A new view on breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
Breakfast is a daily duty for most au pairs. So no matter the age of your host children, be prepared to get involved in breakfast time. It might be cereal, toast, eggs, fruit or yogurt. You could even try a typical morning meal from your home country.
Preparing and packing lunches for the children are often an au pair’s responsibilities. You might notice that lunch in the USA is smaller than in your home country. A typical lunch for a school age child might be a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a treat. Kids of all ages will eat sandwiches and a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich could be a child’s daily request.
Meal time with your host children can be more than just feeding them. Eating together can be a chance to bond. It’s all about how you spend time together.
Even though a snack is not a proper meal, growing children will probably want to snack during the day. Your host parents might say, “the kids always want an after school snack”. But they might also have rules on healthy snacking. Don’t forget to check out our Kids Corner for great snack ideas for kids.
Other cultures often eat their main meal at lunchtime. But in the USA many families come together to eat dinner each night. This makes dinner the largest meal of the day, not lunch as in other cultures. Dinnertime will mostly depend on your host family’s schedule. As an au pair, you might have some responsibility in helping prepare dinner for the children.
Melanie from Switzerland
I would prepare lunch every day because my host kids couldn’t buy food at school. And also I’d bring snacks for the car ride, even though it’s a 30 min drive from school to home the kids were always hungry.