip is to be very clear with the sitter about what is and is not okay. Is TV okay and if so, what programs? Is it okay to leave the room to take a walk or do you want them in the room the whole time? With a toddler, you obviously don't want them going out on a balcony. Best to say so!

Miranda

I forgot to mention that Maui was indeed one of the places where we used hotel-recommended babysitters with success. We were travelling with a three month old. And we sure enjoyed a few hours off! This was quite a while ago --- I don't think the agency you are considering was around yet.

hawaiindays

To WOW, my response is WOW! Are you always this nasty and critical or is it just today? My husband is in the military and has been deployed for six months, so a little time alone is much needed. He will be home three days before we leave. I was just looking for a little kind advice and thank goodness for the other kind souls out there. Hopefully this was enough of the present tense for you.

Iregeo

hawaiindays, I had the same response to wow's judgemental reply. WOW!

jacketwatch

Agree. with last two posters about wow's reply. A civil answer is all that is asked for. Have a nice trip. BTW a nice and romantic stop for dinner in Maui is Mamas Fish House. Don't let the rustic sounding name mislead you. Try their web site. www.mamasfishhouse.com. I am not affiliated with them in any way.

wow

Not being nasty, critical or judgmental. Just giving my honest opinion which is that I think it is unwise to leave your 15 month old child w/ a stranger. But, hey, that's just me. Obviously, I am in the minority here along w/ GoTravel. You, as a parent, will make the decision that is right for you. Perhaps, in retrospect, I shd not have replied to your post. You did not ask for an opinion. So, in the future I will stick to the question....or at least I will try! OK? Now...let's get back to travel...& have a great time in Hawaii!

Miranda

I am reluctant to enter into this discussion about the merits of leaving a young child with a strange babysitter, but I must add that with these reputable babysitting services you are really NOT leaving your child with a stranger. These reputable services use the same women over and over for their jobs and in most cases you will get a woman who has sat for the service many, many times in the past and is a known quantity. In fact, that assurance of quality is part of what you are paying for when you hire such a service. I have used babysitting services many times over the years, both at home and while travelling and have never had a problem.

offlady

I live on Maui and I personally know a babysitter that is hired by the Westin hotel in Kaanapali. I don't think she is connected with The Nanny Connection, but she is on the hotel's list of babysitters. She is a pastor's wife and is the kind of grandmotherly babysitter that everyone wants--and she adores babies! So I know there are good babysitters that are on the hotel's list. You can contact the sitters directly and ask them for references that you can call.

jacketwatch

To wow: Frankly I think you should just come out and apologize in plain English. After all you called her "crazy" and a "martyr". That IS nasty, critical and judgemental.

islandmom

I know some people who have done this with the hotels here for work. Still, there is NO WAY I could leave my young children with strangers. No background check catches all pervs or violent etc people. If you have to do it I would suggest a place that has a nursery/kids club area with more than one worker and windows.

tbelgian

I wish we could use a baby sitting service..husband won't have any part of it. His little ones with a stranger? NEVER. Good luck and have a wonderful romantic time. I'm envious.