Looking for sitter and things to do whilst in Edinburgh over the summer

[saffy1]

hi there,

We're going to be staying in Edinburgh over the summer as my husband's doing a show at the festival this year. I'm keen to find an evening babysitter so I can get out and about a bit - can anyone recommend a sitter or agency?

Also places to visit outside Edinburgh- fancy getting out for some walks and country/sea air (I know there;s loads to do at the festival but I've never been anywhere except Edinburgh in Scotland) any tips would be great. Ideally they will be within a couple of hour's drive away. We have three kids - 9, 8 and 5.

Thanks,

In East lothian there is North Berwick - lovely seaside town with a good sea bird centre. You can get boat trips out to the Bass Rock from there. Also the 5 year old would love East Links Family Park near Dunbar. There are ruined castles worth exploring at Dirleton and Tantallon.

Fife has some lovely beaches, eg Ely and St Andrews is worth a visit. Anstruther does fab fish and chips.

I think there is a sitter agency called something like Butterflies?

hi there

there is a lovely girl who works at our playgroup (so got all her disclosure forms etc) who does some babysitting for us, i am sure she'd be up for helping you. i'll check with her, and let you know.

Hi, just resurrecting/hijacking this thread I live in Edinburgh, and am desperate to find a babysitter for my 9-month-old DS so that DP and I can start to occasionally have some time together. I just spoke with the Butterfly Personnel people and they sound great, but at £10 per hour with a four-hour minimum, it is a bit pricey. I am sure they're worth it, but I don't think we can really afford that and it will not have the desired effect of allowing us to go out for a couple of hours together on a semi-regular basis.

Anyone got any tips about how to go about finding a good, more affordable sitter in Edinburgh? Are there particularly useful message boards or listings somewhere that I don't know about?

bump

Hi paperdoll, couple of options for you. Firstly www.sitters.co.uk is cheaper than that per hour. Secondly you could try setting up a babysitting circle with some friends www.mynightoff.com is what we use and its a fab way of having a night off without having to pay for it. Thirdly, ask all your neighbours, particularly those with aged 16+ teenagers who would be delighted with a tenner a night and you have the inbuilt experience of their parents near by.

Good luck, it is nice to go out without kiddies sometimes.

Thanks for that!

Super Mums is an agency which can provide you babysitters. Their website is www.supermums.co.uk if you want to check it out.