Our Sitters take on Star Wars!

This past Monday four of our LLD sitters including myself, Kristy K, Jennifer S and Laura W wrangled nearly 50 children at Ripley's Believe It or Not in Times Square as their parents enjoyed a presentation hosted by our friends at Momtrends NYC & Sunstar G.U.M for the launch of the new Star Wars toothbrushes.

Laura, Lindsay, Kristy & Jennifer. Photo courtesy of Bellamyblue.com

The children ranged in age from newborn to 8 years old. Parents had the option to keep their children with them or to leave them with LLD's professional sitters. We had a bunch of fun activities to inspire and excite the kids! From the "black hole" to laser tag or arts & crafts to a fun scavenger hunt the kids were happy, entertained and learning. The event ended with surprise guest Darth Vader!

-LB

Today's Kind of Babysitter

Lana Del Rey still babysits.

She may be an up and coming music star according to The Huffington Post, but the buzzed about singer’s other job when she’s at home is none other than babysitting! 

Lana Del Rey

She’s not the only one. LLD’s troupe of over 100 professional sitters include medical students from Johns Hopkins, advertising & fashion executives from Conde Nast, attorneys from top law firms, CEO’s, Broadway & TV actors/actresses, agents, yoga instructors, health coaches, personal chefs to the stars, entrepreneurs, college basket ball stars, Radio City Rockettes and more!

What a better role model then some of these sitters?

Especially if your child excels or shows interest in one of these areas, request a sitter that specializes in his or her interest! And these women love to teach and be around children. Its a perfect combo.

Like all of our sitters, Lana has a busy schedule but still makes babysitting a priority.   She continues to babysit because that’s what she has done for a long time. So why stop doing something you love?

LLD is now open in eight states across the US; NY, NJ, CT, PA, IL, GA, TX and CA. If you are interested in joining our troupe email us today info@luckylildarlings.com

-LB 

LLD is Opening in AUSTIN! Meet our City Coordinator!

Meet our City Coordinator in Austin: Mandy Takacs. Lindsay (our founder) & Mandy met in college through their sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma.  Mandy grew up 20 miles away from Lindsay outside of Cleveland, Ohio (but we had no idea at the time!) She was was a cheerleader and a Girl Scout growing up and has always adored children. She currently lives in Austin and works in real estate.

Here are her three favorite things to do on the weekend here in Austin:

- The farmers market downtown is great. I love buying produce from local farmers, and the organic homemade tamales are delicious!

- Renting a canoe or kayak on town lake is always easy and fun! $10 for an hour of paddling down the lake/river.

- Taking a walk down South Congress and wandering into some shops can fill an afternoon. Stop by Amy's Ice Cream with the kids to try the most amazing, original ice cream in Austin. With flavors like Shiner Beer for the grown ups and Sweet Cream for the kids, you can't go wrong.

Follow Mandy @MandyTAustin or email her at mandy.takacs@luckylildarlings.com

Lil' tips from a LA LLD Sitter

Los Angeles is a great place to spend quality time with your family especially outdoors. Meet our Los Angeles City Coordinator Paige Williams on what she tries to take full advantage of in LA with the lil’ ones:

1. The Grove - An outdoor mall with lots of things to do! Check online for weekly kid friendly activities hosted at the Grove
2. The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits - A fun hands on museum, with lots of outdoor playing space
3. The Los Angeles Zoo - The zoo has lions and tigers and bears! And also a park and brand new carrousel for the kids to ride!

Paige has been nannying/ baby-sitting for over 10 years. She has worked as a music teacher and swim instructor. She enjoys being creative, active, and fostering the growth of young children. Paige loves entertaining the children she babysits whether its creating and performing a princess musical in the living room or playing soccer in the park. 

If you are interested in becoming a LLD LA family or sitter please contact paige.williams@luckylildarlings.com

Check out what I heard from Daily Candy Kids!  The ibaby Video Monitor for iphones and ipads! 

Big brother is watching. So is the babysitter on her iPad, dad on his iPhone, and mom on her office computer.

As many as four people at once can keep an eye on your prize with the iBaby Monitor — the only mobile video monitor with two-way audio that we have spied on the market.

High-tech doesn’t mean complicated. Just download the app to your iPhone, iPad, or computer; plug the monitor into your network to register; and install the camera in the room. Our favorite perk is that you can control the camera lens with just a swipe of your finger. So if your little Houdini disappears from view, drag your finger across the screen to find him.

Alerts are issued when baby lets out a cry or makes a move. Two-way audio capabilities let you give a comforting “shhhh” from anywhere you have a connection. Plus, infrared night vision allows you to spy on baby in the middle of the night. You can even take pictures of tushy-up sleeping using your device’s camera.

Available online at store.apple.com, $200. For more information, go to ibabylabs.com.

Big City Moms, always supporting LLD, invited us to their Sleep Experts Lunch to speak about the importance of communicating bedtime routines to your sitter. Here are a few important tips!

1. Give your sitter a tour of your home. Show your sitter the kids rooms, point out dangerous areas you want the kids to stay away from and give specific instructions on how things work.

