Nanny Cams: To spy or not to spy - that is the question.

I have to disagree with you. Long before I was a mom who used a nanny cam I was a college student working as a nanny. As a nanny, I fully expected that parents might have hidden cameras. Would you feel differently if your trust had been broken, either as a child or parent? If a person doesn't want to be on a nanny cam they should not work as a nanny. A nanny cam is all part of the job. I had no problem with it when I was a nanny.

I used to think I would never have a nanny cam. However, I recently had a shock. We found out on day five after our most recent nanny came to work for us that she was stealing our child's ADD medication (which was kept in our dresser drawer). The whole week, I kept thinking she was acting strangely and drugs even crossed my mind. Her stealing our child's medication meant that our child would have to go without it for 10 days that month (she stole 10 or more pills in only five days).

We fired her the next workday. We paid her for her time worked to date. However, a day or two later, we realized that our child's money was gone. That prompted us to check my jewelry and other valuables. Our key to my jewelry box (also kept in our dresser) was missing. We had decided not to involve the police and to pay her for her time worked before we realized the extent of the damage.

Now we have decided to get a nanny cam. Our new nanny knows this and is OK with it.

I couldn't disagree more. I'm a mother of a now 6-month old and we had nanny cams installed. For our first nanny, all references checked out glowingly, background check passed, and I worked with her the last few weeks of my maternity leave. She kept telling us when we got home that our baby was cranky but everyone else thought he was a happy smiley baby. We watched the nanny cam film & saw she has zero newborn/baby skills - not even the ones we saw when we were around, and the kickers were she left him unattended on the changing table and texted/dropped her phone while feeding him and just had to pick it up while crunching the baby in her lap. Fired her that day. Nanny cam has already paid for itself in that instant. As a parent you are not also a professional interviewer and professional nanny finder, so that camera has been invaluable.

it is extremely naive to think we live on a different
planet. when was the last time you watched the
news and didn't see something that dropped
your jaw??? crime against elderly by care givers
crim against children and almost always by people
trusted. the human element is the most unpredictable
element out there. there is no tragedy bigger for any
parent than one that affects their children. there is
no measure too extreme to protect your kids!

Nanny cameras protect the innocent and expose the wrong for both sides. I have used the cameras many times to see my kids, ages 2 and 3, fighting and have not punished the wrong child. It has also recorded precious moments that I don't want to forget. It has been wonderful. Our cameras are not hidden and they have been nothing but helpful. For example out nanny spanked our child once. We were able to review the circumstances and see why and what happened. Yes, she told us about it. But there was nothing like the peace of mind of seeing it for ourselves. The cameras are great when you have nothing to hide. The only schools don't allow it is because they are afraid of all the lawsuits. That is the best reason to get them in there!!

I think you are looking at this as a matter of TRUST, like you would for a friend or family member and that is totally the wrong way to look at the nanny relationship. For all the interviews and background checks in the end you are bringing a stranger into your home and entrusting that stranger with your precious child. A nanny is an employee not your friend. It may grow into a close friendly relationship as time goes by. In the interim I see nothing wrong with 'nanny cams' both in sight or hidden. It is normal for employees to be on their best behavior when the employer is around but what do they do when left alone? I agree that it is not only good for the employer but also for the nanny to have video of them caring properly for your child.
After all, most people thought Ted Bundy was a wonderful guy....

Wow, there are way more panicky pessimistic people out there than I thought! I used to nanny (never for anyone who had a nanny cam) and now I have my two littles. Yes, it is hard to leave them in the care of someone else.. but I think that it is good for me, and I have been pleased with all the sitters they've had. I think it is important to be able to trust a nanny without monitoring her every move. I also think it is very wrong to have a nanny cam and not inform your caregiver.
I don't think that I would want one, but I certainly understand why someone who may have had a bad experience might want one. However, another kind of person who just decides to have one has some qualities I don't particularly like; i.e. controlling, condescending, distrustful.

I disagree with the blogger; I would never tell my nanny or babysitter there are nanny cams. Some people only do the right thing when they are being watched. No one is going to hit your child or steal from you if they know they are on camera. You never really know anyone. Even family members could abuse or molest.

Why would someone come on care.com to post something so negative about working families utilizing a nanny? KL, I think your opinion is not appropriate in this setting.

