Dear host families and au pairs,

Many of you have been celebrating carnival for days and au pairs attended parades with host families and on their own. However, the final days of the carnival and Mardi Gras itself bring the excitement, entertainment, and the size of crowds up to a different level and I’d like to share with you a few words of advice and caution.

CHILDREN SAFETY

If au pair goes to the parade with her host family, it is very important to discuss beforehand and in detail the following issues:

1. Will au pair be working or just hanging out with the family?
2. If she’ll be working — what EXACTLY will be her duties.
3. If she’ll be looking after a particular child — which one and what she should do when the child gets tired, bored, overexcited, hungry etc.
4. Rules regarding bathroom use.
5. Rules about hand holding and crossing/approaching the street.
6. Rules about NOT coming close to the floats to receive hand-out toys or special beads. If the child is offered a special item, it must be PARENTS who bring the child to the float to receive it, not au pair.
7. Rules about staying close together and not straying with/without child in pursuit of beads/doubloons.

AU PAIR SAFETY

The rules are common-sense but worth repeating:

1. Do not bring valuables to the parade. That includes money, credit cards, expensive electronics and jewelry, etc.
2. Carry your ID, credit card & some cash in a bag that you can keep track of at all times. Keep it zipped and close to your body.
3. Be mindful and protective of your expensive camera if you decide to bring it with you.
4. If you stop for a drink or snack don’t leave your purse or camera on the chair or table even if your friends promise to watch them. Always have them with you.
4. Don’t park on median (neutral ground) unless you want to get a ticket. Meter maids go out in force to give out plenty of parking tickets during Mardi Gras.
5. Be friendly but cautious when making friends. Do not go into people’s houses if you don’t know the owners and never wander away into secluded area (night or day).
6. Remember that in Louisiana legal age for drinking alcohol is 21 years old.
7. Trust your gut. If you have a funny feeling about a person or a situation walk away and join your friends or seek a busy place with other visitors.

LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS ROULER!