Childcare in the Alps – An insider’s view
We caught up with Tess Perschke who runs a private nanny service out of Val D’Isere, to give you the low down on childcare in the Alps. From tips on taking your little ones skiing for the first time, to advice on what to look out for in a Tour Operator before you book, read on if you want your next family ski break to be a success!
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Childfriendly – What are the various options for childcare in the Alps?
Tess Perschke – There are a few ways you can arrange to have a nanny at ski resorts: Option 1 - Bring your own nanny with you. This can be great however you will have to share your lovely chalet or hotel with you nanny 24/7. This can be very expensive and intrusive.
Option 2 – There are a few tour operators who offer a private nanny service. This means a nanny will come to your chalet for normally 8 hours per day to look after the children. You can only do this if you book your holiday through a tour operator, so if you are looking for an independent-type family ski holiday it can be quite limiting.
Option 3 – Use an independent private nanny service. This gives you the most choice as you can book any hotel or chalet you like. This option will give you the most flexibility as evening babysitting can be arranged as well as day time care. Things to ask are, where do the nannies come from and is the company an agency or do they employ the nannies for the whole season?
Option 4 – Find a tour operator that offers crèche services or a kids club. These are good value for money and from the lower end operators. Things to be aware of are obviously you child is not going to get as much attention when there are 4 children to 1 nanny. Make sure you ask how often the children go outside to play? Also find out how far the kids club or crèche is from where you are staying and if free transport.
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Childfriendly – What kind of things should you be asking yourself before you book?
Tess Perschke – Here are some of the main things I’d look out for: Where is the chalet? – Location is key, the last thing you want with children is a long walk in ski boots!
Is there a driver service? – Lots of chalet companies offer a driver service to the slopes in the morning and back in the afternoon. This can be a life saver.
When is the chalet staff night off?
Is it ski in ski out? – This can be great as it means the children will probably be able to sledge in the afternoons outside the chalet.
If so, what colour run is it to the chalet? – Very important question if the run back to the chalet is a red run and you can only ski greens this can be a problem.
Will the chalet provide lunch for the children? – Some will do this some won’t.
Can the nanny prepare lunch for the children? Normally the chalet staff are quite relaxed about this as long as the kitchen is left how it was found.
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Childfriendly – What’s the earliest age that children can start skiing?
Tess Perschke – This is subjective, but in my opinion the earliest a child should start skiing is 5 years old. This means the child is old enough to listen and take instruction. Because the child will have started school at home they understand the concept of listening to a teacher. The child will also be physically strong enough and have the co ordination to make the movements for skiing.
Another factor is vocabulary, I was once teaching a 3 year old and was telling her to open her heals to make a pizza shape. After a while of no success I asked her to point to her heal, she thought about it and then with conviction pointed to her head!
A winter ski resort is a very alien place for children and the little ones can easily get scared if you add in the fact that their parents have left them and they don’t know when they are coming back. The last thing you want to do is put your child off skiing for life!
If you really want your child to start as young as possible then you will have to pay for private lessons as teaching your own children is a bad idea. You should never ski with your children in between your legs! If they can not ski the slope they should not be there. I have seen too many children have broken bones from their parents falling on them. Leave the ski lessons to the experts.
I recommend a child under 5 years old should do not longer than a 1 hour lesson. It can be very cold, and a private lesson is pretty intense.
Obviously all children are different and it is personal choice when you start your child skiing but I would just like to leave you with one thing. Take two 6 year olds. Child ‘A’ has been skiing since aged 2.5 years old, every year for a week and can make therefore make snowplough turns. Child ‘B’ has never skied before. Within 1 to 2 mornings of group lessons they will almost certainly be exactly the same level.
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Childfriendly – What can you tell us about ski schools?
Tess Perschke – Most ski schools will accept children in group lessons from 5 years old. You can get private lessons for younger children but this is obviously more expensive and a school will normally do a minimum of 2 hours for a private lesson. Generally group lessons run either in the morning 9 – 12 or afternoons 2 – 5. Some ski schools offer a lunch club which is a great service meaning you can drop the children off at 9am and have a good long morning skiing before collecting them at 2pm after they have eaten.
I would recommend you try to keep your children in ski school for as long as possible. Once they get older there are some great products for teenagers which will teach them off piste, snow park tricks and racing all in a safe environment. Anthony Swallow is an excellent instructor specialising in these courses in Val d’Isere and Tignes France. www.t4snowsports.com
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Childfriendly – We know from some of the emails we receive that parents can be nervous before their first ski holiday as a family. What would you say to reassure them?
Tess Perschke – Skiing is the most fantastic family holiday. Loads of fresh air, learning something new, in an stunning environment and a range of activities to do in the village outside of skiing.
If your whole family are beginners book morning group lessons for everyone (with the same school, so the timings all work), then meet up again for lunch. Depending on how you all feel you could either carryon or you could spend the afternoons doing something else – ice skating, looking round the village, snow mobiling, husky sledging or bum boarding! Alternatively you could spend you afternoons in front of a roaring fire reading your book. You really can do as much or as little as you like.
If you are a housewife or househusband a holiday can often feel like you are doing the same job just in a more challenging environment! To ensure this doesn’t happen a catered chalet holiday will make sure everyone feels papered. As standard you will have breakfast prepared for you, afternoon tea for when you come off the slopes and a 3 course meal including wine! Perfect.
If possible it is always more relaxing if you can book out the whole chalet, it can often be stressful sharing with people you don’t know. Remember you have to eat dinner with these people every night of your holiday!
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Childfriendly – Do you have any other general skiing advice for our readers?
Tess Perschke – If you come prepared you can’t fail to have a good time. Here are some general tips to ensure your family has a safe and enjoyable time in the slopes: The recommended amount you should drink at sea level is 2 litres per day – for altitude (2000m) it is double at 4 litres per day. Make sure you and your children drink plenty of water.
The sun is extremely powerful – even when cloudy in January you must apply sun cream to the whole family.
Your heart works 30% harder at altitude than at sea level, this means everything is more effort and therefore more tiring, try and include some quiet time each day to avoid getting over tired.
Enjoy the environment but remember the weather can change extremely quickly, it is no fun being caught in the clouds not knowing where you are.
Always stick to the pistes unless you are with a ski instructor or mountain guide.
Learn and teach your children the ski way code. This is printed on all piste maps in every resort so there is no excuse not knowing it.
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Childfriendly – Thanks for the tips! And now tell us about t4 Private Nanny Service and what you can offer?
Tess Perschke – t4 Private Nanny Service opened 4 years ago in Val d’Isere, France and has been growing each year. We now have private nannies not only in Val d’Isere but Tignes and Merbiel as well. Experts in their field, they recruit native English speaking nannies and mannies (male nannies) to take care and entertain your children in the magical mountains. The nannies know the best places to take the children and also all the safety issues of looking after children in the Alps. This service is very popular and gets books up extremely quickly, the reservations line is friendly and happy to chat through any questions you might have. They have a wealth of knowledge helping you choose the right childcare solution for your family.
www.t4nanny.com Reservations Line +44 (0)7943443197 mail@t4nanny.com
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