Tuesday

Horace Mann Park in Washington, D.C.

Received Tuesday, July 31, 2007
To the mom of Paul, Anna, and Sarah, I have seen your children twice in the past week at Horace Mann with different sitters/nannies, screaming, crying, little ones with no pants on and soiled diapers hanging off of them, barefoot, and saying they are hungry. The nanny last week said it was her first day, so she said the mom ran out before she could even tell her the children's' names or ages! Also, last week, that nanny still hadn't fed them lunch and was wondering what to do about the children being hungry at 1pm (they were toddlers). I had to explain to her that most toddlers eat lunch earlier than that and maybe she should take them home to eat lunch, as they were literally begging me for my snacks which I had with me. Today, a different nanny, who was at least trying to play with them, didn't speak any English at all. The two little girls were so upset and tired, rubbing their eyes (that was at 6pm) and the little girls first called me mommy then started calling out to the nanny calling her mommy. It broke my heart. I'm not sure who is to blame here but I would want to know if my children were so upset and in such a bad state.

World Golf Village in St Augustine, Florida

Received Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Physical description of caregiver: Young woman/girl about 18 years old, give or take a year or two. She was tall, blonde, bad acne on her cheeks. She wore a turquoise thank top with a matching turquoise hairband (hair was tied back). Bikini bottoms that were black with colorful trim and a big hibiscus flower on the back (I assume they were Billabong or Roxy brand).
Physical description of involved child/children: A boy maybe about 7 years old, wearing grey baggy style swim shorts. Girl, maybe 5, wearing a pink one-piece suit with a Cinderella print on it. Both children had a dark complexion, very tan and dark brown hair and eyes. The boy had longer shaggy wavy hair (past his ears) and the girls hair was long and straight.
Address or venue of observed incident: World Golf Village in St Augustine, FL. This was in the Heritage Landing Community Pool area.
Date and time of incident: Tuesday July 31st around 10 am.
Detailed description of what you witnessed: I arrived in the pool area with my charge around 930 am and that's when I first noticed the three of them. The Nanny/Sitter had her cellphone in hand, texting away, occasionally looking up at the children who were playing in the sprinkler area. When I put my charge down in the sprinkler area and we started playing they walked over to the pools, the caregiver followed them slowly, still texting on her cell phone. I noticed the kids get into one of the pools (about 4.6 f deep, they appeared to be good swimmers) and the Nanny sat on the side, still with her cellphone in hand.
After about half an hour they came back over to the area I was in and the kids played in the sprinklers with a Dora doll. The sitter was still texting on the phone, and while not completely neglecting her charges, she gave them "yes" or "no" answers while never even really looking up from her phone. She seemed bored with her job, never a smile on her face.
When I got my charge ready to leave I noticed them again, sitting down next to where my stroller was parked. The kids were eating some snacks, drinking "vitamin water" and the sitter was sitting next to them texting.
I didn't think it was appropriate of her to be using her cell phone that excessively. We were there for about 2 hours and every time I looked up and saw her she was starring at her phone. No matter how good of swimmers these kids are, she should have kept a closer eye on them. She noticed me glancing at her several times but didn't seem bothered to put the cell down for a minute.
Description of vehicle, bag, stroller that may aid in identifying involved caregiver: No stroller or vehicle. On the table I noticed what looked like a canvas bag with food and drinks in them and 2 pairs of crocks underneath the table (blue and pink) and what looked to be the sitters tan leather flip flops.
I'm not sure if someone in my area actually reads this blog, but I'm giving it a shot anyway. In order to get into the pool area you have to have a card that scans at the door to unlock them so i assume the children's parents live in Heritage Landing.

Cuernavaca Park in Burlingame, CA

Received Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Hmmmmm.. This incident transpired Monday,(7/30) mid -afternoon at Cuernavaca Park, in the city of Burlingame, CA. The nanny was a mickle to behold. Long, lush locks of dark hue, the delicately lined lips of a cherub and the sweet skin of a honey dew. She wore a red, clingy top that stretched across her body and revealed a slip of her stomache. Her jeans were low rise, presumed stretch denim and worn close to the bone. Her shoes were nondescript and so I cannot say. Her eyebrows seems drawn on at an improbable arch. Although she looked rather lovely in the mid day sun, she was when managing your child, somewhat of a scourge. I witnessed two time outs given for no reason whatsoever, except the nanny was incapable of aquiring cell phone reception and frustrated for that. The little boy wanted to climb the bars and needed undersupport. To him she said, "if you cant do it yourself, you cant do it". Her accent was subtle. A latina, but as fair as the driven snow. The little boy looked sad and lost. He asked her to watch this or watch that, she rolled her eyes and turned abruptly toward the sea. He asked to go home. Claimed he was hungry and his little legs were tired. She said, "in a minute, in a minute". When he fell and scraped his knee ten minutes later, he cried. She said, "now what" with a bored expression and yanked him up by his arm. He was only a boy of 2 or 3. Wearing a bright blue shirt, with a yellow truck on it, cargo style shorts and little, tevo- style sandals. Should I have been a painter looking to paint a beautiful portrait, I might have chosen she. But I was a parent out with my child, not nanny spotting and yet I found her.

Sunday

Madison Ave & 26th Street in NYC

Received Monday, July 30, 2007
Nanny had dark dreads in a pony tail, under a black cap that had two huge buttons on it. One "forget sexy, I'm bringing black pride back" written in red & green on a black button. The hat had no logo or design on it, just plain black. The nanny was wearing black pants/slacks, a white l/s shirt and sandals with navy socks. The sandals were a natural looking sandal in a brown leather. I noticed this because it was a strange combination, esp. given the weather.
The child was a girl of perhaps 4? She had reddish/brown curly hair and brown eyes and was dressed in a lily Pulitzer looking dress, color mint green. She had on white tennis shoes.
They were walking past Madison Park on Madison and passed 26Th Street at about 9AM this morning, (7/30).
The nanny was on her phone in an argument that involved several of the very worst expletives one could use. It was a full on assault at whoever was on the other end of the phone. The little girl was tugging on her arm (the nanny was not holding her hand) and the nanny said, "I said, no. I changed my mind. I am in no mood for the Park".
If this is your nanny, you should be able to identify this nasty woman who brought her private drama to work and took it out on your child.

Vacation/ Travel Pay

Photo by lk 072007
Received Sunday, July 29, 2007
I have never taken my nanny with me on vacation previously, but would like to invite her along at the end of August. She would be working eight days in a row and the days would be pretty long. Is there a standard daily travel fee? What am I looking at in the form of cost? -ES

Saturday

Outside Camp Tocaloma in Santa Monica, CA.

Received Saturday, July 28, 2007
I saw your nanny at about 3:15 on Fri 7/27 making a left turn out of Camp Tocaloma. She's a short Hispanic woman in a ponytail driving a White Toyota corolla whose license plate begins with 5GQA. This is the second time this summer that I've seen her driving dangerously. Today she pulled out of the summer camp (ignoring the stop sign) onto a very busy Mulholland Drive while a line of us (who have no stop sign) were turning left. She pulled out in front of us to make her left turn first. I almost slammed into the side of the car. Now I know accidents happen but this woman didn't so much as turn her head.My kids go to Tocaloma too and at $90 a day I'd like to suggest that you invest the money into a much sturdier car for your children to be toted around town in. Certainly none of us are hurting.

Friday

Rainbow Park in Davis, California

Received Friday, July 27, 2007
Late yesterday afternoon, (7/26) I was at Rainbow Park located behind the Davis Art center in Davis, CA when I observed a sight I thought worthy to report. A child of about four to five years was being screamed at by her nanny. The nanny was very large and looked to be Caucasian. She was wearing long denim shorts and had stick straight, dark brown hair in a pony down her back. The babysitter was yelling at the child, "When I call you, you come, you come. Got that" and the child was crying but trying to answer. The child's response came in gulpy breaths, "yes". The babysitter made the child repeat what she had just said but the child could barely talk. The playground is not at all very large, so I cannot imagine what happened before. The child just stood still, almost afraid to leave and the sitter barked at her, "Now. We are going now". As I stated, I don't know what happened before, perhaps the child was out of control. But here is what troubled me. As the twosome were leaving, the sitter said, "no wonder your parents are in Vegas". With that, the child started sobbing hysterically. No matter what the child had done, that was mean and not at all an appropriate comment to make. The little girl had light brown hair with bangs and a tiny braid on one side wrapped in some colorful string.