Wow - it is nice to think you have an open and honest communication. I paid for my sitter's children's summer camp, gave her a car, went to advocate for her child's special needs - only to find out she had stolen my disabled daughter's atm card and was using it to play the lottery - she even hid the bank statements when they came in the mail. This is how I was alerted to the situation. I was even sponsoring her for citzenship. Another sitter stole my daughter's seizure meds (in a locked box). Another was abusing her and then reported me for abuse! NANNY CAM A MUST!

I just found out my trusted sitter of 4 years has been taking money from my childrens banks (all silver change and bills from birthdays...pennys were left) and about $50 in quarters from my change jar I have in a closet in my room. Also found things such as new bottles of laundry detergent and other items missing. I have never felt so betrayed in my life so YES it is important for people to keep an eye on what is going on. When you turn your back and close your eyes, someone can stab you in the back.

It only takes one time for your child to have irreparable damage from a nanny, whether it be physical or mental. Cameras come with the territory for this kind of job and with good reason. Anyone applying for such a job should always assume they might be there. This blog entry is the absolute worst advice I have ever seen from Care.com.

I trust my gut, the reaction my little girl has when she sees her nanny, and the development I see occurring from day to day in her skill sets.

With our last two nannys, it was obvious when there was something we wanted to change.

Our new nanny has such a good connection with our daughter, she doesn't even cry when I leave for work, and gets excited when she arrives. We also get random update pictures of their activities, and my husband is known to stop by randomly at home to get things during the day, and all checks out.

A nanny Cam is a MUST. And don't tell your babysitter. This way you can see how she truely cares for your kid. Well I had a hidden cam with my first babysitter, and I discovered that she yells and screams at my daughter all the time, reads her books and uses her cellphone all day long. Oh and in addition she washes her hair and do her laundry.(she did not live with us. She was like an angle when we talk to her but once we turn our back she did all that. We did not discover all this until we installed the cam. DON'T TRUST ANYONE when it comes to your kids. Now i just trust what i see. With my second babysitter we also used the hidden cam and she was perfect. She loved the kids and enjoyed caring for them. Although she would use her cellphone a lot but she still was very nice with the kids. That made me reward her even more because I appreciated who she really was. It would be different if she knew there was a cam installed. Again i say the Camis a must, you dont want to take any chance with your kids. You never Know. And for KL who was saying stay home and raise your kids, well my response will be pay my bills and i will quit my job now.

KL, I cannot believe you would have the nerve to come onto a site where working mothers and fathers are looking for quality care for their children, to voice your opinion about working mothers. Your comment suggests that should we choose to work to give our children a better quality of life, that we should not have had children in the first place. As a first time about to be working mother, I cannot wait to prove you wrong. As for the nanny cams? Absolutely I will get one. There is no trust and open communication with a perfect stranger, until they become NOT a stranger. If a nanny has a problem with that, then I'll show them the door.

KL, I think children benefit when they see both daddy and MOMMY go to work! I believe it shows them responsibility and will later bring a strong work ethic for themselves! Some of us are lucky enough to see the BEST of both worlds!!!

I think it's VERY bad advice to discourage someone from using a nanny cam. We have a 31 year old son with disabilities, who is largely non-verbal, and lives at home with us. We have had dozens of caregivers over the years. Some have been the finest people in the world but many have been mediocre or questionable and too many have been truly awful. Sometimes we know or suspect that to be the case but looking back, how I wish we had truly KNOWN what was going on. We suspect that in many cases, he was neglected or not treated well and we also know that many of these caregivers - who all passed background checks - were stealing from us or from our son.

One of the worst thieves was a sweet-faced, pleasant young college girl who was studying to be a physical therapist. She worked for us for nearly a year and a half - and though we began to worry about her because she seemed to be a pathological liar - we were desperate and couldn't find a replacement for her and she was extremely dependable. When she graduated and left our area, she took with her a lot of my son's property as well as mine and we realized she had been stealing from my husband's wallet on a regular basis as well. We have no way to prove that and now she will be able to exploit numerous people through her career.

Background checks are fine up to a point, but they don't always tell the whole story. For instance, one young man who worked for us had attacked and tried to rape a young woman WHEN HE WAS A JUVENILE. Another young mother had had her children taken away from her for neglect and abuse WHEN SHE WAS A JUVENILE HERSELF. These things do not show up on a background check and they had gotten savvy enough in the interim that they were not yet caught as adults so their background checks were clean.

