I don't take positions in which I am expected to provide my own food while I am eating with children. My theory is this: my job is to teach your child to appreciate good nutrition as well as taste, to instill good manners and to promote sharing. If the child has to eat something they don't like and I'm not eating it, it's not the same as requiring them to eat it while I do. I always, always make sure kids know what I like to eat and what I don't; I also make sure that they watch me eat a normal portion of the things I don't like as much. If I am providing my own food, I guarantee I won't be buying things I don't like! I have never approved of eating something i front of someone else and not offering to share, but I am not paying for food that I am going to bring to work and share with your child. I know how much my meals cost, given that I'm normally the one doing the grocery shopping, and as I usually do all the household cooking, I don't eat something for lunch that was supposed to be dinner. I would be insulted if a family told me that I shouldn't eat any of their food.

With that being said, this is a share and the children have very different diets. In this situation, it might be beneficial to the children to see that the nanny is eating something else as well, as an early example of people with different lifestyles being able to get along. However, if I was the nanny in that situation, I would ask for an extra dollar an hour to offset the work I would have to do to prep multiple meals and snacks every morning before leaving for work (no family wants to store more than one-two days food specifically for the nanny, I would assume, and I don't eat sandwiches or other pre-prepared foods), the cost of the food, and the work to cook two different meals each meal period.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So odd how selfish parents can be, yet they want the nanny to care for their child as kindly as if your child was her child.

How shortsighted of these parents.

So odd how many people there are with nothing better to do than try to whip up arguments with three year old threads.

Funny how the same issues keep coming up.

Anonymous wrote:So odd how selfish parents can be, yet they want the nanny to care for their child as kindly as if your child was her child.

How shortsighted of these parents.

So odd how many people there are with nothing better to do than try to whip up arguments with three year old threads.

We've made fruit, veggies, nuts, drinks, cereal, sandwich fixings, crackers and whatever available, but did not cook specially for the nanny and did not figure her into the cooking calculation - if only because I didn't want to think about accommodating her tastes in food. She usually ended up making sandwiches or loading up on fruit and yogurt, which was just fine with us.

Employer here and the practical reality is that my baby eats some of the nanny's food. We provide plenty of food for the baby, but babies are very social and want to eat what others are eating. So I would feel awful knowing that part of the nanny's lunch goes to my baby every day but she's banned from replacing some of that with our food. Also, on days when the baby is fussy, it's hard to get time to eat a proper meal - sometimes you just grab whatever you can, like a granola bar. So, yes, our nanny is welcome to help herself to snacks, fruit, tea, coffee, make herself a sandwich, and yes I keep quick grab & go things like granola bars around. I just don't know how she'd do her job otherwise.

So odd how selfish parents can be, yet they want the nanny to care for their child as kindly as if your child was her child.

How shortsighted of these parents.

Offering food is an inexpensive and simple way to tell your nanny that you appreciate her. Any little perks that you can give to your nanny (that you can afford) will come back to you. Kindnesses like that mean much more to me (as a nanny) than even a Christmas bonus does.

I guess I've been fortunate that I've never worked with a family who didn't tell me, help yourself to anything, and please add anything else, to the shopping list. I can't imagine digging into anything that might be for dinner. I tend to be an "overboard polite and thoughtful" person, so I've been told.

PP here, sorry I am on my phone so I apologize now for the few typos I made.

When I first saw this I thought it would be about parents hosting providing food or each child having different food from their own homes. Nope, you're asking about the nanny. I was told I could eat what I like, but that they eat relatively healthy(not a lot of snacks, just veggies and fruit), and that I was welcome to whatever I like. I think its a nice gesture, but still try to bring my own food with me it is nice to know though that if I'm running late or was too tired to go to the grocery store after work that I can go into work and eat something of theirs. I am very conscious of what I eat though, because I know MB plans their meals and like most moms only goes to the grocery store once a week if she can manage.
Nanny shares are more complicated though I guess because only one family is paying for the food. If it is really a big deal I guess the other family could give the host family a bit of money for food but that is penny pinching in my opinion. I as a nanny on occasion will buy a craft thing and not asked to be reimbursed, or pay for an outing because the play cash was used up and MB hasn't replaced it yet. If you're happy with your nanny at the end of the day, 25 dollars in groceries should not be a big deal.

Anonymous wrote:"It would be nice for employers to realize (especially the ones with small children) that we are at their homes all day and packing a breakfast/lunch/snacks is just not always possible, and it is really tough when your nanny has to end up spending $10-15 a day on carry out food, or eat your left over/reject food because they can't make it to a restaurant or store"

1) most people who take their lunch to work take leftovers or sandwiches. I find it impossible that the family you work for does not have sandwich fixings.
2) sounds like the fmalies HAVE made food available - just not exactly what you want. They're not a restaurant though. If you don't like simple things for lunch then bring your own.

+1

No don't give the nanny food allowance, she'll just pocket it and eat her other host family out of house and home.

"It would be nice for employers to realize (especially the ones with small children) that we are at their homes all day and packing a breakfast/lunch/snacks is just not always possible, and it is really tough when your nanny has to end up spending $10-15 a day on carry out food, or eat your left over/reject food because they can't make it to a restaurant or store"

1) most people who take their lunch to work take leftovers or sandwiches. I find it impossible that the family you work for does not have sandwich fixings.
2) sounds like the fmalies HAVE made food available - just not exactly what you want. They're not a restaurant though. If you don't like simple things for lunch then bring your own.

Here we go again...

With most every other job, it is mandated that you get a meal break. Not so for nannies. Let's make sure she has to make and bring her own lunch, God forbid she eats your food.
Where's the thread about how many squares of toilet paper you have to allow the nanny to use?
Really???