Muirfield Village Walking Path in Dublin, Ohio

Received Friday, July 27, 2007
Great Nanny Sighting in Dublin, OhPhysical description of caregiver: Female about 25 to 30 years old. On the heavy side, brown hair pulled back, wearing a shirt that said UVM, jeans and sun glasses.
Physical description of involved child/children: 3 children. One in a stroller that I could not see. A little girl around 3 to 5 with blond hair wearing a sparkly shirt with long sleeves and jeans. A little boy around 6 to 8 wearing shorts and a OSU t-shirt.
Address or venue of observed incident: Dublin, Ohio. Near a pond on the Muirfield Village bike/walking path.
Date and time of incident: Wednesday, (7/25) at around 1PM
Detailed description of what you witnessed: We were walking by (my husband and I) and we saw the nanny sitting on the ground in front of the stroller. We were so happy to see her interacting with all the children and being so happy even though she was obviously hot (she was sweating and a bit red, it was very humid outside). The nanny was telling a story about a turtle to the little boy and at the same time was playing with the infant and making goofy faces into the stroller. The little girl was a little ways off picking flowers (weeds) but the nanny kept a constant eye on her. When the little girl stepped closer to the bank (I would say about 10 ft from the bank) the nanny told her to come back and got up to make sure she did not go further. The little girl came back and sat next to the little boy to listen to the nanny tell the story. The nanny was very animated (she was acting out parts of the story and using a different voice for each character) and had the children looking into the water trying to see the turtle she was talking about. I heard the infant laughing loudly several times as the nanny peered into the stroller and said or did something humorous.
Description of vehicle, bag, stroller that may aid in identifying involved caregiver: Large stroller which looked well used, I think it was green. No bag.

Thursday

Adventure Playground in Central Park, NYC

Received Thursday, July 26, 2007
This occurred at Adventure Playground, in Central Park, W. 68Th St at 11:30am on Wednesday, 7/25. I met a little girl named Katherine, who told me she is 2 1/2 years old. Her nanny, an Asian woman (see picture below), was sitting on a park bench on the far north corner of the park, reading some sort of tabloid magazine, with headphones in her ears. She rarely looked up from the magazine to check on Katherine. My friend and I were watching both Katherine and the nanny for about an hour. At times, Katherine was playing by herself in the water, where the water collects on the opposite side from the sprinklers. Personally, I would never let my 2 1/2 year old wander that far away from me without intense surveillance, and I certainly would want to know if my nanny was reading an US magazine with headphones on instead of watching my child.
nanny central park

Wednesday

Carl Schurz Park in NY, NY

Received Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Today,( 7/25) at Carl Schurz Park on 84th. street and East End Avenue, I witnessed a very disturbing nanny. She was black, wearing a pink hat, a yellow t shirt and a denim skirt. Gold hoop earrings. She was supposedly caring for a little boy, aged about 2, wearing a lime green polo-type shirt. He had curly, very blonde hair. His stroller was a navy Bugaboo Frog with a black Skip Hop diaper bag- the kind that looks more like a messenger bag (the Duo?). Anyway, as the boy played by himself in the sandbox for almost an hour, she sat on the bench with her very angry and mean looking male companion. They sat stone-faced and she constantly rolled her eyes at the child and at the mothers around her who were actually playing with and chasing after her children. She paid absolutely no attention to the child and roughly threw him in the stroller when they left the park. I wonder if the parents of this boy know that his nanny is spending time with her male companion during park visits? I also wonder if they have any sense of how disengaged she is,complete with bored and exasperated expressions. I didn't catch the little boy's name, though I wish I had. I really hope the parents see this.

Outside Baskin Robbins/Dunkin Donuts in Brooklyn, NY

Received Wednesday, July 25, 2007
This took place outside Baskin Robbins/Dunkin Donuts, 1st Place and Court Street, Brooklyn at around 4:30 PM-ish today,(7/25).
I am not sure if it's a bad nanny or mommy sighting. I was going to get a cup of coffee and noticed an orange MBUD with two kids in it parked outside of the store. I waited around for 5 minutes with them, not talking to the kids as to not scare them, while their caretaker was getting them ice cream. The caretaker (white, 40s-ish, I seem to remember a striped shirt or skirt, hair on top of her head) came out and I asked her if she was with these kids, she said yes. I said, "You really shouldn't leave them alone on a busy street" and she said "I know, thank you. I could see them the whole time." Regardless of whether or not she could see them (and would be able to see me, a stranger, hanging around them, it's just not a good idea to leave your kids outside a store just because your stroller is hard to get in. The kids were about 4 (boy) and 2 (girl). The boy had long-ish light brown hair and orange Naturino (I know because my child has them!) sneaker/sandals. The little girl had shoulder length curly hair, bangs and
was carrying a small white lamb and a baby doll with a plastic head and a pink and white striped shirt. She also had an Avent sippy cup with pink and yellow, if I recall.

Carl Schurz Playground in NYC

Received Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Absurd sighting. About an hour ago (830 AM on 7/25) Not necessarily bad but I saw your nanny none the less. Your nanny is Asian, medium complexion, long, layered hair with blond highlights, thin, petite and was arrived at the playground this morning wearing shorts and wedge shoes that were about 5" high. The sandals had a tie up strap and the nanny also wore a scoop neck tan & white striped summer weight sweater. The nanny was taking care of a little boy who had very light skin, brown eyes and straight, white hair. She wasn't sitting on the sidelines but following him as he crawled and climbed but she lost her footing at least 4 times. Two of the times she was holding his feet or lifting him up. This is just an accident waiting to happen. I know this isn't "bad". Frankly, it was kind of comical.

Tuesday

Snoozing Nanny up for Grabs?

Received Tuesday, July 24, 2007 -Perspective & Opinion
Dear Readers,
There have been a couple of sightings here of one particular nanny who evidently sleeps on the job... a lot. The last post was removed at the family's request and we have not heard about her since on this forum. I actually know about this sleeping nanny NOT from I Saw Your Nanny, but rather from friends in the neighborhood who have actually seen her in action, so I was surprised to read here that her snoozing seem to be common knowledge outside of my small circle.

Today I noticed on my local parenting board a post from the parents asking how to say goodbye to their "beloved" nanny. They go on to say how wonderful she is but that both kids will soon be in school.

I firmly believe that the next post we will see from this family is one trying to pawn the sleeping nanny off on some unsuspecting family. I have every reason to believe that they will try to get this woman a job, as they have refused to entertain any negative stories about her, continue to employ her and are in fact bragging about her standard of care. Of note is the fact the parents are active in the parenting community and therefore a family looking to hire wouldn't think twice about accepting their recommendations.

I ask you, dear readers, to think about what you would do if and when the post appears. I need advice. Would you:

a. mind you own business
b. confront the parents via e-mail
c. post a loosely based warning for parents to thoroughly research their new hires
d. none of the above (and make a suggestion)

The parenting board does not have an anonymous feature, so publicly outting a post recommending the nanny is not an option. I would like to handle this in a non-dramatic way, if possible, as my only motivation is concern for the next family who employs this lady.

Please DO NOT provide specific details (names of parents/children/nanny or their location, etc.) here if you know who I am referring to. All that will serve to do is get the post deleted again.

Many thanks for your input.

John Jay Park in NYC

Received Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Great Nanny Sighting at John Jay Park in NYC As someone who sees many neglectful or lazy nannies, I feel it's important to report the nannies who are doing their jobs well, too.

This morning, at around 10 am, I was at John Jay Park on 77th Street and the River. I watched a nanny, dressed in tightblack capris and a royal blue short sleeved button down shirt with a tank top under it, as she took care of her charges. The children she was with were blonde (almost tow-head) boy/girl twins, about 18 months old. The boy was in a red and white striped shirt and the girl was in a white shirt with some pink embroidery. The nanny also had a very short dreadlocked hairstyle and looked to be in her early/mid 20s. She wore medium size gold hoop earrings.

The nanny was playing with the children on the climbing equipment- following them as they played even though they were physically adept enough to be left to their own devices. Instead, she was joining in the fun and paying them a great deal of attention in a very loving way. This was as countless other nannies of similar age children sat on the benches surrounding the equipment.

