Summer nanny vs camp

[Anonymous]

Hi All,
So rising 7th grader and rising 3rd grader. I was planning on having them in summer camp all summer...but curious if anyone had a summer nanny...like a college student? Is this a thing? Does it work? Thoughts...Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I would try and do a combo of both. Unless you live close to things to entertain your kids every day or don't mind a summer Nanny driving then you will have bored kids on your hands.
Can you do some half day camps? Or just a few weeks and do a Nanny the rest of the time?

[Anonymous]

I've done both. My kids really liked going to half day camps (or camps till 1 or 2pm) and spending the rest of the day with a sitter for a combo of socialization and downtime. We also have a pool membership so the sitter takes them there and they can swim.

The disadvantage of a sitter is that most go back to college (or on vacation with their families) by early or mid August. And not every responsible, nice college kid has the capacity to engage kids constructively and make up activities to fill so many hours. We've had great ones and one really mediocre one. It's not easy to make a change if it's not working as it's hard to find people midsummer.

[Anonymous]

I think my kids would be on electronics or fighting with each other or it would cost too much to send them for activities every day. We don’t have a neighborhood with kids playing outside all day. I’d rather they be in camps.

[Anonymous]

Combo. I've done both and both get old after awhile.

[Anonymous]

We do it but only for summer swim season/the first 6 weeks of summer. Swim team and the pool keep the kids busy enough that they don’t kill one another. Still after 6 weeks they are ready for camp.

[Anonymous]

Camp. Summer babysitters are great at picking kids up and shuttling them to next activity or pool - but a college kid would not be able to engage my kids all day, five days a week.

[Anonymous]

We do both. My kids HATE all day camp, plus many of the good camps are half day. Out babysitter basically shuttles them to camps. Also we have weeks with bo camp andnthry hang with friends or do nothing. She also takes them to Kings Dominion once or twice a summer.

Its expensive, since we have her full time, plus the camps and activities. However we think this is what is best for our kids.

[Anonymous]

Another “both”. DD goes to a couple different camps during the summer and has enrichment activities she has to do in the afternoons for her school over summer vacation. We had a summer nanny who was majoring in German which is DD’s second language. Nanny graduated last spring so we’re trying to line up a new nanny for next summer.

[Anonymous]

Nanny. Morning/until finished with enrichment is at home. Pool as soon as it opens, kids don’t get tired of it.

[Anonymous]

Both. Especially at that age. Will caveat that if the 7th grader is doing enough volunteer work then it could replace camp. And a drop in center may meet the 3rd grader's needs better than camp.

We have a similar situation- a rising 7th grader and rising 1st grader. The kids will do swim team in the morning, the youngest will then go to a drop in camp, and the 7th grader will do a mix of half day academic and sports camps, and volunteer work. The 7th grader will also do sleepaway camp and we will go for 3 weeks to Europe. The key is to plan an active summer.