Parents should do background checks, just like a company does–if it’s not someone you know personally. I think we’d like to think it’s not a business, but it is.

I’m the mother of a 6 mo old, and right now am too wary to let anyone outside of our closest few friends and immediate family watch the baby. However, as the baby gets older I’m sure we will branch out and look for a sitter (don’t want to totally wear family out!). I do think it’s our responsibility as parents to choose wisely and be willing to pay for quality. Even though I babysat from the age of 12 on, I don’t think I would hire the middle school or high school “me” (even though I did the best job I knew how to) to watch my child. If I’m entrusting my child’s life to someone else, they at least need to be able to make adult decisions and have a ton of experience….Childcare is not really where I’m looking to cheap out or save a buck…

But I did nanny for a family who had a child with autism, and working for them was much different than all the other families. The autistic kid always did his own thing, and his little brother was also very introverted. I had to be there at 6 am so mom and dad could get to work, and my other job usually kept me awake until midnight (the parents knew about the other job). I fully admit this is my fault and likely negligent, but I would take naps while nannying. The kids knew to wake me when they wanted anything, and all they did was watch cartoons and play videogames while I was asleep. I slept really lightly, and there was never, ever a problem. But even now I shudder at the thought that something bad could have happened. I worked for them during the summer for 7 some years and after school while I was in high school. I made lots of money, and I genuinely liked the kids. Around 9 am, I was always up and interacting with them — took them to the zoo, the park, McD’s (ugh, but they loved it), etc. We had a great time, and the little cat naps enabled me to be able to care for them better until mom came home at 3. Then, I’d race home (she was frequently late), change clothes, and leave for my other job around 4.30. I still can’t believe the schedule I kept then. And this is where my torn feelings come in — I shouldn’t have taken those naps, and something bad could have happened. Maybe their mom should have known about it. But I also say that parents don’t always pay 100% attention to their kids, and I was well-tuned to their behavior after so many years with the little guys. So, I’m not sure what should have happened there. Certainly, I could have been better . . . but the boys loved me, the mom loved me, and I had many quality years caring for them with no one really caring about those little naps that helped me be a much better worker for the rest of the day.

First of all, I should state the following: I did my fair share of baby sitting when I was growing up, and I always took fantastic care of the kids I was watching. Retrospectively though, I wish someone would have thought twice about having a 15 year old girl in charge of 3 kids under 3 years old, but that’s not a problem that a nanny-cam can solve. It’s been proven that the part of the brain that helps people function in high-intensity situations doesn’t fully form until puberty is over, which can be your early 20s. Whereas your (proverbial ‘you’) 16 year old babysitter might be great in a day-to-day scenario, in a panic situation, the reactions of a person in their early (and even late) teens should not be trusted, especially not with something as precious as your child’s life.

Secondly @Kari: A considerable lot of employers DO have a) spyware on your computer, b) the legal right to read all of your emails, monitor your internet activity, etc. and c) video cameras watching your every move. I worked for years in a setting where the store “security” cameras were randomly monitored to make sure the employes were acting right when the bosses were away. Having a nanny-cam, in my opinion, is no different from that.

I do, however, think that if you’re going to install a nanny-cam, there’s no reason to keep it a secret. As an employee when I knew I was being watched all the time, I acted accordingly. If installing a nanny-cam is one of the ways you can feel re-assured that your babysitter is playing by the rules all the time, then so be it. I agree that people should act the same on-camera or off, but it’s less personally insulting if you know you’re being filmed from the get-go.

A perspective that hasn’t been discussed here yet:

To me, one of the real reasons that one would use a nanny-cam is not to protect themselves but to protect the next family. I agree that if you suspect a problem with your babysitter, your course of action should be termination of employment not installation of surveillance. However, if you’re the person that uses a nanny-cam from the beginning and THEN find out that OMFG, big problem, at least you have hard and fast, court-approved evidence. That nanny-cam could be the one thing that stops The Bad Babysitter from doing the same harm at his/her next job.

Stopping the problem isn’t enough. So you’re suspicious that your babysitter is causing personal (or physical or sexual) harm to your children. You fire her. She’s going to get another job doing the same thing to those children unless you take a stand and stop her.