Sparks Marina Playground in Sparks, NV

Received Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Physical description of caregiver: Blond woman, age maybe 20-28, wearing a white cotton ribbed tank top with some sort of logo or writing on it, and jean capri pants. Couldn't tell her height because she was sitting the entire time. Her hair was in a pony tail.
Physical description of involved child/children: The child she was caring for was about 2 years old, black, long curly black hair, very cute. She was wearing a pink (possibly floral print) long halter cotton shirt over shorts or a skirt. The child of the caregiver was a baby, about 5-7 months old, bald/blonde hair, and was rolling around on a blanket on the ground next to his/her mom the whole time, kicking and grabbing the air as babies that age do.
Address or venue of observed incident: Sparks Marina Playground
Date and time of incident: July 23, 2007, about 11:30am
Detailed description of what you witnessed: I took my charge along with a fellow nanny and her charge to the Marina park today. We went to the baby swings and then a really cute little girl came up to us. I looked around and saw that there were no adults around her at all. It was getting to be lunchtime, and rather warm, so there weren't other kids on the playground besides us and the little girl. There was a woman sitting with a baby on the cement in the shade of the snack shack, but she was kind of zoning out, not really looking at anything, and certainly not looking at the little girl. She was about 100-150 yards away from the playground.

As I pushed my charge in the swing, the little girl climbed all over the playground, even where there are holes that the older kids can climb down poles and corkscrews. I was worried she would either lose her balance or step down and fall. I called over to the woman about 10 minutes later, and we shared the following words:

(N= Nanny, me... SCG= Snotty caregiver)

N:"Is that your daughter"
SCG: "No"
N: "Are you babysitting her?"
SCG: "Yep" (Not looking at me or the child....)
N: "Don't you think she is a little small to be on the playground by herself?"
(No response)
N: "I'm just worried she might fall off and get hurt"
SCG: "Mind your own business!"
N: "Shouldn't you go do what you are being paid for and play with her??"
SCG: "I'm not being paid, mind your own damn business" (Meanwhile the child is wandering away from and around the playground and she just sat there!!!!!)
N: That doesn't mean you don't have responsibility for her well being! (No response) so when she falls off the playground, you won't be able to tell her mom why she was hurt because you were too far away and not watching her."
SNG: (Picks up the baby, completely ignores both me and the wandering child in her care, and starts breastfeeding her otherwise content baby in a sling.)

As I left, the child wandered back to her snotty caregiver and sat down while she fed the baby. They were still sitting there as I left about 15 minutes later, and when I drove by after that. Just sitting. The caregiver did not interact or speak with the girl one time. The girl was obviously not deaf because she was giggling and talking to the little boy I watch. The caregiver obviously not blind because of the many rude and totally uncalled for glances she kept giving me. She didn't stand up one time to play with the little girl, and it was almost like "I'm not getting paid to watch her, so I don't really give a crap." Mind you, she was not within a safe distance from the child at any point, and for the most part wasn't even watching her!!! I sincerely hope that whoever asked their friend to watch their child as a favor reads this and realizes what a horrible caregiver you just entrusted your sweet and cute daughter to! She was horrible the WHOLE time!

Description of vehicle, bag, stroller that may aid in identifying involved caregiver: The SCG was sitting on a blanket folded over on the cement. Why she couldn't sit under the shade of a tree much closed to the playground is beyond me. She had an infant stroller with her, it was either gray or black with a lime green trim. I took a picture on my cell phone, but it isn't clear at all and I can't upload it to the computer anyway. She also had a Wendy's bag sitting next to her on the ground and a soda cup.

Hope this helps someone realize that just because their friend or sister or whoever has a baby, does NOT automatically make her the mothering, responsible type. Please don't entrust her again!!!

Monday

Monday, July 23, 2007

How to stop worrying about child care (CNN)
-It's normal worry when you put your children in someone else's care.
-Even when quantifiable aspects are great, listen to your instincts.
-Envy of friends' child-care situations is to be expected.
(Read full Article.)

Nanny 411: Make The Right Call (NY Daily News)
Relationships are always complicated, but the one between parents and a nanny can be stickier than most.(Read Article.)

A Good Babysitter Is Hard To Find-CBS News
Parents Magazine Editor Offers Tips To Find A Responsible Person To Watch Your Kids. (Read Article)

The "Trial Day" Scam

Received Monday, July 23, 2007-Rant
I'm really mad now because I think I've just been conned by a family. This family interviewed me 2 weekends ago. They wanted to hire me but as I was interviewing a few families at the same time and they couldn't give me enough hours, I wasn't sure whether I wanted to join them. Anyhow, as I had nothing to do the next week, they asked if I could babysit him one day. I took care of him for close to 10 hours ,did plenty of activities with him, took him for ice cream etc. Came home and the mum left her wallet in the office. I didn't get paid but we decided that I could come over during the weekend to collect my pay as well as let them know my decision (which incidentally was to join them) .THEN, on Saturday, I SMSed her to ask when I could come over. No reply.I called her this morning, she HUNG UP ON ME! Sorry but I cant believe how a family can do this and to think I was actually going to agree working for them! I'm angry, very angry. I was really nice to the child and was so tired at the end of the day (sword-fights, footballs, general running around!) and I'm not a charity organisation!

Saturday

Has anyone had experience working with a mentally ill parent?

Received Saturday, July 21, 2007-Perspective & Opinion
Has anyone had experience working with a mentally ill parent? Of particular concern to me is the lack of consistency and the inability of the parent to behave as an adult. I feel as if the parent is yet another child I am responsible for. Quitting is not a readily available option as I am quite attached to and concerned for the children I care for. I would appreciate perspective from both nannies and parents. I had at one time hoped that things would get better and I feel as if they are getting worse. What's more this illness, the details of which I am uncertain feels like the elephant in the living room. Everyone knows it's there but no one discusses it.

Friday

Demarest Park in Demarest NJ

Received Friday, July 20, 2007
There is an African-American nanny with an accent (like Jamaican or somewhere in that region) who takes care of twins, a boy and a girl, who are about 20 months old. The boy is blind. The nanny today attacked a mother at the park who she accused of calling the cops on her for her inappropriate treatment of the twins. The mom had no idea what she was talking about, but did say later that she had seen this nanny before at the park and that she wasn't surprised the cops had been called. In fact, she had been asking around if anyone knew the twins. The lady backed off after the mother denied calling the cops, but the whole exchange frightened everyone a bit. Hopefully someone can find the parents of these twins. Not sure why the cops didn't, or if the parents kept the lady anyway .... but they shouldn't! The kids are very blonde, the girl had a JCC t-shirt on, and they had a black Graco double stroller, back to front.

Update 07/22/07 OP here. I spoke to the police in town and when they talked to the nanny, they also alerted the parents. For whatever reason, the parents did not fire the nanny. I asked the police to please contact the parents and let them know that she had verbally attacked a woman at the park and that they really should get rid of the nanny. We'll see ... They also asked me to please call them if I ever see her doing anything at all, though I think she's come after me if I did!

Chapin Park in Brooklyn Heights, NY

Received Friday, July 20, 2007
Do you have a Brooklyn Heights nanny named Doma (or something like that)? She is Asian, chunky and took three kids to Chapin Park today, (7/20). The children were a girl 3ish (dk brn/dk brn) and two boys who are 5-ish (blond/blue and brown/?).
I was there for an hour and a half. For almost an hour, she sat on the bench talking with several nanny friends and NOT ONCE in that entire period looked over (her back was to her) to check on your dd (who is very pretty, btw). The boys were okay, because they are older and had each other. But your little girl sat there, looking very despondent, with a poop diaper on (she looked inside and told me), playing with no one, and just looking so sad. She seems more shy than your little boys and nanny was ignoring her the whole time. I suggested she go find her mother or nanny and she pointed her out (black shirt today) to me and went over and stood next to her. The nanny kept talking, ignored her. She returned to me, said, "she's not talking to me" and I told her to tell her "excuse me" and ask for what she needed from her nanny. She did. nanny told her to sit in the stroller, which she did, then gave her some food, but still did not engage her at all. The little girl sat there for another 15 minutes staring off into space. Even when nanny's friends left, she didn't engage your little girl.

Miss Muffin & Her Stuffin on Park Place between 5th & 6th in Park Slope, NY

Received Friday, July 20, 2007
I saw a little boy maybe around 2 yrs old (give or take) with his nanny on Thursday, July 19th, on Park Place at the muffin shop. He was wearing denim shorts and had strawberry-blond hair. He was in what I think was a blue-ish McLaren stroller. There was a small purple & black bag hanging off of the stroller. It wasn't quite a diaper bag but looked like a smaller version of one-there was a sippy cup on the front of it.

The problem was not that I saw the boy with the nanny but that when I walked by store, the boy was sitting outside in the stroller by himself to the side of the door. I didn't think it was cool that this little guy was sitting out there by himself and when I peered in quickly to the store, I saw a woman ordering at the counter. She was not looking back. I waited there for a few moments as she continued to order and wait for her order and did not turn to check on the boy. When she came out I noticed her wearing a bright green shirt and she had medium tone black skin probably in her 40's maybe early 50? Hard to tell for sure though.

