Nanny Cam (hidden?) archived

BUMP!

FYI, this is not a bad situation or anything. Just looking for a little extra assurance.

Thanks!

The replies are there.

You just can't see them.

You can probably hide it easy with the correct vase or other decor. If for a child's room you can probably get a toy, such as a hand pupet to disguise it. Personally I find that people are on their best behavior when they know there are cameras around. I would rather prevent something from happening than to catch someone doing something.

I've outfitted a few homes/businesses with surveillance systems and some with all hidden cams. They're a little more expensive for real time access.

You can do something like this clock (the square one is a little better than the rounded version, at least for the types of decor I run into)
http://www.spy-tronix.com/hidden%2Dmantle%2Dclock%2Dspying%2Dcameras.html

Books
http://www.spy-tronix.com/hidden%2Dbook%2Dspying%2Dvideo%2Dcamera.html

There are smoke detectors and plants an all sorts of things, also, you can buy just the camera no retrofit it into something your already have. I've done that once for someone who didn't want anything "new" to show up in the house and raise an eye.

I have some mixed feelings as I read these postings -- my first reaction is that it's extremely creepy to monitor someone via camera without his/her knowledge. My second thought is that the second he/she finds out he/she was being monitored, you are most likely going to be looking for a new nanny, and I wouldn't expect to be given two weeks notice...

FYI: It's legal to video record w/ a nanny cam but illegal to record audio (without consent0. Regardless of whether or not it's in your home.

Jameslaw

Does this mean you've had the baby?? Congrats!

pem said:

I have some mixed feelings as I read these postings -- my first reaction is that it's extremely creepy to monitor someone via camera without his/her knowledge. My second thought is that the second he/she finds out he/she was being monitored, you are most likely going to be looking for a new nanny, and I wouldn't expect to be given two weeks notice...

Agreed :/

After research and this thread, I'm just going to get a regular cam. It'll visible in the room. I don't think it'll be an issue at all. Thanks all.

I have mixed feelings, too, and I've decided this is how I feel: If a nanny/babysitter has a reasonable expectation of being monitored by a hidden camera, then it's not necessary to notify her/him that they may be monitored. If the common expectation, however, is NOT to be monitored without notification, then I think there is a duty to notify. Does anyone know what these professionals expect?

Does anyone know the rules for audio surveillance?

Having spent a couple of years as a stay at home Dad on the weekday playgrounds in our area I would hazard to say that if every parent knew what their Nanny was doing at any given moment, the pool of working nannies in our community would be MUCH smaller. Some of the things I have seen would chill your soul (even if the kid in question was not your own).

Get the camera but be prepared to have a high rate of turnover.

Does this mean that all those nannies who do those unmentionable things should not be nannies?

Tom_Reingold said:

Does this mean that all those nannies who do those unmentionable things should not be nannies?

I'm saying I wouldn't let them care for my children.

As a native Californian, I have to say that I find our area's reliance on nannies peculiar. In most of the places I have lived, the vast majority of middle class working parents use licensed day care centers. Here that seems to be a minority option with most people entrusting their children to individuals with vaguely defined qualifications.

To each their own, but this is one of the many reasons I am so thankful that my wife and I have a situation that allows one of us to be our children's full time care giver.

(ETA: That is not to say that there are not a few AWESOME nannies out there. There are and it has been my pleasure to interact with them upon occasion)

When you are paying so much for real estate, it makes some sense to put that to use. I think this is part of it.

.

Klinker said:

As a native Californian, I have to say that I find our area's reliance on nannies peculiar. In most of the places I have lived, the vast majority of middle class working parents use licensed day care centers. Here that seems to be a minority option with most people entrusting their children to individuals with vaguely defined qualifications.

To each their own, but this is one of the many reasons I am so thankful that my wife and I have a situation that allows one of us to be our children's full time care giver.

(ETA: That is not to say that there are not a few AWESOME nannies out there. There are and it has been my pleasure to interact with them upon occasion)

Licensed Day Cares like to close quite often for things like professional development, graduations and vacations. There hours often don't work too well with the written NJT schedule let alone reality. On top of that, you get the usual pink eye cycle going at least once per year requiring backup care. Put all three together and nannies become a much more attractive option.

Do you have a home security system? Ours has a camera option for an additional monthly cost. When I was posting for a nanny, I used to say something like "must be okay with working in a home that has video-surveillance security system." Those that responded said they were fine with that, though we never actually installed the camera. Sometimes I wish we had...

jameskpolk said:

FYI: It's legal to video record w/ a nanny cam but illegal to record audio (without consent0. Regardless of whether or not it's in your home.

