We have all heard stories of childcare workers abusing young children they were hired to care for.  Perhaps you have given some thought to this and considered a "nanny cam" yourself.  Working parents worry about their children and particulary their babies, who cannot tell them they are mistreated by their au pair.  After all, your new au pair is a stranger, from a foreign country, young and perhaps inexperienced!

Do you have the right to install a nanny cam and record her during the day?  What are your rights, as parents?  What privacy rights does your au pair have not to be recorded without her knowledge and approval?

It is legal, in all fifty states, to use a hidden camera in your home.  However, it is illegal to record someone's conversation via the camera without their consent in the following fifteen states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennyslvania, and Washington.

If the prospect of video taping your au pair conflicts with your sense of ethics, be upfront and during the interview, ask her if she would mind being monitored while taking care of your infant.  You can tell your au pair that you would like to be able to see your baby while you are at work, and discuss the camera as a way to connect with your child(ren) during the day.  This explanation presents the nanny cam as a positive experience for the family, rather than a looming doubt on your part about her ability to care for your children.  In addition, most au pairs would bristle at the thought of being taped without their knowledge!   It is a matter of trust vs a feeling of deception. 

Caregiver surveillance is more common nowadays and is an integral part of any good daycare.  Some daycare centers now provide parents with the ability to check in and watch their child from their office - so it is not much of a stretch to consider installing a nanny cam in your own home.  The public in general is becoming more comfortable with camera surveillance and we know we might be on video shopping, going to the bank, entering apartment and office buildings, etc.  So, why not use nanny cams to protect children?

If you are considering installing such a device (and have the okay from your au pair), make sure you are not violating her rights by placing the camera in inappropriate areas of your home (her room, the bathrooms, etc.) where she does expect privacy.  Nanny cams are usually placed in rooms where the baby spends most of her day: kitchen, her bedroom, the family room. 

There are many types of nanny cams available on the market and most are small and wireless so they can be tucked away without being noticed.  Just place the camera in a discreet location within the recommended transmission signal range.  Plug the receiver into your computer and it will lock onto the camera's transmission signal. Video is then recorded onto the hard drive of your computer.  You can also set it up with software programs that enable you to watch the video live on the internet while you're at work. 

After a while, the au pair will not even think about the camera and just get on with her busy day taking care of baby and you get the peace of mind that you can monitor your child's safety as well as checking in to see what your little one is up to, right from the comforts of your office!  Take a look at some nanny cams you can buy:  Click Here!

Read comments from nannies and au pairs on the subject of nanny cams: http://bestnannynewsletter.blogspot.com/2009/01/au-pair-and-nanny-privacy-and.html

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Having a nanny cam is becoming a common way for people to feel better about the care of their children. Many parents are choosing to install a nanny cam in their home to be able to see what is going on when the nanny is taking care of the children. While some people feel that it is not a good idea, others feel it is important. Many parents feel that they need to know that their children are being well cared for, and if they are able to monitor the nanny, they will know that the care is what they want.

If you have a new nanny, or if you have concerns about your nanny and need to feel better about knowing what is going on with the care of your children, you can find nanny camas that are easy to use and will help you feel better about the care that your children are getting. You can find nanny cams online or in the stores, and when you are going to be choosing one, you want to find one that is small enough to place somewhere out of the viewing range. You can find ones that are small enough to fit almost anywhere in the room so that they are not detected.

You can also find nanny cams that have different features that allow them to scan different parts of the room to be sure that you are able to see your children if they move around in the room. You can also find the equipment that you need to install the camera easily into any room that you want, and be able to hook it up to your computer to see what is going on with it. Once you find the nanny camera that you want to use, you can easily install it anywhere in the room where it is not going to be detected by the children or the nanny. This could be behind something on the wall, or on a shelf.

Most of the nanny cams that are available are very small, so that no one will be able to see them and only the parents know where they are. If you have been concerned about the care of your children, and need to make sure that they are receiving the care that they need, you can find that a nanny can is a great way to monitor the care that they receive from the nanny, and help you to feel better knowing that your children are safe and being taken care of properly. You can find nanny cams online at affordable prices.

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