Not to leave dinner for babysitter??

[DeweyDecibelle]

I've never had a babysitter before, first night out with hubby for 8 months!! She's arriving at 6, for a couple of hours only (next week she will be doing the whole night til midnight), and I've just cottoned on that this is dinner time - if not this week (where we will be home by 8/9) then certainly next week - do I need to leave something for her to eat?? Obviously I was planning to leave biscuits, bread for toast etc but now just wondering if this would be deemed unreasonable? Help!

I'm sure it's not mandatory, I'd eat before going/take something with me. But would be nice if you left stuff for sandwiches maybe and some snacks.

Will she be feeding your dc? If so I'd say let her eat with them :)

I would imagine that if she knows she is 'working' at 6, she'll eat beforehand.

Make sure you have stuff in for sandwiches, maybe a pizza in the fridge/freezer and tell her to help herself if she is hungry. If she has eaten, she won't bother, if she hasn't then she will

I leave dinner for friends when they babysit - but if I'm paying someone then no, I don't leave dinner.

I don't think it is essential but a nice gesture to leave cheese and ham for a toastie or something.
I would imagine she will eat her main meal before she comes over.

Thanks for your speedy replies I got myself in a right tizz wondering what the etiquette was! Baby is only 8 months so will have eaten by time she gets here apart from her bottle. Good idea re leaving a pizza or something just in case though, I think I'll do that.

I have only ever done unpaid babysitting for friends.

I've had the following:
Nothing left at all.
Pizza etc left
Had a cooked meal
Money for a takeaway.

I have always taken my own snacks tho, crips, chocolate and drinks.

How old is she? When I babysat as a penniless student I used to get left a naice ready meal.

If someone sits for me later on (say 8pm) then I leave nice biscuits, flavoured fizzy water, crisps, grapes, something like that. Reduces boredom but not substantial.

Mind you, we've only had the DC babysat at home two or three times, as opposed to when they spend a very occasional night at the ILs'.

Oh if it was a friend doing a favour or a penniless student of course I'd leave a meal, but she's a professional childminder (not mine) and I'm paying her enough!

oh well in that case personally I would just have nice biscuits and tea/coffee.

oh well in that case personally I would just have nice biscuits and tea/coffee.

As thebody says, some tea and biscuits is fine.

She may well bring her own snacks anyway, just in case.

I agree. Maybe enough to make a sandwich when she does the six-hour stint and point it out, but for two hours, no. She can eat at home before or after.

Tea/coffee/juice, cheese and biscuits, fruit and maybe some nice biccies should keep her alive even through the longer stint.

For a professional baby sitter i would say just tea/coffee and a biscuit would suffice.

Is she coming straight from work? She might not have had a chance to eat - snacks, toast etc would be nice.

No, just say 'help yourself' and point her to the fridge.

(Obviously make sure there's things to eat in it.)

If she's a professional childminder then I'm sure she'll have made sure she's sorted just in case you don't leave her anything. Tea/coffee and biscuits is all I was ever given as a babysitter (non-professional) but I never had to feed the children either.

I'm a babysitter, i'd never expect to be fed.

Most people say 'help yourself to drinks/snacks' but i usually bring my own if i think i'll be hungry, except with a few of my regulars where i might have a biscuit and a coffee.