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Your nanny becomes such an integral part of your family. But sometimes knowing what to get them to truly show your appreciation can be difficult! To help, we enlisted our two nannies to weigh in on the best gift ideas. The overall takeaway? Anything designed to help them relax, treat themselves, or enjoy hobbies outside of work will make for thoughtful gifts your nanny (or babysitter!) will appreciate.
“I really enjoy receiving service gifts. Most people in the service fields do not do a very good job of taking time for themselves,” says our former nanny Kamisha. “If it's somebody who works closely with your family and your kids, you don't want it to be generic.”
A handwritten, thoughtful note is also important. Here are some of the thank you cards I’ve used in the past: from parents, child, or both.
“The fact that they took the time to write something and tell me what I've meant to their family, or even something they've learned from me that year, something that they've put into effect, or that I've helped them find peace with — I love that kind of sentiment,” Kamisha says.
She says it’s also appreciated if it includes something from the kids, even if it’s just a scribble on the card when they’re really young. Our nanny Erin echoed that sentiment: “It's nice when the kids also make a card. I think that's really sweet, and it shows appreciation from everybody.”
When it comes to a cash bonus vs. a gift, both nannies agreed that a monetary bonus around the holidays is especially appreciated. We always give a holiday bonus of $2,000, along with a thoughtful gift valued around ~$500 to really hit home how much we appreciate them.
Whether you’re looking for a unique gift for their birthday, the holidays, or another time of year, below are 20 of the best gift ideas for nannies.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Theragun
A nanny’s job is both mentally and physically draining, and this portable Theragun is perfect for massaging muscle pain and soreness. I especially like that it’s small and lightweight, making it easy to throw in a purse, gym bag, or luggage. But don’t let its size fool you — it still packs a punch and gets deep into the tissue for a nice massage. It's available at Theragun, Amazon, Bloomingdale's, and Target.
Gift Idea For A Nanny: Yeti Cooler
This Yeti cooler is great for tailgating, picnics, and trips to the beach. It screams, “Go on an adventure and live your best life!”
Because it's Yeti, it's designed to be tough, and your nanny will be able to use it for years! The fabric is leakproof and can withstand punctures and UV rays. It's also treated to be mildew-resistant.
To personalize it even more, we filled the Yeti with 4 of her favorite drinks and snacks. You could also make it a morning theme and fill it with canned cold brews and some local bakery items.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Echo Show
The Amazon Echo Show is an updated smart speaker that also includes an 8-inch touchscreen, so your nanny can use it to watch tv, listen to music, do a video call, or read news headlines. It’s voice-activated and can also integrate with smart-home technology, so you can just say, “Alexa, turn off the kitchen lights” (or whatever you want it to do).
People also particularly like using the Echo Show as a kitchen assistant, since it can set timers, do measurement conversions, and look up recipes. It can also display the ingredients and recipe steps on the screen if desired — or, you can print out the recipe and then use the smart screen to listen to music or stream a show while cooking. This would be a great gift for a nanny who appreciates new technology, and especially so if they enjoy cooking.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Houseplant
If your nanny loves houseplants — as so many of us do! — check out The Sill. They have both beautiful plants and accompanying pots to choose from. You can look for plants to meet different criteria, such as pet-friendly or low-light, and this is the perfect card to go with it.
Gift Idea For A Nanny: Cookie Subscription
A cookie subscription is a yummy gift idea if your nanny has a sweet tooth. Cravory Cookies is one of my favorites. With their 3-month subscription, they’ll send half a dozen cookies each month featuring two different flavors. It’s a fun way for your nanny to get a special treat each month to share with her friends — and not a bad thing for her to associate sweetness with you. A 3-month subscription comes out to roughly $70 with tax and shipping.
Gift Idea For A Nanny: Ask Proxy™
Your nanny takes care of your family all day, so gift them someone to take care of them. Ask Proxy™ is a personalized AI assistant — by text — that handles all the thinking and planning that piles up in their own lives: what to make for dinner, where to find a last-minute gift, the errand they keep putting off, etc. Your nanny can just text Proxy like they would a friend and get a clear answer with next steps in minutes. There's no app to download and nothing to log into.
Proxy also proactively reaches out, flagging what might otherwise slip through the cracks or suggesting a new restaurant or activity to bring more joy to their day. They can choose the topics Proxy checks in on — from birthdays and travel to health goals and hobbies — and select how often and when they want to hear from Proxy, so it doesn't become one more thing blowing up their phone.