Knightwatchman said:

Does anyone know the rules for audio surveillance?

I had a huge back-and-forth about this with someone, maybe Jamie or Dave, on another thread. I believe it's illegal to record audio unless at least one consenting party is participating in the conversation. Dave/Jamie was confident I was wrong.

It is legal to record audio if there's prior notice that the person may be recorded - - that's the basis for recording inmate calls in prison (if the call is attorney-client, the prisoner has to make particular arrangements to speak on a non-monitored line). But I digress.

Klinker said:

Having spent a couple of years as a stay at home Dad on the weekday playgrounds in our area I would hazard to say that if every parent knew what their Nanny was doing at any given moment, the pool of working nannies in our community would be MUCH smaller. Some of the things I have seen would chill your soul (even if the kid in question was not your own).

Get the camera but be prepared to have a high rate of turnover.

The same could be said of many parents.
I have seen questionable things among both parents and caregivers.
I am sure there were times when people questioned my skills.
I gave up an extremely lucrative career to be a 'stay at home parent'.
I was always amazed at the somewhat low rate for nannies . Not that I could afford it, but still think paying someone $20-$30 per hour ensure my children were cared for would be cheap!)

That being said,
If I had gone back to work, I would have installed the nanny cams and let the caretaker know.
But then installed a few that they didn't know about.
We are talking about our most prized...

I've wanted to get a nanny cam that I can access from my iPhone so I can see the baby when I'm away and miss him. If I do get one, I do plan to let the sitter know so there's nothing creepy about it.
On anther note, I'm 100% with @Klinker. I debated posting yesterday, but your observation is prompting me to now. I took the bubs out for a walk to the park and couldn't believe the number of nannies on their cellphones ignoring the babies they are taking care of. I understand taking a call every now and then. Hell, it could be the parent calling. But I was there for over an hour watching the same nannies chat on the phone. One left her charge hanging listlessly in the baby swing while she laughed and yacked away. Was so pissed I wanted to take a picture to post "Is this your nanny?!" but thought better of it. I don't know what the online rules are for things like that. Out of the four there, one was amazing. She was very engaged with the baby she was caring for. Maybe I'm naive, but that outing left me quite surprised..and not in a good way. :-(

maybeso said:

I've wanted to get a nanny cam that I can access from my iPhone so I can see the baby when I'm away and miss him. If I do get one, I do plan to let the sitter know so there's nothing creepy about it.

There are some really great and cheap options such as the WIFI mentioned by the OP which we have at home and which are easy to monitor on your phone (iphone as well as Android). They are not to be hidden, which I personally like. We have one in our living room, which we currently use to check on our dog during work hours, one in the baby's room, which we use to check on the baby, when we don't have the monitor on us, and one in the basement where his playroom is located. Our sitter knows about them, as we told her on day one that we like to check in on him and to not be surprise if she hears them moving, as we can do so from our phones. She has not had an issue with it thus far. We don't watch every minute. We just check periodically. We first put them in when I went back to work and I wanted to be able to see our son from work as it made me feel better.
A new alternative to these WIFI cameras is a new system called Vera which allows you do much more. A camera is included with the basic system so it is something to consider if you are planing on adding cameras and other features of this nature to your home. We have not done so yet, but we will do it at some point this year.
http://getvera.com/

@justmelaura, I agree when it's one child. We did the math and realized we would need, on average, 45- 50 hours a week. Full-time daycare when my son was an infant was $365 a week, which breaks down to a maximum of $8 an hour, before taxes.

That said, we also were in a position where our hours are regular enough a nanny wasn't necessary. A daycare open until 6:30 or 7:00 has worked just fine for us.

@pmartinezv thank you for the info. Checking out now!

Yugster often has wifi cameras listed cheaply. They're not high def, but for a parent that just wants to peak at their kids once I a whole, they can be an inexpensive alternative.

This is an image taken of the view of the camera listed by the OP on my iphone:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0046710G6/ref=asc_df_B0046710G61855498?smid=A2LM6ZPY06LT1N&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395129&creativeASIN=B0046710G6
Not bad for the price paid if you ask me. They also allow you to listen and talk although the sound is not great on its own. They allow you to view at night (room is really dark at the moment).

I always figured if you didn't trust your nanny enough that you have to video her without her knowledge, you need to find a new nanny.

@pmartinezv Can you record that?