I just thought the parents should be made aware that their nanny would leave their child out in the street while she went into the store. I try so hard not to make judgement but in this world we live in today I just don't think that's a smart or safe decision to make.

Thursday

Day Care Group in Park Slope, NY

Received Thursday, July 19, 2007
I witnessed an incident with a Day Care group on Park Slope, where several of the children- all under or just above a year old, were placed in a wagon and pulled across a busy street. The issue I have is that the wagon, in the middle of the street, fell apart. The green bars along it's side was either not fitted properly or just broken. A rush was made to correct the issue but still, such a thing is not only dangerous but apparently commonplace for this so called school. I know it isn't a nanny but still a caregiver is a caregiver and I think this is important for this site.

Please supply additional details of the incident -JD

McDonald's in Huntington Beach, CA

Received Thursday, July 19, 2007
Physical description of caregiver: 19-21 year old, Hispanic girl, short, with long dark hair, medium complexion with acne and acne scars on her face. The girl was wearing a white tank top with a crown on it in white/silver rhinestones, and blue jeans.
Physical description of involved child/children: A young girl, around 6-7 with a white flower print dress on, with multi-colored flowers, who's dress was half undone in the back. The infant was approx. 9-12 months old and was wearing overalls and a white T-shirt with something like a heart on it. It was hard to tell because the overalls were on.
Address or venue of observed incident: Huntington Beach, CA at McDonald's off Goldenwest.
Date and time of incident: 7/18/07 at approx. 11:30-12:30pm
Detailed description of what you witnessed: The nanny was with another nanny who had a baby with her. However, her friend did not neglect the baby she was watching (approx. 6 months) much, but was left to care for the other nannies charges most of the time I was there. When I first got there with my charge I noticed the table with 2 strollers on it and half eaten food. Only the nannies friend was there at the time, and she was talking on her cell phone. The 9-12 month old was sitting in a high chair sucking on a green Gerber sippy cup. Soon she dropped the cup and started crying. Then, the neglectful nanny came in the play area and picked the cup up off the floor and handed it right back to the baby, after the top had touched the ground. I cringed, but at this point, I was only suspicious of neglect. Because my charge is 2 1/2 he was playing up in the jungle gym area and I had plenty of time to watch these two nannies who were sitting at the table next to me.

The nannies spoke mostly in Spanish, however I did understand that they were talking about heavy drinking and smoking pot! I looked around at the other parents around us, and they too were noticing these nannies strange behavior. After the baby dropped her sippy cup again, the bad nanny walked over scooped the cup up, and hit the little girls hand and told her she couldn't use her cup if she was just going to drop it! I was shocked! She saw my look at quickly handed the baby a piece of plastic trash with ice cream on it to stop her from crying and left the play area again. After the baby had torn the plastic top and made the lid break into sharp pieces the little girl must have hurt her mouth because she started crying again and the other nanny went and took it away from her. Once again she started crying, which is when the bad nanny came back. She handed the baby hand sanitizer, yes you heard me, hand sanitizer for the baby to suck and chew on! The she proceeded to walk away again!

That's when I noticed the older girl was with these nannies as well. These nannies had not once injured or spoken to this child in the 30 minutes I had been watching them. She walked up to the table and saw her sister chewing on the hand sanitizer and said that her mom would be mad and fire the nanny if she knew she was doing that. The nanny gave her a sickeningly sweet face and said no you won't tell her, because I am going to buy you a cookie and some ice cream. The little girl said okay, and the bad nanny left to guy buy the bribe.

In the hour I was watching these nannies, I was shocked at what I had seen. I have seen some neglectful nannies and moms in the past, but this just topped them all. I really felt these children may be in danger, so I posted this in hoped their parents might see.
Description of vehicle, bag, stroller that may aid in identifying involved caregiver: The 9-12 month old was in a jogging stroller that I think was red. The caregiver did not have a diaper bag with her, which made me think she was also not changing the infant.

Wednesday

Oak Hill Splash Pad in St. Louis Park, MN

Received Wednesday, July 18, 2007
This occured today, (7/18) around 10:30a.m.

Nanny was thin and pretty, darker skin and longer dark hair. Her shorts were literally skin tight. The little boy was very fair skinned/blond hair- probably between the ages of 1 and 2. She wore her Ipod the entire time she was with the little boy in the water area. He was cautious at first (like any normal toddler) but the nanny scooped him up more than 2 times and forced him under the sprays of water. Each time, he cried and squirmed to get away. She never spoke a word to him the hour I saw her there. They ate a snack on the bench, she still had on her Ipod and ate staring off into the distance, never looking at him once.

I noticed when they were leaving that she had rode a bike with a yellow burley like trailer. She was strapping him in and talking on her phone the entire time.

This little boy was not being abused, but overall it was just sad to watch. If you are wondering how I witnessed so much- the whole park is probably 50 square feet and totally fenced in. I couldn't avoid watching her! I just hope the parents see this and find a better nanny for their sweet little boy.

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Great Expectations Store in NYC

Received Wednesday, July 18, 2007
http:isawyournanny.blogspot.com
I saw this nanny enter a store yesterday, (7/17) at around 3:30. The name of the store is Great Expectations on Chambers Street near Broadway. This store is a closeout location, sort of junky and definitely no place for kids, let alone a six month old who is not your own. She was in there for almost a full hour, during which time the baby was fussy and at one time I had to bring to her attention that he was chewing on a price tag of one of the many items she had piled on his stroller and had the whole tag, which had staples on it, in his mouth. She had walked away from him and I had the chance to pry the tag away from him before she came to his side. She handed him a pacifier and went back to what she had been doing. I did photograph her face for fear of a confrontation, and don't believe in photographing people's children without permission, but I do hope that this child's parents see this post. She speaks with a very flat and grammatically incorrect accent, possibly from St. Lucia, or one of the neighboring islands like Dominica, or Grenada.

Tuesday

Himmel Park in Tucson, AZ

Received Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Three nanny friends met at the park on Monday. One was Caucasian, two were Hispanic. One of the Hispanic sitters was very pretty with dark hair, pretty skin and a nice shape. She had on a denim skirt, flip flops and a she had on layered tank tops. She was watching one little girl who was about two and sucked on a green pacifier the entire time. The next Hispanic nanny was thin but had huge gums and some complexion problems, but a good shape. She had two very blond children with her. A boy in an orange shirt and a girl. The Caucasian had a pretty face, had golden brown hair, green eyes, great skin but was chubby. She had one girl with her who was about five, dark hair, looked to be part Asian. She was wearing a pink t-shirt that had a scoop neck and said "getcha getcha getcha". This is what I observed and I will attempt to write it factually. While two of the children were there, the three of them started a conversation about lingerie. They were giggling. Then lowering their waist bands and exposing their new purchases.
They also were talking about their bras and showing off them too. It was quick but hardly appropriate in a public place. I think they were doing in part for the county workers who were breaking nearby. The other concerning thing was that the pretty Hispanic nanny said, "If Hailey's mom knew I had her here, she would shoot me". The Caucasian nanny said, "you're too far away". Then the pretty Hispanic Nanny said, "you could still come up there. And play at their house once". Made me think that that nanny worked North. The little girl she took care of did look to have trendier, more expensive clothes on. Did I provide enough details? The other Hispanic nanny was carrying a standout bag. Big, green, with a paisley print and divets on it.

" Preventing Nanny Burnout"

Received Tuesday, July 17, 2007-Perspective & Opinion
In one of the earlier discussion threads, the topic turned to nanny hours and nanny burnout. Like many working Moms, I work 8 hours in the office and have a 45 minute commute on each end. That translates to needing childcare for at least 50 hours a week, 10 hours a day. I have 3 children under five. They are great kids, but any nanny job juggling an infant, a toddler and a young child is HARD. I have a housekeeper that helps keep things tidy and does the heavy cleaning around the house, but my nanny still has the kids all the time with no stretch during the day when she can count on sitting down for a break. Realistically, that won't change for the next two years until my middle child is in school full time and my baby starts pre-school. I am about to lose nanny my current nanny. (I believe it is partly due to burnout, but there are circumstances involved. She was going to take the month of August off to address an ongoing health issue, but told us when we began interviewing for a temporary nanny, we should look for a permanent because the job is too hard for her). Is there a way to make the nanny's job easier? I'm considering whether I should bring in a part-time mother's helper to take the pressure off--especially at the end of the day when all three are home at the same time, or maybe two part-time nannies, but I'm hoping for a long term relationship so the part-time would not work in a few years when all of my kids are in school. Any suggestions?

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Nanny cameras continue to evolve and become more affordable...

Monday

...now she might be taken away from her mother...

