What is a Nanny Cam?
A Nanny Camera or Nanny cam is a wireless home camera usually of a small size that is placed in the home by parents to monitor the activities of the nanny or caregiver when interreacting with children. Traditionally Nanny Cam can be place in hidden places like a stuff toy, clock, picture frames and pretty much anywhere it will be unnoticed. The purpose of a nanny cam is to make sure there is no abused or neglect done to children by the child giver.
Today there is a huge range of Nanny Cam choices accessible within the market; however, the foremost range used are wireless camera that sends an indication to the transmitter, and the video data is recorded either within the pc drive or DVR and can be easily viewed on a smart phone.
Are Nanny Cam Legal in the US? Yes, a Nanny Cam is legal in all US States. Parents have the legal right to place a Nanny Cam in the home without the knowledge of the Nanny or caregiver even when it is hidden and are not require to have the Nanny consent, or the consent of anyone being recorded in their home.
Nanny Cam can be a very useful tool to use when unsure of what is going on in the home. Parents should always take the proper steps when employing and welcoming anyone in their home. Those steps are performing a Nanny background check thru an agency for any criminal records etc. and calling references from the nanny previous employers. However sadly even with all those steps put in place there are still a few cases of neglect done to children by caregivers. An example of such a case is Louise Woodward a 19-year-old babysitter who was sentenced in a Massachusetts court to 16 years of jail for “Shaking a toddler to death”
Can you record audio with a Nanny Cam? No, it is not Legal in the US to record audio a Nanny or anyone in your home without their knowledge and more importantly their consent. If using a Nanny Cam in the home with audio, it is your legal responsibility to disclose that information to the nanny and get their consent.
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What is the Best Nanny Cam?
Nanny Spy Camera: With the boom of social media and viral clips, we are seeing more and more cases of child abuse and neglect from care givers and day care providers. A Nanny spy camera is a great tool to ensure that your child is in a safe environment. Nanny spy Cameras come in the smallest of sizes and are placed in common areas, they can be disguised as clocks, smoke detectors, routers, and chargers. The camera will transmit the video footage onto a smart phone or DVR, making the placement of nanny cam in teddy Bears no longer required. I highly recommend the DIVINEEAGLE spy camera. It’s ranked #1 best Seller and retails for under $40 USD.
Nanny Cam without WIFI is also available on the market and are great for families who do not have access to internet. The HevenLeo camera is an example of a nanny cam without WIFI. The HevenLeo Mimi spy camera uses a SD card to record footage and is small enough to fit in a picture frame. Click here to check it out
Where Can you purchase a Nanny Cam? You’re able to purchase a Nanny Cam at retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart. Nanny Cam Best Buy are priced about the same as Amazon. The easiest place to buy a nanny camera is online. You’re able to see a wide range of cameras with reviews from customers who’ve previously purchase and there is most likely a great return policy. Online retailers include SpyGuy.com, spygeargadgets.com, customewifispycameras.com.
How to Tell if someone has a Nanny Cam?
How to find and detect a nanny cam? It is now so much harder to tell if someone has a nanny cam in their home since Nanny Cams are legal in Every US states. Parents can video record you without letting you know or asking your consent, however if you are being audio recorded your knowledge and consent is required.
If you have a gut instinct that you are being video recorded it is best to simply ask the parents if there are nanny cams. The downside is you may be given a lie and told no since legally they do not have to let you know. So how to tell if someone has a Nanny Cam?
In that case simply looking for clues is best but if you ARE being video recorded the parents will know that you are looking for it and that may arise concern.
Look for potential hiding places in the home especially in rooms where you spend the most time like the living room, playroom, kitchen and child’s bedroom. Take note of stuff aminals that are always left in the room in a particular spot or an object that appears out of nowhere like a router, a frame or clock. Please know that nanny cam also can be installed in everyday household gadget such as smoke detectors, wall plugging’s and you’ll be none the wiser as these are hard to tell.
