Sending a child to a relative or friend for a few days or more requires planning. How to make it as smooth as possible for everyone
M azel tov! It’s a new baby — and now big brother and sister need a place to stay while you’re recuperating. Or maybe you need to go out of town for a simchah or family emergency or — lucky you — a vacation. Who takes care of the kids?
Whether you’re farming out your little ones to siblings kind neighbors or even paid babysitters you need a plan to make sure they’re comfortable and have what they need — and won’t drive their caretakers crazy.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a bubby in the neighborhood to sleep at when Mommy and Tatty aren’t around. And sometimes Bubby isn’t even the best option for long-term sleepovers. When you’re trying to decide whom to ask to take care of the kids think about both where your child will be most comfortable and who will be comfortable taking him in. A family with a child around his age is often your best bet. Then he’ll have a playmate who will probably be on a similar schedule.
Sara from Brooklyn 40 remembers hosting a preteen family member when she was the parent of two young children. “Since he started school way before my kids I had to wake up quite early to get him ready for school ” she recalls. “When he got home from school it was almost my kids’ bedtime. He kept complaining that he was bored.”
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