What do you buy nursery staff for Christmas?

[FabLaura]

So my daughter started nursery last month (she's 11 months). As this will be her first Christmas there, I'm interested to know what your children have taken in for the staff at Christmas - anything? A nice box of biscuits? Something more interesting? Thanks!

I gave gin and chocs to my child's key worker and bottles of Prosecco to the rest. Also a tin of biscuits for the staff room and a box of chocs for the office.

I get bottle of alcohol and some chocolate for each of the keyworkers, and make a box of various chocolates, biscuits, mince pies, christmasy food things that can be shared among everyone else.
I know I pay for their service but they really do get paid fuck all and despite that they look after my kids so well, they get big hugs everyday when they arrive and my kids actually ask to go there sometimes when it's not a creche day. For that I'm so grateful. So though I may spend "too much" by some people's standards I think it's not really enough for the peace of mind they give me every day.

I give each staff member a £10 Amazon voucher and his key worker gets £30. They are a brilliant bunch, we're so lucky to have a place there - you have to sign up whilst still in mid-pregnancy to get a place!

Last year I got them Costa vouchers (£5 each - there were 5 regular staff in DS’s room last year) plus a Lindt reindeer each. It seemed to go down well so I’ll probably do the same again this year - only 3 staff now so can probably stretch to £10 each.

We get them Westfield vouchers.

Please honestly just a card is absolutely fine! Especially if helped by the child.

We had soooooo many lovely cakes and doughnuts and fruit and biscuits etc at the end of summer term and a lot was wasted as we physically couldn't get through them all in time.( also put pressure in other parents who felt they had to keep up too!)

If you absolutely have to then share boxes of chocolate probably best as they have longer shelf life.

But really nothing but your heartfelt best wishes and a cuddle from the child is required 😍
We would rather you spent your money on them!

I’ve got dd’s key worker a couple of little candles that are packaged to look like a bauble and will get the rest of the women in the room a box of chocs and a box of biscuits to share and probably a box of chocs for the office too.

I never know how many staff are working in the room on the days she’s in as it changes about and wouldn’t want to miss anyone out buying individual gifts, plus I can’t afford that.

Best gift we ever gave was a lucky dip lottery ticket that won almost £100! (We bought a ticket with the same numbers )
The staff loved that and put it towards a weekend away.

Scratch cards for the nursery practitioners in the room, and a box of chocolates to be put in the staff room, so the catering and admin staff can share.

These workers are probably on minimum wage . So something nice!

I made a hamper for them to share our - chocolate, sweets, biscuits, smelliest, mini bottles of Prosecco etc.

Cost about £20 I think and hopefully had enough variety that there was something for everyone.

Love the hamper idea

I went with handmade cards by my DS and a candle (£4 from Aldi) for each of them in the room and they liked that :)

I did a “night in” box last year - slipper socks, bath bomb, small bottle of wine, little box of chocolates and £10 in an envelope for takeaway.

This year I’ll do the same I think!

Our nursery workers always had a Christmas party, so I'd give them £70 towards drinks - my DCs always seemed to span two rooms by the time Xmas came, so rather than buy 7/8 gifts they all enjoyed a few drinks and were always very pleased.

Don’t want to sound miserable but aren’t we all just going a bit crazy with gifts? I’m sure it wasn’t expected a few years ago and aren’t we supposed to be a bit more environmentally conscious then buying token gifts that will just clutter up the recipients home? Maybe that’s just me...

I work in a nursery. We often get chocolates or biscuits to share. We tend to keep everything and share it out between us to take home. We're a nut free nursery so some things we get can't be opened in the building anyway.

We really appreciate anything though- we keep all the cards and thank you notes we get, that's what really means the most.

I did bottles of Prosecco when just one child there but now it’s two I can afford that across both rooms so had planned to do the hamper idea for the staff room.

Also if anyone follows play.hooray on Instagram, she has a Christmas activity advent calendar which I thought would be a good gift as it’s ideas they can use in the nursery and reusable future years. I’ve got if for home instead

@BringBiscuits I totally agree with you. Eeven if nursery workers are paid minimum wage, a gift to show appreciation shouldn't be measured in cost or size.

I truly think some of these suggestions are ridiculous. It also creates this culture of expectancy and puts pressure on other parents to buy something of similar "quality". It's really gotten out of hand.

Nursery staff should be in those jobs because they enjoy nurturing children but it seems parents are turning into some insidious annual bribery. Also, what example are we showing children??

Charity shop mug, bit of compost, hyacinth bulb, put them in a dark place till sprouted and then out into the light.Prepared bulbs should just be starting to bud by Christmas.

We used to give a time or biscuits or chocs - with the idea they could be shared. Then found out the nursery (with the agreement of staff, and only with things that weren't specifically for a staff member), got all the tins, put a raffle ticket on and each staff member took raffle tickets to get one. That way everyone took something home. That way could take home/ I guess re gift if wanted. Guess they got top many tins to just share out in the staff room and didn't want to be eating treats until easter!