Holiday Gifts for Daycare

As a home daycare provider, I can tell you while I completely appreciate all that any parent might want to do for me, and the thought they put into it, but....

I am a very picky eater...have super sensitive skin and odor receptors (smells can contribute to my severe chronic migraines), so in the end, many gifty food items (store bought for sure), get tossed out...and any lotion product gift sets go to my teenager. Candles get tossed as they are not safe in a house with 2 cats and home daycare. Besides I hate what candles do to walls (gunk left behind), the smells again are an issue for me...and I am the daughter and sister of lifelong firefighters. I almost never set a fire inside my house on purpose! LOL

(I only share all of that so you consider that your wide and varied providers may have similar or other "issues" with these seemingly harmless gifts, so your hard earned money and well thought out items could just be tossed in the end?)

Occasionally a parent remembers something in passing I said I wanted (like a new Betty Crocker cookbook I mentioned to one parent when she came as I was using my Moms 1970's version for a morning recipe...6 months later when Christmas came around there was a new one for me! I was flattered she remembered!)

I love it when parents do silly things like the one year I got a gift card for some place, along with a big case of the tissue I buy for DC (after a conversation this Mom and I had about how this plain kind of Puffs..minus the aloe and with no lotion or menthol and all that added junk, was becomming harder to find than all those "fancy" ones)! LOL

I also have parents who will buy us kids books or games...ones that are favorites at home, that way they are sharing their favorites with us at daycare, or choosing something new and fun for all of us..usually its along with a gift card of some sort for me. Target, bookstores, Kohls, gascards (my hubby and I snowmobile, so in past years this helps us go on trips).

Not sure if any of that helps, but those have been a few of my highlights!

Merry Christmas!

I've done Barns and Noble gift cards for preschool and Sunday school teachers in the past. This is the first year we've had a child in daycare, but I was thinking of doing the same thing. Not sure if the deal is still running, but Barns and Noble does a deal each year where you get a $10 gift card (that you can't use until after Christmas) for every $100 in gift cards you purchase. I bought $10 gift cards for the teachers, Sunday school teachers, daycare teachers, trash guys, mail person, etc. Then I get the $10 after Christmas.

Personally, I won't do the mugs/candles/bath stuff or any other gift, because way too many people do that for teachers. I really think they work very hard and are underpaid and play such an important role in my child's life. I really want to thank them and give them somethng that is a real treat for them. That's why I do gift cards. It gives them more options to really treat themselves.

I do gift cards. Target's a great idea as they could get personal stuff, or stuff for the classroom. I've done Panera (right next to my daycare) for low cost gifts ($5-$10) and "nicer" restaurants ($25).

I think gift cards are definitely appropriate. I've also given candles/boxed chocolates/homemade treats etc. I don't know know how many you are buying for but I would think $10-15 a piece is plenty to spend. You are giving them the gift of having a job all year by having your child in daycare there! That is really nice of you...