I have an easy meal to pop in the oven - like sheet pan fajitas or chicken tenders and sweet potato fries - or I order pizza.

The babysitter prepares dinner and feeds kids (and herself? I don’t pay attention, but we tell her to help herself to anything in the fridge or snack cabinet). I get dressed and do makeup while she does dinner and then DH and I head out for a date. When I come home dinner is all cleaned up and dishes are washed.

I never asked her to do dishes, but I always tidied up and cleaned up the kitchen when I was a babysitter so it seems normal to me.

It is not an obligation to provide dinner for your sitter - but it would be the courteous thing to do.

After all - she would be taking care of your most prized possessions right?

To make it simple > simply order a pizza 🍕 for everyone.

Now that is a win win.

Anonymous wrote:I tell my sitters they can help themselves to anything that's in the house. When I had a nanny, I served her the same stuff I cooked at dinner. But they generally will bring their own food.

+1 I regularly do ad-hoc evening care. I'll usually decline a parent's offer for delivery unless I'm there for an overnight or coming from another gig and didn't get a chance to pick something up. Otherwise, if I'm helping kids with dinner while parents are getting ready, no biggie. I'll often not eat with them, but after as I'll bring my own food or eat when I get home.

I tell my sitters they can help themselves to anything that's in the house. When I had a nanny, I served her the same stuff I cooked at dinner. But they generally will bring their own food.

OP are you not leaving the house when the sitter is there? Then just have them come after normal dinner time, say 7pm.

Yes, you need to feed the babysitter if she’s working at dinner time and have snacks available for her.

Just order a damn pizza.

Anonymous wrote:Hi!
If I have a sitter for an evening, do I feed them dinner?
Does it need to be our family dinner, so I offer to buy them takeout, do in I get takeout for the whole family?
Is it ok to make them feed the kids if I'm present and doing work in another room?
This is a big issue that stops me from getting a sitter for evenings when I could really use one, because if I cook something nice that a stranger will like, or order takeout, it takes me more work than it's worth or a lot more money.

And if I have to sit with the sitter while the kids eat their dinner, then what's the point exactly? If that eats up 1.5 of "my" 4 hours of free time?

So you would have the sitter feed the kids dinner but not feed her? Yes, you offer dinner to her. I would imagine that someone as cheap and ill-mannered as you had great difficulty bin getting anyone to baby sit for you. I always asked the sitter what she wanted for dinner. Generally, she was happy to have pizza with the kids but if she wanted something else, I got that for her. I also told her there was ice cream and she could help herself. I also have her a good tip. I never had a problem getting a sitter.

Either the sitter feed the kids dinner and you tell them they can eat whenever the kids are having (or they bring their own sandwich). Or they come after kids have eaten. Teenage sitters have come to us and fed the kids dinner but they already ate at home and were going to have snacks post kid bedtime so didn't need dinner.

If sitter is coming for an evening and includes the children dinner time then yes you offer to feed. Depending on how often you are doing this, make it pizza night. Or tell her ahead of time what the kids are having and say there is plenty for her or she can help herself to anything. Having said that. We have an after school sitter twice a week. She gives DD leftovers usually ( she just heats it up) at 4/430 and drops her at an activity at 530 or 6 depending on the day. I do not provide her with dinner. She goes home and eats with her family.

Why is dinner taking an hour and a half?

If you are ordering for the kids, you ask the sitter what she/he wants and get them something. If you are cooking something basic, you offer it or tell her to help herself to what is in the kitchen.

I don’t really understand the situation. If you have a sitter, I assume you are not eating with your kids, so it isn’t a ‘family dinner,’ right? Like you want her to come at 5 and feed the kids dinner while you finish up work and get ready to go out for dinner with your spouse?

In any case, if the sitter is there over dinner time, you should definitely provide some food. We always always do easy (and cheap) takeout for the kids when we will be gone -usually pizza, sometimes Puerto Rican chicken - something my kids will happily eat. I don’t want the sitter to have to try to get my kids to eat some new weird thing. Sometimes I will ask the sitter to cook something really easy - like frozen nuggets and steam in the bag green beans etc, but generally only with sitters we have used a bunch or times when I won’t be able to order food. I will usually ask the sitter if they have favorite pizza toppings or want a salad on the side or whatever. I would not cook dinner while the sitter is there without offering her food!

If the cost of a slightly larger pizza is too much, you shouldn’t be going out!

I usually make something for the kids and let the sitter know she can also eat it (eg spaghetti, curry rice, pizza). I leave it for the sitter to feed the kids, and she also eats after we leave. She will usually do the dishes and clean up after dinner.

I’m confused about the whole situation. Why would you sit with the sitter while the kids eat?

If your sitter is feeding your kid dinner it is nice to say she can eat some of whatever has been made too. It’s also nice to have snacks and a few things in the freezer like a pizza or something that she can help herself to if she gets hungry as well. Takeout not necessary.

Hi!
If I have a sitter for an evening, do I feed them dinner?
Does it need to be our family dinner, so I offer to buy them takeout, do in I get takeout for the whole family?
Is it ok to make them feed the kids if I'm present and doing work in another room?
This is a big issue that stops me from getting a sitter for evenings when I could really use one, because if I cook something nice that a stranger will like, or order takeout, it takes me more work than it's worth or a lot more money.

And if I have to sit with the sitter while the kids eat their dinner, then what's the point exactly? If that eats up 1.5 of "my" 4 hours of free time?