I invite the sitter to eat some of what we have on hand. and I make sure we have some generically agreeable food, easy to reheat: pasta, pizza, salad, etc.

I remember as a teen being a sitter for a family that had NOTHING to snack on at their house. They just had jars of dried food (flour, beans, etc). That was an extreme case!

Anonymous wrote:I leave 20 bucks on the table and various menus from take out places in the neighborhood.

Same here. Just leave cash and let her order delivery.

No.

OP, do you really have to ask?

Anonymous wrote:I don't consider a hired babysitter to be a "guest" in our home. They should eat beforehand and not freeload.

JUST KIDDING! Points if you know which thread THAT drama is from!

I don't consider a hired babysitter to be a "guest" in our home. They should eat beforehand and not freeload.

JUST KIDDING! Points if you know which thread THAT drama is from!

My sitter comes directly from work. She gets here at 6:30.
I know she gets off work at 6pm and doesn't go home in between. She gets whatever the family is having for dinner that night. Tonight is meatloaf, veggies, and potatoes.

It is customary to provide a meal or money to order some delivered. I pay $20 an hour, too.

Absolutely, I always make sure there is a meal available - even if it is only a casserole.

If I am hiring a sitter to watch my kids during their dinner time, then I always make sure there is enough that she can eat something too. I think it's very rude to have them there on duty watching the kids eat and not providing for them as well.

A frozen pizza, and easy snacks in an accessible spot so she doesn't have to rummage through the messy pantry.

If the babysitter will be there when DC is eating, I make sure there is plenty for her. Otherwise, I tell her to help herself to whatever she can find. We always have snacks foods. I also inform her before she comes that DC will have eaten before or while she's there so she can plan accordingly.

When she's getting there around dinner time, I just make sure there is plenty of whatever the kids are eating (pizza, pasta and meatballs, etc). If it's later, I just make sure the fridge is stocked with a few different things.

My sister and I were frequent babysitters as teens, and we always talked about which families had the best food for us! One mom who was a family friend always had freshly baked these amazing chocolate chip cookies she knew we loved. I don't go that far, but try to have something on hand to make her feel welcome!

I always make something for the kids that I think the babysitter would like and make a lot extra (like lasagna or pizza or chicken parm or something). Then I tell the babysitter to help herself. I couldn't imagine not feeding the babysitter, since it's dinnertime and she is usually there for a while.

I usually leave a frozen pizza (something decent), some hummus and chips or a pasta salad. We never have much on hand in our fridge for her to "help herself to" so I like to get her somethng.