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For ski chat, join the Mumsnet Ski forum. Check out our guide to the best resorts in Europe and our family ski holiday packing list.

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Ski and snowboarding

Desperate to ski - but have a toddler and baby...what are good options? short break/temp nanny?

20 replies

boompi · 15/01/2008 11:14

Have had a dreadful few months and really need a holiday. Skiing would be first choice as Ive missed last three years being pregnant etc.

DD is 2 and ds is 5mo. I know we could take them with specialist holiday people but they will cost loads and prob not get much out of it. Other option would be to leave them with inlaws and go for 3/4 days. But grandparents wouldnt cope with them all day PLUS the sleepless nights (ds wakes 3-4 times a night Can you get a 'nanny' ie help for such a short period?
Maybe take the baby and leave dd with grandparents - she sleeps okay 4 nights a week

Any experienced travellers wit ideas/good chalets with nanny etc?

OP posts:

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thefunkypea · 15/01/2008 11:43

I went skiing w dh and dd last March when dd was 4 mths old, and we had a fantastic time. We went w Snowline and stayed in a beautiful (but reasonable!) chalet in Morzine. My sister and bil invited us to join their bigger group, so we did have some help lugging boots, buggy and baby at the airports.

We 'hired' a nanny through Snowline (childcare is their big thing - they have one nursery in Val d'Isere and outside of that they just offer nannies). The nanny cost £450 for the week - 5 and a half days - and we thought it was well worth it. Our nanny had tons of experience and dd took to her immediately - it was the first time we left her. She even was available for babysitting in the evenings (extra!) if we needed her.

Snowline provided cot, highchair, toys, steriliser, welcome pack w nappies. We only took the basics.

The nannies have generally worked w the company for years and all have references and qualifications. They can look after a few children at a time depending on their age.

We will definitely use Snowline again and would recommend them to anyone! I had had a v frazzling first 4 mths w dd and had to be talked into going by dh, and I came back a new woman (being cooked for for a week helped too ).

Nip · 15/01/2008 11:50

My DS doesnt sleep well, and is a handful, however he stays with PIL when we go skiing. We have weighed up taking him with us, but it's just so expensive. We can't wait until he's a little older and he can come with us, and learn to ski etc.

Sorry that doesnt answer your question does it!

Surr3ymummy · 15/01/2008 12:00

Any chance the in-laws could come with you and look after the children during the day? It would up the cost of course, but I don't think there's a cheap way of going skiing with a baby and a toddler!

We're going to a chalet with SIL (2 DDs) and PIL in March, and PIL will be looking after DS - 17mths whilst we ski with DDs - 12 & 10. We plan to be back at the chalet for lunch with DS, put him down for his after lunch nap, and ski whilst he's asleep and then spend some time playing in the snow with him too!

We're driving down to Courchevel, as it's cheaper and saves lugging loads of stuff through airports..

Bink · 15/01/2008 12:08

If dd could be made to feel that staying w/ grandparents by herself is a treat (so she doesn't feel left out), then taking baby & leaving toddler might be good idea - and then you can do what my brother & SIL did once, which is to find a local childminder (in the resort) to have the baby while you ski. (They made sure that the person they used was very well-known to their hotel, highly recommended, etc. - and of course for a 5mo it didn't matter whether they spoke fluent English (it maybe would matter for a toddler) - lots cheaper than an English-speaking holiday nanny.)

boompi · 15/01/2008 12:08

How long woulddrive be? To Chamonix?
We have friends going to Chamonix with a baby in march - maybe we could just take ds and take turns skiing? They would be up for that...

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Surr3ymummy · 15/01/2008 12:58

RAC website says just over 9 hours from Calais to Chamonix, which is a bit further than Courchevel then, which we usually do in about 8 hours.

Having said that, because we are travelling with a toddler this time, we are breaking our journey near Lyon - so we will get a lunchtime eurotunnel arriving about 1pm, drive for 2 hours, stop for 30 mins, and drive for another 2 hours, arriving Lyon early evening - about 6pm so that DS can go to bed usual time. In the morning we'll drive for 2 hours, stop and drive for another 2 hours, arriving in the resort lunchtime - ready to ski! Hotels in France are usually pretty reasonable - and the eurotunnel we booked some time ago was only £150 - whereas the transfer to and from the airport to resort would have cost us about £500, not to mention the cost of the flights for 4 plus toddler.

On the way back, we'll leave late morning and drive all the way back, stopping every couple of hours - but he should at least be asleep for the last stretch anyway, as we are planning to get back about midnight.

If you can find someone else with a child of a similar age, then that would probably be the answer - you could do a mix of one of you staying with them, or share the cost of a nanny for a couple of mornings.

boompi · 15/01/2008 13:21

That is very useful - thanks. Other couple havent even had baby yet - she is being induced tomorrow but have booked a week in courcheval in march!!

How would you go about looking for good childcare in ski resort? i cant speak french. The other couple obviously wont want to leave their tiny baby and have said they will help out but some part time childcare options would be good as im not sure they know how tough it may be!

getting excited now. just hope my ski gear still fits as my belly is bigger than it was!!

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boompi · 15/01/2008 13:22

sorry chamonix

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StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 15/01/2008 13:47

I went to Chamonix the other year and my friend had to find childcare quick as the pingu club wouldn't take her son all day (he didn't settle). She went to the tourist info place and they gave her a list of recognised "nannys". Now I have no idea what qualifications these people had or if they're just babysitters. But she rang one and she came the next day and was wonderful, spoke a fair amount of Engliah, came to the chalet and looked afetr the little boy and did crayoning, etc. She had to use a 2nd nanny later on in the week as 1st one couldn't do one day and the 2nd one was great as well.

Do you want me to see if she still has their contact details as I think she may have kept them?

wheelybug · 15/01/2008 14:59

Boompi - we go with www.skibeat.co.uk - they have creches with British nannies which take children from about 3 months. They will also do private nannies.

boompi · 15/01/2008 16:38

Yes please SKSS!
How old was your friends little boy?

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StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 15/01/2008 17:21

He was 3.

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 15/01/2008 17:24

I've emailed my friend, will let you know.

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 15/01/2008 22:10

She hasn't still got name or number but says if you email the Cham tourist office they will send you a list of approved people.

boompi · 16/01/2008 11:30

Thanks skss.

How do you get around in snow with babies? Buggies? sled things, backpacks?

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greyskythinker · 16/01/2008 12:48

we went to Morzine with dd when she was 10 months old and booked her in to the resort run nursery, which was very reasonable - I seem to remember it was approx £130 for the week. She seemed very happy there. Have never tried skiing with a baby in a backpack, but for getting around the resort, you can hire prams with massive wheels from intersport, again pretty cheap. Don't bring your own pram because wheels are probably too small to be any use in the snow, and snow / salt will wreck the bearings.

StripeyKnickersSpottySocks · 17/01/2008 12:19

It depends on the resort - when I was in Morzine our little £30 buggy was fine as there was no snow that low down.

Other resorts which are higher than probably a backpack would be better.

tortoiseSHELL · 17/01/2008 12:21

We take our kids up to Scotland each year for ski-ing - the older 2 are starting to ski as well now, but up till now we have taken my mum, who has shared the cost, and looked after the kids a bit for us.

boompi · 17/01/2008 13:20

Weve decided to leave dd, take ds and go to chamonix with friends. Found a company called baby-cham that does day and night babysitters. Reckon we will share childcare with friends and use babysitters on 1 or 2 days.

www.baby-cham.com/

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Tammy78 · 06/06/2010 22:08

Hi boompi - did you ever use baby-cham? I'm desperatly looking for someone who has used them! Thanks!

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