In Reply to: Hiring Nannys posted by Jojolee on Tuesday, 9. August 2011 at 05:58 Bali Time:
right for you, and ignore the many negative responses I am sure you will receive regarding hiring a nanny.
Before my trip 2 years ago (first time with kids) I considered hiring a nanny / babysitter at night so my husband & I could go out for dinner, got some recommendations from the forum but ultimately decided not to go ahead with using one after arriving.
Wait and see how your kids (especially the 3yo) adjust to being in a foreign country, an unfamiliar environment etc before introducing a stranger. For my little girl, Bali was a complete culture shock initially (the heat & humidity, traffic, noise, motorbikes etc were very overwhelming for her) and she hated letting us out of her sight (even to the point that she was not happy to stay with Dad and her stepsister while I went somewhere). Within a few days she was fine but it still didn't feel right to leave her with someone she didn't know. Instead, hubby & I would take it in turns to have some time to ourselves.
Unfortunately this did mean that we had no real "couple" time and missed out on eating at some great restaurants but we are pretty much used to that at home as we have no grandparents to babysit :o) I can honestly say we all still had a fantastic & relaxing holiday.
Only you can make the call as to what is right for your kids. Good luck with the decision :o)