Inviting an au pair into your home brings three generations under one roof. Let's look at the benefits multigenerational living delivers to everyone involved — parents, kids, and the au pair in the middle.
Multigenerational families
Hosting an au pair is a great solution for flexible childcare at home — but it does more than that. It also creates the distinctive experience of bringing multiple generations together. Parents and children are already different generations, so adding an au pair brings a third into the mix. Multigenerational living is generally defined as three generations under one roof: for example, Gen X or Gen Y parents, Gen Alpha children and, typically, a Gen Z au pair.
What each generation brings
Multigenerational living is about the support people can give each other at different stages of life — one of the simplest win-win situations there is. In our family, as a Gen Y mum and Gen X dad of a toddler and a newborn, opening our home to an au pair was a no-brainer: we badly needed someone young and lively to keep pace with our toddler while we fed the baby and caught up on sleep, and our twenty-year-old Swiss au pair was looking for an affordable way to travel and experience new cultures. Parents gain support when they're time-poor, and au pairs see a new country and culture while gaining experience with children.
Learning from each other
Each generation has its own traits and lessons to share. Our Gen Z au pair grew up in a digital world, with wider exposure than previous generations, and tends to model tolerance and adaptability — traits we happily embrace from our children's carers. She's also well placed to relate to the challenges today's children face, having grown up in the smartphone era herself. Au pairs learn from host families too: I was glad to share my experience as a mother, giving her a more realistic view of parenting. Everyone benefits from a fresh perspective on family life.
Making your household multigenerational
An au pair is far more than a babysitter — hosting one is like adding another family member. Everyone benefits from the extra help: an au pair can care for the children and take on light housekeeping, freeing parents to meet other needs. As the household runs more smoothly, the whole family dynamic improves, and au pairs and parents often become genuine friends — swapping recipes, household hacks and insights from different cultural backgrounds.
Multigenerational living makes sense
Host families and au pairs are uniquely placed to build special, rewarding relationships, learning from each other through a shared adventure in creative living. Welcoming an au pair is a smart way to meet your childcare needs and give your family the many benefits of a multigenerational home.