By Matt Villano, on January 7, 2014

Childcare in Las Vegas

You’ve schlepped the family to Las Vegas when, suddenly, it hits you: you and your spouse want (er, deserve) a night on the town alone. Who you gonna call? Here’s a list of child-minding options you can trust.

Phone the concierge

The concierge desks at most major Las Vegas Strip resorts are equipped with references for child-minders and nannies upon request. Most properties, such as the MGM Grand, refer curious parents to local services. Other resorts – especially smaller ones, like some of the hotels in downtown Las Vegas – have pre-qualified individuals on their lists, too.

 

In most cases, the concierge will NOT book a sitter on your behalf; instead, he or she will present you with the list and let you make the arrangements on your own. This is a liability issue; none of the local resorts want to be held accountable if something should go wrong. This means it’s up to you to perform due diligence once you get these lists and run background checks on whoever you choose.

 

Hire an independent service

Instead of operating through your resort’s concierge, you also can set out to reserve a child-minder on your own. Las Vegas is home to dozens of babysitting services; some reputable, others not quite so much.

 

One service that everyone seems to love: Nannies & Housekeepers U.S.A. This organization is one of the oldest and most reputable babysitting service providers in the Las Vegas Valley. The sitters/nannies are famous for bringing sacks of toys and games with them to every booking. What’s more, all of the child-minders are required to be CPR-certified, and most of them have had some form of daycare experience previously.

 

Of course other, more mainstream services are available, too – namely Sittercity and Care.com. Be warned: these services may require membership fees, and may force you to spend hours (upon hours, really) perusing profiles before you find a child-minder who appears to be a good fit.

Ask around

A third option for reliable childcare in Las Vegas is simply to ask around. Poll your friends on Facebook. Have them ask friends of friends who live in town. Nearly two million people live in the Las Vegas Valley, so one of your contacts has to know someone whom they can recommend.

 

As with other options, just be sure to look into the sitter you find by this means. The last thing you want to do is leave your child in a situation unless you’re completely comfortable.

Viewfinder Tip: Unless you want your nanny ordering room service (on your dime), leave detailed instructions about what he or she is allowed to do.

Seek other options

Provided you don’t mind staying off-Strip, there’s another option, too: KidsQuest. These facilities, located at Red Rock Casino Resort Spa, Boulder Station Casino, and Santa Fe Station Hotel & Casino (among others), offer hourly childcare in a fun environment with gyms, video arcades, play structures, arts and crafts areas, and more. All of the employees are CPR-certified.

 

These secure facilities welcome children anywhere from 6 weeks to 12 years old, and most of them are open until at least 11 p.m. Some, like the one at Red Rock, are open until 1 a.m. on weekends. (Not that you’d really want to ditch your kid at a facility until then. We hope.) Prices for KidsQuest average about $8 or $9 per hour; they’re a little more expensive for younger kids. Considering the going rate for babysitters these days ($15 and up), this option looks better every day.

What are your childcare tips for a family trip?