Gift for child's care provider?

[PilsnPinkysMom]

I need some inspiration!

DD is with her caregiver three days a week. The woman is a saint! She's a special ed teacher turned stay-at-home mom to two little girls (ages three and eight months). Her husband is in the thick of his residency at an area hospital. She's home alone with her girls most days of the week and also teaches a co-op pre school every other week.

We're planning on giving a bonus of one week's wages, but I'd like to give her a thoughtful present... I'm just at a loss at what to give. I don't know much about her besides the above (I'm not sure of her hobbies). I feel like a certificate for something indulgent would be nice (massage, facial, etc), but I'm not sure how much time she gets away from her girls and how willing her hubby is to stay with them alone. I think they like to maximize their time together. Plus she still breastfeeds her daughter, so she wouldn't want to be separated for too long.

C'mon, thoughtful PSers! I know you're full of awesome ideas!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Spa gift basket!! Philosophy products are yum! Maybe she is into natural products, in which case that would be a good inspiration for items to include? I agree that it sounds like she would not be able to spend much time at the spa. You wouldn't want her getting stressed just trying to get out of the house to relax, so bring the spa home. Maybe a relaxation cd, soy candles, bubble bath.

 

[CrisM]

I'm wondering the same thing. Our caregiver also gets a week bonus. Last year she received a thank you Longchamp shopper. This year I think just a beautiful wallet from a lux retailer with a gift receipt so she can exchange for whatever else she'd prefer. Gift budget is $200 or less.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I've been asking my coworkers about this! I'm at a loss, too. I'm trying to figure out what salon she goes to so I can get her a gift certificate there. She also mentioned a jewelry store once, but I forgot to write down the name of it. I would just try to figure out places she likes through casual conversation over the next week or two. Ask what she's doing over the weekend. Tell her you need a massage and ask if she knows a good place to go, etc.

Let me know what you decide!

Oh and this might not apply to you, but several of my coworkers do it: they pool money with the other parents and get one BIG gift between all of the. A nice weekend getaway or something like that. I'm not wanting to go that route, but didn't realize other people did that, so I'm just sharing.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Spa gift basket!! Philosophy products are yum! Maybe she is into natural products, in which case that would be a good inspiration for items to include? I agree that it sounds like she would not be able to spend much time at the spa. You wouldn't want her getting stressed just trying to get out of the house to relax, so bring the spa home. Maybe a relaxation cd, soy candles, bubble bath.

Philosophy products ARE yum! I second those. Also, Nordstrom Rack carries them for less than retail. I've been buying them there and saved a lot of $. Right now they have many Christmas/Holiday themed sets.

 

[Bella_mezzo]

i am trying to figure this out too...

 

[lliang_chi]

Well timed. We have a kinda different scenario since E goes to daycare. There's a bunch of Infant teachers that he'll interact with on a given day. Two main teachers (one I love, one I borderline dislike) and a bunch of floating teachers (one DH loves, the rest are OK).

We decided that we're going to stop off at one of our nicer grocery stores and pick up breakfast stuff like OJ, fruit salad, donuts, bagels, croissants etc and bring it in for breakfast for all of them. Then for the few teachers we really like, we're going to give them gift cards.

 

[monarch64]

I love to find gorgeous, fluffy but warm throws to give people who spend time sitting in their homes! We were gifted one a few years ago that is our absolute favorite; it's a deep pile velour on one side, and a sherpa fleece on the other.

That sort of thing is a comfort to anyone, whether they are a bf-ing mom, weekend couch-potato, avid movie-watcher, or they want to stow it away for future use. You can make a gift bag/basket out of it with pretty much any theme: wines/cheeses, books/candles, socks/nail polishes, etc.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

These are all great ideas! Thanks, ladies. I'm going to be a super sleuth next time I'm picking up E an try to get a feel for what sort of stuff they have around the house/what their decor is.