Childcare and Diving

[button]

So my first frustration when I found out I was pregnant nearly two years ago now was that I couldn't dive while I was pregnant.

Now that my baby is here and I'm loving motherhood, I have a new problem. CHILDCARE. Our son will be one next month and I have yet to put on my wetsuit.

My husband is my dive buddy and we really want to get back into it. All summer we hoped and planned to get back in the water and brush up on our skills. We've even gone so far as planned to rent tanks and weights and jump in a friend's pool (we have the rest of our gear). It just hasn't quite worked out timing-wise.

Our problem is that we have NO reliable childcare other than our daycare provider. We have no family nearby, and honestly we don't trust the family that we do have to watch our kid.

The nearest place for us to dive would be Dutch Springs which is a two hour drive, or Lake Phoenix/Rawlings, which is four hours. So with those kinds of drives, we'd rather stay and dive the whole weekend to make it worth the time.

Is anyone experiencing the same kind of problems? It seems like there aren't too many other husband & wife buddy teams, or at least not many that have kids. And even then, coordinating schedules seems like it would be a huge PITA for most people.

 

[tkdgodess]

I can relate a bit. My husband doesnt dive, but he works a lot. I have a friend who is the same, so we take turns sitting out dives to watch each others' kids. My kids are getting older now, 6 and 8, and on a recent weekend trip i brought them along as non divers on the boat for 3 days. They had a blast and my dive buddies were very cool, and my kids actually took a liking to some of them. (Portable dvd player, colouring, stickers, activities, lots of snacks, life jackets)

All i can offer you for advice is the moment in time your child is small is so short in the big picture, enjoy it, and soon you too can leave the kid on the boat!

 

[CptTightPants21]

Children that young are very tough and the only thing I can think of is that you need to find a babysitter that is willing to work all weekend. I would suggest family, but doesn't sound like that is a good option.

It gets easier when they are a little older, then one parent stays top side while the other dives and they switch, or they have another diver watch them while they do a dive together. It isn't hard, but requires some teamwork.

Once they get around 8 you bring one of their friends along, give them some money, and tell them to go play in the water park while you basically enjoy a day of diving.

No personal experience, but this is everything that all of my friends do.




.....some children may have been hurt in the making of this message

 

[Is_907]

Find another diving couple with kids.
That's what we are doing (though my wife isn't diving yet... Three more months of pregnancy the. We'll have a third kiddo.)


Then you just take turns watching all the kids and supervising their snorkeling attempts and swimming.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[diversteve]

I know a really expensive solution with really excellent diving....

Beaches Kids Camp: Resorts with Childcare and Vacation Activities for Kids

 

[Ayisha]

I also see my diver friends with kids taking turns babysitting while either the Mom or Dad dives with others, and then they switch. Sometimes they switch over 2 days in a row, sometimes they rotate dive days/weekends.

If you meet other couples or singles with kids, they also take turns babysitting all of the kids while the others dive.

Some get a babysitter or family members to babysit here and there while they dive.

Some can't wait till their child's old enough to get certified.

Good luck!

 

[button]

The problem with swapping off childcare duties with dad is that we enjoy diving together. Actually I wouldn't mind diving with someone else but I think he sees it more as an activity that we can do together.
We are heading to a wedding in a few weeks where our route will take us by the quarry where we were certified. I'm really hoping that we can find a resolution before then! I'm thinking of calling our LDS to ask them if they have any solutions. They will actually be down there the same day and maybe someone there wouldn't mind watching the kiddo for an hour while we get wet!


I know that we'll primarily be vacation divers until the kiddo is a bit older, but I want to make sure that we get a few dives in over the summer to keep our skills fresh between those one or two vacation dives.

 

[afdgf]

I wanted to respond because we have been trying to figure this out for my son and partner and grandson and granddaughter. So far the most kid-friendly place we have found is the Marriott in Puerto Vallarta. Also, Sue at PV Sea Dive offers 2 hours of free babysitting if you go on one of her dives and you can pay for the rest of the hours. The Marriott in Curacao was also good, but not quite as set up as PV. I do not have any affiliation with Marriott other than getting their points when we stay at one.

 

[drrich2]

People's ideas of what they'll accept vary, so take this for what it's worth. There are many day cares out there. Especially in larger population centers. And in the U.S., you can probably find some with online ratings. And that have nursery sections. Now, consider a trip to mainstream U.S. coastal locations like West Palm Beach or Key Largo. If you secure daycare, you can drop your kiddo off in the morning early, go catch a boat out for a couple of dives, & pick your kid up in the afternoon. You & hubby dive together and it's all good. Plus, in the mainland U.S. you have ready access to modern healthcare in case your kid gets sick.

We've got a 2 1/2 year old, and while I do some trips solo, when we travel as a family, I'm mindful of where I'd want to take her.

Another option is to take a baby sitter, perhaps someone who's never traveled much & would be delighted to go on a tropical getaway, and would be cool handling baby sitting while you guys dive, but be off-duty much of the rest of the day. If you pay airfare, room & maybe she eats with you guys (or you stay at an A.I. to make it simple), this could work.

When we travel as a family, I like to take my mother-in-law as she helps with our daughter, and it adds to the trip for the rest of us and her, too. If you can put that babysitter in the same hotel room, and particularly with cheap airfare destinations like Key Largo (from Nashville where I fly out of, anyway), this might not be unaffordable.

Richard.

 

[CNYMAD]

This is so frustrating. We experienced this years ago with 4 children. Others have offered good advice but becoming vacation divers isn't terrible and you'll build great memories. On the tail end you and your husband will share a common interest when the kids go off on their own. When the oldest was in college and wanted to go on spring break, we laughed. They stayed home to watch the others and we went on a dive vacation.