Should We Set Up a Camera To Watch Our Babysitter?
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Parents often worry about the way that a babysitter is behaving when they are not there. This is not without a good reason; abuse or neglect of a child by a babysitter is a troubling problem. A less significant but more common problem with babysitters is when they don’t follow the rules. Perhaps you susptect that your babysitter is having friends over while babysitting without your permission. Or, maybe you suspect that she is spending the entire time watching TV, rather than watching your children.
Hidden cameras, sometimes referred to as “spy cams,” are a tool that many parents use to monitor their homes. These cameras, which can sometimes be no larger than an ink pen, can be used to check on a babysitter. There are various types of these cameras, with a great variety of price ranges. Some of them are digital, some will record only video but not audio, and others act as more full-blown security systems. Some states are implementing laws that prohibit video surveillance without the notice or consent of the one being taped. To be safe, you might consider notifying your sitter that you have installed the camera or cameras, which may act as a deterrent to inappropriate behavior. The downside to these cameras is that you have to have one in every room to be certain you are catching all of the activity. However, as technology advances these devices have become more and more inexpensive, easier to use, and less trouble to set up.
As of 2006, thirteen states have laws that prohibit the use of hidden cameras in private places. These include Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Utah. In these states it is legal to tape someone if they know that they are being taped. So, if you wish to record your babysitter in one of these states, it is best to notify them that you will be recording them, and then to ask them to sign a paper that acknowledges the fact that you may be recording.
In addition, most privacy laws cover areas in which one expects privacy, such as dressing rooms, bathrooms, locker rooms, and bedrooms. If you are going to tape record your babysitter, you should probably not place a camera in the bathroom. The bedrooms might be fine, if there is no expectation that she would be actually using the bedroom except for the purposes of actually babysitting the children.
There are other ways to watch your babysitter without a hidden camera or spy cam. One obvious way to monitor your babysitter is to return to the home unannounced. This can be as simple as planning to leave half an hour before you actually need to leave, and then returning to the home to peek in on what’s going on. Or, you can tell the babysitter that you will arrive home much later than you actually expect to arrive home, hoping to catch her in the act. Obviously, this is not the most effective way to monitor your babysitter. The reason you have hired a babysitter is that you need to be away from home.
Another method is to have a friend or a neighbor pop in while you are away. Give the babysitter a list of “safe” people ahead of time, and then ask a trusted person to stop by to check on your babysitter.
Hidden cameras can be useful tools that help you insure the safety and well-being of your family. While they are not the only solution, and while their use may be regulated in your state, they are still an excellent way to keep an eye on your babysitter.
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