Post # 1
Member
646 posts
Busy bee
This summer we have opted to hire sitters for our two kiddos, 9 & 10 yrs old, rather than send them to daycamp. We only needed 5 weeks of care & this made more sense than committing to the whole summer of tuition.
Anyway, both girls we have hired have been beyond amazing with our kids. They take them swimming at the pool daily, long walks for ice cream & to the park, lots of fun games, and one even brought her own stuff to tie dye t-shirts with them.
Each week I’ve paid them a bit over the agreed price because of the awesome care & fun they’ve provided. However, at the end of summer I’d like to give them each a small gift of some sort, to thank them further.
Any suggestions for 16 yr old girls? I was thinking about ordering personalized tote bags from Etsy, or maybe a personalized water bottle? (Both are quite athletic). I’ve also thought about an initial pendant necklace. I’m hoping to stay in the $15-20 range.
Post # 3
Member
395 posts
Helper bee
@soon2bS: I like all your ideas. At their age, they have a bunch of things going on. You could get them something they could use for back to school such as a pen with their names engraved or like you said, a personalized tote bag/water bottle. I know that when I was babysitting at that age, I really did feel very attached to the kids and if you could maybe find a time to have their picture taken with the kids and write a thank you on the back, it would mean a lot to them.
Post # 4
Member
45536 posts
Honey Beekeeper
The teenagers I know wouldn’t use anything personalized. Unless you know for sure what they would like, I would give a gift card that can be used to get what they really want.
Post # 5
Member
4804 posts
Honey bee
An iTunes gift card or a gift card for the mall? Plus something made by the kids would be nice.
Post # 6
Member
2550 posts
Sugar bee
at that age, nothing personalized or engraved. starbucks gift card, movie theatre tickets, fun socks?
oh wait! NAIL POLISH! a few bottles of nail polish, and a little pocket manicure set
Post # 7
Member
2534 posts
Sugar bee
Sephora giftcard! Excuse to go to the mall, and basically free makeup. 🙂
Post # 8
Member
279 posts
Helper bee
I second the gift card + something homemade from the kids idea. Im in my 20s and feel like 16 was just yesterday. Many gifts I was given as a teenager were never ever used. Teenagers are so finicky about having things that are ‘cool’ to others. If they are athletic, a giftcard to Dicks would likely be very appreciated.
Post # 9
Member
8991 posts
Buzzing Beekeeper
16 year olds love money. I vote gift cards so they can pick their own gifts.
Post # 10
Member
3697 posts
Sugar bee
Gift card/gift certificate for movie tickets?
Post # 11
Member
930 posts
Busy bee
Teenagers love giftcards. they are very particular on what they want and have limited money, so giftcards are amazing!
Post # 12
Member
4050 posts
Honey bee
I agree about giftcards to the movies or Starbucks! And then cute handmade cards done by the kids.
Post # 13
Member
646 posts
Busy bee
I’m so glad I asked here. I guess I may just do the gift card & handmade card route, even though I was hoping for something a little more personal. Thanks ladies!
Post # 14
Member
10456 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
Dfinitely gift card! It’s sweet that you’re putting thought into it but I think what they’d appreciate most is money/gift cards.
Post # 15
Member
841 posts
Busy bee
@soon2bS: Meh, I think gift cards are safe, but I think you could purchase a thoughtful gift that they’d really like.
You mention that they are athletic – what about something like a Lululemon headband and/or water bottle? They are both a bit of a splurge, so they may not every buy them for themselves. Or a similar item from Bench or something similar? I think you could easily find them something nice that’s NOT a gift card that they’d still love.
Post # 16
Member
646 posts
Busy bee
@NLbride: oh, great ideas! Thanks!
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