Need Nanny service, for Sat.
 

Will be visiting Ny with a 7 yr old and need a nanny service for one night. Can you make any suggestions?

Is that new fangled talk for a baby sitter? I thought a nanny was a permanent position, someone who literally raises your child. But for one night, I'd call it a baby sitter.

You might ask your hotel to find one for you. That way, if this total stranger with whom you propose to leave your daughter were to abuse her, you could sue the hotel.

OUCH!!!!

CK: <BR>There is an anti-child sentiment on this board as you can tell--Check with the Hotel. What are you planning to do in NY that your child cannot accompany you? <BR> <BR>HEY JOE: <BR>You really had a nasty streak going last night..are you feeling any nicer this morning?

People are reacting badly to this question because too many parents are willing to take their kid on a trip and then just dump them with the first stranger who comes along. It's hard to make the case that the child's welfare is served in this fashion. There has to be a better way. The fact that the questioner seems to have totally missed this issue makes people bristle all the more.

Several times I have used a hotel baby sitting service to care for our kids so my husband and I could attend "adult" only functions. My husband and I own a company that requires us to attend at least one convention a year. Because this convention is for small business owners - (we are a construction company) most wives also work in the business and also attend the convention. <BR>So you tell me - what are our options? <BR> <BR>1. I stay home with the kids and miss the important information learned at the convention. <BR> <BR>2. I go along also because the convention is important to my business development and leave my dear kids at home with a SITTER. <BR> <BR>3. WE take our great kids along and share the time caring for them and for the one night during the week that we must attend the "formal" dinner and our kids ARE NOT INVITED - We trust the hotel nanny service to care for our kids. <BR> <BR>EVERY TIME we have used a nanny service provided by the hotel our kids have been wonderfully cared for. EVERY TIME the hotel has provided a BONDED, trained, WONDERFUL caregiver. EVERY TIME we have taken time to get to know the care-giver and if EVER we had had any worries that we were with a nut-case we would have OF COURSE changed our plans. (this has NEVER happened) <BR> <BR>SO get over it and get a life. Kids can't go everywhere and they just can't be left at home with mommy all the time either. <BR> <BR>What a bunch of parinoid nuts - obviously you either aren't parents or you are introverted, terrified people who never, never get out!!!

Doesn't bonded just mean the employer is covered if the person steals something? Is there any way to know if these hotel sitters could pass any kind of decent background check? I think not. Lots of people use these services, and it usually works out. But let's not hide from the truth -- you are using a total stranger who may or may not have a criminal background or other problem, and you have no guarantee that anyone has even looked into these issues. I have hired nannies before, and some of the people I turned aware were wholly unqualified or downright scary. Maybe they are now working as hotel babysitters. Buyer beware, I say.

CK, I recommend you consider bringing a Grandma or older cousin along to babysit. I have had enough experience with "trusted", "recommended", "screened", and otherwise seemingly adequate child caregivers and seen enough expose's on 20/20 and 60 Minutes about the lack of background checks at employment agencies to know that I would NEVER trust my kids to a New York stranger, no matter how highly recommended, bonded, or whatever, they were. I'll bet lots of people have used them without a problem, but my kids are the most precious thing in my life, and having seen how even people you think you know well can victimize kids, I would NEVER EVER risk it with a stranger in a strange city, and I WOULD skip the formal adults-only whatever thing and stay with my kids. There is not a meeting, seminar, or conference on this planet that is more important than they are. Just my not-so-humble opinion as a professional mother of three incredible kids.

To Why: what do you mean nasty? I was not being nasty at all. I have two good friends who are professional nannies. One is male, one is female. Being a nanny is a highly professional job which takes training and involves a lot of duties. When CK asked for a nanny service for one night, I think he was mistaken. He does not need or want a nanny, he needs a baby sitter. If my comment was taken as nasty, I apologize. To me the original question was sort of like saying, "I need a suit pressed, can anyone recommend a butler?"

<BR>In over a year of reading these threads for sheer amusement, "Ohbrother," above, has delivered what has to be my all-time favorite, and most apt, phrase: "What a bunch of paranoid nuts..." Congratulations, Ohbrother, for hitting it out of the park; I wish there were a prize.

Hey Joe: <BR>I happened to see your posts on more than one thread and you seem to be giving everyone negative responses...feeling any better today?

Could someone please reread my original comment and explain why that was considered nasty? What am I missing here? I still stand by my calm and polite explanation of the difference between a nanny and a baby sitter. I only originally brought up the post because I thought it had something to do with nannies, and found that it didn't, it was asking for a one night babysitter. Nothing wrong with that post, I just felt like explaining the difference. Jeez, that is nasty?

Joe, for what it is worth, I didn't find your response nasty. There is a big difference between a babysitter and nanny. Like the difference between a physician and a school nurse. Hang in there.

CK, you might want to get in touch with <BR>"Oh Brother" & see if they & their <BR>kids will be in NY @ the same time! <BR>Don't leave your child with a stranger! <BR>How can you 'get to know someone' before <BR>entrusting that person with your 7 year old? <BR>You can't! I am not a'paranoid nut', I am a parent, we do go out but we wld. <BR>never, never leave our child with a <BR>'person unknown' @ a hotel! Another factor to consider is the age of your child & the fact that he/she will not have any brothers or sisters with him/her ( as OH Brother's kids do!) when you leave.

