Sept 08: They're under starters orders .... and they're off .... well, some of them!

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

I thought I'd use this title as not all of our delicious babies are on the move yet, including mine

starlight I have just bought a new buggy. I also had a look at the pushachair shed last week - scary! Are these people made of money? Some of them have like six buggies, like a hobby. I felt very fish out of water. Do they actually use the buggies for LOs, or do they just collect them and obsess?

Anyhoo, we bought the petite star zia. It is so tiny and light! Now instead of having half the back seat down for the big buggy, this fits in a tiny corner. Folded up it is like the size of carry on luggage! You can tell I am happy with this.

We have just booked a babysitter through Sitters for our trip to London next week. Someone named Charlene who we have never met will come to the hotel at 6pm and then we will go out and leave our DD all alone with a stranger. This sounds like MADNESS!!! Surely this is not something a responsible parent would do. Help me get my head around this please.

Thanks starlight!

Ponymum - Would you hire a babysitter you had never met face to face?

why psml Starlight? and how come Nannynick saw this thread???

ponymum if they're through an agency I'm sure they're fine. I would book one like this if I was somewhere like Center Parcs and lots of others do.

Quite right Starlight
I'll leave you to it now

ponymum we used sitters when we were in the UK for DS1. The lady we had was amazing - we're still in touch with her 7 years on! She worked on the SCBU during the day, and had been a nanny. If your lady is anything like mine was you'll have no worries from the minute you meet her...

Hmmm... OK, I don't know whether to be freaked out or reassured.

Here's the situation: we are only in London for one night. This is the first time we are using Sitters. We haven't had a night out for a year. The babysitter they have assigned to us is apparently a teacher for her day job. She is arriving an hour before we have to leave. DD usually sleeps well in the evening, but the sitter will have to get her down shortly after we leave, and it is obviously a strange situation for DD.

Should I:
(a) chill, relax, and enjoy the night out?
(b) freak out, and either cancel or worry all night, and phone every 30 mins?
(c) something in between?

And nanynick, if you are still there, seriously, what is your professional opinion?
Also, I checked out your profile. Are you still "single and looking"? I have a friend who might like you. But she lives in New Zealand.

starlight ... not working so far is it?

Your mum babysitting is completely different, IMHO. This is a stranger. Would you really be that relaxed about it?

Well as you are asking...

While a teacher may sound good... I don't think they would have enough experience of caring for a baby. I do not feel that the agency has matched you with someone who has recent experience of caring for a similar aged child.

The teacher may not have: First Aid Training, especially Infant Resuscitation. Now they may well have that training... as a nanny I have that training updated every 3 years... are all teachers first aid trained?

When in strange places, children can sleep differently. Keeping your DD to your usual evening routine should help. How your DD reacts to someone else putting her to bed though will be an unknown... with luck the teacher will have the patience of a saint and be happy to sit with DD for as long as it takes (if that is what is needed to keep DD calm).

With first timers, I use TXT messaging to keep in touch with the parents (well usually it's the mother who wants the updates). I prefer to send the occasional txt to keep mum informed, rather than having mum phone ever 30 mins.

Many parents will use a babysitter they have never met. Many parents say it goes fine.
I'm not a parent so I don't know what it is like to leave a child with someone I've never met... but my gut feeling about it is that I would want to meet the person first. While the agency are sending the person an hour early, what happens if you don't feel the person is suitable - I guess you still pay and don't go out.

For a relaxed evening out you need to have as much confidence in the person who is caring for your DD as possible. With luck the teacher will bring with her a portfolio of childcare references, training certificates, Criminal Record Check, that kind of thing... so you can have a look through it and give yourself the confidence to leave your DD in their capable hands. As they are coming an hour early... your DD will also have some time to get to know them.

At the moment, I think option C.
Why the agency could not have assigned you a Nanny, Maternity Nurse, Nursery Nurse or Childminder I don't know... surely any one of those would be a better match than a teacher (who may have lots of experience with 5-10 year olds, but not babies).

Yep, still "single and looking"
I occasionally chat with a lady my-age-ish in New Zealand... wonder if your friend is the same person - doesn't run a childcare company does she?

Starlight I thought you were suggesting films for pony to watch for a while

I've bought a mutsy - hope I like it otherwise I'll have to become a permanent member of that pushchair thread.

Oh god... the agency phoned back within minutes of us making the request this morning, and said, this is the name of the babysitter we have assigned to you. Apparently they send a text msg to everyone on their books within a half mile radius in central London. Is this just the first person who responded? I am nervous now. I think what I will do is phone the agency on Monday and ask for the best possible most suitable person, e.g. nursery nurse etc. nannynick you are right, it needs to be someone with current experience of a 9 month old baby! They assured me it was.

No my friend in NZ doesn't run a childcare company. Account manager for an interiors design company. Do you want another pen friend?

ninja what is a mutsy?

it's this

I wanted something that faced both ways and was good to push.

I read some really good reviews a couple of days ago, and now that I've paid for it all I can see are really mixed ones.

I think it's bigger than I thought, but it doesn't have to go in the car as I have a cheap Maclaren for that.

Starlight that looks handy for 2 - good price too

starlight we will be at the theatre, and of course the whole point is to get immersed in the performance, isn't it? (esp with Ian McKellan, Patrick Stewart, etc) That's from 7:30 to 10:10 pm with an interval, then we are going to a chi chi restaurant and back home by 1am. It sounds so selfish when I put it like that... . I really thought it was possible to have a normal night out in a nice dress and everything. Now I am not so sure.

DH doesn't know why I am "suddenly worrying".

I had been thinking about this as it seemed a really good price for a new buggy

or a Britax vigour

well I've decided now so I can go to bed earlier - just have to stop myself worrying I made the wrong choice

Look at this fun seat you can get to fit on the chassis. I might have to look for one of these for when M is older

pony it's nannynick's job to persuade people that a nanny is better than a childminder/nursery/babysitter/....

Why not phone the agency and 1) ask about her experience with 9 month olds 2) ask about references. You won't be the first mum who's asked