Trust is important and it is a fine thing, but after our experiences I am not going to entrust my precious son to someone who is able to put on a good front for me. I want to know how someone acts WHEN THEY DON'T THINK ANYONE IS LOOKING.

Another advantage to a nanny cam is that when abuse or theft occurs, one has the evidence to bring charges against the individual. A lawyer assured me that it is legal, even if the presence of the nanny cam is not disclosed to the employee. These people NEED TO BE PROSECUTED AND EXPOSED so that they cannot simply move on to the next unsuspecting victim. We all have a responsibility to one another, do we not? What good is a background check if we don't make sure that people will not pass it if they shouldn't be allowed to work with vulnerable people? I believe nursing homes, private homes and child care settings should have nanny cams if the individuals to be cared for cannot advocate for themselves.

You can purchase the cams off of amazon. There is a big selection there with reviews. Ours were on $27 a piece with audio and video. Hook the receiver up to a VCR or DVr, video can be sent to your phone.

I think if you need to put a nanny cam in your house it is all right. But the nanny should know it is there. I live in danville il. And all the city buses and scholl busses have cameras on them so the city knows what is going on. I see a nanny cam no different but on the same topic the camers are not hid and are min plan veiw the recorder is hid. But as you get on the school bus or city bus there is a sign that saids this bus has cameras and on the school buss they have a sign that says this bus has audio and video survalance. All I am saying is tell your nanny that the cam4eras are there. and post it by your front door. To answer the question if having a nanny cam is legal by law in my opinion I would say yes. Just watch tv adds for home security systems they are now set up so all you have to do is dial a number on your cell phone and you can see what is going on in yuour house when you are not there. They also mostly show kids at home being watched by their parents. So I would say if you want to make sure a nanny cam is legal check local laws or just get a home security system that lets you check what is going on in your house. But always let the nanny know she is being watched. Just because you have it on tape does not mean it is leagal in court in some states for exeample you can record a phone conversation without the other person knowing and it is legal in court in other states both parties have to know that they are being recorded or the court will not even let you use it as evedence. So if you are going to set up camras just let the nanny know and be honest. And no desrespect to the live at home mom but some moms and dads are single parents and have to work so they can not stay at home with their kids.

After receiving advice from law enforcement and attorneys, judges in my state it is LEGAL, even without the nanny knowing!!! Why would you give this stranger the benefit of the doubt and she or he could walk off camera with your child and you not know how the nanny REALLY is if you give them a heads up first?!

Im a current Nanny and I have also hired a sitter for my child from this site and she is great. I love kids but using a camera WITHOUT letting the Nanny know is not a noble act. A nanny that is told before she starts who has nothing to hide will not care if the camera is there or not! However, I do understand the use of one from parents that have had someone mistreat their children. I work for a high profile family and I know there is no camera. The kids however are old enough to tell what happens. I tell everything and what I do when the parents aren't home, I do when they are around as if they are not there. But to say the author of this blog is bs is a shame. I feel like some of you women that responded with foolish remarks are just dramatic or hurt! Stay home if you cant trust anyone or you can't be honest and upfront about your camera system!

I am about to hire a new babysitter/ housekeeper and would never use a hidden nannycam. However, I am at sahm just looking for a little help. Until we establish a strong relationship I will not be leaving my children alone for more than 20-30minutes. I also have a 4 year old that is an extremely strong communicator so I feel if anything was off he could tell me about it. That said if I was gone most of the day, had a young child that wasnt able to tell me what was happening and/or didn't have the luxury of a long "get to know you" period I would install cameras but let my nanny know.

Did the parents of all the children who were sexually assaulted be priests of the catholic church have open communications with them? I believe in trust as well but there are evil people in the world who can tell a parent what they want to hear and then do the unspeakable while smiling. Get real.

How many camera's do you install in your home? Kitchen, playroom and bedrooms??? All these stories are making me feel it is VERY important to have a nanny cam in the house. Better to be safe and give your nanny the praise she deserves than to have your child be mistreated and not able to tell you what is going on, especially if they are too young to communicate.

I'm very surprised! Open communication will not indicate if the nanny is watching TV, sleeping, and generally caring for your child. I would happily watch (through the hidden nanny cam) my little guy being held and cared for by our nanny. But I would sadly watch her sleep through his crying or have the TV on while I asked her to not watch TV while he was awake. It is a great tool to know your child is being cared for and to confirm your rules are being followed.

