Key Takeaways
- Start with a cash bonus: Care.com suggests 1 to 2 weeks’ pay for a regular nanny, or one day’s pay per month worked for a nanny who started this year.
- The gift comes on top of the bonus, never in place of it.
- Experience gifts that give her time back, like a spa treatment or a night away, suit someone who spends her week on your family’s schedule.
- Prices in this guide run from $19 for a single AMC movie ticket to $359 for a Weekend Getaway for Two.
- A handwritten note and a card or photo from the kids is often the part of the gift she keeps.
If you’ve ever stood in a store on December 20th wondering what to get the person who looks after your kids, you’re in good company. The usual answer, and the one nannies count on, is that a Christmas gift for a nanny starts with a cash bonus. The present comes on top of it, never in its place.
The present is where you get to be personal. Your nanny spends her workweek on your family’s schedule, so I like gifts that give her some of that time back, like a massage on her day off or a night away with her partner. Below you’ll find bonus guidance first, then experience gifts sorted by budget, with prices and who each one suits. A few classic gifts to wrap up the list. All prices are regular prices as of November 2026.
- 18,000+ experiences to choose from
- Redeemable in 100+ countries
- $111.20 gift value
- Rated 4.9/5 from 210 reviews
- Free digital delivery, or printed box
- Recipient picks their own experience
- 14,000+ experiences to choose from
- Redeemable in 100+ countries
- $263.20 gift value
- Rated 4.8/5 from 246 reviews
- Free digital delivery, or printed box
- Recipient picks their own experience
- 11,000+ experiences to choose from
- Redeemable in 100+ countries
- $351.20 gift value
- Rated 4.9/5 from 95 reviews
- Free digital delivery, or printed box
- Recipient picks their own experience
If you’ve ever stood in a store on December 20th wondering what to get the person who looks after your kids, you’re in good company. The usual answer, and the one nannies count on, is that a Christmas gift for a nanny starts with a cash bonus. The present comes on top of it, never in its place.
The present is where you get to be personal. Your nanny spends her workweek on your family’s schedule, so I like gifts that give her some of that time back, like a massage on her day off or a night away with her partner. Below you’ll find bonus guidance first, then experience gifts sorted by budget, with prices and who each one suits. A few classic gifts to wrap up the list. All prices are regular prices as of November 2026.
How Much to Give Your Nanny for Christmas
Care.com’s 2026 holiday tipping guide suggests 1 to 2 weeks’ pay for a regular nanny, and possibly more if she has been with your family a long time. For a nanny who started this year, it suggests one day’s pay for each month she has worked. So a nanny who joined in September would get about three days’ pay.
Give the bonus in a card, ideally before her last workday of the year so it lands before her own holiday shopping. Then choose the gift. If you employ other household help, Tinggly’s Christmas gifts for staff page has ideas that work for the whole team.
Experience Gifts That Give Her Time Off
A nanny spends most of her day chasing after someone else’s children. An hour where nobody needs her is rare, and that’s exactly what these gifts give her. There’s research behind the idea too. A 2017 study in the Journal of Consumer Research by Cindy Chan and Cassie Mogilner found that experience gifts make the recipient feel closer to the giver than material gifts do. In a job that is also a close relationship, that counts for a lot.
Spa Treatment Near You With Spafinder ($199)
The Spafinder spa treatment is a $199 eGift card that works at more than 20,000 spas across the US, including Hand and Stone and Elements, plus many hotel spas. She picks the spa closest to her home and the treatment she wants, from a massage to a facial. It’s the safest spa pick if you don’t know which neighborhood she’d rather go to.
If She Lives in or Near New York
- The one-hour massage at Massage Envy Midtown West costs $160 and includes 50 minutes of hands-on massage with a therapist, who asks about her sore spots first. She books by phone after a welcome email, so it fits around a nanny’s hours.
- The hot stone massage at Body by Brooklyn costs $169 for a 50-minute massage plus access to the pool and saunas. Plan on half a day.
- The Spa & Wellbeing in New York gift box costs $199 and lets her choose one of 20+ spa and wellness experiences in the city, which helps if you don’t know whether she prefers a massage or a facial.
For more ideas in this group, browse Tinggly’s spa and wellbeing gifts.
Small Experience Gifts Under $60
A small gift next to a generous bonus is perfectly normal, and these are good choices for a part-time nanny or a sitter who comes a few evenings a week. You’ll find more on Tinggly’s experience gifts under $50 page.
AMC Movie Night ($19 to $59)
AMC packages work at AMC theaters across the US, so this one fits almost anywhere. A single movie ticket is $19 and covers any standard 2D film. Two tickets are $36, two tickets with drinks are $53, and two tickets with drinks and a shared popcorn are $59. Go with a pair if she has a partner or a best friend she rarely sees.
The Audiobook Treasury ($30)
With the Audiobook Treasury, she picks any two audiobooks from more than 600,000 titles on Libro.fm. If she drives or takes the train to your house every day, that’s her commute sorted until spring.
