“Kids can come to us being very nervous and barely knowing how to pedal and then, by the end of the week, they’ve got their training wheels off and they’ve learned to ride,” says Claudia Sjoberg, president of Pedalheads, a company that offers bike-riding lessons.BrianAJackson/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Every parent knows two things for certain: time is the most precious thing we have, and there's never enough of it to tackle every item on our to-do lists. And so, while it once took a village to raise a child, it now takes a credit card.
Just as many Canadians pay someone to keep the house clean, it's also possible to outsource parenting jobs that, not long ago, no one else would do for us. There are people willing to do everything from teach your kid to ride a bicycle to tucking them into bed on time – for a price.
The question is, are they worth it?
Pedalheads
Bike-riding lessons.
Where: More than 75 locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
Cost: $199 for a week of half-day lessons, $369 for one week of full-day instruction.
Guaranteed? "Kids can come to us being very nervous and barely knowing how to pedal and then, by the end of the week, they've got their training wheels off and they've learned to ride," says Claudia Sjoberg, president of Pedalheads.
Why hand off the job: "Parents put a lot of guilt on themselves about these things and they really shouldn't," Sjoberg says. The Pedalheads program teaches children starting and stopping, hand signals, how to look for cars, how to ride through intersections and more.
"It frees you up so that when you do have the time, you can go riding as a family," Sjoberg says.
WeeSleep
For teaching children to sleep through the night.
Where: More than 90 locations across Canada.
Cost: $425 for the main package, which includes a customized sleep plan and two weeks of phone and e-mail consultations.
Guaranteed? Your child is fully guaranteed to be sleeping through the night by the end of the program.
Why hand off the job: Babies are precious. So is a good night's sleep. Aren't you tired enough? The sleep plan provided covers nap time and bedtime routines, what to do when the baby is screaming in the middle of the night and more.
"We're all about lifestyle. We're about convenience," WeeSleep founder Janey Reilly says. "Absolutely everything is covered in the plan." Any problems parents encounter can be quickly addressed by phone or e-mail consultations with one of the company's sleep experts.
And no, their philosophy is not to cry it out.
Lice Squad
Delousing your children's heads.
Where: More than 150 providers across Canada.
Cost: $79.95 for a do-it-yourself family kit, or $75 an hour for an in-clinic specialist (treatments typically take 60 to 90 minutes).
Guaranteed? "We totally guarantee our services," Lice Squad founder Dawn Mucci says.
Why hand off the job: Because you have better, less gross things to do. Okay, gross is unfair – having lice is already too stigmatized, which Lice Squad works to minimize.
"We put superhero capes on the kids when they come in to our clinics," Mucci says. But even she admits it's something parents just don't want to deal with. "Parents are busy. A lot of parents don't know how to deal with it," she says.
Plus, the do-it-yourself approach doesn't come with a guarantee that you won't grow increasingly frustrated with repeat trips to the store for more bottles of treatment (trust me).
Kids & Company Concierge
Recommendations for just about anything child-related.
Where: Anywhere in Canada.
Cost: Free
Guaranteed? "We're just providing some suggestions," says Linda Starr, director of sales and marketing at Kids & Company.
Why hand off the job: If you just moved and need to figure out the best local gymnastics club or swimming lessons for your daughter, the Kids & Company concierge service will take care of it.
"Because we partner with so many different companies and we hold so many different types of workshops and events, we have a vast knowledge of recommendations," Starr says. The company's primary service is daycare, but it will hand out advice for free, whether your child is in its care or not.
One thing though: they won't pick up your dry cleaning. Sorry.
Dave McGinn