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Home » Tips » A Dependable, Free Babysitter Anywhere in the World
TipsTravel

A Dependable, Free Babysitter Anywhere in the World

Matthew Klint Posted onApril 10, 2017 9 Comments

I hope this post does not get me reported to child protective services…

My wife and I have started employing a cheap, dependable babysitter when we need to get out for a few minutes. Her name? FaceTime, courtesy of Apple Computer. Best of all, she is available anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. She’s cheap too — just a small charge once in awhile.

In all seriousness, we did start using FaceTime during our last trip to Europe to go downstairs to dinner or for a short walk. It worked like a charm every time. Usually this would be later in the evening after Augustine’s normal bedtime. We were faced with three choices — order room service (the delivery, lights, and eating would keep him up), take him with us out (and then hear him cry all night), or let him sleep in a darkened hotel room while being able to watch and hear him.

The choice was obvious.

We never strayed too far. One time we went down to the hotel restaurant for an 8EUR bottle of water. Another time we used the hotel fitness center. One time we went for a short walk outside. I suppose someone could have walked in on the baby like they walked in on us at 3AM, but we were never more than two minutes away.

One time the connection cut out. No problem — we just went back upstairs.

FaceTime Babysitting
APPLE (cropped)

CONCLUSION

So there you have it. I post this not because we are the first couple to think of using FaceTime as a babysitter — after all, two-way monitors have been around for 30+ years. I post it because I still get a chuckle that almost all hotel guides have babysitters available. Maybe it’s just me, but after watching The Man Who Knew Too Much, I’d rather take my chances with FaceTime.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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9 Comments

  1. Greg Reply
    April 10, 2017 at 12:04 pm

    Honestly, since you asked, I wouldn’t do that. There’s a difference between using a baby monitor in your house and FaceTime while you’re downstairs in a lobby restaurant.

    Let’s think about worst case scenarios. What would you have done if there had been a fire alarm, the elevators stop working and hotel staff does what they’re supposed to do, and block everyone but firefighters from going up the stairs?

    What if that fire started in the room next to your child’s? You wouldn’t have known about it until it might have been too late.

    I wouldn’t, in a million years, have left the building. What if you and your wife were tragically hit by a car?

    We all have different parenting strategies, and I freely admit that my wife and I don’t have enough date nights for our own good, but I can’t buy into this one.

  2. Jerry Reply
    April 10, 2017 at 12:21 pm

    You can’t control every single variable to guarantee you will be there for your child in every single situation. I used a baby monitor app and put my daughter to bed and had a wonderful dinner downstairs with family. As long as you’ve got eyes and ears, I see nothing wrong with spending some alone adult time. Traveling with kids is hard enough. The parents need a life and need to connect in meaningful ways because maintaining a healthy marriage is hard but do important for your children to see and observe.

  3. Christian Reply
    April 10, 2017 at 12:33 pm

    Your approach seems sensible enough. The chances of some catastrophic event such as an earthquake or the hotel suddenly catching fire seem pretty low.

  4. Santastico Reply
    April 10, 2017 at 1:28 pm

    That is a really good idea BUT I would never do that outside my own home and with me inside. I would never ever leave my kids alone in a hotel room even if is just to go downstairs. Again, not criticizing your decision, this is just me.

  5. Greg Reply
    April 10, 2017 at 1:36 pm

    @Jerry – But in this case, you actually *can* control for the risks I described, by getting a babysitter. That’s what my wife and I do on vacation.

    I have no doubt in the world that if something went wrong with a kid in this context, the parents *would* be held legally responsible.

    Every parent has their own risk tolerance. While I’d consider taking that risk with my kids now, I wouldn’t have done it when they were just crawling.

  6. AB Reply
    April 10, 2017 at 1:51 pm

    At home in a familiar environment maybe (but I wouldn’t leave my property though), but in a new location especially a new country I wouldn’t take the chance.

    I get that parents need some alone time too, but not at the expense of leaving the babysitting to a telephone/tablet.

    Bite the bullet and get a babysitter or accept the fact that any plans while on vacation with a child will include that child no matter what

  7. Billiken Reply
    April 10, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    After the McCann incident, I’d be too scared to be more than about 30 seconds away — even with video.

  8. MeanMeosh Reply
    April 10, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    I dunno – I don’t think I could ever get comfortable relying on Facetime for that purpose. I’d be paranoid that with my luck, Murphy’s Law will take hold, the fire alarm will go off, and he’ll have a massive freak-out that scars him for life.

    BTW, probably too late to do this now, but one thing we did from the start was to put Ashok to sleep in the living room or family room, with the sounds of the house all around him. That helped, a lot; he can sleep through pretty much anything. Except when our cat Hercules walks by and meows at full blast in his face…

  9. Heidi Reply
    May 6, 2017 at 11:43 pm

    There are several apps available. One of them is called NannyPhone. So while it is not a real human, it carries at least the same title. They function in “every distance” lol. You may take comfort in that you can’t be that bad of a parent since these apps seem to be quite popular.

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