Nannies, Babysitters and Beyond: Holiday Gifting Etiquette All Parents Want to Know

‘Tis the season for gifting! Which means it’s time to send the annual “SOS” group text to all of your mom and dad friends to get their opinions on the appropriate gifts for your kids’ sitters, teachers, tutors, coaches—the list goes on and on. And as you can expect, it also adds up.

It’s definitely a grey area, and it’s hard to tell how much is enough, as well as how much is too much. The Peanut app, which helps new moms make friends, turned to its users to help parents everywhere find out who they should be gifting, how much they should be spending and, of course, what the heck they should be giving.

Based off of information pooled from its users on its Peanut Pages, here’s the lowdown on what parents will be gifting to those outside the family this year.

You love all those sweet individuals who take care of your little ones, but where do you draw the line? According to 81 percent of users, the average amount to spend on non-family members is typically less than $50. That said, this depends on everyone’s specific budgets and what they’re financial plan looks like for the holiday season.

And out of all the many people who interact with their kids on a daily basis, parents are most concerned with making sure they have a gift for their daycare worker.

“Each of the ladies who interact with my child daily will get a nice bag of coffee, and her main caregiver will also get a $50 gift card,” one mom shares.

If you’re breaking out into a sweat calculating all the caregivers who take care of your little one, and how much holiday gifting will cost—fear not. Of the participants polled, 48 percent said they’d actually give a personalized gift, 25 percent will go the cash method, 13 percent said “other” and 12 percent said they weren’t planning on giving any gifts at all.

Now comes the nitty-gritty. For those who are going the cash route for caregivers, the question is—how much?

• Fifty-three percent say under $100
• Fifteen percent say under $50
• Fifteen percent say under $200
• Fifteen percent say other

And if you’re buying gifts for kids and not sure what to get, the Peanut parents break it all down for you. Thirty-one percent say go the wooden toy route; 26 percent say to stock up on plastic toys; and a whopping 42 percent say don’t get any toys at all. Psst, a cardboard box also makes for a great toddler toy, according to experts.

Need a little inspo figuring out what to get your sitter? Check out some of our favorite thoughtful gifts for nannies and caregivers, ranging in prices to fit your budget.