Edited Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Dear ISYN,
I emailed you a story about my friend and her obese daughter. After talking to my fiance who is a lawyer he suggested that I ask to have it removed from your site. I would kindly ask for you to remove this post from your site for further viewing.

Matthiesen Park in Irvington NY

Received Monday, July 16, 2007
Description: This happened today (7/16) at 1PM. Your nanny is AA, slim, with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Your son is around 18 months with long blonde hair over his eyes. He was wearing a brown collared shirt and blue shorts. Your son sat in the sand and played by himself. Your nanny just sat there, not looking at him at all and talked on her cell phone. It's not like your son is 5 years old, he wasn't even two! The nanny just kept talking. At one point your son went to leave the sand area and she didn't see him, still engrossed in her conversation. I had to call out "excuse me" to get her attention and get him. Then I guess she decided it was lunch time. She picked him up without saying a word. She put him in your Macalaren Volo Stroller (turquoise) and fed him his lunch little by little. A piece of string cheese, a nectarine (which she cut up). The oddest thing was that she was no longer on the phone at this point, but did not say ONE WORD to the child. This went on for about 30 minutes and then she left, again not saying anything. It's hard to believe you are paying this woman to take care of your son. It was very sad to watch.

..."My mommy doesn't hit!"

Received Monday, July 16, 2007-Rant
I wanted to share a story that happened to me this weekend. My family went out to a restaurant for a birthday. My sister took our nephew outside for a small walk. There they saw this really cranky obnoxious man we had seen in the dining room. He was permanently clutching a pack of cigarettes so is probably having perpetual nicotine fits. Anyway, he said to my nephew "you better behave or mommy's gonna hit you". My nephew wasn't even doing anything but being cheerful. My wonderful pitbull of a sister snapped back with "In our family we don't hit." Mr Charisma said, more subdued, "It's coming, kid. Just you wait". At that point they were already walking away, but my nephew heard him, turned around and said crossly, "My mommy doesn't hit!" I was happy to hear that he stood up for himself. It's crazy that little children are exposed to people who project their horrible lives onto them, unbidden. It just reminded me of all the unwanted advice nannies and parents get, but at least that might be helpful.
And to Mrs. Cranky Obnoxious Guy, ditch him. We all saw how embarrassed you were to be in public with him. You deserve better. -JMT

Sunday

"Strange Encounter" at Lions Park in Upper Saddle River NJ

Received Sunday, July 15, 2007-Perspective & Opinion
I am a nanny who had a strange encounter with another nanny-and just wanted to get others views about it. This occurred on Friday, July 6 between 1:45-2:45 PM.

*Nanny- White- older- I assume maybe 50"s?- white/blond hair- turquoise hat/shirt- thin build. I know the name- but not sure if I should day it? Starts with a B
*Child: Boy 3 and a half- name starts with a J

When I entered the park- I noticed a woman laying on a blanket under a tree- her nose firmly buried in a magazine- I was playing with my charge on the slide- so I was facing her direction and noticed she never looked up once ( it was about 15 minutes)

I was there about a half hour- and the lady who was laying under the tree- comes over with Boy J- and says-to my charge- "Hi this is J- He'd like to play with you..... J say hi to ? - Looks at my charge and says-" What's your name?"
My charge says her name- and I say Hi to them- and J says- "What are you doing?"

My charge says we are making "birthday cakes" (out of the mulch) and J says can I play too- and my charge says, "Yes." Then, Nanny B walks away- and goes to lay down on the blanket under the tree and buries her nose in the magazine. Again....

The children play nicely- on the playground for about 15-20 minutes- and then my charge asks if we can go into the field near-by and pick flowers (actually the weeds...) and I say "Sure".
The little boy says- "I want to pick flowers too."
I tell him- "You have to go ask your mom."
and He says - "My mom is not here- she is out shopping- I am here with B my nanny."

I say- "Well if you are leaving the park you have to let her know first and tell her to come and keep an eye on you."

So he runs over and comes back with Nanny B- but my charge and I are already out in the field- Nanny B does not say anything to me...Nanny B starts roaming all over the field picking up garbage! While I stay by my charges side and J's side while we all pick the flowers. At times Nanny B is all the way across the field! She comes back with a bag of garbage and even one bag that was left behind with dog poop in it! I am a little ticked that she has gone off and is not keeping an eye on her charge. When she does come back- I say, "Your little boy is so cute."
She says "He's not my child I am his nanny B."
I say, "Yes, I am her nanny too." She says, "Yes I figured that."

Then walks away to go pick up more trash! I am ticked that she is not looking after J- but since my charge is enjoying his company-I allow it... After about half an hour - we are ready to leave- but I don't just want to leave J all alone.
so I walk across the field and say, "Bye."
She replies, "Oh you are leaving now?"
I say, "Yes"- and remind my charge to say good-bye and thank J for playing.

Was this weird or what? Do you think the parents would want to know that Nanny B is more interested in reading her mag- and picking up trash at the park then interacting or even keeping an eye on J?
Please send your nanny sightings in now.

..."My job is becoming increasingly hard"....

Received Sunday, July 15, 2007-Perspective & Opinion
I need some advice from all the parents, and nannies out there! The family I have been working with for over a year now, has recently expanded to include another child. Their 2 1/2 year old son is adjusting fairly well, but is having a few problems. I have tried a few times to casually mention these new problems, such as increasing violence, and a combative, pushy attitude. I have made a few suggestions on how to change these behaviors, as I am a child development student and have learned all about and dealt with this already. But, for whatever reason I don't seem to be getting through to them. My job is becoming increasingly hard, and I am becoming more and more dissatisfied daily.

I was just curious is there another way that you can think of for me to address my concerns with her, such as sitting her down? But, I fear she may become defensive like she has in the past. I always try to start out with all the amazing things about her son, and how much fun I have with him, and what I think she is doing a great job with, then move on to my concerns. Yet still, I think she feels attacked, or judged because the message just doesn't seem to be getting through to her. Or, is this a lost cause?

I would appreciate feedback from either parents, or nannies on how they have dealt with these situations. Thanks in advance for all your replies!

Update 07/23/07- This is the OP. So I am finally done with the family I was working for. Things just got to be too much for me to take, and when I told her I was leaving, she totally freaked out. Even felt the need to call me twice after I quit to tell me what a mistake I was making and how I am not fit to work with children. Now, if I was such a terrible nanny, why use me for over a year, and only tell me I'm unfit to work with children once I leave. Overall, I am happy with my choice to leave. Things weren't getting any better, and I need to put myself first! Thanks for all the support and suggestions.

Deal Makers and Deal Breakers

Received Sunday, July 15, 2007-Perspective & Opinion
What is the most important attribute in a nanny? And what quality/condition might a nanny posses that would be a deal breaker?
Nannies; same question applies, just change nanny to employer.
-MB, Las Vegas

This and That

Sunday, July 15, 2007
I wanted to be a full-time mother . . . -from the Sunday Times (UK)

Which family shells out $6,000 per week for their children's nanny? Click here to find out.

In case you haven't heard, Baby food maker Gerber has issued a national recall for two of its popular 8 ounce cereals, ORGANIC Rice and Gerber ORGANIC Oatmeal because of a possible chocking hazard. (Read more)
Click here to read the update on the tainted Veggie BootySnack Food.

Us Consumer Products Safety Division:
Infant/Child Product Recalls (not including toys)
Toy Hazard Recalls

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network
By adding your name to their mailing list, you will receive e-mail alert notices as soon as FAAN receives the information. To register for the alerts by e-mail, click here.

Sex Offender Email Alert Program
To register to receive an email notification whenever a sex offender registers within one mile of your home, click here.

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Saturday

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Saturday, July 14, 2007I Saw Your Nanny Ringer T-Shirt, blue/blue
We have no sightings as of yet for today.
Please email us or instant message (meebo) us now.

