Best Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Au Pair or Babysitter

You entrust your babysitter or au pair with your most prized possession, your children, now is your time to thank them for their hard work with a wonderful Holiday gift. But what do you give someone who has given so much to your family throughout the year? Whatever your budget you can find a great holiday gift for your babysitter or au pair this holiday season that shows them how much you really appreciate their hard work. Here are ten gift ideas that will elicit a heart felt thank you.

Cash

That’s right cold hard cash. It seems to be the most popular holiday gift among care givers and employers alike but the amount of how much you should give seems to vary greatly. Many people believe a holiday gift equal to one or two weeks pay is appropriate while others openly admit that you should give an amount that is appropriate to your income level, and give an amount that you feel comfortable with.

Spa Packages

Caring for children all day can be exhausting, so why not give your babysitter or au pair a chance to rejuvenate herself with a trip to a local spa. You can purchase a gift certificate for a general amount, and let your caregiver decide what they would like to have done, or you can choose packages for treatments such as facials or massages.

Salon Packages

While this is similar to the spa packages this can be a gift certificate for a hair cut, a hair color, or even a manicure or pedicure. Getting your hair done can be quite expensive, and most babysitters or au pairs live on a tight budget, so a gift certificate to a local salon is always appreciated.

Movie Tickets

Treat your babysitter or au pair to a night out on the town with movie tickets. Gift certificates for local theatres can be bought at the theatre of your choice, and many also offer gift certificates for concessions as well.

Restaurant Gift Certificates

Give your babysitter or au pair the night off so that she can enjoy dinner out. A gift to a nice restaurant is a great idea and would also be great combined with the aforementioned movie tickets. You can buy gift certificates at the restaurant of your choice or you can buy gift certificates online. Restaurant.com is a great place to buy a restaurant gift certificate as they allow you to buy gift certificates at a reduced rate such as a $10 gift certificate for only $3 or a $25 gift certificate for $10.

Bath and Body Treats

As I mentioned earlier being pampered can be a great treat for a babysitter or au pair, and if your caregiver is only employed on a part-time basis you may not want to go all out. A simple bath and body treat can be an excellent small gift in this case. Bath and Body Works can be an excellent place to find the perfect holiday gift, and their website has a special holiday gift section that offers gifts priced at different increments, such as under $15, under $25, and under $50. After all I became a Bath and Body Works addict after I was given a Bath and Body Works gift basket for Christmas as a teenage babysitter.

Paid Time Off

If your babysitter or au pair works full-time you can offer them paid time off, this can be one or two days or even a week.

Mall Gift Certificates

Mall Gift Certificates are a great idea especially if your babysitter is a teenager. Most malls offer a generic gift certificate that can be used at any store in the mall.

Fragrance Gift Sets
Again, most babysitters and au pairs are living on a tight budget so an expensive new fragrance set can be a real treat. There are several online stores where fragrance gift sets can be purchased, you can try Perfume.com, Drugstore.com, or even Macys.com.

Handmade Gift Items

Most all babysitters and au pairs love to get handmade gifts from their charges a handmade ornament, or holiday card is a great gift but keep in mind most babysitters or au pairs will readily admit that it also nice to receive this in conjunction with another gift.