Holidays and helpers - to take or not to take
- Thread starter NewBabyLA
- Start date
rani
Administrator
I think taking a helper is a very personal decision. We've always enjoyed being on our own, and have never taken our helper. Naps were usually taken in his stroller, and dinners were early and we'd just read or watch a movie after he would go to bed.
Will you be staying in a hotel or villa?
Will you be staying in a hotel or villa?
Definitely a personal decision, but we never take our helper on holidays in Asia. We do, however, stay at resorts that can arrange baby sitting for a couple hours in the afternoon or night so that we can scuba dive, hike, have dinner without baby. Have found that a baby sitter for a couple hours per day/night is more than enough.
We do take our helper to the US, but that is more because she really enjoys the opportunity to visit the US, we have a large place to stay there where she can have a private room and bathroom and it doesn't cost us like renting a second villa or room at a resort would, the trips are a bit longer and we both often have to work while there.
Have friends who do take their helper on all vacations, but they also have their helper do a lot more for their child at home than we do and they are very well off so they just rent another villa or a much larger villa so they can still have privacy.
We do take our helper to the US, but that is more because she really enjoys the opportunity to visit the US, we have a large place to stay there where she can have a private room and bathroom and it doesn't cost us like renting a second villa or room at a resort would, the trips are a bit longer and we both often have to work while there.
Have friends who do take their helper on all vacations, but they also have their helper do a lot more for their child at home than we do and they are very well off so they just rent another villa or a much larger villa so they can still have privacy.
Definitely a personal decision, but I think you also need to consider how old your baby is and how trusting you are about the babysitters. I am thinking about taking my helper to a resort as my baby is the age when he will cry and have separation anxiety if I leave him with a complete stranger. I expect that once he is pre-school age then we won't be taking any helper.
Also, there is a trust/safety issue. I don't know anything about the babysitters that the hotel provides so I would be more comfortable with my own helper. There was a lot of publicity about 5 or 6 years ago about a child who was abused at a hotel in Bali, so although unlikely it has happened before. This is an article from Conde Nast Traveler about how to judge child care in hotels that I thought was interesting: http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/1083?pageNumber=1. If we don't bring a helper, we might see if the grandparents or other family members want to come along to lend a pair of hands. I don't want to get to the resort and find that I am uncomfortable with their childcare arrangements as it would be nice to get a little time off to have dinner or do something etc without the baby.
Also, there is a trust/safety issue. I don't know anything about the babysitters that the hotel provides so I would be more comfortable with my own helper. There was a lot of publicity about 5 or 6 years ago about a child who was abused at a hotel in Bali, so although unlikely it has happened before. This is an article from Conde Nast Traveler about how to judge child care in hotels that I thought was interesting: http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/1083?pageNumber=1. If we don't bring a helper, we might see if the grandparents or other family members want to come along to lend a pair of hands. I don't want to get to the resort and find that I am uncomfortable with their childcare arrangements as it would be nice to get a little time off to have dinner or do something etc without the baby.