How to pay my grown up babysitter?

[BikeRunSki]

DH and I are going out together tommorrow for the first time since DS was born 5 months ago .

A good friend of ours is babysitting (she has been volunteering for months and has known DS since he was born). She is 30s, married, house owner, working and all those other grown up things, so I feel that giving her cash is inappropriate. She has no children of her own, so I can not offer babysitting "swapsies".

I have bought a really good bottle of wine (£10, rathet than my normal £5 or less, which I intend to give her - does this sound OK? If not, what would be fair ? I really want this to work!

Have you asked her?

I can't see that she'd have a problem with that.

If she does.....i can babysit (i like red wine )

or some nice flowers, box of chocs?

The bottle of wine sound ideal. If it was to become a reular thing, say once a month, maybe you could have her round for dinner once a month after she has babysat for you?
Thats what my friend and I used to do when she had her DD, and I didn't want to accept cash from her.

When our friends babysit they always get a pizza, 2 Gu puddings and a decent bottle of wine - with maybe a bar of Green and Blacks thrown in!

I used to babysit for my friends DC before I had a family of my own.

I wouldn't have wanted anything to take away but did appreciate high quality nibbles.

When my 21y.o. SIL babysits she gets a takeaway, some chocolate and permission to order a film from Virgin On Demand if she wishes.

We did buy her an extra generous Christmas present (ipod) to say thanks too.

Thanks folks.

Off to get chocies and nibbles in the morning then.

Ridiculously exited about going out with DH and not DS. In the evening too!

aw that sounds lovely! have fun

Ooh, that sounded a bit wrong. Not that I don't love DS to pieces.