Last week, we celebrated Family Day in Ontario. You likely enjoyed a skate on the canal with your nieces, building a snowman with your own kids, or scrolling through Instagram photos of your friends’ adorable toddlers. We love families. We love kids.
But let’s have an honest conversation about your wedding day.
There is tension in every couple when drafting the guest list. On the one hand, you want your best friend (who happens to be a new mom) to be there until the DJ plays the last song. You want your cousins from Vancouver to fly in, which they can only do if they bring their children.
On the other hand, you are terrified of a toddler melting down during your vows. You are worried about a 6-year-old tripping over a server carrying a tray of champagne. And, perhaps most selfishly (and validly!), you want your friends to be present—to have a drink, let loose, and not spend the entire reception chasing a 3-year-old away from the cake table.
For years, the solution was binary: The “Adults-Only” Wedding (which risks offending family and lowering guest attendance) or The “All-Ages” Free-for-All (which risks chaos).
In 2026, Ottawa couples are choosing a third option. They are hiring Professional Event Childcare.
This isn’t just hiring your 14-year-old neighbor to sit in a corner with an iPad. This is a fully insured, vetted pop-up “kids club” experience held at your venue. It is the ultimate hospitality move: it tells your guests, “I want you here, and I’m going to make it incredibly easy for you to stay.”
Here is your complete guide to Wedding Childcare in the Capital, featuring the local vendors who are changing the game.
The “Pop-Up” Playroom (On-Site Care)
This is the “Gold Standard” of wedding childcare. Essentially, you rent a separate room at your venue (a conference room, a bridal suite, or a partitioned area) and turn it into a dedicated kids’ zone staffed by professionals.
The Local Pros: The Wedding Nanny, Babysitting Angels, The Birdie Break
If you have attended a high-end wedding in Ottawa recently where the parents looked suspiciously relaxed, nannies/babbysitters were likely behind the scenes. They are the heavyweight champions of event childcare in the region.
How it Works:
You book them for the duration of your event (usually 4 to 8 hours). Their team arrives with everything. We aren’t just talking about a few colouring books; they bring age-appropriate toys, crafts, games, and activities tailored to the specific ages of the children on your guest list.
The Experience:
- Safety First: Their sitters are fully vetted, background-checked, and CPR certified. They implement a secure check-in/check-out system (often using wristbands), so you never have to worry about a child wandering back into the reception hall unnoticed.
- The Vibe: They focus on active engagement. Instead of plunking kids in front of a TV, they run “mini-events.” Think: bracelet making stations, scavenger hunts, and interactive storytelling.
- The Late Night Shift: For evening receptions, they can transition the room from a “Play Zone” to a “Sleep Zone,” setting up mats or cots so the little ones can crash while the parents party until 1 AM.
Why We Love Them:
They offer handling the “Vendor Meal” logistics seamlessly. They will supervise the kids’ dinner (often organizing a pizza party or overseeing the caterer’s meals), so the parents can actually eat their filet mignon while it’s hot.
The Bilingual Alternative: Garderie Mobile
For our couples marrying in Gatineau, or for weddings with a heavy Francophone guest list, Garderie Mobile is a fantastic resource. Based locally, they offer 24/7 service capability and specialize in mobile setups.
Why Choose Them:
- Language: Having caregivers who can switch seamlessly between English and French is crucial in the National Capital Region. A unilingual child can feel isolated in a playroom if they can’t communicate with the sitter; Garderie Mobile solves this instantly.
- Flexibility: They are known for their adaptability in different spaces, whether it’s a hotel conference room or a tented wedding at a private property.
The “Hotel Nanny” (Off-Site Care)
Sometimes, on-site care isn’t feasible. Maybe your venue is a historic building with no extra rooms, or maybe you just want a truly “kid-free” environment at the venue itself.
The solution? Bringing the nanny to the hotel.
The Concept:
This is their event-specific service. You can book your sitter(s) to come to a designated hotel suite (e.g., at The Westin, The Château Laurier, or The Brookstreet).
- The Setup: Guests drop their kids off at the suite before heading to the ceremony or reception.
- The booking and vetting process is incredibly transparent. Parents often feel an extra layer of comfort meeting the sitters beforehand.
