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.

How to interview your sitter

The interview is an important step in finding the right sitter for your ohana. Keiki Sitters makes the process easier by vetting potential sitters for you to choose from, but it’s important for you to meet with and interview a sitter to ensure you find the one that’s perfect for your family.

We recruit our sitters from the local universities and community colleges. We specifically visit the classrooms of students majoring in early childhood development, education and nursing. These sitters have a passion for caring for others and plan on making a life-long commitment to it.

Keiki Sitters has two requirements for someone interested in joining our services:

1. The sitter must be at least 18 years old.
2. The sitter must return a clean background check.

The background check is a national criminal search that checks all 50 states for felonies and misdemeanors. It is so thorough that we can even sometimes see minor traffic violations.

Once the sitter has returned a clean background check and her age is verified, she can then log onto www.KeikiSitters.com and upload her photo, fill out her profile, resume, references and availability calendar.

Because we are an online service, anyone can sign up. It is very important that parents conduct interviews to ensure the sitter has the qualifications they are seeking (CPR/First Aid, a certain number of years of experience, etc.) and that the sitter's personality is a good match for their family.

Sitter interview questions

To help ensure you find the right sitter for your ohana, ask these interview questions:

• What do you like and dislike about babysitting?
• What would you do if a babysitting job lasts longer than expected?
• Would you have a backup ride home in case we could not drive you home?
• What is your past childcare experience?
• How old are the children you’ve babysat for in the past?
• Do you have any allergies to or are you uncomfortable with cats, dogs or other pets? (Tailor this question to the pets in your home)
• Can you drive in the case of an emergency?
• What do you do when a child won’t go to sleep?
• What is your proudest babysitting moment?

It is very important that you speak with parents who employed this sitter in the past. Ask them questions such as:

• Did she ever cancel or not show?
• Was she ever late?
• Did she ever bring crafts or toys from her home?
• Does she do light house keeping while the children are sleeping, without being asked?
• Does she dress conservatively?
• Did your children ask for her when she was not there?
• Do you trust her with the valuables in your home?

One important question to ask toward the end of your conversation is:

“I understand that this sitter has done a fabulous job caring for your children and that you strongly recommend her, but if there was just one thing that you could change about her, what would it be?”

Past employers who have had a good experience with their sitter will often share the positive things and neglect to tell you the little things that bothered them. Using this question will show them that they can open up to you, because you understand how wonderful this sitter is. If the parent still has nothing that they would change about her, then you know you have found a keeper!

Find the perfect sitter for your family; join us online at http://KeikiSitters.com.

Announcing Our First Giveaway with Baby Banz!

Keiki Sitters and Baby Banz have 

teamed up for a holiday giveaway!

Baby Banz is a brilliant company which was originally born in Australia. With the deterioration of ozone, their keiki-friendly sunglasses continue to fly off shelves. 

We'll be drawing for (2) $30 gift certificates on January 2nd!

Here's how to enter:

LIKE us on Facebook (two entries)
Follow us on Twitter (one entry)
Re-Tweet the giveaway (one entry)
Post a comment below on which Baby Banz product is on your wishlist (one entry)

Thanksgiving Treats for Kids

Turkey and stuffing is right around the corner. 

To celebrate, we've rounded up some of this season's most 

creative treat ideas that your keiki will love to help make and eat. 

Woman's Day has whipped up pilgrim hats that are easily assembled with 

three ingredients (chocolate wafers, orange frosting, and peanut butter cups). 

Tonya Stabb has two Thankgiving cupcake winners that we are crazy about:
cupcake pilgrims (take the Woman's Day recipe above to a whole new level)
and cupcake turkeys.                                                                                                               

Plymouth Rock cookies add historical context.

Disney's FamilyFun gets creative with edible Indian corn

and a fun turkey-handprint pumpkin pie topper. 

We've saved the best for last.  

Aren't these Oreo turkeys from OurBestBites really too cute not to make?

We thought so. 

As always we're grateful for life and the opportunity
to work with such incredible families and sitters on a daily basis. 

New Twitter & Facebook Pages

Keiki Sitters has come a long way since our last post, and we have our wonderful community to thank for it!

This month, we're pleased to announce our brand new Facebook and Twitter pages. We look forward to building a meaningful community with families and sitters, and can't wait to hear your questions and keiki tips. Please like and follow us.

What else, you may ask, have we been up to besides entering the social media world? We're happy to report that Keiki Sitters now employs 380 sitters, works with almost 100 hotels, and handles 35+ group childcare events a month. It has been a busy couple of years!

Stay tuned for frequent updates on our whereabouts and fun ideas for your little ones.

Keikisitters.com has signed on it's 50th babysitter!

Hello babysitters and parents searching to connect in Hawaii's #1 babysitting service online community. Keikisitters.com is currently marketing to churches, schools, and hotels in Honolulu, HI to offer their great service connecting babysitters seeking work caring for parents loved ones who need a a babysitter.

If you are a parent you could sign up free today at http://www.keikisitters.com and babysitters we need you and want you to be successful. Our service provides you ongoing work including a background check to make parents feel safe about having you as a babysitter in their home. So don't hesitate sign up now!

-Kathy Custer, Keikisitters.com Staff.