Babysitting on the cheap: Where to take your kids for Valentine's Day

 Parents know finding a babysitter is hard enough and the cost can skyrocket on days like Valentine's. According to sitter registry site Care.com, you'll spend about 10 bucks an hour for a local babysitter, and some sitters tell us they charge even more on holidays. 

But the options we found may arguably be more fun and less dough. Disco ball on, music up, the skating rink may be empty now but come Saturday, Waukesha's Skateland  will be packed with kids enjoying Valentines day away from their parents. 

Same story at M&M Gymnastics in New Berlin. Kids are welcome to hop, twist, and flip to their hearts' content, all while  mom and dad enjoy a night out.

Both Skateland and M&M Gymnastics offer open practice times this Valentine's day and they say they're just as safe but have activities a babysitter can't offer.

\"They pretty much can run around, jump in the pits and jump on all the trampolines, play on all the mats and swing on the bars,\" said Heather Sadler, instructor at M&M Gymnastics. 

\"We all know how to watch the kids, we're very conscious about that and safety is the number one thing when it comes to skaters,\" said Brian Weston, from Skateland.  

The fee for either activity is less than 10 bucks a kid and walk ins are welcome the night of Valentines day, no reservations are needed. Both places say parents should use discretion and be the ultimate deciding factor in what age is appropriate to leave their children at these facilities. 

Click the links below to see exact prices and times for these events. 


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