When it comes to having strangers in your home, you shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting some surveillance. Many businesses and offices have cameras in their buildings, and while you’re away, your home is somebody’s work place too. The only thing you need to decide is what kind of camera you need and where it should be placed.
What is the purpose of your nanny cam?
Encouraging good work habits. It’s not necessary to keep the fact that you have cameras a secret. Many people leave cameras out in plain sight and respectfully tell their employee that they’re there. When your nanny or cleaning person knows that a camera is running, they tend to behave professionally and do exactly what is expected of them.
This is a good arrangement for situations where you don’t necessarily suspect your employee of any wrong doing, but want to avoid them watching your television all day instead of interacting with your kids or getting their job done.
You can tell your nanny that you have these cameras when you hire them, or if that would be too uncomfortable, you can simply leave them visible and let the nanny assume they are for home security. Either way, the employee will know that they are on camera for one purpose or another and will behave accordingly.
Catching theft. Hidden cameras are very useful in catching an employee that you suspect is stealing or going through your personal belongings. Of course, if you don’t trust the person working for you, you should let them go. But if you want to follow through with prosecution, you will need evidence, and cameras are the best route. Cameras are available in many creatively hidden forms such as clocks, stuffed animals, lamps, and even air purifiers.
Peace of mind. If you don’t want your employees to know that they’re under surveillance, and you don’t suspect them of wrong doing, you can have hidden cameras in your home simply for peace of mind. This is a good situation to use wifi cameras that stream video directly to your work computer allowing you to check in whenever you feel like it. There’s no use of pouring through hours of recorded video unless you actually suspect something illegal is going on.
Where should you put the camera?
Depending on your concerns and how many cameras you are purchasing, these are the best places to set them up:
#1 The living room. Or any room that has a television in it. One of the most common caregiver pitfalls is that they spend too much time watching television instead of interacting with the child. The living room is also a common area for children and caregivers to play so you will witness a lot of their interaction here.
#2 The kitchen. This is another high traffic area of the home and you will probably witness a lot of the interaction between caregiver and child in this room. This is also where meals are prepared, so if nutrition, meal preparation, and too many snacks are among your concerns, the kitchen is a good surveillance area.
#3 The bedrooms or nursery. If you are concerned about your child’s sleep schedule or the manner in which they are put to sleep, such as not wanting your child to cry themselves to sleep, then the nursery is an ideal place to put a camera. You may also want to put cameras in adult bedrooms if theft is a concern.
#4 Playroom. If there is a playroom or certain area of the house designated for play, then you should set up a camera in that area. It will give you a glimpse of the caregiver interaction with the child and also an idea of how much time a day the child spends alone.
#5 The home entrances. Not only are door cameras a great home security feature, but they can also let you know if your nanny is sneaking outside to have cigarettes or letting anyone else into your home when you’re not there.
Having surveillance means that you take the well-being of your children, pets, and home seriously and ensures that you will only employ people who feel the exact same way.