Christmas present ideas for nanny

[Somerandomwords]

Please can anyone give me some good suggestions of Christmas presents for our nanny? I am really struggling - she has been with us nearly two years but because my dh does all the morning and evening handovers I don't get to have those 5 minute chats that let you build up a picture of what someone likes. And dh doesn't even have a clue what to get me for Christmas (his wife of 10 years!) let alone our nanny and so he is no help.

I will get make her something little from the children, but want to get a nice present as we do a cash bonus for her in April when we know ours, rather than at Christmas as is common.

Any ideas would be much appreciated. Maybe I should just text and ask her!!

What age is she ?
My first thought was a nice handbag .
Can you give an indication of budget ?

I'd go with vouchers for somewhere like Amazon.

Or just ask her.

There is nothing that is universally liked/appreciated so whatever we suggest, with no knowledge of the nanny, is likely to be wrong and a complete waste of money.

She is mid twenties so a fair bit younger than us which again makes it harder. We've ended up doing vouchers for virtually every present but it just feels a bit impersonal. But better to spend on vouchers than buy something she doesn't like. Was thinking budget wise £50-£100 so at the moment my only idea is some nice toiletries, a bunch of flowers and maybe a voucher. She is brilliant and I just want to make sure she feels appreciated.

Vouchers.
What you think are nice toiletries, she may not.

uk.accessorize.com/view/product/uk_catalog/acc_1,acc_1.9/1897250300
Really practical leather bag. Put the receipt inside just incase, but for me this is a useful gift for lots of ages / tastes

But she may already have a plain boring black leather handbag! Vouchers!

I hate being given toiletries. And although vouchers can seem impersonal I love the excuse to treat myself to something I would really like but can't justify.

The best present I was ever given from an employer (and perhaps the best present I have ever been given full stop) was a beautiful charm bracelet with a charm engraved with my charge's name. I regularly babysit for other local families and my boss had been in touch with them and they all gave me an identical engraved charm for each of their children too. I adore it and recently had to take it in to the shop to have more links put on!

Nice keyring? We usually just give a little token gift and a Xmas bonus.

Stringey - jewellery is such a personal gift. Although I would be touched by a bracelet like that, it would sit in a drawer unused as I don't like anything jangly around my wrist.

You've all convinced me - vouchers it is :-). I like the idea of her feeling like she has an excuse to treat herself to something nice (I'd been worried that she'd feel like we couldn't be bothered to put any thought into an actual present!). So nanny in mid 20s with a young family - does Debenhams vouchers sound ok? We have a huge one nearby with some good clothing concessions, a huge beauty section, accessories, nice home and kitchen stuff plus electricals so hopefully she can find something to treat herself to there.

Plus a nice bunch of flowers - I definitely know she likes flowers .

Thank you all very much.

Go with vouchers. There is nothing worse than being given an expensive (and to me £50 is expensive) present when it isn't something you like and won't use. Also, in giving something and including the receipt, if the stores policy is to give vouchers back when you take something back, you are limited to what you can buy in exchange. The bag upthread, if they gave me £50 vouchers to spend in accessorise, I wouldn't know what to buy, it wouldn't be a treat and I'd probably buy something I didn't really want. £50 could be much better spent in another shop for me.
If always prefer vouchers, but for somewhere more universal like a department store, or somewhere like next which sells lots of things. Amazon would be a good choice or somewhere like Tesco, they sell everything so could buy dvds/music, electrical stuff, whatever. Very impersonal, but highly useful and I would thank you more for this kind of gift.

I would do the debenhams vouchers but make sure that there were lovely words in the card to say how much you appreciate her and that you want her to treat herself to something that she would love for herself with it, to make it a more special present.

Also, do you send a small present for her DC? She might appreciate that too...

Yes - we always buy for her children for Christmas and birthdays and I have their presents already. They're much easier because my children can give me suggestions! I will make sure there are some lovely words in the card too.

I 'd be more inclined to go John Lewis or M and S then she could always use them to buy some lovely Christmas food or clothes/toys for the children.

Go for the most wide-ranging vouchers you can find.

Amazon are good.

Love2Shop vouchers can be used in lots of high street shops.

One4all vouchers from the Post Office can be used nearly everywhere including Debenhams, John Lewis, Gap, Argos and Amazon (and loads and loads of others).

At a previous job, my boss would give me £100 voucher to a restaurant in the area. She would also babysit for my ds. Best present ever!!

As a nanny I really appreciate vouchers, my boss gave me some for John Lewis which I loved as there is lots of choice. Also, I've been given a huge bunch of really lovely flowers.
I agree about not giving toiletries, in the past I've been given expensive brands like clarins, which some people may think is a great gift but I don't particularly like or use them so they just sit gathering dust. Unless you know something she particularly loves I would steer clear.

Oh crap nannyr, ive bought my nanny a box of posh hand creams

Why not scrap the vouchers and give her cash but see if you can find a cute little purse to put it in - and then you can wrap it up as a little gift - but tie a nice label on the purse zipper pull that says something like 'my special treat purse' that she won't see until she opens the present and sees inside the purse.

You can get nice coin purses from debenhams or accessorise etc for a fiver or so, so it doesn't need to be an expensive one but it would be different from vouchers!

Cash is taxable. Not sure about vouchers.

Most nannies /employers don't declare their bonus' if cash .....

Vouchers Amazon as can literally buy anything off there

Spa vouchers or nails - ask dh if she has acrylics - tho he may not know what they are 😂

Afternoon cream tea ?

Photos frame

Tho purse with cash in it is also nice

Vouchers every time! And a card with a heart felt message inside. Its always nice to have your children "sign" the card with their own scribbles too.

Unless you have a good idea of what kind of shops she enjoys browsing in then John Lewis or similar. My lovely ex boss got me £75 worth of vouchers for a local beauty salon which despite being incredibly generous, was not something I used until I had to (I hate massages, and my best friend is a nail technician). The following year she apparently asked my charge on a whim (he was three), what my favourite shop was and he knew! So I got vouchers for there, which was a really, really lovely gift.

When I worked in a nursery the class gifts at the end of the school year were gift cards from the parents after they'd done a collection. I was given a John Lewis voucher and a Zara Home voucher - I really enjoyed spending my vouchers on lovely things without feeling guilty. I don't think vouchers are impersonal.

just ask her, my boss got me a pair of ray ban's for my birthday and a lovely handbag for Christmas, that was alongside the presents the kids got me for Xmas.
she will more than likely appreciate anything though as i do.

Following with interest as we have a lovely newish nanny who i want to get somethign nice for Chritmas but really don't know her well enough.

Amazon vouchers or cash bonus? Plus something more personal from the kids? How much do you think (mainly afters school nannying).

In your circumstances, I would do vouchers for m and s, boots, debenhams or John Lewis. You can spend them online too.

We have a nanny, and I've always known where they like to shop in terms of cosmetics, clothes etc, but I've never chosen something for them. I've always given vouchers plus a box of chocolates or similar. I would rather they choose what they really want than spend the same amount of money on something they may not like.

For example, I have loads of mugs. So people buy me mugs, different sizes, messages etc. What they've missed is that I like Dunoon porcelain mugs in the Lomond shape that they do. Yes, I know I'm fussy and particular, but that's what I like. So a mug wouldn't be a good present for me. Knowing how hard it can be to get right, i give vouchers!!