Friday

Muirfield Pool in Dublin, Ohio

Received Friday, July 13, 2007
Physical description of caregiver: College aged, longer brown hair, gray hooded sweat shirt, Caucasian
Physical description of involved child/children: 2 young boys between the ages of 8 and 10. Twins or close in age. Fair hair (brownish/blond), fair skin, wearing swimsuits and t-shirts.
Address or venue of observed incident: Muirfield Pool, Dublin, Ohio. In the parking lot
Date and time of incident: Thursday morning around 9:45 (right before the third age group had Muirfins swim team practice)
Detailed description of what you witnessed: I was waiting in the car (for 5 min. before I had to drive to the pick-up spot for a child getting out of swim team practice) in the middle of the parking lot. As I was waiting I saw a silver Jeep drive into the parking lot, very fast, and quickly drive into a spot, without pausing to let children pass who were trying to cross to the entrance to the pool. The nanny got out of the car, and yelled “hurry, hurry, hurry, we are late.” She then opened the door, moved the front seat forward and said it again. One of the two boys in the back of the jeep said “I am going to take my time” and went a little slower (but not too slow) and took his time getting out of the car. The nanny then said “If you don’t get out of the car faster I am going to drop your underwear in front of all the girls.” Although I think the nanny was trying to joke with the boy, he got a scared look on his face and started moving faster. The nanny then told the boys to run to swim team so they would not be late, and they ran across the parking lot while the nanny took her time getting her stuff. She did not watch them in the busy parking lot.
Description of vehicle, bag, stroller that may aid in identifying involved caregiver: Silver Jeep, looked new. I do not remember what the bag looked like.

Target on 44th. & Thomas in Phoenix, Arizona

Received Friday, July 13, 2007
At about 2:30 PM, I was at a Phoenix Target in the dressing room when I heard this woman in another room yelling at her (?) kid. "You smell so bad. Smell this. Your underwear is disgusting. You don't care, do you. LOOK AT ME! You don't care, do you. You're disgusting." The boy didn't seem to say much that applied to what she was saying to him. She continued on yelling at him for misbehaving and so on. Then I heard a loud thud against the door. The kid didn't cry out or anything, but I realized I was the only other person in there, and I should probably alert a Target employee.

There were two girls standing at the Dressing room counter and their radios were going off like crazy. It was hard to get their attention. The younger of the two took interest first. "I think a woman in there is abusing her child... not like sexually, like physically and verbally. She keeps yelling at him, degrading him, and then I heard a loud thud and she may have hurt them.... maybe you should come listen."

I was still wearing the shirt that I was trying on, so I went back to my dressing room to change back to my normal clothes. The woman was still yelling at the kid. I heard a few things, what sounded like slaps to me... probably three or four times.

I went out to the front desk and they were talking to security on the phone. The older of the two women (probably in her 50's) seemed apathetic to what was going on. The younger girl was trying to figure out if there was anything that we could do. She was the one that was listening in on me.

As the younger Target employee and I were talking, she said to me "here she comes" and the woman walked out of the dressing room with the boy behind her. The boy was covering his face with his arm. The woman stared me straight in the eyes, the meanest, evil stare I have ever seen. I think she knew that I was trying to help the kid... I think she was Mexican, I think the boy was white. She had black hair and a slight, slight, slight accent. She looked to be in her 40's - She had piled her hair on top of her head and she had a mark on her face... The boy looked white, with a buzz cut and he was chubby. Probably nine or ten. It was hard to see any real facial expressions since he was covering his face with his arm.

The target employee was telling me before the woman and the boy came out that there was nothing they could do unless security, or an employee saw it happen. Doesn't that seem ridiculous? Who exactly are they defending here? Are they just trying not to get sued?

The employee kept telling me that "I could confront the woman." But after the woman stared me down like that, I don't know... I just felt like she was downright dangerous.

I've seen an instance of slight child abuse this before in a Target, where the Mom wouldn't let her three-ish year old son go to the bathroom, and he was crying he had to go so bad. I didn't say anything to her, either.

What should I have done in this situation? I am a Nanny, seeing that has made me sick to my stomach, I just feel so bad for that boy and I am outraged at Target for not doing anything.

Park in Demarest, NJ

Received Friday, July 13, 2007
I saw twins, I think boy/girl, very blonde, about 18mo to 2yo with a big heavy nanny, black with an island accent at the park in Demarest, NJ the past few afternoons around 4pm. She is very impatient, physically rough with the kids (ie pick them up and carrying them by their arm) and yells a lot. Kids cry a lot. She seems to pick on the boy more and ignores the girl from what I saw. Please get rid of your nanny.

..Sahms,Why do you need a Nanny??

Received Friday, July 13, 2007
I have a question and hope to start a lengthy debate about SAHM and why they feel they need a Nanny?? Why do so many SAHM's feel the need to have help raising their children? After all they chose to stay home and take care of their kids rather than work outside the home. Are they just lazy or what??, When I was younger only the digustingly filthy rich people had Nannies even if the rich wife stayed at home. Now it seems to be a trend that the average middle class are doing this too. I don't want to hear from Mother's that work from their home, they are not SAHM.. I'm talking about the regular mom who does not work at all other than raise the children. Why do you need a Nanny??

Chicago Orange Line Train towards Midway Airport

Received Friday, July 13, 2007
Hmmmmm...While riding the Orange line train around 5:15pm on 7/12 heading toward Midway airport we made a stop at Roosevelt Road stop in which a Nanny boarded the train with 5 children. The Nanny was a black woman about 5'9 tall, skin tight red shorts, red flip flops and a red halter top, very busty woman, about 20-25 yrs old. She had 3 children with her who looked to be about 3-5yrs old, 2 boys 1 girl, all Hispanic. The 2 older children were about 9-10yrs old also Hispanic. 1 male and 1 female. When she boarded the train she sat near me with all 5 children and herself and proceeded to get on her cell phone and talk in great length to someone about her date the previous night, explicit descriptions of oral sex, using very foul language, one of the older children the boy started laughing at her conversation and she grabbed his arm and squeezed it and told him to shut the F*** up or I'll tell your mother you were giving me Sh*t again. The boy start crying and another passenger told her she should not be talking like this with the young children around. She screamed back at the passenger to also shut the F*** up and mind your own business.

I'm not sure if you can call this woman a nanny or just a regular babysitter, but she was really awful in how she talked and treated the children. The younger ones kept squirming in their seats and making noises and she kept kicking them in the legs with her foot and telling them to shut up..

Not good babysitter/nanny behavior..

Thursday

...she and my son are being shunned by the nanny community...

Received Thursday, July 12, 2007
Help! In the beginning of June, after much time of trying to work things out with our nanny of 16 months, we ended up firing her. She was unwilling to make the changed we needed to make and our job description had changed. We needed her to work different hours and travel with us. We ended up terminating her. We gave her 4 weeks of severance, even though she was only with us 16 months. The problem is our son is 2 years, eight months. He is reliant on others to help him make his friends. My husband and I work 50 hours a week. The nanny was responsible for finding him play dates and taking him to the park. The new nanny is great, but she and my son are being shunned by the nanny community that my son and the former nanny were previously a part of. They have been outright rude to her and completely ignore my son or on one occasion have said to him, "------- misses you lots" and then glared at the new nanny. This group of nannies is kind of a posse in our neighborhood and at the park nearest our house. Is the only solution for nanny to go to outlying parks? These were also children that our previous nanny had hosted and attended play dates with. Any idea how to make this right?

OP again here. (8:35) We attempted to keep the nanny on even though we needed to make changes due to my work. Previously I had work felxibility, but I took a job where I had to answer to someone else. This required that our nanny's day would be longer by an hour and a half. We also needed someone who would make dinner for our son (something I previously was able to be home to do). We offered her more money. However, the nanny told me that she was not a cook and that was not in the agreement and that it was too late for her to stay until 7:30. I don't know what she thought we would do. There is no doubt that she was great with our child and we enjoyed having her work for us when we did, but to say it ended amicably is not entirely correct.
Also, my nanny let it slip in things that she said that I should have just stayed at the same job and questioned why I needed to make a change. She was clearly resentful of the change even though we did our best by trying to keep her on, we were not about to hire an evening nanny for an hour and a half a night.

Finch Park in Ramsey, NJ

Received Thursday, July 12, 2007
I was at Finch Park at about 11 Am yesterday (7/11) and I saw a nanny who was in my opinion based on what I saw, mistreating the child. The child was a boy of about 2.4-2.9 months with brown hair that was ever so slightly wavy. He had a fair complexion and was wearing a yellow t-shirt with a blue print on it, surfboard and waves. I was just finished pushing my dd in the bucket swings when she came over and against his will stuffed him in the bucket swing. The boy said "These are baby swings I am not a baby" or words to such. The nanny said, "you're acting like a baby, here you go. Now I will push you like a baby". I continued walking away. I don't know how long she kept up like that as I was leaving the park. I could hear the child saying he wanted down. But she kept pushing him. The nanny was white, about 45-50 with short, curly brown hair and she wore glasses. She was wearing denim shorts that came about to the knee. The clothing she wore could only have been bought in the "women's section". She had on a white shirt with a matching denim print at the V of her shirt. Even though I witnessed this, quite next to her, it was only as I was walking home did I realize how much it bothered me. That may or may not make sense to you.

