Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

Presents for Nursery Staff?

28 replies

lauzie · 25/10/2008 10:50

DS started a nursery in May and I just wondered what the etiquette is when it comes to christmas gifts for the staff etc. ?
The problem is he doesn't stay in his 'room' (for 2-3's) as he is a non sleeper so when the rest are asleep he goes into the 3+ room. Also the staff move room to room all the time so nearly all of them spend time with him so not just 3/4 staff to buy for.

Sorry bit of a waffle! Any ideas?

OP posts:
TheApprentice · 25/10/2008 10:51

buy a tin of biscuits or box of chocolates for them all to share

Thankyouandgoodnight · 25/10/2008 20:02

Don't they get sick of all the chocs and biscuits? Also - do you have to get something for your keyworker too? We're on a skint year this year and aren't even buying for each other.

bodiddly · 25/10/2008 20:24

We buy for the 3 staff in his room plus the manager and deputy manager .... I tend to buy things on the 3 for 2 in M&S or Boots to keep costs down.

loler · 25/10/2008 20:28

I get ds to draw a picture and then put it in a nice frame (the frame being the present rather than the picture!) - TK Maxx do lots of nice cheap ones! - I would probably just buy the key worker a present in your case. But have asked at nursery before and they said that biscuits always go down well in the kitchen.

loler · 25/10/2008 20:30

Just remembered got a terracotta plant pot (£1) and got ds to paint it and put a cheap plant in it - they said thank you and looked pleased!

AprilMeadow · 25/10/2008 21:00

I tend to go to the supermarkets that have wine on special offer and then make sure that i get 1 more than i actually need to save embarassment. Have also bought things like keyrings (from accessorize) in the past.

The girls at nursery do sometimes comment on how many tins of chocolate/biscuits they have received. Not in an ungrateful way tho.

nic06 · 26/10/2008 20:43

I usually write a card for each one we want to gie to and include a lottery ticket (lucky dip) with as many lines as you wish to spend on!

yesmynameisdracula · 26/10/2008 20:56

I usually buy them a nice Christmas tree decoration.

lilolilmanchester · 26/10/2008 20:59

Long time since mine were in nursery, but they used to pool all the presents and then share them between the staff. DD's nursery did it like a tombola. Why don't you ask the nursery manager how they handle it?

paow · 27/10/2008 10:08

Hi ya, I'm having exactly the same dillema.
Thought of going to Costco or somewhere like that to see what they have there wholesale, as I can only spend about £3 on each person, as there are about 15 people working there or so, any more ideas appreciated!

smellybunion · 27/10/2008 10:25

i used to work in a nursery.

any presents were very well received, and there were never too many choccies or biscuits...we'd all share them (staff and children.)

its lovely to get a personal pressie, and the value doesn't matter at all....it really was for us, the appreciation that you're doing a good job...

if you're buying for lots of people, how about a bath bomb from lush...you can buy lovely christmas cellophane bages from lakeland...wrap one bomb in each bag and tie with pretty ribbon...

if you wanted, you could add a tin of biccies for the staffroom too, or a nice story book for the other children to have read to them.

paow · 27/10/2008 10:38

What a good idea smellyb! I love the bath bomb idea, and they do a "xmas pudding" one!
Thanks so much.

WitchWorley · 27/10/2008 10:44

i'd go with the tin of biscuits/ roses/ chocs etc to, as smellybunion says, they all get some and there can never be enough biscuits in the staff room!!. when ds1 left nursery he painted a mug at a pottery place for his keyworker that we gave her as a leaving present, now ds2 is at a different nursery i shall be giving them the tin of buiscuits, as ds2 is the same as lauzies and is a non sleeper! the bathbomb each sounds like a good idea but its fatal if i go in lush as i spend way to much money.

(ds1 left nursery 5 years ago and now his keyworker uses the same nursey for her dd as ds2 and as soon as she saw me, she commented that she still uses ds1's mug he painted her all them years ago!)

Thankyouandgoodnight · 27/10/2008 19:35

But my DD isn't so keen on her keyworker and as a result, she spends most of her time with all the other staff! What on earth do I do? Last year I just made a tub of homemade biccies and didn't get anything specific for her keyworker (who's lovely but looks like a man and I can't believe would be interested in anything bath bomb or M&S voucher like (I am being very naughty here I know). Does everyone get their keyworkers something and hence mine ends up with nothing if I don't? Oh dear - this really is a minefield!

hotbot · 27/10/2008 19:46

how about really nice handwash and cream, , must be nice as their hands are never out of the sink after changing all those bums - any everyone can use it too,

ShinyPinkPumpkin · 27/10/2008 19:47

Having ran nurseries I would say go for something like a magazine subscription for the staffroom or something rather than chocolates as they get SO many of them!

Thankyouandgoodnight · 27/10/2008 20:14

oooh i like the mag subscription idea - which one do you think???

MingMingtheWonderPet · 27/10/2008 20:18

Magazine subscription is a great idea, tho not Practical Parenting - lol
Maybe Marie Claire?

ShinyPinkPumpkin · 27/10/2008 20:24

Something fun like Glamour or similar maybe

Thankyouandgoodnight · 27/10/2008 20:52

It needs to be something that men will enjoy too as there is one in DDs room plus two others that work in the centre!

loler · 27/10/2008 21:05

Heat (men say they don't read it but they will always sneak a peak!) - also love this idea - can get them very cheaply with tesco vouchers!

Thankyouandgoodnight · 27/10/2008 21:24

aaagh just looked it up and it would cost £76!!!!

Thankyouandgoodnight · 27/10/2008 21:25

would £15-20 worth of lots of different magazines issued in december be just as good ??

Thankyouandgoodnight · 27/10/2008 21:25

would £15-20 worth of lots of different magazines issued in december be just as good ??

jojosmaman · 27/10/2008 21:38

Last year I bought a little box from George (a collapsable cardboard one but that is flowery on the outside so looks more expensive than it is), just a bit bigger than a shoe box and packed it with lots of little goodies for all to share out. Sounds silly but I rolled up pairs of knitted gloves(as I work in a warehouse full of them so got a dozen for a tenner!!) alongside mini wine bottles, wrapped chocs and little fancy lip balms. I bought it for the room (about 6 girls) and I think it went down well because each of them mentioned how nice it was for the next week and I still see the odd one wearing their woolies!

Swipe left for the next trending thread