Using a babysitter for the first time and I have a (possibly weird) question...

[Anonymous]

Up until now, family members have babysat DC when DH and I went out. We have hired a non-family member babysitter for the first time and I suddenly realize that I don't know the expected babysitter "etiquette" about feeding her dinner. Back in the olden days when I babysat (and I was thrilled to make $5 an hour, back in the days of yore) the families would generally order a pizza, and I would eat with my charges. In our current situation, DC is too young for pizza and I will already have his dinner prepped, so do I leave the babysitter money to order food (seems weird to leave her extra money when I'm already paying her $15/hour to put DC to bed and watch TV, but if that's the norm, I'll do it)? Tell her to help herself to whatever in in the fridge/pantry (not much, because I really need to go grocery shopping!)? Leave her to fend for herself? She's mid-20's, so not a teenage babysitter, if that makes any difference. She'll be here from 5:00 until 11:00, so she's certain to get hungry. So what's the DCUM consensus?

[Anonymous]

Stop at the store on your way home and pick up a freezer pizza for the babysitter. Or, if you can't but really have nothing to eat, I'd leave an extra $15 to order dinner. That's dinnertime hours so it's kind of expected to have some sort of way to feed them.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I'd call her and ask if she'd like something to eat and make the appropriate arrangements.

I agree if she's there from 5-11 you should feed her.

[Anonymous]

When I babysat (casual) in my teens/early twenties I would never have brought food with me as there was always food to eat in the house. When babysitting older kids I ate whatever parents had left for the kids. No parents ever gave me extra money to order myself my own meal. If the kids were little I ate food from the fridge / cupboard. Usually parents gave me a few suggestions - as in "there is left over lasagna you can help your self too or a frozen pizza in the freezer or soup in the cupboard".

[Anonymous]

I usually just tell the sitter to help herself. We don't go out until 7 though. I'd probably just buy something like PP said or even make sure you have some snacks or something.
I know that I would bring food with me, but maybe some don't.
You could also ask her if she'd like to order pizza or something.

[FBO]

Yep. Frozen dinners can stick around for a long time and are there when you need them.

"The kids been fed, but help yourself to one of the frozen dinners! Bye!"

[Anonymous]

I was always given money for pizza, even when the kid was too young to share. Maybe the parents liked leftover pizza so it was fine with them? Don't know.

[Anonymous]

OP here. A frozen pizza seems like a brilliant and obvious idea. Smacking my head that I didn't think of it.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, we keep frozen pizza and let the sitter choose whether to make it or not; she has never eaten it.

[Anonymous]

We've left cash for pizza before, if the sitter was there during dinner hour or it was clear that she couldn't have had time to eat before getting to our house (a babysitter with a full-time job who came over after work). She never actually used it, though.

My guess is that everyone is more comfortable with the babysitter eating food that is already in the house and therefore "free".

[Anonymous]

I always offer the babysitter money for food or offer to give her money to take DS out to dinner. I also tell her to feel free to eat anything in the house. She never takes the money, and never eats anything in the house. I find it odd, but clearly it is her choice of whether or not to eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Up until now, family members have babysat DC when DH and I went out. We have hired a non-family member babysitter for the first time and I suddenly realize that I don't know the expected babysitter "etiquette" about feeding her dinner. Back in the olden days when I babysat (and I was thrilled to make $5 an hour, back in the days of yore) the families would generally order a pizza, and I would eat with my charges. In our current situation, DC is too young for pizza and I will already have his dinner prepped, so do I leave the babysitter money to order food (seems weird to leave her extra money when I'm already paying her $15/hour to put DC to bed and watch TV, but if that's the norm, I'll do it)? Tell her to help herself to whatever in in the fridge/pantry (not much, because I really need to go grocery shopping!)? Leave her to fend for herself? She's mid-20's, so not a teenage babysitter, if that makes any difference. She'll be here from 5:00 until 11:00, so she's certain to get hungry. So what's the DCUM consensus?

I always throw out Panera and ask what they like. Usually it's a sandwich and chips. So I stop at some point during the day to purchase what the sitter likes.

[Anonymous]

I usually order a pizza before she comes and leave money for her to pay for it. We don't go out that much and my kids are high maintenance so I try to make things as easy as possible.

[Anonymous]

I call her that day and let her know I am running some errands and stoping at x,y, or z store and ask her what she would like. I would leave money for pizza as well, but other delivery places sometimes have a minimum that is way more than one person ordering, so keep that in mind.

I also agree with the others that if she is there at dinner, you do need to feed her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. A frozen pizza seems like a brilliant and obvious idea. Smacking my head that I didn't think of it.

You should make sure that she doesn't have any dietary restrictions, though (gluten free/lactose intolerant). I would get the frozen pizza and tell her there's that OR to help herself.