To Really:

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.

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,
talk to her, ask her questions, watch her interact with your child.
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"????
"Don't miss out on life"???? Wow!
You are somebody's mother!!! Am I fortunate you are not the mother of my children! But.....you keep those
fingers crossed while you're out there
not missing out on life! Raising kids is
not like buying a lottery ticket, Susan!

Pete,
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?

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.
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.

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
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.
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.

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.