Babysitting,... whats the form here?

[snifter]

This is more for those who know Aussies with kids and perhaps how they go about their baby sitting arrangements for an evening/night out or who have Aussies babysit for them. But others welcome to chip in with their views.

 

Currently when we ask Aus family members to babysit, usually we get in reply something along the lines of "Sure, what time are you dropping off and picking up?" This means they are asking what time we are dropping child off at their house and what time are we picking up.

 

I am generally used to if I ask someone to babysit then they come to us for the duration. Easier often with younger kids who have an earlier bedtime and/or who perhaps may not settle in someone elses home if having to go to bed and sleep etc. If I wanted a really late night out I'd ask my Mum to babysit and stay overnight and then either stay out for the night or creep in in the very wee small hours for a few hours kip before little people woke. Rarely did I ever have mine stay somewhere else so I could go out for a few hours of an evening to the movies or some such. In fact, till we moved here, never.

 

So, is this anything like what you experience here? Or do people come to you for a few hours, happy to watch your Foxtel or use your internet, have a bit of food, warm house or do they expect you to take your children to them, often earlier so they arrive well before bedtime and then you pick them up at 11pm say on the way home (possibly detouring on your usual route had you been able to head straight home).

 

If I get asked to babysit, I'm happy to go to them. In fact, I'd rather do that than trying to settle a child in my home to sleep for a couple of hours or so. It doesn't really happen though as they tend to go for the overnights or taking child to someones home over me going there.

 

Is this the norm or is it just my Aus family and their thing? If its just them then

[NicF]

It's you, you're not doing properly. When my OH asks his sister to have the kids he asks if she will have them overnight. And if he is really careful he can even get her to come and pick them up and then drop them off again afterwards.

[monty9110]

We either get a babysitter & pay them to sit at our house or if kids are going to friends house to be looked after, they will normally have a sleepover & I collect them in the morning.