Gift a full year for $348, or go month-to-month at $39/mo and choose exactly how many months to give. Unlike a gift that gets used once, this one keeps showing up for them long after the holidays.
Gift Idea For A Nanny: Sunrise Alarm Clock
The Hatch Restore is one of my go-to gifts for anyone looking to get better sleep. The gradual night light dimming and white noise options help melt me into bed within 15 minutes of turning it on. And instead of being awakened by a sudden alarm clock noise, there’s a 15-minute gradual brightening to start your day (I personally recommend waking up to Malibu Sunrise!).
The Hatch Restore is available at Hatch, Amazon, Nordstrom, and Target.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Wellness Service
Treating your nanny to a wellness service, such as a massage, facial, or manicure, is another great way to show your appreciation. “It is important to really know your employee though. You do not want to get acupuncture for someone with a needle phobia,” says Kamisha.
I like finding out what local go-tos my nannies have for their wellness services and then giving them a gift certificate to that place or calling ahead to have it paid for on my credit card as a surprise the next time they show up. For example, I gave one of my nannies a gift certificate to her favorite Pilates studio, and for the other nanny I called the salon where she gets her hair and nails done and gave them my credit card information to charge for her upcoming appointment.
If you don’t know which specific places your nanny prefers, Glamsquad, Priv, Mobile Beauty Team, and Blys are all national companies that offer a range of mobile wellness and beauty services and you can include a sweet note in this tranquil card. Whenever I give a service as a gift, I love to buy a beautiful glass ornament to go along with the gift certificate so that there’s something physical to open. This lounging Santa or spa-day cat ornament would be perfect to go along with a wellness gift card.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Cozy Blanket & Slippers
A cozy blanket and slippers will definitely help your nanny relax during her downtime. I have this Pottery Barn faux fur blanket at home in grey, and it is unbelievably soft. I also like these cute, open-toe slippers that are perfect for summer or warmer days. For a closed-toe option, I’ve been into these Bombas slippers.
Gift Idea For A Nanny: Journal
This gift idea is for the nanny who enjoys journaling. I have tried many journals, and the Emshoi journals (pictured above) are the best since they lay flat and are lined to encourage writing. I prefer their simplicity to prompted journals. For a higher-tech option, gift this reusable spiral notebook by Rocketbook. You draw or write on it, and then it can be wiped clean with a microfiber towel and reused when you want. If you want to save what was on the page, they have an app that lets you scan and save it digitally. Even though it’s digital, the pen and notebook are still designed to feel like a traditional pen and paper when you write on it.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Fanny Pack or Tote Bag
Fanny packs are all the rage these days. I got one for my nanny as a gift when she traveled with us on vacation. Lululemon’s belt bags are good quality and a stylish option for walks or hikes.
If your nanny isn’t the type to wear a fanny pack, this backpack by MZ Wallace is another stylish bag your nanny may appreciate. It’s a nice size for everyday use or travel. I also use this as my adventure bag when I’m out and about with kids, going to the zoo, Legoland, or really anywhere I want to be hands-free, but water bottle and snack adjacent.
Gift Idea For A Nanny: Molekule Air Purifier
The Molekule air purifier is such a nice addition to any home and something your nanny might not think to purchase themselves. Its HEPA filter captures 99.97% of small particles and destroys pollutants like pet dander, pollen, and viruses — there’s a lot more in the air than we realize! Plus, I adore its chic design, which is why I bought one for each of my kids' rooms, and the larger size for our master bedroom, playroom, and living room.
The Molekule air purifier is available at Amazon, Target, and Macy's.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Shower Steamers
This is another gift idea for your nanny centered around relaxation and wellness. I can personally vouch for these aromatherapy shower steamers since I use them every day. I like how the scents like Milk Honey, Lavender, or eucalyptus make the shower feel extra relaxing and like a spa. These shower steamers are available at Body Restore and Amazon.
Gift Idea For A Nanny: Jigsaw Puzzle
Find a puzzle with a theme your nanny would enjoy. For example, one of our nannies is obsessed with Taylor Swift, so she would probably love putting together a Taylor Swift-themed puzzle. Another idea is to get them a puzzle related to an upcoming trip you know they have planned — it's a fun way to get excited and daydream about the destination in advance. I also recommend puzzles by the Magic Puzzle Company for interesting scenes with unique details.
