Keiki-friendly staycations on Oahu

Oahu is a playground for keiki and adults of all ages. Why travel when we can look no further than our own backyards for fun with the family?

If you’re here visiting Oahu on vacation, welcome! Be sure to visit Keiki Sitters’ sister company, Aloha Sitters, to have a sitter come to your hotel. Our sitters can talk with you ahead of time about bringing your keiki on one of these fun activities.

Whether you live here or are visiting, these activities are sure to provide a fun day for keiki!

Hit the beach

Oahu’s beautiful beaches provide us with an endless amount of fun activities for keiki. Whether you’re watching surfers catch a wave, building castles in the sand, looking for sea creatures in the ocean or splashing on the shoreline, keiki are sure to have a fun time. Just be sure to keep them safe by applying and reapplying sunscreen, and always stay with them when they’re near or in the water.

Hike a trail

There are numerous hiking trails on Oahu that are appropriate for keiki, whether they’re little and you’re carrying them on your back or they’re a little bigger and are hiking with you. When choosing a trail, check the conditions ahead of time. If it’s an area that’s had rain, the trail may become muddy and slippery, which is not ideal for children. Trails with paved walkways, such as Makapu‘u Point Lighthouse Trail and Diamond Head Summit Trail, may be better choices. Both provide spectacular views, too.

Visit a museum

Rainy day? No problem! Even if it’s sunny out, spend some time visiting one of the island’s many museums. They’re a goldmine of information about culture, history, the environment and much, much more. Many will provide kama‘aina admission rates, so be sure to ask before you buy your ticket.

What are your favorite ways to have a staycation on Oahu? Share your ideas with us in the comments section below. For more information about Keiki Sitters, visit www.KeikiSitters.com and for more information about Aloha Sitters, visit www.AlohaSitters.com.

Love for the work makes for an outstanding sitter

Families all over the world are talking about Debbie. Visitors she’s babysat for recommend her to their friends who will be vacationing on Oahu, and request her for their return trips to paradise.

“I love my job,” Debbie said. And the families she sits for love her, too!

Debbie has been working for Keiki Sitters for about a year. Most of the families she babysits for are visitors; her Waikiki location makes it convenient for her to get to the hotels where they’re staying so the parents can get out and enjoy the island together.

“I love going to all the hotels. I love the families, I love the kids. It’s the perfect job,” Debbie said. “I really like the fact that I get to interact with people from other countries and I like the fact there’s all ages of children that I sit. I like that it’s always different.”

Before arriving for a babysitting job, Debbie does her homework. She prepares for the job by learning the ages of the children and if they’re boys or girls so she can fill her small suitcase with the appropriate activities. She always makes sure she looks neat and clean, wearing her Keiki Sitters shirt and a flower in her hair, which the kids and parents love to see.

 

Understanding that every parent has their own style of parenting, Debbie takes the time to talk with and listen to the parents. “I follow all their instructions to the T,” Debbie said. She also always makes sure she has a phone number available and tells the parents to feel welcome to call or text her. “A lot of parents do check,” Debbie said. “I make sure I’m always accessible.”

She also writes down what the keiki did while she was sitting for them, so when the parents return they know how much the kids ate, or napped, and of course, all the fun they had together! No matter what the age of the child or children she’s babysitting for, Debbie reminds herself that it’s their vacation, too. “They need to be safe, number one, but they need to be comfortable and they need to be having fun,” she said.

Debbie loves her job, which is what makes her such an outstanding sitter.

“It’s a gratification knowing that the families can enjoy themselves and also, it’s gratifying to me that I know the child – whether it’s a 2-month-old baby or a 12-year-old boy or girl – I know they’re having fun,” she said.