Online Cooking Course With Culinary Rx ($49)
The online cooking course covers plant-based cooking in 7 units, with more than 75 recipes and 95 technique videos. She works through it at home, at her own pace. It’s a good fit for the nanny who cooks for your kids all day and wants to cook something for herself at night.
12 Live Event Tickets ($50)
12 Live Event Tickets gives her 2 tickets a month for 6 months to concerts and comedy shows, matched to her interests. It works in 18 cities across the US and Canada, including Chicago and New York, so check that her city is covered first. Tickets arrive by email and she can bring a guest, but the package can’t be refunded once it’s booked, and it’s open to ages 13 and up.
Gift Boxes That Let Her Choose
If you’re not sure whether she’d pick a pottery class or a food tour, a Tinggly gift box lets her decide. You choose the theme and the budget, and she picks one experience from the box and books it for a date that suits her. The voucher never expires, and she can swap her choice for free until she books.
- The Thank You gift box costs $89 and covers 19,200+ experiences in 124 countries, from a clear-kayak tour in St. Petersburg, Florida, to a donut tour in Boston. The name says what you want to say, which makes it an easy fit for a nanny. Tinggly’s thank you experience gifts page has more in the same spirit.
- The Perfect for Her gift box costs $139 and covers 22,200+ experiences in 128 countries. Featured picks include a pasta-making class with dinner in Greenwich Village and a perfume-making class in New Orleans.
- The Merry Christmas gift box costs $139 and covers 18,800+ experiences in 116 countries, with holiday picks such as Christmas lights tours in New York and Nashville. Most featured picks are for two people, so she can bring someone along.
How you hand it over is up to you. The eVoucher arrives by email right away, which saves you if you’re shopping on December 23rd. A physical gift box costs $10 extra and ships in 2 to 5 business days, so order it by mid-December if you want something to put under the tree.
Bigger Gifts for a Long-Time Nanny
When someone has helped raise your children for years, a bigger thank-you feels right. These suit a live-in nanny or someone who’s been with you since the baby days. Give them alongside a full bonus, not instead of it.
- Relaxing Stay for Two costs $329 and covers one night in a hotel for two people. She chooses the hotel and the date, so she can plan it around her time off.
- Weekend Getaway for Two costs $359 and covers two nights for two, with a choice of 10,000+ hotels. City tax, where it applies, is paid at the hotel.
- The Fun Together gift box costs $199 and covers 28,400+ experiences in 130 countries, for a nanny who’d rather spend a day out with her partner or friends.
- A $100 Tinggly gift card lets her choose any experience, with no expiration date. It makes a good top-up to one of the gifts above, or a flexible gift on its own.
More options at this level are on Tinggly’s experience gifts under $100 page.
Classic Nanny Gifts to Wrap
Some nannies love having something to open on the day, and these classics come up again and again when nannies share what they’ve been given.
- A photo book or card from the kids. A year of photos, or a drawing with a few lines about what they love doing with her. Nannies often keep these for years.
- Cozy slippers or a soft throw blanket. Something warm for the evenings after a long day of school runs and park trips.
- A good candle or a beauty set. Best when you already know the scents or brands she likes.
- A gift card for her favorite coffee shop or restaurant. Easy to use and easy to pair with any experience above.
- An extra paid day off. It costs nothing to wrap. Write the date in her card so it feels like a real gift.
Whichever you choose, add a handwritten note from you and a few words from the kids. That note is often the part she remembers. For more wrapped ideas, see our guide to practical Christmas gifts or Tinggly’s Christmas gifts for women.
Give Her a Day That’s Her Own
Settle the bonus first, then pick a gift that fits her week: a spa visit if she’s on her feet all day, or a gift box if you’re not sure of her taste. Tinggly’s Christmas gift for nanny page has more picks, and the full range of Christmas experience gifts covers 150,000+ experiences she can book whenever her own calendar opens up. If you’re running late, these last-minute Christmas shopping tips will help.
FAQ
How much should a Christmas bonus be for a nanny?
Care.com suggests 1 to 2 weeks’ pay for a regular nanny, and possibly more for one who has been with you a long time. For a new nanny, it’s one day’s pay for each month she has worked.
Can a gift replace the bonus?
No. Nannies count on the bonus as part of their yearly pay, so give it in full and add a gift on top. The gift can be small, like a $36 pair of AMC movie tickets.
What should I give a part-time nanny?
Scale the bonus to her hours, for example, a week’s pay. Then add a gift under $60, such as the Audiobook Treasury or a movie night for two.
What should I give a nanny who just started?
Use the one-day-per-month formula for the bonus and add something light, like a card from the kids with a Thank You gift box or a $50 Tinggly gift card. It shows you value her without feeling like too much too soon.
Should the gift come from the kids?
You should provide the bonus and the main gift as her employer. A card or a photo from the kids is the warm extra on top, and it’s often the part she keeps.