Wednesday

Blogger's Choice Awards-reminder

Thank you in advance for your supportPlease take a minute of your time and register to vote for the Blogger's Choice Awards. Once registered, you can vote for I SAW YOUR NANNY in each of the four categories we are nominated in. Our goal is greater exposure for the blog and your vote can help.
Thank you,
JD

Metra Electric/University Park Train in Chicago, Il.

Received Wednesday, July 11, 2007
On July 9, 2007 while riding the evening Metra Electric/University Park train from downtown, we made a normal stop at the University of Chicago, and a Nanny or babysitter got on board with her 3 charges, the children were 2 girls and 1 boy. 1 girl was of Filipino or other Asian decent, I think she is adopted. She looks nothing like the other boy and girl. The other boy and girl were blond haired and fair skinned. The boy is about 8yrs old I think and the girl maybe about 5yrs old. The Asian/Filipino girl that must be adopted looks to be about 4yr old I think. The Nanny or babysitter is a young white girl, about 20 or so, short dark brown hair kind of in a bob, very thin and **********edited by Jane Doe********** she looks like she could be Jewish, please bear with me, I work for Immigration so I know many of the characteristics of different cultures etc..

This is not the first time I have seen her on the train with them and she appears for the most part to be good with the children. They always get on at the University of Chicago stop and are heading south towards the Homewood/Flossmoor stop. However yesterday she did something very stupid and I wanted to post on here in case the parent reads this blog.

When she got on there were plenty of seats for all 4 of them to sit, granted not all together, but they could have all sat in the same vicinity of each other but instead she chose to stand with the children in the aisle and the children were playing on the stairs that led to the upper deck, standing on the train when it is going as fast as it is, is very dangerous for the younger children, if the train were to stop suddenly the kids could get hurt easily. She let the kids play on the stairs and did not insist that they sit down in the seats.

I ride this train everyday and the train can make sudden jerky stops when they come to the different stops. There was no reason to let the kids horse around in the aisles and play on the stairs when there were plenty of seats for the children.

A responsible Nanny/babysitter would have insisted to the children that they sit in the seats and remain seated no matter who the children had to sit next to. Most of us coming home are all business professionals and we are not going to bite the children.

Maybe it was just because this girl was so young that she was not thinking properly, but children that young should NEVER be allowed to stand in the aisles while the train is moving if there are seats available, and if no seats are available then she should insist that the children all hold hands and she should be holding onto them herself, she made no effort to seat them it looked like they did not want to sit in the 4 seaters where some other people were sitting.

This train leaves downtown at 4:08pm and probably stops at the University of Chicago around 4:30 or so and arrives in Homewood at 4:55pm and Flossmoor a few minutes later. I think they were heading to Flossmoor as I overheard her one other day talking with the children.

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Tuesday

Discovery Center in Binghamton, NY

Received Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Today (7/10) I was at the Discovery Center in Binghampton, NY from 10:00 am-12:30 pm. I’m not sure if anyone else from Binghampton looks at Isawyournanny, but I figure it’s worth a try to post what I saw. Immediately, I noticed a girl being really mean to the other group of children she was with. I looked around trying to find an adult that was responsible for her, but found no one. After about 10 minutes of watching her boss and push around two boys, another girl appeared holding a baby. I thought for sure an adult was right behind her, but I waited around and no one came. After another couple of minutes she left that exhibit with the baby and I followed her to another exhibit where she sat the baby down on the floor and started dressing him up in the play clothes. She was actually very good with him, but at 7 or 8 years old, she needed some adult supervision. I would have liked to follow them around the museum to keep an eye on the baby, but with my own three toddler charges it was impossible. Throughout the next hour, I saw the children from this group wandering around with no adult in sight. The two oldest girls seemed to be taking turns pushing the baby around in his stroller or carrying him. Finally about an hour and a half after first seeing these children, I saw their apparent sitter, Miss Kathy, leading two of them out of the museum area. A few minutes later when I saw the group of children and Miss Kathy enter the cafeteria, I ran to the art area to grab a crayon to write down their descriptions, and I took my own kids into the cafeteria for lunch.
The first child was a baby boy with a full head of blond hair. He was around 1 year old, and I assume he is not yet walking. He was wearing a white romper with light blue trim and a green lion on the front. He had on brown sandals. He was in a light blue umbrella stroller with an animal print.
The oldest girl was 9 at the most and had long light brown hair pulled back in a messy low pony tail. She was tall and thin and had on a green tank top possibly layered over a white tank top and green shorts. She was wearing navy blue crocs, and small gold hoop earrings.
The next to oldest girl was maybe 7 or 8, also tall and thin and had long light brown hair pulled back in a low pony tail. She was wearing a white tank top with sequins around the neck, pink sporty capri pants and light pink sandals.
The next girl was maybe 6 or 7 and had light brown hair pulled up in a high pony tail. She was wearing a light blue tank top with thick criss crossed straps in the back and jean shorts. She was rolling around on her Heelies sneakers even though there is a big sign posted on the door that says “No Heelies Sneakers”. These three girls looked very much alike. I’m almost certain they were sisters. They had very pretty faces and looked like they could be Italian.
The first boy had shaggy short brown hair. He was wearing a yellow shirt with a soccer ball on the front, and blue athletic shorts with white stripes down the sides and yellow trim around the leg openings. He also had on dark sneakers.
The next boy had blond hair. He was wearing a white shirt with blue trim and blue and black striped shorts.
The last boy had short dark brown hair, a white tank top and brown sandals. The boys all appeared to be somewhere around 4 or 5.
There was a toddler girl who was between 2 and 3, had blond hair and was wearing a pink shirt. I had not seen her in the museum area.
Their babysitter, who one of the girls called Miss Kathy was a larger woman and had very short curly blond hair. She was wearing a pinkish/orangish sporty top with a hood and brown athletic pants. She had on white sneakers, glasses and multiple earrings in each ear. She also had a large tattoo on her lower right arm.
The other adult who may or may not have been responsible for the children was sitting with Miss Kathy. She had short brown, styled hair, khaki pants, a tan shirt, and a silver watch. She was not thin, but not at all overweight.
They had a white cooler with a pink lid and an orange tote bag with white and yellow flowers on it. Miss Kathy and the other adult sat at one table with the toddler girl and baby boy. They were facing away from the older children who were sitting at their own table. Neither of the adults spoke one nice word to the children and Miss Kathy had a permanent scowl on her face. She would throw food on the baby’s tray, but never spoke a word to him. She did ask the older children if they wanted peas, but I’m pretty sure that’s all she said to them. The other lady talked on her cell phone for the majority of the 30 minutes they were there, and I heard her say they were on the way to the Binghampton Tennis Center.
That poor baby was left under the supervision of two children for almost two hours, and then sat with two grumpy adults for lunch. I would have loved to say something to Miss Kathy, but didn't feel safe starting anything while I had my own charges to keep safe. Miss Kathy was looked very tough.
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Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, NY

Received Tuesday, July 10, 2007
If you allowed your nanny to take your little girl to the Roosevelt Field Mall today, please ask her how she was treated by the nanny. The little girl had a cough/summer cold. The girl was between 6 and 8, Caucasian, very petite, almost frail with brown hair cut very blunt with bangs and faint freckles on her face. She was wearing a pink polo shirt with the Juicy crown and logo on it and white flip flops. I can't remember the bottoms. The nanny was dragging her. Literally dragging her by the hand because she would not walk faster. The child was walking plenty fast enough. The little girl was heard to say she was tired (cough, cough) and the nanny said in a shrill voice, "you're not tired when it's about you, are you". Or something like that. The nanny had on tight blue jeans, was about 5;'6" and 180 lbs and wore a shirt that had a bunch of color blocks on it. She also had dark hair pulled in to a very tight pony tail and a pretty face She was either African American/Puerto Rican . The little girl was walking with a Wendy's beverage and when she didn't hurry the nanny snatched it away from her and walked over and slammed it in to the garbage can. Maybe if the child was acting up, this could be understood but this child clearly appeared to be under the weather.

Hot on Crusty Bagel Cafe on Lexington in NYC

Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Earlier this morning (7/10), I witnessed two nannies with their charges at the Hot & Crusty. The smallest child was 9-12 months of age, with a thick thatch of brown hair and he was wearing this little summer striped jumper. The nanny spilled very hot coffee on the child. This was an accident. Both nannies freaked out and started to clean the boy off. They were wiping the coffee off of him. Around him, we attempted to offer help. More than one person told them not to wipe the coffee. Another insisted sthe nanny get ice. Another suggested that they should have the boy checked out at his pediatrician. The nanny kind of rolled her eyes. Another woman asked the nanny if she wanted her to call the child's mother. The nanny somewhat guffawed at her as if she was being ridiculous. I don't know how severe the burns were, but the boy was still crying when I left and nanny still was not interested in taking any practical advice. This would be a great place for a link to Red Cross first aid courses.

