Should Your Babysitter Know About Your Nanny Cameras?
Parents want nothing more in the world than to keep their children safe. Sometimes the thought of placing them into a bubble even sounds appealing, but then reality sets in and…pop!
Not only do we need to let our children try new things, sometimes scary things, like climbing at the playground, but we also find ourselves needing to trust our children in somebody else’s care. Everybody wants to think that the nanny floats around on an umbrella singing sweetly to our children, but statistics show us that is not always the case.
Heartbreaking statistics reveal that nearly 5 children lose their lives to abuse daily, and 22% of those deaths are a result of somebody other than a parent.
For this reason, we set up nanny cameras around our home.
Top Highly Rated Hidden Cameras:
What is a Nanny Cam?
A nanny cam is a surveillance camera, that parents place in one or more rooms of their home to keep an eye on the caregiver with their little one. There are many different types which allow them to peek in from wherever they may be to ensure everybody is happy and safe.
For this reason, some parents choose to hide the cameras, to ensure the babysitter shows their true colors while they are away. Other parents tell the nanny about the babysitter camera straight away, as they feel hiding it violates trust and mutual respect.
Should I Tell the Nanny About Our Nanny Cams?
This question raises major ethical debates. How do you decide unbiasedly if your nanny’s rights are lesser than or equal to yours and your child’s?
Every parent needs to decide this on their own while abiding by the law.
Is it Legal to Hide a Nanny Cam?
All 50 states clearly allow the use of home surveillance.
However, Federal law prohibits a person from intercepting any wire, oral, or electronic communication without permission.
Other sources say that hiding the camera is legal as long as it does not record sound and is in a general area, like the living room or nursery, and not in a private space, like the bathroom.
Interpret that how you see fit because secret video surveillance looks like a gray area.
Pros and Cons of Hiding Your Nanny Camera
When it’s concerning your child’s safety, gray may not be good enough to fully deter you. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of hiding the devices in your home.
Pros
Hidden cameras:
- Prevent staging
- Offer you peace of mind that your child and home genuinely safe with that person
- Offer solid proof in case of theft, neglect, or abuse
Cons
Spying also:
- Infringes on your caregiver’s privacy
- Can cost their trust and services if they discover the truth
- Leaves you in a legal gray area
- Could leave you with a sense of guilt
- Could potentially put your child into a hazardous situation that may have been avoided if the sitter knew about the nanny cameras
Remember, you cannot undo what’s done. Meaning, you cannot unhurt a trustworthy sitter’s feelings and you certainly cannot un-shake a baby. Everybody will carry an opinion about what’s right, but you decide how to best protect your little one with the information at hand.
Buy Your Nanny Cameras today!
Deciding whether or not to hide the camera may create mixed emotions, but there is no question that you should protect your child and your home with a nanny cam. Visit us for more nanny cam advice and to buy some for your home!