https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 10 Apr 2026 21:27:21 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1878264 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 22:41:14 +0000 MamaG 1878264@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are in a similar position, but it's my sister that will be doing the care giving in our home. Cash and a note are easy as I'm losing steam in my pregnancy. I know that she won't want it, but I want to repay her for the week of vacation and travel she is doing somehow. I was thinking of at least $200. If we would have had someone else from our family, we would have had to provide airfare plus a car. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1878166 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 21:04:39 +0000 bunnylovesbear 1878166@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think i would feel uncomfortable giving or accepting a substantial amount of money to/from a friend...especially given the circumstances. I'm sure they are happy to help. I think a nice hand-written thank you card, a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant ($100), and possibly a nice bottle of wine or other alcohol of choice. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877449 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 14:27:40 +0000 Mrs. Jump Rope 1877449@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: I voted $200, and thought the money would be to cover LOs expenses while in your friends care!</p> <p>I would do what my parents aways did when a family member had us kids when they went out of town.. My parents would do the grocery shopping to make sure whoever was taking us had grocerys for the time we'd be staying there, then left cash for fun things like movies, bowling, pizza night, whatever, for everyone (us plus my aunts family). This was back in the 90s so a few hundred went a long way for 8 of us!</p> <p>As a token of your appreciation, I would give them $100 or a gc to their favorite restaurant. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877428 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 14:22:43 +0000 daniellemybelle 1877428@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would not be offended if I were your friend! I'd be touched &amp; grateful. I would probably use some of the money to bring you a very nice baby gift. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877347 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:52:08 +0000 78h2o 1877347@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I needed a friend to pick up my daughter from daycare and watch her for an hour. I tried to sneak her a $15 gift card (left it tucked in something else I was leaving with her), as a token of my appreciation (and for gas, dinner she made my LO) and she would not accept it. She might even have been offended? She dropped it back off at my house when she discovered it, with a note that she had watched my LO as a favor to a friend. Based on that experience, I would probably go with a gift that would be harder for them not to accept. Maybe your LO could make them something, if you could think of something that would be nice? Or you could give them a really nice plant or something, along with a gift card for dinner?? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877345 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:51:54 +0000 bushelandapeck 1877345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: you definitely know them best! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877344 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:51:52 +0000 Amelieisme 1877344@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>hmmm...I think on the receiving end, I would think it odd if someone gave me $200 cash for this. Its meant as a favor and I would feel weird accepting it. I would give them some $ on the front end to feed LO (maybe $50?) and then a thank you note with a $100 giftcard to a place for dinner. If you wanted to recognize the teenagers separately, maybe a smaller giftcard to starbucks or something? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877334 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:48:44 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1877334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ree723: i guess i was thinking it would be in an envelope with a thank you note that they wouldnt open until after we left...so there wouldnt be an opportunity to not accept it? Flowers would be nice too. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877325 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:44:14 +0000 Ree723 1877325@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: Ahh, gotcha. I was solely thinking of it from my perspective ;-) I guess the question is if you think they will accept cash? If so, then I'd probably go with $200 if it was the full 4 days or $100 if it was only two days and/or your DH came home to provide some of the childcare responsibilities. I just know that amongst my friend network, and even thinking of the friends we had watch DD1 for the 8 hours we were gone when DD2 was born, they would never in a million years accept cash, no matter how much we tried persuading them, so I would want to have a proper gift for them that they couldn't refuse (we did a bottle of wine and flowers for our friends). A thank you note is definitely a nice touch though - it's nice to have thoughtful friends like you who make their appreciation known! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877314 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:39:28 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1877314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ree723: @bushelandapeck: i think it definitely depends on the person youre giving the gift to ;) her girls are far out of babysitting age, and they dont drink! I thought about a dinner giftcard but it didnt seem like enough. They arent the type to have any desire to spend that much money on a dinner. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877231 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:10:50 +0000 looch 1877231@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Rubies: I like your suggestion! If this was me, and a friend tried to give me cash, I wouldn't accept it. But if you gave me the money upfront and told me to use it for your kid over the weekend, I'd oblige. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877230 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:10:49 +0000 Mamasig 1877230@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't do cash. I think it seems tacky. I would do a gift card for the parents to a nice restaurant and a small gift card to each teenager to the mall or I tunes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877223 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 13:08:01 +0000 Ree723 1877223@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bushelandapeck: I think this is a great idea and far more likely to be accepted than cash! And really, who doesn't want a nice dinner out, a bottle of wine, and a babysitter for the night! Ps so exciting you're so close to meeting LO #2! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877184 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:55:54 +0000 lamariniere 1877184@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had a friend watch our LO for about 24 hours -- from the time my water broke in the afternoon until the next morning after the baby was born when my DH went to get him. We gave her €200. She didn't want to take it, but I insisted since we had been planning on paying someone to watch him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877086 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:22:33 +0000 daniellemybelle 1877086@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I voted $200 because I think that is the ideal amount, but we are on a tight budget and would probably do $100 (in a card, like you) in this situation. I think anywhere between $100 - $200 is very thoughtful and appropriate. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877072 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:18:32 +0000 winniebee 1877072@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lion: I think this idea is fine and they would accept it that way. I voted 200. I honk it's a nice token but not over the top. The dad will probably give it to the girls and 100 to a teenager is a big reward. Or at least it was 20 years ago when I was a teenager :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877064 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:16:42 +0000 bushelandapeck 1877064@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are expecting #2 in less than two weeks and have a similar arrangement with friends except they will not be staying with DS at night (DH will come home). I'm thinking we will provide everything DS needs and then get them a gift certificate to a nice restaurant, a bottle of wine, and offer to watch their two girls while they go out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877060 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:16:10 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1877060@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Rubies: i was planning to give it to them in an envelope with a note when we pick him up, afterwards, as a thank you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877052 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:14:58 +0000 Rubies 1877052@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think cash is hard to accept because your friends are truly helping you out in a time of need and probably aren't thinking of it as a "job", you know? So yeah, maybe a nice gift afterwards in addition to a fully stocked fridge? Oooooor, instead of giving them the cash into their hands, I would put the money into an envelope and say, "Please use this if you need extra groceries or need to order in food." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877051 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:14:56 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1877051@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Freckles: definitely a thank you note too...i just dont want to limit them to spending in a certain place and it annoys me that visa charges extra fees for gift cards ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1877033 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:10:56 +0000 Freckles 1877033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I would rather give a gift card with a thank you note instead of cash. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/childcare-for-lo-1-when-lo-2-is-born#post-1876997 Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:01:07 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1876997@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have asked a good friend of mine and her family (2 teenage daughters and husband) to watch lo for us while we are at the hospital for the birth of lo 2. They are fabulous and will take care of everything. All ill need to do is write up a bit about his schedule and things he loves, and pack him a bag. They will have him 2-4 days, depending on how the birth goes and whether i have a c-section. Im sure they will bring him to the hospital to see us a couple times. </p> <p>I am certain that they are not expecting anything in return, but we would like to give them some cash, to cover food, gas, and just to show how much we appreciate them. How much would you think would be a reasonable amount (assuming the full 4 days)?</p> <p>ETA: to clarify, this will be given with a thank you note when we pick up lo at the end of his visit, as a thank you, before we run out the door. I just want to make sure to account for the fact that they will be feeding him etc. when considering the amount. </p>