Steamboat is consistently ranked as a top family resort because there are literally more options for kids activities and childcare than you can shake a ski pole at … From skiing with an Olympian to decorating cupcakes, the options are plentiful and fun!
Fortunately, we are pros at taking the guesswork out of it all and making sure that our youngest guests have the time of their lives. Just ask many of our former young guests (now all grown up) who bring their kids to Steamboat for a memorable family vacation.
Insider’s Guide to Family Ski Holidays with Childcare:
Book a Babysitter
If you’d like to sample Steamboat’s culinary creations without carting cranky kids around, then plan ahead and book a babysitter.
You don’t need to spend your vacation poring through online babysitter profiles. As a Moving Mountains guest, we are happy to connect you with our carefully vetted childcare providers.
Though there are a few options available, our top recommendation is to take advantage of our preferred partnership with Steamboat Nannies. These are CPR and First Aid certified babysitters with at least 3 years of experience. They are creative, imaginative and will be more engaged with your kiddo, than with their cell phone.
A typical evening with Steamboat Nannies might include crafts and a bedtime story or you can book one of their “experiences” for next-level fun.
Way Beyond Babysitting
Have a budding chef in the family? Book a babysitter who also teaches an in-home cooking class. Maybe your future architect would love to get creative with the gingerbread house building experience. From cupcake decorating to sports coaching, Steamboat Nannies provides childcare that goes way beyond babysitting.
If you’re staying at One Steamboat Place be sure to have your kids and caregiver check out the Tykes Room. Just like every other aspect of One Steamboat Place, no detail has been forgotten. The little ones can do karaoke, act out a play on the elevated stage, or dig into the costume box. The wall-sized chalkboard, shelves of stories and plentiful stuffed animals make our littlest guests right at home.
Older kids (and grown-ups) love entertaining themselves in the One Steamboat Place game room. With Wii, pool table, and shuffleboard, you won’t hear the words, “I’m bored” on this vacation! *Many of our luxury chalets also offer game rooms, let us recommend the perfect in-home hangout for every member of your family.
Have Shuttle - Will Travel
For families who bring their own nanny or au pair on their Steamboat vacation, our private shuttle widens your backyard to include ALL of Steamboat’s amenities. You don’t need to worry about anyone navigating unfamiliar, snowy roads. We can drop off and pick up at the downtown waterslide, the mountain roller coaster, the ice rink bumper cars, the indoor climbing gym, the bowling alley or anywhere in between.
Need cribs, toys, high chairs?
From bouncy seats to poppy pillows, all of the comforts of home can be rented, ready and waiting for you.
Ski School
You don’t get consistently ranked within the top 10 family ski resorts by Ski Magazine and Forbes Magazine without having a top-notch ski school for all ages and abilities.
Whether your child wants to master the bumps or take a first hop down the bunny hill, Steamboat’s Ski School has options for everyone.
Little one not ready for skiing? Try the Kiddie Corral Daycare.
The Kiddie Corral is open to kids 1 year - 6 years old from 8:15am-4:00pm. There are 3 different childcare rooms to ensure age-appropriate play. Toddlers play with buckets of toys and a small climbing slide, two-year-olds have some additional art options and preschoolers can play dress-up, make music, try their hand at a few games or head outside for snow angels. Separate nap areas even ensure everyone stays on schedule. You provide the diapers and the milk or formula and the Kiddie Corral provides the fun. Lunch is included.
Kids Vacation Center
It’s the ultimate kids club for snow-bound (potty trained) adventurers aged 2 years 6 months to kindergarten. Depending on their age, your child might be a buckaroo, a palomino pal, a maverick, a bandit or a Sundance kid. Lunch and lift tickets are included and lessons go from 8:15am to 4:00pm. If your child is 5 years old and you’re here during certain weeks throughout the winter, try a Jackalope ski week. After 5 days of lessons, kids participate in a ski race, get a souvenir bandana and, of course, bragging rights.
Kids and Teen Lessons
First graders through 17 years old can pick from the standard group lessons or the Steamboat Signature 5. Both include lunch, lift tickets, a peer group matched to their ability and all day lessons. The Signature 5 boasts a more personalized approach (limit of 5 kids per instructor). Steamboat’s renowned Stars program also has adaptive options and specialized equipment to make sure that ALL kids can enjoy snow sports.
Ski with an Olympian
Because skiing with an Olympian is way cooler than just skiing with Mom and Dad. Steamboat is home to more Olympians than any other North American City, so you can actually book a private lesson with an Olympian. This is the gold medal of ski lessons and something that the whole family might want to actually partake in. Chairlift stories might never be the same, again.
Our Moving Mountains guest services staff are always staying up-to-date on the latest family fun in Steamboat. We are happy to help you make all of the arrangements for your childcare needs ahead of time so that the only meltdowns happening on your Steamboat vacation involve the ice in your margarita!
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