Nanny cams = Hiding in the barhroom

[Anonymous]

How about if you tell them you’ll do it after your lunch break?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about if you tell them you’ll do it after your lunch break?

+1 "Larla's Mom, I just sat down for my lunch break. I'll be happy to do that when I am finished".

[Anonymous]

I think the reason that there aren't a lot of legal protections here regarding breaks is that it can be impracticable -- kids have to be watched; a nanny can't just leave. (That said, WFH is a huge opportunity to guarantee a break.)

In any case I think it's appalling. Nannies shouldn't be asked to do anything other than watch children, particularly if there are multiple kids. You sound like a great nanny, OP. There are better employers out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Every day I bring a nanny bag to work with activities for the kids. I’ve now starting adding a Turkish towel and travel pillow. Nanny family has cameras in every room. There is no space I feel like I can just breathe and eat my lunch. I work so hard, 12-14 hrs a day and when the kids nap, I finish my nanny duties and really need 20 mins just to decompress. But I can’t, because my boss watches the cameras like it’s Netflix and the minute I sit down, I get a text asking me to do something. I can’t even eat a meal or sit for more than 10 mins, before the texts start.

So now I bring my bag to the bathroom, lay out the towel, and sit on the floor to have some peace. I use the mini pillow to support my back against the wall. I’m paid extremely well so I feel like my bosses really want to get their moneys worth. So, now I hide. Maybe they think I have IBS, I don’t know. But cleaning the bathroom isn’t my job and I do it every day, just to have a space to sit.

Parents with cameras, please don’t micromanage through the camera. If I could have a space camera free just to eat my lunch, it would be so nice. I never feel like I can relax. I need naptime to recharge. Please, if you have cameras, tell the nanny about a place where she can just sit and decompress, to get ready for your little one to wake up.

Thanks for listening

You shouldn’t need to do this but what you tell them is that you just sat down for your lunch break for 30 mins and you will get to the task after it’s done. if they give you grief about this then it’s a sure sign that you need to move on to a new family.

[Anonymous]

The nanny market is booming! I'm sure you can have multiple job offers within a week if you have solid experience.

I once accepted a night nanny position for a family with a 4mo that they needed help getting on better sleep routines and patterns (not even actual sleep training). When I got there, they had an otherwise empty room with the pack n play, a chair next to it, then a TV tray right in front of the chair with a camera on it. So they could watch me all night. I did the first night and then never went back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The nanny market is booming! I'm sure you can have multiple job offers within a week if you have solid experience.

I once accepted a night nanny position for a family with a 4mo that they needed help getting on better sleep routines and patterns (not even actual sleep training). When I got there, they had an otherwise empty room with the pack n play, a chair next to it, then a TV tray right in front of the chair with a camera on it. So they could watch me all night. I did the first night and then never went back.

I don't think nannies should be spied on but are you objecting to their having a baby monitor in the baby's room?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nanny market is booming! I'm sure you can have multiple job offers within a week if you have solid experience.

I once accepted a night nanny position for a family with a 4mo that they needed help getting on better sleep routines and patterns (not even actual sleep training). When I got there, they had an otherwise empty room with the pack n play, a chair next to it, then a TV tray right in front of the chair with a camera on it. So they could watch me all night. I did the first night and then never went back.

I don't think nannies should be spied on but are you objecting to their having a baby monitor in the baby's room?

A camera trained on the nanny is very different from a baby monitor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nanny market is booming! I'm sure you can have multiple job offers within a week if you have solid experience.

I once accepted a night nanny position for a family with a 4mo that they needed help getting on better sleep routines and patterns (not even actual sleep training). When I got there, they had an otherwise empty room with the pack n play, a chair next to it, then a TV tray right in front of the chair with a camera on it. So they could watch me all night. I did the first night and then never went back.

I don't think nannies should be spied on but are you objecting to their having a baby monitor in the baby's room?

A camera trained on the nanny is very different from a baby monitor.

Ohhhh got it. I didn’t pick up in this on my first read and wondered what I was missing. That is …. weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The nanny market is booming! I'm sure you can have multiple job offers within a week if you have solid experience.

I once accepted a night nanny position for a family with a 4mo that they needed help getting on better sleep routines and patterns (not even actual sleep training). When I got there, they had an otherwise empty room with the pack n play, a chair next to it, then a TV tray right in front of the chair with a camera on it. So they could watch me all night. I did the first night and then never went back.

I don't think nannies should be spied on but are you objecting to their having a baby monitor in the baby's room?

A camera trained on the nanny is very different from a baby monitor.

NP my baby monitor basically only shows the crib. I think most people's do because I see people post pics and videos on facebook of baby antics.

[Anonymous]

Why can't you tell them you'd like a 1 hour break while kids nap? In my position, when the child is napping, I'll pick up in kitchen a bit, fold a load of laundry, then it's my own time. And yes, there are 6 cameras in the home, including the living room/kitchen/playroom/dining room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why can't you tell them you'd like a 1 hour break while kids nap? In my position, when the child is napping, I'll pick up in kitchen a bit, fold a load of laundry, then it's my own time. And yes, there are 6 cameras in the home, including the living room/kitchen/playroom/dining room.

It's less that there are cameras, and more that the parents apparently watch them obsessively and assign OP tasks whenever she sits down for more than 10 minutes. It's basically constant surveillance.

[Anonymous]

I personally find cameras kinda voyeuristic + creepy.
Especially in this capacity.

Nanny cams are supposed to be used for child abuse or neglect.
Not for micromanaging or constant surveillance.
Many parents abuse this.

I recently accepted a position where there was a camera in the living room - directly facing the sofa.
I thought I could be okay w/it, but after a week I found myself sitting in the bathroom just to be free of being watched.

I finally had to quit due to having a camera on me for 9 hrs. a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Negotiate a break. Im pretty sure its illegal to have you work 12-14 hra without set breaks for lunch etc.
i have a nanny and she does 9 hrs. Noncameras. But pretty sure she naps for the 1.5 hrs my toddler naps. Only thing i ever mention are the things i need done (kid laundry etc) and those are done she can do whatever in addition to her official lunch break.

+1

We do not have a camera but in any case, encourage our nanny to take a break when the kids are napping.

[Anonymous]

OP find another job. I know it's hard especially if the money is good but it's not worth the mental frustration. People like this will NOT change. I've learned that the hard way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That sounds terrible, OP. Are the kids napping while you're in the bathroom? I think you should have a frank conversation with your boss about a lunch break and also just some down time when your charges are napping.

If they're not receptive, there are a lot of other families who won't monitor you so much!

Yes, yes they’re napping! I’m looking for a job right now, but this one pays 40 an hour, so I just need to ride it out until I can find something with the same pay. I’m in a HCOL city and the going rate is now $30-40hr, so I have hope! Thank you so much for just listening everyone. It means a lot!