“Nanny cams” or home security cameras used to be luxury item for the wealthy. In the era when most of us have 4k cameras in our pockets, they’re much more widely affordable.
As high-definition security cameras become more ubiquitous, the stories they capture multiply. Reddit user kndthr endeavored to gather up some of those stories by taking to r/askreddit and posing the question:
Parents with Nanny Cams, what have you caught your babysitter doing?
byu/kndthr inAskReddit
Scrolling through the 8,000+ responses, there are plenty of the expected horror stories of theft and neglect, but there are also a surprising number of heartwarming anecdotes.
So many, in fact, that we decided to gather up some of our favorites to share with you here.
1. Sweetest old lady ever!
Once when we looked at the feed we saw the dog sitter there a solid 30 minutes early just petting the dogs and playing with them.
She’s since retired from working, but she was the sweetest old lady and we love her.
Another time my dad left a wad of cash on top of the washing machine (about $600) and she put a rubber band around it with a note saying he misplaced it.
2. Lots of the best ones don’t involve babies, but fur babies.
My parents caught the baby sitter carrying our 60lb golden retriever like he was a baby.
3. And a surprisingly high number are about bunny rabbits.
We have cameras outside of our house. One day my neighbor told me that he saw my bunnies roaming the streets a few times. I didn’t believe him, so I took a look.
One time at work I looked at the cameras and saw the gate slightly open, so I rewound the footage. I go to work super early so I watched as my wife fed them, then got ready for work.
The bunnies peeked around the side of the house and waited to see my wife’s car leave, then the pushed on the gate hard enough for the latch to set free, then they left one by one.
Later before I got back home from work, they would make their way back and close the f*cking gate. Smart little f*ckers.
4. There are tales of redemption, turned around from being misunderstood.
Once, I at the very last moment when no other babysitter was available, I hired one that as sort or notorious for not being good (not dangerous or anything like leaving the child unattended but like the type where she would not console the child if they were crying, punish them for doing small things).
While away I was very suspicious so I continuously was glancing at the baby cam.
The babysitter was playing with him, singing songs and completely engaging him well beyond the way you would expect somebody who was considered a bad babysitter to act.
Essentially, what happened was the babysitter got hired by a crazy parent who didn’t like her at all so they spread a bunch of mumbo jumbo through the neighborhood. When I came home I gave her a very large tip and she was the one I always hired whenever I needed a babysitter.
5. More bunny rabbits!
We have a security camera in my bedroom for my free roam bunny so we can keep an eye on her whilst on work, if we go on holiday.
Well my dad, is 50 and is a big bloke who acts like he doesn’t like pets came over to visit one day whilst I was out.
He went in my room and crouched down calling the bunny, he spent an hour trying to pet the rabbit and kept repeating in a soft voice “I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to pet you and see how fluffy you are”
He just about sh^t himself when I spoke through the security camera to tell him she’s very fluffy.
6. Simply checking in with someone trusted to see that everything’s going ok.
We have a nanny cam and we caught our nanny… dancing with our baby, making him laugh and giving him kisses.
She’s the best and the cameras gave us the peace of mind to know she really treats him like her own.
7. An ethical tightrope.
My aunt has a nanny cam and found my older cousin’s babysitter playing blackjack with him……she lost $50 lol
8. It’s really a blessing to find someone to care for your kid who will truly go the extra mile.
I have caught her making pillow forts that are heavily resistant to the monsters that may or may not come out during heavy thunderstorms with my kiddo
… twenty minutes after bedtime!
9. Let’s just quit our jobs and become pet sitters full-time.
She picked up our pug Doogie and was dancing around the living room with him while that “Hey, I just met you” song was playing.
10. It’s nice to use technology for connection, like it was intended.
My friend is a nanny and sometimes she takes the small human she watches and has her dance for the parents randomly in front of the camera or wave since it is a google hub and has photos of the parents.
Small gifts for the parents to find if they review the video from that day.
Technology can feel a little invasive these days. It’s a welcome relief to hear about a few times when that presence bolstered some spirits.
Do you use home security cameras? Have you ever caught something strange?
Tell us about it in the comments.