Nanny cam, yay or nay?

[hannamaren]

I was against the nanny cam, because I thought you end up overanalyzing or micro managing.
But my H mentioned it and now my MIL suggested it. Now I feel if I dont have one and something happens, I will never forgive myself.
If you have one, what kind?
Would you tell the nanny so she is on her best behaviour and warned?
I am videotaped at work so it isnt unheard of.

[eddy]

Nay for the reason you mentioned.

[yellowbrkrd]

No way. It would make me crazy.

[Brie]

Yay, but only if it leads to a .gif like auberge's.

[speckledfrog]

Absolutely tell her beforehand. Why wait to catch her being bad? Let her know up front.

[hannamaren]

Oct 30, 2012 20:29:19 GMT -5 speckledfrog said:

Absolutely tell her beforehand. Why wait to catch her being bad? Let her know up front.

Would you do it? Get the camera?

[MadamePresident]

Oct 30, 2012 20:22:46 GMT -5 Brie said:

Yay, but only if it leads to a .gif like auberge's.

This!

We actually have a webcam for a baby monitor. Sometimes my husband will happen to catch me when I'm in the baby's room. Its a slightly odd feeling for me.

[pugz]

no way

[grk2012]

How much time would you waste at work stalking the cam?

[hannamaren]

Oct 30, 2012 20:40:09 GMT -5 grk2012 said:

How much time would you waste at work stalking the cam?

Zero. My new work sounds like it is super busy.
My H may waste time.

I was also thinking that I would be too cheap to buy the internet capable camera.

[hannamaren]

Oct 30, 2012 20:54:32 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

I posted about this back in the day: community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/35943169.aspx.

It says post not found. .
I even tried to search. Yeah, not so much.

[ijack]

We don't have one.

[Willis Jackson]

Nay. I don't want to watch someone pick her nose.

[vanillacourage]

I mean no offense by this but from your posts you seem like you might worry over what you saw, either good or bad. Too much anxiety for me.

[bunch]

Oct 30, 2012 21:42:38 GMT -5 vanillacourage said:

I mean no offense by this but from your posts you seem like you might worry over what you saw, either good or bad. Too much anxiety for me.

I agree. Having one would make me crazy and I'd feel totally threatened as a nanny.

[CloudBee]

Our house is already wired so my husband can watch the dog from work. The DOG. I turn it off when I get home. I'm guessing he would leave it on if we had a nanny and simply explain its part of our security system. (Which it is.). I'm not a fan.

[karinothing]

Honestly, if I felt the need to have a camera in order to trust the person watching my kids, they should not be watching my kids.

[ECB]

Oct 31, 2012 7:05:47 GMT -5 karinothing said:

Honestly, if I felt the need to have a camera in order to trust the person watching my kids, they should not be watching my kids.

THis is what it boils down to for me. But if you do get one, your nanny should absolutley be told. You know you're being taped, right? Why shouldn't she?

[mrssandro]

Nay, unless you suspected something. Even then I would tell her you put a camera in.

[eddy]

Also I would argue the good nannies would never go for this. If I am capable and responsible I can find a job no problem. If you are going to watch me on a nannycam well smell ya later. That does not start off a healthy work dynamic. Only the desperate ones would agree to this unless you are paying some serious change.

[hannamaren]

Eddy, I kind of think this, but in the other hand, I am videotaped at work. The camera is over the cash register. It is not to look for shoplifters, it is to prevent employee theft. Yes, it is insulting, but it is a necessary evil.
Most daycares have the option of watching your child on a webcam.

I was really against it, but since it has been suggested to me, I feel like I will regret it if something happened.

I do trust my nanny as much as I can.

[eddy]

I guess I see standing at a cash register as different as you are only doing one task. With a nanny you are doing multiple tasks all day. I would hate being watched and it has nothing to do with how well I do my job. You know some days you just need to pick your wedgy or don't want the risk of someone watching you stuff your face with lunch.

And I know daycares have web cams but I assume they are only focused on the play area so there is still some privacy.

But that brings up another good point. If your nanny is going to do something bad she can find a way to do it off camera. So what is the point?

It is just my opinion but I think a nanny cam is taking paranoia to an extreme. As a mom I wouldn't want to live like that. I like assuming my DCP is a good person and I don't have to monitor her.

[Deleted]

Not unless you're looking for an excuse to fire her.

My friend sent her phone to daycare with her DS when she suspected something wrong; the (audio) recording convinced her to pull him the next day.

Routinely recording I don't really go for. If you don't trust your childcare, there's a problem.

[bronxgirl]

The only good thing to come out of a nanny cam was Auberge's realotor video. Otherwise I am firmly against it and think it sets up a poor employee/ employer dynamic.

[auberge]

Oct 31, 2012 9:05:31 GMT -5 @tokenhoser said:

Not unless you're looking for an excuse to fire her.

My friend sent her phone to daycare with her DS when she suspected something wrong; the (audio) recording convinced her to pull him the next day.

Routinely recording I don't really go for. If you don't trust your childcare, there's a problem.

[/b]

My H response is trust but verify.

[auberge]

You guys know we have one. My H has a security background and felt strongly about it. It has only made me feel closer and more grateful for our babysitter. She is wonderful with our son and we have peace of mind.

[egishere]

Never had one for the two nannies we have had. It just doesn't feel right to me. Now if I suspected they were doing something to our kids or something else fishy was going on then I would totally get one.

[takeonyou]

As a former nanny, I would not work for someone who wanted to tape me. It really is because it would impact my level of care -- in a bad way.

I get down on the floor, act silly, sing, dance, act like an animal, do crazy walks/moves, and pick my wedgies. Kids don't judge me for that stuff. If I was being watched, I would still provide excellent care, but my passion would be stifled. I wouldn't be me and the reason I am so great with kids is because I am not afraid to be on their level and act like a complete fool. If you take that away from me, I am just a woman who is taking care of a baby. I will do a great job by anyone' standards, but I would likely not be connecting to my charge in the way I like to. I would be bored, feel judged, and probably leave for a place where I can be myself and not be watched.

[hannamaren]

Oct 31, 2012 10:38:40 GMT -5 auberge said:

You guys know we have one. My H has a security background and felt strongly about it. It has only made me feel closer and more grateful for our babysitter. She is wonderful with our son and we have peace of mind.

What do you use? A webcam? Or a different program?

If we do it, I would tell the nanny so she doesnt feel violated.

[fortmyersbride]

Nay. We've had several different nannies in the multiple moves we've made since DS was born. Never have I felt compelled to watch them via cam, and i feel like the first time I felt this urge would be the day I questions whether I trust my nanny. Plus I have a hard time imagining the conversation in which I would tell her "hey, we trust you a lot. But we're going to watch you on camera". To each their own, though.