As a babysitter in the past, I always assumed I was being watched! This is exactly why I thought it was legit for me to put in a nanny cam in our home when I went back to work with baby number 1.

It's a matter of common sense (all too rare) and common decency (even more so). If you want to be able to watch your kids, then by all means install a Nanny Cam. Yes, your children are the most precious thing(s) you "own". Guard them carefully and fiercely. But that doesn't mean that your Nanny doesn't have rights, too. If you have a nanny already, she has the right to know in advance that she will now be watched. If you are hiring a new nanny, she has the right to know that she will be "on camera". If a Nanny has a problem with this situation, she has every right to walk away -- not being willing to be on camera is not (by itself) anything that should raise question about someone's motives or character. Protect your children, but be open and honest about it.

KL, nobody owes you an explanation for why they have to or choose to work or just plain have a break. Your post was very offensive. My son is 31 years old and needs as much care as when he was an infant. Are you really saying that I should not be able to have a job or respite care? And all of us should be able to find good care for our loved ones. A nanny cam is a tool to help with that. Just remember, life turns on a dime and while you appear to have choices now, that might not be the case tomorrow or 10 years from now. We are all one illness, one accident, one birth away from being a caregiver or a person with a disability. "May my words today be tender and sweet because tomorrow I may have to eat them."

Most of us can tell when someone is exceptionally good or exceptionally bad but there is a huge unknown population out there that may SEEM good and may not be at all. The entries on this blog should confirm this. None of us would have hired someone who we thought was capable of these bad deeds. The very best criminals are often the nicest because no one suspects them of evil doing. Bad people don't wear a tattoo on their foreheads identifying them as such.

Tell a caregiver about the nanny cam if you want but just remember, then you are not seeing the unfiltered behavior of this person. They can go off camera with their bad deeds or temporarily disable it or whatever if they are bent on mischief.

And yes, terri, people that do bad things to children and vulnerable persons SHOULD be caught so that they will not pass another background check. These checks are worthless if abuse and neglect are not reported. It's no different than a hospital that gives a good recommendation to an incompetent surgeon to get rid of him or a church that transfers a pedophile clergy person to another parish, etc. Wouldn't you be angry if your child was hurt by someone and you learned that this was a pattern of behavior for that person but no one reported it?

Its not illegal as long as one party knows (you).....and with what's going on in the world, nanny cams are a necessity......u never want to say "I should have" when it comes to opportunity to protect children from abuse. U r correct.....background checks r of limited use.

WOW! I never knew so many moms were so dishonest I've been a nanny for about 8 yrs, and have worked for families with and without it. I can't believe parents think it's ok to record a persons every move without their consent. That blows my mind. I do believe the are a good thing of your child can't talk, is menttally disabled, or the nanny is inexperienced. When you hire a nanny you should be hiring someone you trust and plan to have as a partner in rainsing your child. We are more than JUST employees. Yes you want to protect your bundles of joy but if a nanny wanted to do real harm a nanny it wouldn't stop it and at best is just records it. You still can't undo the damage. I feel you should be more concerned with building trust than spying. If you want the cam that's fine if you feel it's best, but be open and honest with your reasons why, any other job I've had has let us know "hey the cameras are watching" even if employees didn't know where. I know people can get offended and what not on these things, so im not saying anyone is flat out wrong just giving another pointof view.Thats just my 2cents.

Well, YOU can trust whoever you want. But personally, we just found out our sitter(who we had a great feeling about and considered a friend) had been stealing money from our other kids in the sum of over $200. So i STRONGLY believe in cameras. If they are willing to do that, what else are they doing? My JOB is security. Honestly there are very few people you can truly trust anymore. Otherwise i would be out of work....

I also wanted to ask since some of you feel the nanny cam is a must have do to attach cameras to your children when they go out with the nanny, or have one in the child's carseat? I know that sounds absurd but the point is, I think that is where the trust you should be building comes in because the camera can't always be there.

Can someone please list the "brand" of nanny cam you have? I've been doing research and there are so many to choose from that get poor reviews or that are very expensive and it's a bit overwhelming. Thank you, thank you!!

Wow. I realize that having a blog entitles you to post your opinion, but folks here should really remember that it is just that... an OPINION. You are by no means an expert on the topic of whether cameras are good or bad. Many people have had bad experiences and even the most trustworthy people can be tempted to do wrong things. I support them 100%. I use them for my grandmother, who has dementia. I have found MANY a sitter sleeping when their job was to stay awake and watch my grandmother. I even caught one going through her drawers at 3am. They all had great references and clean background checks. They even interviewed very well and did a great job otherwise. In this day and age, if you don't protect yourself and your kids (or elderly), you are being naive and and neglectful!

