I understand this "danger"aspect as well... but it's really no different from posting information on sites such as care.com, sittercity.com, craigslist, etc when searching for employment or someone to employ.

When an employer searches for nanny on an on-line site (or an employee responds to an ad) they take necessary precautions, employers do reference checks and background check, and its not an on-going activity etc. This isn't happening with your on-line nanny playmate service. It could be very attractive to a predator and just by being on the sight the predator knows the nanny is someone who lets her guard down and takes risks.
You are basically putting the kid's at risk for getting involved with a potential creep/predator for no reason other than to find the nanny some social companionship while she is working.

As an employer I would be VERY upset if my nanny was arranging playmates using an on-line match making service. So many problems here....

Nice idea, but I think it depends on the nanny.

I'm pretty much an introvert, so I can easily go 12+ hours with just the babies and no adult conversation. However, I can see how others may need it.

Anonymous wrote:I am a nanny and I think that the emphasis is too much on the nannies and not enough on the charges.

OP here... thanks for your input. This cite will attempt to put great emphasis on the children as well, hence why the age, gender, and interests of the children will be posted well. The ultimate goal is to allow nannies and SAHPs to discover peers their own age and in their area that have children/charges around the same age as theirs. That way, both parties can be equally and fairly accomodated. While some nannies and SAHPs might use this as a conduit to garner new aquantances and friends soley for their benefit, I hope this will not be the common case.

E.g. it would be wonderful for nannies and SAHPs who have/care for babies to go on neighborhood /park strolls, cafés, etc. Since young babies don't really care to "play" with other babies, and take generous naps, it would be nice to get in some personal socialization time (of course in reasonable, moderation that keeps the best interests of the child at heart). Similarly, it'd be nice to have "adult" conversations with peers when your older child/charge prefers to play apart from you at the park, and you're their for an hour.

The site will aim to greatly aide those who wish to find socialization opportunities for themselves and their child/charges alike.

I am a nanny and I think that the emphasis is too much on the nannies and not enough on the charges.

I'd like to thank all those who gave their input, and I look forward to further comments.

Anonymous wrote:The isolation of nannies is just as unhealthy as it is for mothers. I like having the same (or close) zip code. Can you post an email, OP?

I'll post an email address tomorrow when I get to use my laptop. I'd really like to discuss this idea further and promote it if others feel it has potential. While the cite will be free to use for parents and nannies, I was also thinking that maybe child related companies can pay a nominal fee to advertise child related activities, attractions, events, merchandise, etc. specified to a certain area. Not only will this fund the upkeep of the proposed cite, it'll be great for businesses and parents/nannies alike who are interested in finding more social activities for themselves and their children/charges (e.g. book readings, Gymboree classes, a new children's toy or clothing store opening up in the area, arts & craft programs, etc.)

Anonymous wrote:What will stop a potential threat/pedophile/etc. from "signing up" and pretending to be someone in order to find a target? It creeps me out in that aspect.

I understand this "danger"aspect as well... but it's really no different from posting information on sites such as care.com, sittercity.com, craigslist, etc when searching for employment or someone to employ. Sufficient personal info. will not be made public to track down any individual. One must simply use one's discretion as best as possible. That's why I suggest that people should first meet at a neutral, public location without their child/charge to "feel out" the person and their tru intentions and, if you're a nanny, involve the parents to see what they think.

What will stop a potential threat/pedophile/etc. from "signing up" and pretending to be someone in order to find a target? It creeps me out in that aspect.

Anonymous wrote:I think you're putting and unhealthy amount if emphasis on age. Frankly its bizarre how hung up on it you are. Do you rely think you have nothing in common with someone who isn't your exact same age? You wouldn't have that much control over it in a traditional work place.

OP here... Not the EXACT same age, but in the same age range (e.g. ± 5 years). While I understand that people who are seperated by a greater age range can get along great, those closer in age may simply have more in common for that reason. For example, I'm 23 and I think it would be odd to "hang" with a nanny in her 40s... At any rate, while the age rang will be an important parameter, there will be a number of others from which one can choose to include/exclude in their."search"

I didn't get that OP cares that much about your age.

I think you're putting and unhealthy amount if emphasis on age. Frankly its bizarre how hung up on it you are. Do you rely think you have nothing in common with someone who isn't your exact same age? You wouldn't have that much control over it in a traditional work place.

The isolation of nannies is just as unhealthy as it is for mothers. I like having the same (or close) zip code. Can you post an email, OP?

Love it!!

It's a pretty long post, but worth the read IMO

Many professions, careers, and jobs allow individuals to interact with co-workers around their age, both within and outside of the workplace. It's great to have peers and friends your own age in your field of employment; people with whom one can enjoy coffee or lunch with, maybe even the occasional dinner, while discussing work related topics and personal interests.

Nannying is unique in that many nannies often do not have the opportunity to interact with peers their own age during their workday. The degree to which this statement holds true is contingent upon many factories, such as the area in which one lives, the amount and variety of child centers and activities offered in that area, etc. In short, when working anywhere from 8 - 12 hours a day, wouldn't it be awesome to occasionally, if not daily, meet up with a compatible peer your own age? You know, go to a café, engage in meaningful conversations while at the park or going on a neighborhood stroll with your charge(s), etc.

Socialization is integral to healthy living for both nannies and children alike. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to meet other nannies ones own age (especially if one is pretty young or, conversely, old), even if one attends child related activities, centers, and parks. Of course it's integral to try and arrange playdates with nannies that are older and/or younger than oneself if their charge(s) is around the same age as yours. However, wouldn't it be wonderful if you could have the best of both worlds (i.e. a nanny around your age with a charge around your age)?

I think it'd be cool if there was a website geared towards making this a possibility. It'll work something like this. The nanny posts his/her name (First name, Last name initial), age, gender, nationality, the age and gender of his/her charge(s), his/her relative working location (e.g. State, City, and Zip Code), a brief "about me" section in which one can describe one's work related and personal interests, a section dedicated to briefly describing the interests of one's charge(s), a picture of oneself if desired (NEVER of one's charge(s) unless parental permission is given), etc... This would even be a great tool for SAHMs and SAHDs to utilize if they would equally like to meet other parents and nannies their age and/or children their own child's age for the purposes of socialization, playdates, etc. The great thing about this cite would be that every individual on it will WANT to socialize with others. Even in some playgroups and child related activities, it can be difficult to find individuals who want to socialize and arrange playdates for their children/charges.

The website will allow the individual to select any combination of certain parameters (e.g. similar interests, age range, age of charge(s), gender of charge(s), relative distance of from location [2 miles?, 5 miles, 10 miles, 15 miles, 20 miles, etc.]), and will notify said individual when suitable matches are found. The individual can then contact his/her matches via a secure website based messaging system at his/her own discretion. Before getting together with their charge(s), two "compatible" individuals can meet up at a neutral, safe location (such as a restaurant or coffee shop) to better get to know each other. Then you can build things from there.

In short, while still maintaining one's duties and remaining attentive to one's charge(s), socialization with peers ones age in a reasonable manner would be amazing. So, do you nannies and parents think this is a neat idea, too self serving, somewhere inbetween? I'd appreciate any input... Since I'm no tech gal, I myself couldn't engineer and/or maintain a site such as this, but, if enough people are interested in this idea, maybe we can make it happen!