Along with a puzzle, you can also give your nanny a puzzle mat that can be stored under the bed when not in use. These mats are really convenient for those who like doing puzzles but don’t have the space for them to permanently take up a table in the house. And if you really want to blow their minds with thoughtful gestures, include this floral greeting card, which also serves as a puzzle, along with a witty remark about how your life would be in pieces without them (lol!).
Gift Idea For A Nanny: Water Bottle
We all love this Simple Modern water bottle in my household. I have one in white, our chef has one in blue, our nanny in grey, and our weekend nanny in green. Like I said — we’re obsessed.
The different colors allow us to easily tell them apart if there are two sitting on the kitchen counter. Having a straw legit makes you drink so much more water compared to an open top! They are also dishwasher safe and can keep beverages hot or cold for hours — and I have happily tested the accuracy of both.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Acupuncture Mat
This is another self-care gift idea for any nanny who appreciates wellness. Using this acupressure mat for 10-30 minutes a day is supposed to help relieve back pain and relax your muscles. I like to use it in bed and lay on it while I read. You can also prop it up against the couch and sit on it while you watch TV. I recommend advising your nanny to wear pjs the first time they use it so that they aren’t too weirded out by the feeling — but truly, it is not sharp or dangerous! This acupressure mat is available at Amazon, ProsourceFit and Target.
Gift Idea For A Nanny: Adult Coloring Book Set
An adult coloring book with glitter pens is a great gift idea for helping your nanny relax and unwind their overstimulated brains during downtime. I personally enjoy the ColorIt mandala coloring books, but again you could also pick a coloring book related to something your nanny really likes. (Yes, there are also Taylor Swift coloring books!) During vacations together, after the kids are in bed, it is not uncommon to find our nanny and me coloring on the couch together while my partner reads sports columns on his phone. We each have our own way of decompressing, and lucky for me our nanny’s love language is also coloring.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: A Macbook Air
I bought each of our nannies a Macbook Air so that they can easily work when they are at our home as a family assistant, but also to use in their personal lives. It adds a sense of professionalism to the job of a nanny. New computers typically cost around $1,000, but you can also source a used one through Amazon for $800. (As a side note, if you’re interested in what having your nanny take on family assistant tasks entails, check out our free guide “6 Steps to Promoting Your Nanny to a Family Assistant.”)
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Face or Eye Masks
A red light face mask is full-blown self-care and something that your nanny might not invest in on their own. This red light mask (also available on Amazon) by Dr. Dennis Gross is my personal favorite (there’s also a full-face version). The red LED light is supposed to improve fine lines, wrinkles, and skin tone with regular use. And despite how it may look in the picture, the light is not blinding at all! When it comes to standard face masks, I recommend these brightening sheet masks by Clé de Peau Beauté and these eye masks by RéVive. Having the equipment readily available to use is half the battle of prioritizing self-care, which ALL caretakers deserve.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Fitness Mat
If your nanny is into fitness, she will definitely like this Stakt exercise mat. It can be folded to add more cushion/support or to double as a block. You could also include a gift certificate to your nanny’s favorite fitness studio along with the mat.
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Gift Idea For A Nanny: Gift Card
Gift cards seem like such an obvious, generic idea that I almost didn’t include it on this list. But one of our nannies specifically mentioned them as something she particularly enjoyed receiving both as a nanny and when she worked as a teacher — especially if it’s a gift card that requires them to treat themselves.
“A Nordstrom [gift card] is always fun because then you are forced to spend it on something fun for yourself. I don’t have to feel guilty buying myself something vs. buying practical things,” says Erin. “[In those cases], the note or the card that goes with it is really what makes it feel special.”
If you’re giving a gift card, the key of course, is to still make sure it’s to a store or place that you know they will appreciate. We’ve given our nanny festival tickets to an event we knew she wanted to go to, sessions with a dream specialist since that’s something she’s really into, and a brunch outing for her and her friends at a favorite restaurant.
But I can’t stress enough how important the delivery mechanism is when giving a gift card. Make sure you’re including a handwritten card that details exactly what your nanny has done in the last year to help improve the lives of your entire family.
I hope this post on gift ideas for your nanny saves you time and relieves the mental load of coming up with a thoughtful gift. Have more nanny questions? Wondering, "What should I give my nanny as a bonus? When should I offer a raise?" Or, "What duties can I assign to my nanny?" Text Proxy — 820-732-2625 — any questions you have about hiring help, parenting, or whatever's taking up headspace, and you'll get a clear answer and next steps in minutes. Ask Proxy™ is your personalized AI assistant for home life — available 24/7 by text and designed to help busy parents free up time for what matters most.
