The Vacation Sitter
My family and I ventured to Florida for
a month with our 18-month child and dog in tow. We rented a home in
Sarasota for the duration of the trip. We knew when we booked the
vacation that adult time was a must while we stayed in Sarasota and
definitely during our quick three-day jaunt to Miami.
Prior to our departure, we asked our
friends with kids if they have ever used an agency. Common responses
included, “No, I would never. You don’t know who these people
are, they will steal from you or worst, harm your baby!” These were
all justified fears of my own, but I wasn’t willing to give up the
dream of enjoying dinner once in a while without hearing our child
scream like a pterodactyl, or spend the entire meal picking up
Cheerios under the table.
So while The Husband was googling how
to make the perfect mojito, I was online searching for the perfect
sitter. There were many options: hire a nanny from an agency, Skype a
sitter from a classified ad, or if you are a millionaire with cash to
burn, bring your trusted sitter from home (The Husband spit out his
mojito when I suggested the latter). It was all very overwhelming but
after a bit of research we chose the agency option.
We used the Sarasota agency Elite
Family Care twice and the recommended babysitting service provided by
Lowes hotel while staying in Miami. Everything worked out
wonderfully! At Elite Family Care we requested the same sitter more
than once because we were familiar with her, she arrived on time, was
pleasant and was a teacher (or so she told us), so we felt very
comfortable.
At the hotel in Miami, we had a young college student
arrive in our tiny hotel room with her ipod, book light and college
text books. I am not going to lie, I was nervous leaving my child
with a complete stranger, but by the end of the experience (and a
couple glasses of wine later) I was over it and knew I would likely
do it again!
Here are tips to consider when choosing
your caregiver:
- Use an agency recommended by your hotel, or call the concierge service at highly reputable hotel for the name of their agencies if you are staying in a rental home or condo. Often these agencies will advertise this on their websites, but it’s best to confirm with the manager/concierge, especially if you’re staying elsewhere. I figured that the local Ritz or W hotel would only use excellent agencies for their guests, so I called in advance and told them a little white lie that I would be staying with them and needed the list of their recommended child care agencies to pre-book. Maybe one day I’ll actually stay there!
- Have all your questions written down. Common questions include the sitter’s CPR/First Aid training, references, and their day job. Are there any additional costs such as admin fees, hourly fees, and any additional fees past midnight or for an extra child? Does the agency perform REGULAR criminal background checks and drug tests? One agency owner told me she actually had a woman apply for the job, submitted the drug test and it was positive. The applicant just thought you had to provide the drug test not pass it. She obviously was not hired.
- Do your research in advance so you are not rushing and feel confident with your choice.
- If you are still nervous about your child actually interacting with someone new, make your plans after he/she is asleep.
- Contact the agency owner and inform him/her of your fears. This gave me the assurance I needed as there are so many services.
- Trust your instincts. It may not be ideal in every country. For instance, we travelled to Costa Rica and when the rental concierge told us that there were no sitters “off the top of his head” but that he could call his mother-in-law who “kinda liked kids,” we no doubt spent our evenings at home picking up Cheerios under the table.
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| Erin's gorgeous son enjoying the vacation. Photos courtesy of Erin. |
