But providing food is a great perk! I save $5-10 a day plus my time by not having to shop, make or pack my lunch. Plus I can mix it up - make spaghetti one day, breaded chicken another, avocado salads! It's like an extra $50 a week and I only need to figure out my dinners once in awhile.

Oh and let me please section off raw chicken every week into fresh daily amounts for you too.
Can you deliver a piping hot lunch of garlic chicken, veg and rice to my office every day too?!?

We are interviewing nannies and have started asking What do you do for your breakfasts and lunches. Many say they bring their own and heat it up or eat sandwiches/soups.

Yesterday's interviewee said she loves fresh vegetables, fruit and chicken for lunch. Mmm Mmm! I asked if she brings this all weekly or daily or cooked. She said fresh is best and did not answer the question. I asked if she cooks this then as a family serving and eats a bit for her lunch or what. She changed her tune and quickly said she is a bad cook.

So nice to get a bi-weekly personal grocery shopping list from a potential hire.

I've been a nanny for 10+ years and have always been told that I was welcome to eat whatever I wanted, until my current job. I've always taken my lunch and snacks with me, so it isn't an issue. It does bother me that there isn't space for my lunch at times. I grew up with nannies, and my understanding is that the offer is made by parents as a courtesy, but shouldn't be abused. I'm a cooking nanny, and oftentimes will cook the kids meals during nap time. If I cook for myself, it's a grilled cheese sandwich, (if I didn't cook a proper meal at home). The children are ALWAYS welcome to try my food, as long a their parents are okay with it.

We provide staples to the nanny and if she wants her special organic breads, granola, and tofu she brings it herself. I wouldn't have time to buy and section off meats and such for more people. She does not turn in the stove to cook herself lunch.
She also brings her own fruits otherwise i'd be going to the grocery store 3x a week! Which I cannot do.

I bring my own lunch but tend to grab a yogurt or apple at their house for snack since both parents said I'm welcome to help myself.

Live-in nanny here. I only take positions that provide my food, that's part of the trade-off that the family gives to get extreme flexibility.

However, I eat healthy food, and once kids start eating food along with formula, everything I eat can be shared (within reason and with extra cooking time to start, of course). I always have kids in the kitchen with me while I cook, and practically everything I serve is prepared from raw ingredients (exceptions for dairy). Unless there are food allergies or one child needs extra fats, there is no reason to make more than one meal. On the other hand, I never spend more than 30 minutes preparing a meal, and kids never play more than 15 minutes while I prep (not running wild, they're either in pack'n'play, screened-in porch where I can watch/talk through the open window, or gated area next to my workspace). The parents choose to use processed food for the kids when I don't prepare enough ahead for weekends/rare dinners, but that is their choice. I have yet to meet a child who doesn't want to shove veggies into the food processor, push the buttons on the blender, pick fruits/veggies for the next meal or otherwise help.

I eat breakfast at home and then was told to help myself to snacks and lunch with the kids. I do eat whatever the kids are eating though. I don't make myself some elaborate other meal. It has never been an issue before.

Ds' nanny often brings her own lunch but knows she has access to our fridge and pantry. If there is something we don't want her to eat (like a specific item we need for a recipe) we give her a heads up.

DH and I are trying to eat better so we don't buy junk snacks for us so now just ask her if there is a particular snack she likes that we could buy.

She has recently really gotten into Pinterest and has showed us some recipes she'd like to try with DS so we buy those ingredients and that will turn into their lunch and sometimes even dinner for all of us.

I think it works out well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do various families or nannies do for the nanny's breakfast, lunch or even dinner?

Do you bring your own breakfasts and lunches? Do you eat your family's food? Do you tell your family what foods to make sure and buy for you?
Do you spend time preparing, cooking and eating your meals? Or do something fast and easy?

thanks!

OP here, thanks for the responses. I fear our nanny food situation has fallen into a real rut, I just do not have the time to keep buying her 3-4 items per meal for her to cook. Or find I am out of tomatoes, onions beans, rice, bread, chicken every couple days when I nor the kids used any of it.
To make matters worse, she annihilated our toddler Gerber meals that we only use for restaurants out or travel - so easy, no-effort processed meals for the kids and 2-3 kettles of cooking for her, daily. This is not working.

