On Your Marks, Get Set, Speed Date for That Sitter

A good sitter is worth her weight in gold - or in my house, chocolate - but they have a lot in common with sexy straight men who aren’t flying the freak flag: they’re all taken.

No wonder some moms are taking the same steps they took to hook a sperm donor to find their new nanny. They’re going speed dating. Continue reading »

Nanny 911 - Would You Call the Police on Your Babysitter?

Last week on Babble, Shannon Rassmussen told us how to get and keep a quality babysitter. But what happens if the person you’ve already hired turns out not to be the person you thought they were?

Over at Motherlode, an anonymous mom tells her story: Her beloved nanny, described as a selfless young woman who is unusually skilled with children, is suspected of feeding the kids — one three, the other 16 months — Benadryl every day at nap time. The nanny has been fired, but the mom wonders if she’s got a responsibility to the nanny’s next family:

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Nanny Diaries Back With Sequel

Their first novel blew the lid open on the world of the Park Avenue parent and the nanny who actually raises their kids. Now the authors of the Nanny Diaries are back with take two - Nanny Returns.

Twelve years and one marriage later, this Nan dishes up a reminder that the people who raised those kids don’t forget them. Continue reading »

We Hired You, Now Babysit Our Kids

The advertisement was for a part-time legal assistant at a busy Austin, Texas law firm. So why do half the duties include taking care of the lawyer’s kid?

Daycare seems to be getting lumped into a lot of job descriptions lately. The biggest question: is it because of the economy that the jobs are being advertised or because of the economy that people are actually taking the gig? Continue reading »

Nanny Rents Out Kid to Beggars

A nanny in India has been discovered double-dipping: she was charging a family to care for their infant and charging beggars a fee to borrow the boy to use to earn sympathy.

Meanwhile the nanny sat at home watching the soaps and munching on the goods in the family fridge. Continue reading »

Would You Pay Extra for a “Certified Nanny Manager”?

A babysitter or a regular ol’ nanny just won’t do anymore–not if you have nearly $4,000 burning a hole in your pocket and you’re looking for a nanny from 19th Century provincial England.

The Absolute Best Care Learning Center has just opened in New York to serve “students serious about ‘nannying’ as a profession who want the top jobs that can pay more than $60K a year.” For nannies who are already employed, the school hopes that families will shell out $3,500 to send their childcare providers to the seven-day course.

Here’s my favorite bit of indispensable training nanny managers will receive, taken from the school’s press release: “When dad had a bad day at work, learn to make his ‘comfort food’ - his mom’s mashed potatoes- and call his mom to get the recipe.” If Mom had a bad day at work, confine her to bland food and bed rest, which has been curing ladies of hysteria for centuries.

“Nanny managers” will also learn to ask those tough questions about your family’s habits, such as, “Is texting allowed? Are pop-tarts an ok snack?” I worked as a nanny for years, and somehow never thought to ask the parents whether it was all right that I fed the kids four pop-tarts a day. If only I’d been certified, that family could have saved a bundle in dental costs!

Then again, you could keep the 3.5 k and just talk to your nanny about your family’s needs.

Photo: stltoday.com

Hot Trend Alert - The Tibetan Nanny

What’s the new trendy accessory for metropolitan moms? Not the $800 stroller, not the Gucci diaper bag, it’s the nanny…the Tibetan nanny that is. Continue reading »

“Just Squeaking By” With a Live-In Nanny

The entire article drips with sarcasm. You’ll soon learn Laura Steins is “squeaking by on $300,000 a year.” But first, you get a taste of the morning routine - including the live-in nanny.

As Detroit flatlines and those of us in the media quiver in our boots over impending newspaper closures and layoffs, the other half wants us to know they’re in pain. Only their pain looks nothing like ours. Continue reading »

The Babysitter is a Monkey - With Video

Babysitters come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They can be old or young. Male or female. Friends, family or a hired hand. But generally babysitters are of the human variety. But for one family in India the babysitter is …a monkey.

There was once a monkey in Dhenkanal (and no, that’s not a start to a naughty limerick) who helped a mother care for her infant baby. Each morning the monkey would Continue reading »

Taking a Nanny on Vacation: Smart or Tacky?

I have never taken a nanny on vacation. To my knowledge, my friends have never taken a nanny on vacation. But I have heard stories — rumors? urban myths? — about people who do this. Part of me has to admit it’s a pretty brilliant idea. But the other part thinks it’s one of the most pretentious, self-involved things a parent can do.

The genius of the nannycation is pretty obvious. Someone is there, 24/7, to deal with your kids when they’re fighting over where to go mini-golfing, insisting on splashing everyone within a 10-mile radius of the hotel swimming pool or begging for something to eat when you just want to bury yourself in “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” If you and your spouse or significant other want to have a nice dinner alone one night? Done. If you want someone else to con the little buggers into brushing their teeth and going to bed while you enjoy peace, quite and  a glass of wine? All set.

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