So I'm being recoded on the nanny cam... Thanks!

[Anonymous]

DONT TRUST ME LET ME GO.

[Anonymous]

What happened, OP? Did you ask your bosses about the cam??

[Anonymous]

I asked MB, and she told me that they suspected the housekeeper was stealing, so yes I over reacted!! I'm glad I didn't do something dumb and went to speak to her nicely. They have told me in the past that they suspected the HK was stealing so the story sounds legit. So yes I'm dumb!

[Anonymous]

The nanny in New York was only with them for 1 year right? Not that it should matter, as it is disgusting to kill innocent children.
I am a nanny and I have also been babysitting since childhood.
I totally agree with Nanny DEB and the woman who posted.

100%
I am a very liberal and open minded person, but the reason why I don't want to preschool teach in certain places is because the camera's make everything so showy and uptight. Very unnatural and rehearsed. Not like real life. It looses the magic.

Plus, are we all forgetting here another huge issue-
It is about disclosure.

I would never work for a family that would have a camera. IF i worked for a family for 5 years and then they installed one, I would also be upset.
Is it true that the parent was responding? Why? Because initials were used? Kind of confusing.

I have friends that are interviewing now, wish I could know what family not to interview with!.

[Anonymous]

Ok, a few questions:
What does a drop cam look like?
Where are they typically placed in a room on a wall or where?
Are there invisible cameras? How does that work?

Should you ask families in an interview if they have cameras installed?

What is a website where I can see photos?

[Anonymous]

This is such a terrible story!
I feel so bad for the nanny!

There are many, many nannies that take care of 2 infants, 2 toddlers, or one of each-
and imagine, sometimes the nannies might do a quick change of clothes (the nanny gets changed) without going into the bathroom and closing the door.

Now families are putting cameras into living rooms and the nanny doesn't know? Creepy. That is just so wrong.

Our nanny gets hot frequently and so good at going for long walks with the children- and I can imagine (and hope) she doesn't close the bathroom door and leave 2 babies to get into danger when she changes.

Is this a DC thing? having the camera? This would not go over well at all where we have moved from.

Don't you want complete honesty from your nanny?
But then we can turn around and hide cameras? It just seems so unbalanced.

No wonder we had a hard time finding nannies to interview here that were educated and friendly, - it seems that the role of nanny here is very prison like.

I am going to talk to my nanny to assure her that we don't have a camera.

[Anonymous]

I have to be honest with you,
even though I liked reading what others had to say about the nanny cameras

Don't you think you should delete this whole post?
Can you?

I mean, now that family will find out because you said the reason was about the housekeeper,
parents look on this too-

I would look into erasing it, though I have never had to erase anything I postedd and so I don't know how you shoudl do it.

Didn't you even post initials?

OR is that some generalization like M for MOm or something?

[Anonymous]

OP here- To reply to the above, every smart nanny who posts here changes certain details, I would not be recognized.

MB is not the initials, it stands for 'mom boss'.

[Anonymous]

by the way, because it may be illegal to record audio and video together, a lot of hidden cameras can only record video with no sound. however, standard "web cams" that are not covert by design may record both. just FYI.

as a previous MB mentioned, it's super time consuming as well as expensive, and basically a massive headache to get the camera set up just right and then to review hours and hours of footage (unless it's a live feed and then you have to be watching when something actually happens).

if you weren't made aware of the possibility up front, usually the hidden camera is a last resort that someone decided they needed for a good reason.

[Anonymous]

as a previous MB mentioned, it's super time consuming as well as expensive, and basically a massive headache to get the camera set up just right and then to review hours and hours of footage (unless it's a live feed and then you have to be watching when something actually happens).

I'd disagree with this. No one watches the entire day and these cams are not expensive. Its easy to fast forward and see what actually is happening once you leave. Its pretty easy to see if the nanny is watching TV or surfing the web and ignoring the child which is usually what is found via a nanny cam.

[Anonymous]

I kinda find it hard to believe....i feel like they are watching you. Its easier to fire and hire a new housekeeper than to sit and watch footage etc....

[Anonymous]

Hi OP - when I first read this (as a former MB), I thought, "She could be construing this entirely incorrectly." We had the same wonderful nanny with us for 15 years. We installed cameras because we have a second home, and the cameras tell us immediately on our (- phones when triggered so we can call 9ll while watching ourselves get robbed or - as happens to be the case - watch the cats run up and down the stairs. It was totally a security issue and had nothing to do with our nanny at all. We didn't even think to tell her about them because we had forgotten all about them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The nanny in New York was only with them for 1 year right? Not that it should matter, as it is disgusting to kill innocent children.
I am a nanny and I have also been babysitting since childhood.
I totally agree with Nanny DEB and the woman who posted.

100%
I am a very liberal and open minded person, but the reason why I don't want to preschool teach in certain places is because the camera's make everything so showy and uptight. Very unnatural and rehearsed. Not like real life. It looses the magic.

Plus, are we all forgetting here another huge issue-
It is about disclosure.

I would never work for a family that would have a camera. IF i worked for a family for 5 years and then they installed one, I would also be upset.
Is it true that the parent was responding? Why? Because initials were used? Kind of confusing.

I have friends that are interviewing now, wish I could know what family not to interview with!.

My current job doesn't have cameras, if they did I doubt they'd check them a years, but I use to teach at a Pre-school and every room had numerous cameras. I didn't mind them, I actually grew to like them because everything was recorded. No one could accuse me of anything, I never did anything wrong so I never felt threatened. I'm sure I looked like a dope at times.

[Anonymous]

nannydebsays wrote:Not to speak for the OP, but in response to the PP - it's not about the camera, it's about the non-disclosure. Why not just say to a trusted long-term employee, "Hey, we installed a drop cam this weekend because XYZ." If there's a job performance issue, employers need to SAY SOMETHING. If there's an "I miss seeing my kids" issue, just say so.

It's just like what employers should do with new nannies. In the interview process, disclose that you may use a cam at some point. Don't say when, don't say where, just basically establish that use of a cam is a possibility. if someone is anti-cam, they'll remove themselves from consideration. if someone is willing to be cammed, if a little embarrassed by the possibility, they'll make a decision based on the employers attitudes.

Exactly, what if OP wants to pick her nose or fart when the kids are napping?

[Anonymous]

[e-mail] wrote:This is all due to the nanny in New York that drowned her two charges in the bathtub a few weeks back. The nanny had worked for the family for two years. This story has gotten a lot of attention in the press and I have seen several "experts" suggest nanny cams. Parents are upset and this is a knee jerk reaction.

AGREE!!! its not you...you just never know...they were friends with the ladies family!! Dont blame them! and dont get yourself into a worse situation.