I just sent my nanny to prison for bodily injury to my children. If you think that you can open a dialog and feel comfortable with that then you're delusional. Trust has nothing to do with it! Would you buy a car from a car salesman just because he said "Trust me it's in perfect working order"? Unfortunately we need to work. The next best thing to being there is the camera.

We actually mentioned to our nanny that we would possibly be installing cameras. We knew her. We intervieved her. We ran background checks. It's not enough. GET THE CAMERA! If your debating whether or not to tell the nanny. Don't. That's why it's called a nanny cam. Because it's hidden. If they find out about it, so what. They're your children and it's your house. The nanny should understand that you, as a parent, will go to any means to protect your children and to ensure their safety.

If you're a nanny, just assume that it comes with the territory.

I'm a mother and a nanny! If I get a nanny job that wanted to use a nanny cam, and they told me about it, I would be perfectly fine with it! If I had to hire a nanny, I would almost definitely have a nanny cam. I've seen those YouTube videos.

The only thing to remember is honesty. If that is there in between both families, then what is there to worry about or be afraid of? It's only "spying" if you don't know about it.

I am a nanny, and i have no problem with families having nanny cams as long as they tell us up front. When i have kids and decide to get a nanny i would instal cams as well but i would tell that nanny up front...it's kind of like a warning, if you chose to push the limits of stealing or harming our kids in any way we are going to find out.

I don't believe that the person on here blogging about this is telling you not to get a cam. I read into it that she feels it's a matter of trust. I know where I work there is a cam and that I am being watched. They didn't have to tell me. You can sense that just by things they say to you. One day I told the little fella to come down off the stairs I went to get him and he slapped me in the face. I told him...not nice and I tapped him twice just on the backside a little...and moved him off the stairs. It wasn't the type of tap that would hurt him make him cry or anything like that. It was a love pat. He knew what i meant. Now the parents and I have placed a small chair in the hallway away from everything and he does a 30 sec time out. It is very productive. I have heard horror stories as well about nannies beating up and slapping children. That is the most disgusting behavior an adult can ever do. When I hear on the news or somewhere else that a child has been abused. I don't care the reasons if you can't make the child understand through discussion of what took place. Then you need not be a nanny. I talk a lot when I am with this little boy. He loves me and I know he understands what I do and say. When I place him in Time out ... I tell him, Nan loves you bigger than all the stars in the sky, but you did such and such so you have to sit here and think about that for awhile. When 30 sec is up...I go to him..ask him,"what do you have to say"...he is only 2. He says," I sorry nan" ..."I yove you." and hugs me really hard. I always tell him before the punishment and after that I love him. He knows I don't back down from his punishment if I say he is getting time out ...he is. No take backs. They are leaving soon to move out of state and i'm devastated, but they haven't a choice. I am for nanny cams. Power of Protecting a loved one, besides I know they trust me...they give me a key and I go clean, feed the cat, get the mail. Anytime I find money laying around i put it on the shelf in their closet, same for wallets and wedding rings. I am not that kind. What people have at their home is theirs and what I have at my home is mine.

I myself am a F/T nanny. I ALWAYS assume the parents of the children i'm caring for are watching me care for their children.
Working with that mental frame makes you be that much better in my opinion, just as in a "desk job", you work for dilligently and efficiently if the boss is hovering over your shoulder.

And to those who say having a nanny cam (whether you inform the nanny or not) is an invasion of privacy is, in my opinion, ridiculous.

Do you complain when you are recorded on surveillance cameras in stores? Or ones that are in all corners at previous jobs? Etc? No. Because they are there for job place safety, and nannying is a job. A job all nannies love, but a JOB nonetheless. These parents want to enssure their childrens saftey, LET THEM.

(:

While it's definitely acceptable to hide a nanny cam, the point of worry is what you might see. You may see behavior you don't like from your nanny (which is definitely good), but you may also see behavior from your spouse or children you don't like.

I think that before anyone hides a nanny cam, they must weigh the pro's and con's heavily. After all, a nanny cam may ruin or strengthen the trust between your family - and nanny. It really just depends on your approach and reasoning for it.