Au Pair Gift Ideas
I know that it is only September, but sometimes the months of November and December fly by for me, so I thought that giving a little bit of time to au pair gifts now, might make sense. We have lots of new host families on the Cape, so I wanted to share a great article from “The Buzz” about “Top 10 Holiday Gifts for Au Pairs” but also talk about welcome/housewarming gifts and birthdays.
Welcoming your au pair:
Here are some gifts or nice things that you might choose to have when your au pair arrives:
- pictures of you au pair’s family (you can get them from the application) and your family around her room
- email him/her to ask what his/her favorite snack foods are and have them in the house (fruits/veggies etc. are great as well)
- get the welcome basket for au pair school (remember enjoying care packages as a college student?) and/or make a basket of fun things for his/her bedroom
- learn a traditional meal from his/her country and try to make it — or find a restaurant that serves the food and go there during the first couple weeks
Birthdays or Holidays:
- If he or she has been here a while, you’ll probably have a good idea of a present
- If your au pair arrives shortly before his or her birthday or the holidays, you may need to get creative so here are a few ideas:
- gift card to a local restaurant or shop
- pick a weekend that he or she is “off” and book a hotel getaway through something like Hotwire or Priceline — sometimes for $40-100
- ticket to a concert or show — especially if he or she is going somewhere like Boston or NYC
- get something uniquely Cape Cod like a bracelet or Nantucket basket
- Whale Watch tickets
- Ferry tickets to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket
- A class or workshop registration for things like photography, painting, Zumba, yoga
- Fitness membership
For families that have had multiple au pairs, do you have suggestions for great presents? We’d love to hear them!
Saturday, 29 September 2012 3:50 PM