Situation is we are going out for dinner and she will have to look for baby from 3-4 pm to 9 pm. We have offered her to pay 25 CHF per hour but we do not know if we also have to give extra tips or offer her something to eat. We always have some snacks and coffee/tea at home but for sure if we have to offer dinner then we have to arrange.
What is normal, do we need to give extra tips or offer dinner to a baby sitter.
I wouldn't offer anything extra, except maybe a lift home if the person is young.
You arranged the time and agreed it, yes? So if sitter wants dinner she will probably bring something or get it later. We normally point at the kitchen and say help yourself
25.- per hour is already at the top end of the pay scale, we pay much less, not because we shopped around for a cheap person but just because both ladies who baby sit for us charge less, one is 15.- and one is 20.-
We make them something and put it in the oven
But in our case the kids need feeding too so they can all eat together.
Not sure if what we do is expected practice but then telling someone to help themselves in the kitchen probably means that the baby sitter will feel a bit uneasy about what and how much they can eat.
Baby sitters are basically someone else's kid. You'd like to think that if it was your kid, someone would sort out something for them to eat.
I do see what you mean but our ladies are well over 21
But yes if i was specially asking the baby sitter to cover dinner and feed my kids I would include it in the conversation - does she want to eat with them or will she sort herself out - they are having xyz food etc.
chf 25 per hour? . How old and experienced is this babysitter?
I think you should be able to have a very open conversation with someone who is coming into your home to look after your baby or children.
I used to ask what snacks the babysitter liked, and I would supply those.
If it was a long period of time which involved a meal, then it really depends on if they are minding just a baby (who is not eating solid foods) or children and they might all eat together. Often it is easier to prepare something in advance, which your children like to eat, and check if the babysitter likes it too.
Be sure to ask if your babysitter has any food allergies or sensitivities. If you have a child with allergies, be clear if you do not want the babysitter bringing food into the house.
If the babysitter does not drive, then you should find out how she is planning to get home.
If a babysitter is at my place during mealtime, I make sure she gets something to eat. Usually a pizza to pop in the oven. I'll also precise that she can help herself to yogurts, cookies and the like from my cupboards. This is basic courtesy to me.
Thanks all for the suggestions. I know 25 CHF is quite high but I think its important to have a person whom I can trust with a toddler. Our child still needs to looked after, she is always up to some mischief.... Its a hard work, I know from my experience . Also, the babysitter is around mid 20s and she does it to have extra-pocket money for her university. She lives nearby and at least she does not need lift. As for dinner, I think I will let her know that there will be no real dinner but she can help herself and make some sandwiches, salad or put a readymade pizza in oven. I will make sure there are some snacks as well at home. Cooking dinner only for her is a lot of work and for me who does not like cooking its like a huge work .
Seems like you have it covered. No need to feel any guilt about not cooking for him/her, although I am not a baby-sitter, if I was more than likely someone could cook the wrong thing for me, especially for just one person.
No doubt she does a good job as appreciative of the generous income & also for her not much traveling and in your original post you are home at a very decent hour, not that it should matter if on another occasion later if she is aware.
I agree completely. Trust is very important. You should be able to go out and have peace of mind knowing your child is in good hands. Toddlers can be a handful. I don't think you need to cook for someone in their mid 20's. That might be almost insulting to her. I am not convinced she would eat what a toddler might eat so you would be cooking 2 meals if you cooked in advance. So it is probably best to plan what your child will eat and let the babysitter look after herself.
One of the toughest parts of living as an expat is not having family on hand to babysit. So if you do find someone whom you can trust, that is worth paying a bit more for.
If the same babysitter works for you on a number of occasions, after the third or fourth time you could ask her if this is work that suits her. You can tell her that you'd like to make it work, and so you appreciate an open exchange of ideas.
You could ask her whether there is any aspect of the arrangement she would like changed, and voice anything you've noticed that you'd like done differently, e.g. did she deal with the dishes, are the children all jittery or are they fast asleep when you get home, have her snow-salty shoes marked the hallway, etc.
My advice is: get it right with her from the start, and check with her again every few months, so that such less-than-perfect matters don't even get the chance to build up as resentment between you. That way, you may well find you have a trustworthy babysitter, with comfortable communication, for years!