2. Bedtime Rules. Talk to your sitter about your bedtime routine with the kids i.e. What time do you begin to wind down the night? What is your child's favorite story and/or bedtime song? What time should they be asleep by?

3. Special Instructions.  Are there any special rules you have? Do your kids have any allergies the sitter should know about? Are the kids sick and need medicine?

4. Exchange Contact Info. Be sure to leave your sitter with your cell phone and an emergency contact numbers. Be sure to get her cell phone number so that you can text her throughout the night if you have any questions or to check in.

5. Anything else? Sitters are happy to lend a helping hand. If you'd like them to unload the dishwasher or change the laundry most sitters won't mind. Especially once they have been at your home a few times and you feel connected to them. They will be happy to help! 

I stayed to listen to Kira Ryan, mom, sleep lover and co-founder of Dream Team, speak about her infant & toddler sleep tips.Here are a few!

·         Newborns should get 15-18 hours of sleep per day (24hrs)

·         A good bedtime for an infant is between 6-8pm

·         Signs of a sleepy infant: the cry is different, no engagement or eye contact, fussy

·          What is normal?

o   Up to 6 mo infants take naps every 1 ½ -2 hours

o   At 6mo infants usually take 2 naps per day

o   15-18 mo 1 long nap in the afternoon

o   Naps or ‘quiet time’ is recommended up to 3-4 years

·         White noise machines are great especially for city noise

·         Crib should be a sleep sanctuary, anything that screams party or playground should be removed

·         Check the nursery temperature! It should be between 68-72 F.

·         Is the room dark enough? Get blackout shades!

For more info on Dream Team click here or more info on Big City Mom events click here.

TGIF!

We hope everyone is ready for an amazing 4th of July! Lucky L’il Darlings has put together our own little list of the Top 5 Family Fun things to do this holiday.

1. Have some fun in the sun! Sagg Main Beach in Sagaponack in the Hamptons is perfect place to spend the day with the kids. The beach there has wide open spaces so your little ones won’t be throwing sand on your neighbor’s blanket when they are trying to dig a hole to China – giving you a little time to sit back and relax. Maybe even read a book! Be sure to check if you need a parking pass before you head out, parking is difficult to say the least! And we all know there’s nothing like driving around in circles with your kids in the back screaming to get out and play in the sun. If you’re looking for a little seaside help, Lucky L’il Darlings babysitters will be in the Hamptons this weekend, ready to help out and make your weekend that much better.

2. Go fly a kite at the Long Island Children’s Museum in Garden City! Who needs to buy a kite when you can just make one! From 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm learn how to make your own kite, for FREE. Use your creativity and make your kite come alive in the sky. This is a great activity for parents and kids!

3. Bring the whole family out for a day of fun at Belmont Park Race Track! Sunday, July 3rd from 1-4 pm in Elmont on Long Island, the Family Fun Day will feature face painting, a petting zoo and fun carnival games. What a fun way to spend an afternoon with the kids!

4. Chow down at one of New York’s best Crawfish Boils! For all you seafood lovers that want to try a Southern-Style Crawfish Boil, The Village Pourhouse on the corner of 11th street and 3rd avenue in NYC is the place to be. For $40 per person, you can enjoy 2 crawfish baskets, unlimited Southern Chicken Sliders, Potato Salad, Corn-on the Cob and other sides. This deal is open from 6 pm – 8 pm on July 4th, giving you plenty of time to catch the fireworks afterwards. To buy tickets check out this website: http://downtownnyc.villagepourhouse.com/?p=events&i=2.

5. Go see the best fireworks in town! Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks never ceases to amaze us. This year on July 4th, beginning at approximately 9 p.m., Macy's will have fireworks being released from six barges in the Hudson River. This year's theme is The Gift of Freedom marking the 125th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, as well as the 235th birthday of the United States. The music will be performed in sync with the fireworks and you can tune in on 1010 WINS to listen.

We hope you like some of these fun ideas for this 4th of July Weekend. We wish you the best weekend ever. Have fun and be safe!

Thanks to everyone for coming!

We hope everyone had an amazing time at the trunk show last month organized by BrightZoo and Modern Mommy! The event was hosted in a beautiful space in downtown New York where parents could take in the beautiful views of NYC while shopping for their little ones. Even better, Lucky L’il Darlings was right there with them! While the parents shopped, we supervised their kids in a conveniently located playroom.

The clothes were the absolute cutest around from such stylish brands as Purebaby, Siaomimi, Serendipity, Three Little Trees, Masala, Soft, Pink Chicken Swimwear, shirin and much, much more. Round of applause for all those trend setter parents that made the trip because a portion of the proceeds are being donated to The Autism Society of America. Shopping and charity, what could be better!

If you missed out, don’t fret! You can check out more of the collection of baby products at MD Moms website. These pediatrician mommy’s have created a whole line of products for babies and kids that are coveted by moms everywhere!

Keep checking back at the Lucky L’il Darlings Blog, Twitter, and Facebook for upcoming events and info for all you loving parents out there!