When it comes to electronic gadgets with a nanny cam, look for a green or red light coming from a source that may be placed on a mantel, bookshelf or chair such as a radio, or picture frame. These are best found in a dim lit room.
Again, if you are being recorded, your searching around the home will be recorded…. please be aware.
What are the Cons of Nanny Cam?
The cons of a Nanny Cam are
- Using a nanny cam are often perceived as not trusting the nanny. A Nanny may feel like the parents do not trust her in their home and it can put a bit of strain on the parent/nanny relationship.
- The Nanny will stop being herself once she knows or sees that there is a nanny cam out of fear how she will be perceived. Nannies are able to relax and be themself when they know they are not on constant watch.
- Parents who check periodically during the day on the nanny cam and may catch their youngsters crying, can be misled into thinking something is wrong; or that the nanny is not doing her job when in actuality the nanny can be within the room taking care of the child’s need like prepping lunch and is just having a child who is having a difficult time in waiting. Checking constantly during the day can give you a distorted view of what is happening.
- Nanny Cam can be hack into. Predators can hack into your camera system and spy on your home leaving you with no privacy in your home . Such as the case of a Mississippi family .
“A Mississippi family said someone hacked a Ring security camera set up in their children’s bedroom and taunted their 8-year-old daughter.
The LeMay family said they installed the device to keep an eye on their daughters. A few days later, the family said a stranger had gained access to the device and was talking to the little girl.
In a video from the Ring device, the child, standing in her room, asks: “Who is that?”
A man responds that he’s her “best friend.”
“I’m Santa Claus. Don’t you want to be my best friend?” he says.
The terrified girl screams for her mother.
The hacker also played music for the girl and instructed her to mess up her room and break her television.” source nbcnews.com
- At times a nanny cam is often used for the incorrect reasons; the full purpose of putting in a nanny cam should be to look for neglect and not to invade private spaces like restrooms.
Many things ought to be thought of before putting in a nanny cam, and it’s necessary to create an understanding with the professional caregiver as to your reasoning for having a visible camera so that the nanny doesn’t feel you’re constantly spying on them.
What are the Pros of a Nanny Cam?
The Pros of a Nanny Cam far outweighs the Cons. A Nanny cam eases the concern and worries parents have when hiring a new nanny to care for their child. The peace of mind in knowing you’re able to check in on your child when away from them on a day to day is priceless.
- Peace of mind, in being able to see that your child is properly being looked after
- Being able to see your child playing and growing
- Parents are able to focus on work when away
- Parents are able to communicate to their children thru the 2-way audio
- Nanny Cam are small and discrete
- Nanny Cam are Affordable
- A Nanny Cam is able to let you know what is going on in the home when a child is not able to communicate, due to age or disability.
- Offers Mobile alerts
- In the case of abuse, there is video evidence to show authorities.
Conclusion
A Nanny Cam is a discreet and affordable wireless camera that gives parents the peace of mind in knowing that they can be there for their children in the day to day even when not in the home. there are many pros and cons to a nanny cam with the pros far outweighing the cons.
Although it may seem strange at first to install and use a nanny cam in the house, you will be amazed as to how many benefits it can offer your family.
In the unfortunate case of neglect and abuse, a Nanny cam will be a plus to have when reporting the abuse to the proper authorities as you will have physical proof thru video recording. The recordings may be used in the courts of law to seek and provide justice for your children.
Yes, it’s great to be able to see your children day to day and make sure no neglect or abuse in done in the home however it is also important to have open communication with your child giver and be open and honest with whether she is being video recorded especially audio recorded. Open and honest communication goes a long way in assuring a healthy relationship between parents and caregivers.
The horror stories of neglect and abuse by nannies and day care providers are far fewer than the beautiful stories of nannies forming long lasting healthy bounds with children and parents becoming in a sense a part of the family can that last even into adulthood.
Remember Nannies are individual who choose to help raise your children into contributing members of society. Caregivers perform best when they can be themselves in your homes and feel welcome in the home without the constant worry that they are being spied on or judged.