You can always call the local Girl Scout Council and ask for referrals of Senior Scouts who have completed the Safe Sitters course. The girls are usually happy for the work, and since they have learned child care skills in the class, they will be good with your child.

To: Mike <BR> <BR>This is the same person who uses seat belts, buckles up every time; puts a bike safety helmut on child -- but leaves a seven-year old with a STRANGER!!! <BR> <BR>Go figure!

Maybe it's just cynical old me (no, it's *intellegent* old me), but I would never leave my child alone with a complete stranger - be it through a nanny service or whatever. Does anyone else smell "troll" with this post?

Drop the kid off at the hotel service (there will probably be other children cared for there as well) and have a great time. What's the fuss about?

CK, when we had young children we used to bring a teenager, known to us and a regular babysitter for our kids, and pay for her airfare. We took her and the kids to all the kid appropriate events and left the lot of them behind to order room service on the adults only nights. It worked out quite nicely and we really knew who our kids were with. Think about it.

To Really: <BR> <BR>Hotel babysitters usually come to your hotel room and watch your kids there. No one else is around, which is why it is a risky choice. Usually, the hotel arranges it through an agency that may or may not screen workers. <BR> <BR>Many resorts have the type of sitting I think you have in mind: basically on-site day care. That kind of sitting is a little better because at least the workers are all together in one spot and less likely to have a problem.

Doesn't everyone know somebody who knows somebody in NYC? See if you can get the name of a family there and call them for a babysitter reference. The Girl Scouts sounded like a good idea, too. If these don't work, talk to the people at the hotel and really get some information about the sitter before you leave her with your child. Call her parents if she's a teenager, or her references. Ask the hotel staff questions. Meet her, <BR>talk to her, ask her questions, watch her interact with your child. <BR>Then use your best judgement and keep your fingers crossed. I've had good luck with hotel babysitters but did a lot of investigating first. I've also had babysitters in my own neighborhood who have made stupid decisions with my child while I was out for an hour. Be smart, be careful, but don't miss out on life!

To Susan: "Keep your fingers x'd"???? <BR>"Don't miss out on life"???? Wow! <BR>You are somebody's mother!!! Am I fortunate you are not the mother of my children! But.....you keep those <BR>fingers crossed while you're out there <BR>not missing out on life! Raising kids is <BR>not like buying a lottery ticket, Susan! <BR>

Pete, <BR>What is wrong with you? CK asked for suggestions on a babysitter and while everyone else is ranting and raving, I gave him/her some advice. Isn't that what this forum is for? <BR> <BR>As a parent, you cannot possibly control your kids 24 hours a day. If you did, they would be a mess. No matter how careful you are, horrible things happen on school playgrounds, in daycare centers, in cars -- I cross my fingers every day that nobody I know becomes the victim of a tragedy. But leaving a child with a babysitter, who I said should be checked out very carefully (if you actually read my post) does not have to be an irresponsible thing for a parent to do. <BR>I do believe that if parents don't have their own lives, and are only involved in their children's, then they are doing their children a disservice. And yes, I'm the proud mom of an 11-year old who, in my opinion, has just the right balance of cautiousness and confidence as he faces the world. Your way is not the only way, dear Pete. <BR> <BR>By the way, I've been contributing to this forum for about a year, and this is the first time someone has given me a hard time about my post! I guess I'm now <BR>truly initiated into the Fodor club. Oh joy.

As I read this post I wondered about how my own preconceptions of NYC affected my response. I have used hotel "nanny services" (and yes that is what the hotel's usually call them) several times, all were positive experiences. <BR>The first time was in Steamboat Springs. We were traveling with another family and we wanted to take our two five year olds on a sleigh ride that wouldn't be appropriate for our two one-year olds. The hotel recommended a local nanny service and we contacted the owner. Because the children were so young, the "nanny" came over to meet us before the sleigh ride. I remember she was from Australia and was a truly lovely person. She gave us some local references to check out. The evening went just fine, in fact, after we returned she stayed for awhile for tea and told us about Australia and her decision to come to America - I believe she had married an American building Contactor. <BR> <BR>When I think of leaving a 7 year-old alone with a stranger in NYC I must admit I cringe - but is it really any different than leaving one-year olds with stranger from Australia in Steamboat? Was our Steamboat "nanny" any less likely to abuse or kidnap our Babies? I guess the difference, to me, probably is that Steamboat is still a small town and people still know each other. As I think about this question, I realize that all the places I have used a hotel "nanny" service have been areas where I have really felt safe. I don't know if I would ever really feel "safe" in NYC - even with my kids right by my side. I'm sure this isn't a really fair observation. It is just an observation that sometimes our perceptions of a destination can strongly affect our decision making process.

Methinks this whole question was a troll post. I'm always suspicious when someone cries "Help!" and then never posts back to the responses the post has generated. It seems to be a sort of sit back and see what comes of it game some people play.

Joe People thought you were nasty because you sounded sarcastic. Obviously you have never used a Nanny service they provide a sitter for as little as a couple of hours, an entire day or a permanent position.