Monday

Clement C. Moore Park at 10th Ave & 22nd Street in NYC

Received Monday, July 9, 2007
Great Nanny Sighting in Chelsea Earlier this morning, while the bench was laden with nannies, one nanny stood out. A tireless, African American nanny at the park with a girl of about 6 or 7 years of age. The girl was blond and had on a denim skirt. The nanny and she played non stop. They were playing a game with a paddle board and ball. Looked like a net -less type of tennis. They were both laughing and really having a great time. The other nannies looked annoyed at the spectacle. Your nanny was un phased and carried on. Lucky you!

Van Saun Park in Paramus, NJ

Received Monday, July 9, 2007
This is the second time I am sending this in.
On Thursday (7/5) afternoon at about three pm, I was at the Van Saun playground with the child for who I am a nanny. I witnessed this nanny behavior. The nanny had a water bottle/squirt bottle and she was misting herself with it. She had a little girl in a stroller with auburn, kinky hair that was in the stroller but grabbing out of the stroller. The little girl clearly wanted out of the stroller. The nanny would spray the child when she grabbed at her. First I thought the nanny was just playing with her. I was a ways away when I first noticed this. When I passed by closer, I realized the nanny was doing it to be mean and snickering about it with the nanny/person she was sitting next to. I am not sure if it was a nanny or just a friend. I think it could have been a friend because I didn't see any other child with them. When they decided to go, they left together. But the nanny said to the other one, I better put her on the swings before we go. When the child was out on the swings, she was very happy and smiling. She has fair skin and was wearing tiny little rubber trendy shoes with jean shorts with a flower applique and a white & red striped shirt. Before the whole time they were there, the child was just stuck in her stroller. The stroller was light blue with a grey body. It sat at a weird angle where the little girl was kind of at a 45 degree angle and also she was higher up in the stroller than most. Maybe it is a new style? The little girl was probably 18 months-26 months.
The nanny who was taking care of the child was Hispanic. She looked to be from Peru with straight, dark hair, a very flat face and nose., mid twenties. She was on the shorter side and closer to thin than she was too heavy. Her friend was also Hispanic, same age range, but darker complected. She had wavy hair, wore makeup and was wearing a tight blue shirt with tight pants and was chunky. If she was a nanny, I don't think she was working that day. The water bottle she had with her that she was squirting the kid in the face with was solid pink with nothing on it. And when she did it, I could see when closer the little girl was while not crying making noises that showed she didn't like it but the two of them were snickering every time. I had my cellphone camera and wanted to snap a picture of the two women but I just couldn't get the nerve up.

Sunday

...Why do strangers find it okay to offer suggestions??

Received Sunday, July 8, 2007/Rant
I'm the mom that wrote in a post about 2 weeks ago concerning an incident with my son and a toy. (Refer to Dominicks, June 27). Well, it happened again. I was at a grocery store with my son and he wanted me to buy doughnuts. I told him I would as a treat because he had been doing so well. I like to occasionally reward my child, but don't make it a habit to buy him everything he asks for, hence my rant about the toy. So my son, being a typical 6 y.o., got a little excited and danced a jig around the little doughnut display. It lasted all of 10 seconds, but another lady approached my son and told him that he needed to behave. My son looked up at me quizzically, like, "what did I do wrong?". She then bent down into my sons face and told him that he shouldn't be "dancing all over the store", and that he "better mind his mommy". I was floored! I took my son by the hand and led him away .... telling him that he was fine, and he didn't do anything wrong. My question is, why do "strangers" find it o.k. to "parent" my child? This has happened quite a few times, and I am sick of it. I am not so deluded that I think my child is perfect, but he is very well behaved. I can't seem to win. I am either too nice, or too mean. I don't think I am either .... I happen to believe I am a good and fair mom. But I am also left feeling insulted that they offer this unsolicited advice. Why do people do this? I would never dream of approaching another parent and telling them what to do. Maybe someone can offer advice on how to respond to these rude people. No flames, please.

Received Sunday, July 8, 2007/Rant
Last week the one year old I nanny for and I went to Starbucks to buy a cookie (a rare treat, have permission). While paying I put the boy on the counter and held onto him, gave the cashier the money and picked the boy back up. We then did the same thing at the napkin counter.A lady came up to me and said "If I tell you something will you not get mad?" I was confused and said "Ok". Then she went on to scold me how I shouldn't put the boy up like that because he could end up in the emergency room.I had no idea how to comment and was shocked at her nerve! He wasn't up there that long and I never left him. I always had a strong grip on his torso, and was literally standing right in front of him. I just told her "thank you" and left. I had no idea what else to say (although I was tempted to remind her that she left her children unattended to tell me this!), and also thought she came up to me because it's obvious I'm his nanny (I'm AA and he's a PALE white baby :).My question is how do you handle when other people try to give you "advice"?

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Frustrated Nanny Seeks Encouragement...

Received Sunday, July 8, 2007/Perspective & Opinion
I've been a frequent reader to this site for quite some time, and I've even posted to it a couple of times. I was (if any of you remember) the nanny who got a re-gifted projection alarm clock for Christmas from the (then) live in family. Anyways, here's my (frustrating) situation:I've been caring for children- well, honestly- since I was a young teen. I have always known that caring for children was my passion; perhaps it stemmed from being the caretaker (as a kid) to my sister who was unfortunate to have several physical problems as well as moderate mental retardation. I've been caring for other's children for quite a while, and I've become GREAT at it. I even took care of my goddaughter from birth to age two, and her brother when he was born less than a year after him. Anyways.. I'm well experienced. I'm currently living in the DE region because I would rather be close to my goddaughter and to the majority of my family (including my sister). However, it seems that people here in DE are unsympathetic to the nanny profession; and more specifically to people who don't have a vehicle of their own. I do not have a car (at the time), although I intend to get one as soon as I possibly can (and have a little bit of money saved up for that purpose)... but all of the positions I've applied for (in the nanny field) all get back to me with the same line "I'm sorry, we're currently looking to hire someone who will be reliable with their own transportation" What ever happened to giving someone a break?! I moved to PA to accept a live in position with a family who provided a car for me to use on and off the job. This was great, except for the family not being the best family to work for. (I won't get into details there, but trust me when I say that friends and family members were telling me to get out, as much as I wanted to say for the kids' sake) I called for a meeting with the parents on four separate occasions to try and work out the issues professionally, but nothing was solved. They refused to make the necessary steps for me to be able to provide the children with safe and efficient care that they needed and deserved. I had to leave. I miss those kids. But, as any nanny knows, that's par for the course. I still keep in touch with the previous families I've worked for (for the most part) and we still have an amicable relationship, but I know that the most recent family and I will not have further contact and sometimes I continue to question leaving them.. but that's another (long) story! So, now I am back in Delaware, and on the hunt again for a great family; they are around, I know it, but they will not offer a position to me because of something as silly as not having a vehicle. I understand some family's' needs are different from others and some positions DO require the use of a nanny's personal car... but would it be fair for a person to be denied a position in the major work force just because they don't have a car of their own (YET)? Live in jobs would make sense. But I am having the worst job-searching luck... Jobs that pay 300/week for a 45-50 hour week with the kind of experience I have isn't acceptable. Plus, as my recommendations would go to assure, I am great at my job. With all that having been said, this is so discouraging. I guess I was just looking to "vent" in a safe place, and maybe some people can provide me with the encouragement I'm needing right now to not give up on something I've loved doing and I'm great at. Let the advice roll! Thanks for letting me vent,
-Frustrated Nanny
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Saturday

Robert Bendheim Playground in NYC

Received Saturday, July 7, 2007
"Stop your crying."
"Stop crying, I can't take it."
"I have had enough of you."
"I just can't take you today."
All said by one white nanny to her little child at Bendheim PG late this morning. The nanny wore cut off denim shorts and a white life is good t-shirt in a blue color. The little girl was wearing a pink skirt/skort and a pale pink t-shirt. The little girl was about 3, had brown eyes and dark hair with a headband. The nanny had brown/blonde hair. When the child finally stopped crying, she sat next to nanny and the two of them shared a bottle of water and ate very long slim Jims. I buy Slim Jims for my dog. Besides that fact, your nanny needs to speak to your child in a nicer way. The way she carried on did not help the child to calm down any faster. I don't know why she was crying. She was crying when I arrived. No stroller in or around them.