Individual Room Sitting:
If you have a VIP guest (like your Maid of Honour) who prefers her children to sleep in her own hotel room rather than a group suite, these can be accomodocated. You can include a card in your invitation suite with a promo code or a link to encourage guests to book their own sitter.
- Pro Tip: This is often the best solution for infants under 12 months, who need a quiet environment and very specific sleep schedules that a group playroom can’t always provide.
The Logistics: How to Pull This Off
Okay, you are sold on the idea. Now, how do you actually execute it without blowing your budget or confusing your guests?
1. Who Pays?
There are three ways to handle the cost:
- The “Hosted” Model (Best Hospitality): You, the couple, pay for the service entirely. You rent the room and hire the company. To your guests, it is a free perk. This has the highest RSVP “Yes” rate.
- The “Subsidized” Model: You pay for the room rental and the base fee, but ask parents to contribute a small amount (e.g., $20 per child) to offset the cost.
- The “Referral” Model: You simply provide the information. “We have coordinated with Babysitting Angels to provide care at the hotel; please contact them directly to book your spot.”
Cost-Saving Hack: If you are booking Babysitting Angels or The Wedding Nanny Co. services, do so early. 2026 is a boom year for weddings, and childcare teams have limited staff, just like photographers do.
2. The Ratios
Do not try to skimp on the number of nannies. The standard safety ratios usually required by these companies are:
- Infants (0-18 months): 1 Nanny for every 2-3 babies.
- Toddlers (18 mo – 3 yrs): 1 Nanny for every 3-4 kids.
- School Age (4+): 1 Nanny for every 6-8 kids.
- Note: If you have a “mixed bag” of ages, always staff for the youngest child in the room. One crying baby requires 100% of a nanny’s attention, leaving the other 10 kids unsupervised if you are understaffed.
3. The Room Requirements
You can’t just shove the kids in a closet. To make this work, the room needs:
- Proximity: Close enough to the reception that parents can pop in to check on them, but far enough that the bass from the DJ doesn’t shake the walls.
- Bathroom Access: Crucial. If the nannies have to walk the kids through the main reception to use the restroom, it defeats the purpose.
- Furniture: Ask the venue to remove breakable items. If it’s a conference room, ask to have the tables pushed to the side to create a floor play area.
4. The Food (Do Not Forget This!)
Hungry kids are cranky kids.
- Dinner: Coordinate with your caterer to serve “Vendor Meals” to the nannies and “Kids Meals” (chicken fingers, fries, fruit cups) to the children inside the childcare room.
- Timing: Serve the kids 30 minutes before the adults eat. This gets them fed and settled so that when the parents sit down for speeches, the kids are already in “play mode” or winding down.
- Allergies: Ensure the childcare team has a list of every child’s allergies. Companies like Babysitting Angels are pros at this, but they need your data.
The Etiquette of the Invitation
How do you tell people, “Your kids are invited, but only to the playroom”?
Try this wording on your wedding website:
“We are delighted to welcome our littlest guests! To ensure everyone has a relaxing evening, we have hired a professional team to host a ‘Kids Club’ reception. Dinner, crafts, and games will be provided from 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Please let us know if you will be utilizing this service when you RSVP.”
The “Family Day” Takeaway
On this Family Day, as you review your guest list, remember that inviting families doesn’t have to compromise the elegance of your event.
Hiring a team like Babysitting Angels or utilizing Birdie Break isn’t just about “controlling” the kids. It is a gift to the parents. It gives them permission to take off their “Mom and Dad” hats for five hours, drink the wine, dance to the bad 90s music, and actually celebrate you, knowing their most precious little humans are safe, happy, and having a party of their own just down the hall.
And honestly? The kids usually have more fun in the playroom than they would listening to your Best Man’s speech anyway. ***Stay tuned for our interview with Ottawa’s Own Wedding Nanny coming this March!! For questions or any information on these and other vendors, make sure to shoot me a message at Nindixoxo <3
Happy Planning!
Your Wedding Expert
xoxo Nindi for TastersHUB Catering & Events
“But everything means nothing if I ain’t got you, yeah’ -Alicia Keys
