I did some basic research trying to find a nanny service that the local hotels use to accommodate their guests and I quickly came upon Nannies On Call. They are a Canada based company that works out of Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler, Calgary, Toronto and Kelowna. They do permanent placement of nannies for families looking for someone to consistently care for their children, but they also can help you out at the last minute if your regular nanny is on vacation or calls in sick etc. But where we benefited was with their On-Call service. We purchased one of their Agency Plans which set us up for 10 bookings with one of their pre-screened nannies and we went from there. The way that they work is you pay the agency a flat rate for each booking (By purchasing a package you get a discounted rate per booking) and then you pay your nanny directly after each booking by either cash or check. Our nannies charged $15/hour which was the standard rate set by Nannies on Call for Vancouver.
When I first called the company to set up our account and get everything started, I was amazed at how sweet, kind and thoughtful the booking agent I spoke to was. I thought maybe it was a fluke and I had spoken to their nicest agent, but throughout our stay when I would call to set up a couple more bookings, or they would call us to confirm a date every single person was so nice and so sweet, I was amazed! Nannies On Call worked very hard to get us consistent nannies for each booking because they realized how difficult it could be for a child to be left with a different stranger 10 times in 22 days! They did a wonderful job and throughout our stay we only had 4 different nannies - all of which were phenomenal.
As any parent would be, The Hubs and I were a bit nervous for our first night out -who was this person we were going to be leaving our child with? Would they care for him like we do? Would they be nice? Would they try to steal him and sell him on the black market...oh wait, is that not a normal fear? Weird. But we were put to rest, the moment Anastasia came to the door. She immediately got on the floor with Mr. L and started playing. Making him laugh, making him feel comfortable and when the time came for us to leave, Mr. L didn't even notice (Really buddy? Could at least pretend to act concerned that Mommy and Daddy are leaving you with a complete stranger?!). As nannies would come and then return another night, they got to know Mr. L more and more. Some would bring him toys (once they realized we brought the bare minimum for toddler entertainment with us!), but they all were wonderful. One of our bookings was for 8 hours during the day (yes, we splurged and enjoyed a full day together with our friends from home!) - when we arrived home, we walked in and heard the sweet sound of our baby boy laughing hysterically with his nanny. He didn't even care that we were home, he just wanted to keep playing!
When we set out on this month long adventure, we weren't sure where we would go, or how we would manage our time with our baby along for the ride. I am so grateful we ended up in Vancouver and that Nannies on Call was such an amazing service. It gave The Hubs and I a chance to feel like we were on an actual relaxing vacation, while giving our child a chance to be entertained by someone new. If you are ever in Canada, I would highly recommend Nannies On Call. We will definitely be using them again whenever we return.
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