What Parents Need to Know About Nanny Cameras

We've all heard the horror stories on the news, parents speaking to reporters about how they caught their nanny abusing their child on videotape. No one wants their child to become a statistic, and unfortunately this sort of abuse is all too common. The following statistics from the US Department of Health and Human Services 2006 annual report on child abuse state that, 50,076 children were abused by someone other than their parents, foster parents, legal guardians and relatives. If you add the fact the fact that 31, 705 are unknown or missing as to the relationship to the child in question, the facts are both staggering and scary.

There are different types of nanny cameras, both wireless and wired, though in most cases people choose wireless for nanny cameras. As a parent you will have to decide which type of camera is best for you. One of the most popular types is a wireless camera that can be put in a teddy bear. This way no matter where your child is, the camera will be rolling. The other type is stationary, and can be wired or wireless. Whichever type of camera you choose, you will be able to monitor your child from any computer, and in some cases even your mobile phone to be sure your child is safe and being treated well by your nanny.

There are several advantages to using a nanny camera in your home.

• They give you as a parent peace of mind. Nanny cameras are rolling in real time so whenever you check on your child, what you are seeing on the computer or on your mobile phone is exactly what is happening in that moment.
• They protect your nanny. Believe it or not, a nanny camera can even protect your nanny. If for example, you suspect your child is being abused by someone and your child cannot tell you who for some reason, such as being a baby for example, your nanny camera can help to eliminate your nanny as a suspect.
• Nanny cameras can be used to spy on others you are suspicious of doing what they shouldn't in your home. Maybe you suspect one of the maids from your cleaning service is stealing, or you're going to be on vacation for a week and want to check in and make sure no one is breaking into your home while you are gone. These can both be ideal reasons for having a nanny camera in addition to protecting your child.
• There are nanny cameras that cost as little as $100, making them an easy, and somewhat inexpensive solution to giving you as a parent peace of mind.

• Just as with most things though where there are some very nice advantages, there are also some disadvantages.

  • Your nanny could quit. If you choose not to tell your nanny that you are monitoring her and she finds the camera, she may feel as though you have invaded her privacy as well as not trusting her and decide to quit.
  • While it is legal in all fifty states to use a nanny camera, most states have laws that say you cannot tape someone's voice without their knowledge. This means you must purchase a nanny camera that only records visual images and not sound, otherwise you could find yourself in court. Another disadvantage to this is if your nanny is a verbal abuser, what you see on the camera may not be enough to prove this.
  • To monitor every room your nanny and child reside in at different times of the day can be expensive. If you cannot afford to equip nearly every room in your home (putting cameras in bathrooms is illegal), then you may have trouble catching your nanny in the act of abusing your child if she does so in a room that is not camera equipped.
  • Wireless cameras can be monitored by anyone with the technical know-how. Imagine a situation where someone who is technologically savvy goes around high end neighborhoods with a laptop and taps into the wireless feed to view which houses are empty and which aren't so they can rob them. This is one of the major disadvantages of using wireless nanny cameras. While they are a great tool for you to monitor your nanny and child, unfortunately anyone with a laptop who knows how, can watch what is going on in your home as well.

  • One company Counter Spy Shops has reported a 25% increase in sales of nanny cameras in the last five years alone. This is a huge jump and just proves that many parents are taking no chances that their child is going to be the next victim. The fact that there are regular stories in the news about nannies being caught on tape abusing their charges is testament to the fact that nanny cameras work. However, only time will tell if they are enough by themselves to significantly reduce the cases of child abuse that occur each year.