We will have a discussion tomorrow. I can only imagine how much time she uses for her 9am tea & breakfast and lunches.

Good luck. Come back and let us know how it goes.

After this update, and rereading your original post, I have to wonder if your nanny is bored and doesn't much like being a nanny anymore, and so is filling time with other tasks. If they're allowed to go out and do things, then I would say it might be time for a change.

If it turns out she just likes cooking, then tell her to feed the children what she's making and get them involved in making it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:During the interview process, I ask for my nanny families to provide one Amy's frozen meal for my lunch each day. Every family has been very happy to accommodate. Sometimes I bring my lunch, but it's nice to know there is something available on hand I can heat up easily that is relatively healthy.

I don't like eating my nanny family's food so this is an easy, inexpensive way that they can provide food for me without having to worry that I'll eat the last of an ingredient they need for their own dinner, or break the food budget (or spend an excessive amount of time cooking).

I don't know, I have to be honest - this would put me off if I was asked this at an interview (this all assuming I want a professional nanny and am paying a good rate). I get a nanny to make my life easier. Having to make sure there is an Amy's frozen meal in the freezer at all times does not make my life easier. I don't understand why you wouldn't just buy these yourself and ask if you could keep a few in the freezer?

Same here, would definitely put me off a nanny candidate as PP said, and even moreso would see it as a huge red flag that this is a nanny likely to have a lot of her own issues and thus less focus on the children.

Anonymous wrote:During the interview process, I ask for my nanny families to provide one Amy's frozen meal for my lunch each day. Every family has been very happy to accommodate. Sometimes I bring my lunch, but it's nice to know there is something available on hand I can heat up easily that is relatively healthy.

I don't like eating my nanny family's food so this is an easy, inexpensive way that they can provide food for me without having to worry that I'll eat the last of an ingredient they need for their own dinner, or break the food budget (or spend an excessive amount of time cooking).

I don't know, I have to be honest - this would put me off if I was asked this at an interview (this all assuming I want a professional nanny and am paying a good rate). I get a nanny to make my life easier. Having to make sure there is an Amy's frozen meal in the freezer at all times does not make my life easier. I don't understand why you wouldn't just buy these yourself and ask if you could keep a few in the freezer?

Anonymous wrote:What do various families or nannies do for the nanny's breakfast, lunch or even dinner?

Do you bring your own breakfasts and lunches? Do you eat your family's food? Do you tell your family what foods to make sure and buy for you?
Do you spend time preparing, cooking and eating your meals? Or do something fast and easy?

thanks!

OP here, thanks for the responses. I fear our nanny food situation has fallen into a real rut, I just do not have the time to keep buying her 3-4 items per meal for her to cook. Or find I am out of tomatoes, onions beans, rice, bread, chicken every couple days when I nor the kids used any of it.
To make matters worse, she annihilated our toddler Gerber meals that we only use for restaurants out or travel - so easy, no-effort processed meals for the kids and 2-3 kettles of cooking for her, daily. This is not working.

We will have a discussion tomorrow. I can only imagine how much time she uses for her 9am tea & breakfast and lunches.

So nice when parents treasure their nannies. They tend to have fortunate children.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:During the interview process, I ask for my nanny families to provide one Amy's frozen meal for my lunch each day. Every family has been very happy to accommodate. Sometimes I bring my lunch, but it's nice to know there is something available on hand I can heat up easily that is relatively healthy.

I don't like eating my nanny family's food so this is an easy, inexpensive way that they can provide food for me without having to worry that I'll eat the last of an ingredient they need for their own dinner, or break the food budget (or spend an excessive amount of time cooking).

Or just ask for a section of the fridge and freezer like I do and shop, buy and bring it yourself.

Right. Or they can just buy it for me, which they are more than happy to do. I worked with my last two families for a combined total of seven years, so clearly it wasn't an issue for them.