Winter brings cozy indoor activities, festive fun, and, let’s be honest, a bit of chaos. Between shorter days, shifting wintertime schedules, and a calendar full of holiday plans, it can be tough for parents to juggle it all. That’s why winter is the perfect time to welcome an au pair into your home. From holiday season assistance to fresh ideas for indoor activities, here are some of the benefits of hosting an au pair for childcare during the winter.
Let’s dive into the reasons every parent should consider hosting an au pair this winter.
Flexible Winter Assistance
As with the onset of every new season, the beginning of winter usually means that your children are starting new after-school activities and leaving their fall activities behind. These new activities, or lack thereof, can create conflicting schedules for parents, particularly those with multiple children.
Fortunately, au pairs provide flexible childcare assistance that can easily adapt to changing schedules. If your children now have more free time between the end of school and when you come home from work, your au pair can care for them and help them enjoy indoor activities. On the other hand, if they need to be picked up and dropped off for their new winter activities, your au pair can cover that, too!
In-Home Care During Flu Season & Snow Days
We all know winter brings on the dreaded flu season, along with unanticipated snow days in many regions of the U.S. Unexpected days when your children need to stay at home can be a real headache for parents, especially working parents with little to no PTO. Parents who host an au pair can say goodbye to the surprise stress that comes with sick days and snow days — hosting an au pair allows you to go to work with the peace of mind that your au pair is at home providing excellent care for your children.
Additionally, if there is a blizzard and roads become unsafe, you won’t have to worry about commuting to a daycare facility or a cancelation from your nanny — au pairs provide live-in childcare assistance, so they’re there when you need them!
Help with Indoor Activities
It can be tough to find activities to keep your children engaged once temperatures drop and the sun sets earlier, particularly for parents who have commitments after their children get out of school. Hosting an au pair is a great way to continue fun activities even after fall comes to a close. Your au pair can greet the children after they come home from school, help with homework, and enjoy fun wintertime activities with the kids, such as creating holiday decorations, winter arts and crafts, or making s’mores.
Share Your Winter Traditions
Your family probably has several winter and holiday traditions that can become even more exciting when shared with your au pair. Let your children teach them how to build the perfect snowman, go ice skating, or bake your family’s favorite holiday cookies. Sharing your holiday and winter traditions with someone from another country is an incredible way to deepen your own family’s experiences and truly embrace the spirit of cultural exchange.
Enjoy New International Winter Festivities
When you host an au pair in winter, you get to learn how other cultures celebrate the season, allowing you and your family to take part in unique cultural experiences. Even if you and your au pair celebrate the same winter holiday (like Christmas or Hanukkah), you may find that they introduce unique traditions that helps you and your family see the holiday in a new light.
Holiday Help
The holiday season can be hectic for a lot of parents, and it’s easy to feel like you’re stretched too thin during this time. Hosting an au pair can help you better manage some of your holiday responsibilities; for example, have your au pair handle pickups and drop-offs for the children while you go holiday shopping. Plus, when holiday break comes around and the children stay home from school, every parent could use a little bit of relief!
Winter is an excellent time to welcome an au pair into your home — experience all the benefits of the au pair program with Au Pair in America!
Au Pair in America is the world’s most experienced live-in cultural childcare program. Every year, we help hundreds of families across the country enjoy the advantages of reliable intercultural childcare. We thoroughly screen and train all our au pairs, and our dedicated team will support you throughout your program. This winter, experience a world of childcare, right at home with Au Pair in America!
