A hotel babysitter can be the difference between a relaxing family holiday for adults or parents being cooped up in a darkened quiet room every night.
But how can you make sure it is safe to leave your children with a stranger when you are in a foreign place and don’t have any recommendations?
Here are our Babysitters on Demand family travel tips for using hotel babysitting and maintaining peace of mind when overseas.
When you are selecting a hotel babysitter, choose a hotel employee.
If you are staying at a large international family friendly accommodation chain, they should be quite open about providing credentials such as how long the hotel babysitter has worked on staff and what their experience is with children. If you are staying at a private villa or smaller family friendly accommodation, often you can request someone that you have already interacted with during the day (such as the cleaning lady) to stay on and act as
If you are staying at a private villa or smaller family friendly accommodation, often you can request someone that you have already interacted with during the day (such as the cleaning lady) to stay on and act as babysitter for a couple of extra hours. Ask for a photocopy of their ID so you have it on hand if you need it.
Ask for a photocopy of their ID so you have it on hand if you need it.
Ask for someone who speaks English.
Or any other language you speak in your family.
Otherwise if the hotel babysitter can’t communicate with you or your kids, an unnecessary misunderstanding is more likely to arise.
If you only want a female hotel babysitter, say so upfront.
Otherwise you might get a rude shock later.
If you’re really unsure about using a hotel nanny, you can bring your own instead. To find out how Babysitters on Demand can assist you with this, contact us today!
Ask if it’s possible to meet the hotel babysitter beforehand.
Don’t undervalue your gut instinct; it can tell you a lot about a person. kids have a good gut instinct as well. Having them meet the hotel babysitter beforehand will give you a sense of whether there is any relationship as well as ensuring the kids will at least be familiar with her face when she arrives.
Kids too have a good gut instinct as well. Having them meet the hotel babysitter beforehand will give you a sense of whether there is any relationship as well as ensuring the kids will at least be familiar with her face when she arrives.
Having them meet the hotel babysitter beforehand will give you a sense of whether there is any relationship as well as ensuring the kids will at least be familiar with her face when she arrives.
Assume the hotel babysitter knows nothing about kids, so do as much as you can yourself.
Even if she is very experienced, the standards of childcare in other countries and the expectations of a hotel babysitter can vary widely.
To avoid confusion, do as much as possible to get your kids ready for bed before you leave. This is particularly true of babies and young kids.
Opt for a late dinner restaurant booking for yourself so your children can already be fed, bathed and possibly even in bed (or at least winding down) and you can be sure everything is done how you like it.
Give really clear instructions.
Again, presume the hotel babysitter knows nothing about kids and be sure to point out all your expectations (in a polite and friendly manner, of course).
Instructions such as “Please do not leave the kids in the room on their own at any time,” or “Please do not let anyone else, including your boyfriend, into the room while we are away,” will make it clear to both of you what her role is.
Leave clear, written contact details of where you can be found in case of an emergency.
Leave your mobile number as well as the telephone number of the restaurant and your name so she or the kids can call if they need to. If you are in a hotel, it is a good idea to leave these details with the front desk as well and to let them know that you are away so they can keep an eye out too.
Have snacks, milk, nappies and comforting toys out for the hotel nanny to use if required.
Remove any valuables from temptation.
Make use of the hotel safe and lock anything valuable in there (including passports) to avoid any potential misunderstandings.
Ask the hotel babysitter to arrive 15-20 mins before you leave so you have time to get to know her.
Make the effort to sit down and ask her about her experience, if she has kids and to get to know her personality.
Manage your expectations about bedtime.
If the hotel babysitter is someone you are using once off it can be difficult for her to feel she has the authority to get the kids to sleep by a certain time.
Check in, call.
Let the babysitter know you are going to call at some point in the evening sends the message that you are keeping an eye on things back in the room even while you’re away.