I wanted to know if there is a way to take a vacation without your baby, when you have no family to watch them? I love staying at home with my baby girl but I need a few days off :)
M.
I am not sure that you would be able to get away for a whole week how ever you really do need time away that is imporant.
Hi M.!
At 10 months old, I think it's too early to leave her with someone you barely know for a week straight. If it's not family or friends, then you're trusting complete strangers to watch your child for an extended period of time. Is that something you really feel comfortable with? I don't think of myself as an over protective parent at all, but I would never even entertain that idea for a second. Maybe you should start by leaving her with the grandparents for a weekend getaway to see how she takes to you being gone for a couple days, and then go from there. I guess I'm also curious as to why you feel you need such a long vacation. You don't give much background in your request so I'm not sure if you're married or single. If you do have a husband/boyfriend, would he be willing to watch her while you went away for a couple days with friends? I understand the need for a break, but a week just seems a bit excessive. If you're single, I would definitely take the other mom's advice. Give one of these sitter sites a try just to give yourself some "me" time.
Good Luck!
Hello M.,
I operate a nanny agency, and although I do not place on-call sitters, I do have resources for nannies who will do overnight sitting and help me out. When a family is in the nanny interviewing process, I help them out with a temporary nanny. If you send me a private message, I'll pass along (for free) the name of someone I trust. I do like the advice of trying a weekend away rather than a full 7 days. A full week with someone other than family may be hard on you and the baby. My website is www.SolutionsHomeStaffing.com you can reach me via an email link.
Here are a couple of links for you...
http://www.sittercity.com/
http://www.babysitters.com/
You can search people in your area and one of them I know has a day calendar kind of thing where people can show their availability and it has blocks for overnight for those who are available for overnight care.
I know that you want to get away from your baby... but maybe you would consider taking her with you. There are places that are all inclusive you can go with kids that have daycare with certified nannies that will take care of your child during the day or half a day, while you enjoy the beach or tours and then in the afternoon you can pick up your baby and enjoy a quiet evening with her without having to cook or clean or anything. I don't know your financial situation but this might be a solution for you. Check with a local travel agency. Friends of mine have been to "Beaches" resorts with all of their kids and absolutely love it. You can check it out at www.beaches.com.
sittercity.com and nannies4hire.com are great sites to find sitters. I don't know if I would use one of the sites for a week long vacation without some prior experience or meeting. A week is a really long time for the child to be away from mom. I am a stay at home mom, so I totally understand the need to get away. And it really is a need. You need to get away from dirty diapers, crying, and feedings, even if just for an afternoon. Have you left your little girl over night before? You may want to hook up with someone on one of the websites and try them on a part time basis. You can try a few afternoons a week. That alone may leave you feeling regenerated and refreshed. I would build up to the overnight, then gradually leaving for an extended period of time.
Maybe you just need an afternoon off or maybe an overnight. A week is a long time to be separated from your infant. I can tell you that we all long for some time off, but please do not leave your baby with a stranger, especially someone you may meet on an internet site.
