Saturday

CL - WTF?

Photobucket Saturday, January 24, 2009
.... What?!

1) Wet Nurse (Linden)
Hi, I am a professional,single mom who is having a baby in April. I want to breast feed him, but I have to work. If you have a young infant and breast feed,I will pay you to feed my infant as well. I plan to do some feeding and pumping also. I understand that I will either need to bottle feed part of the time or find a very special mom to help me. If you are an imigrant or need housing, I may be able to help you with that as well. Pay to be determined My phone number is 908-487-**** and my name is Kimberly
Original URL: http://newjersey.craigslist.org/dmg/1002417805.html
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Special Thanks to: northjerseynanny, SFClaire, MissDee, CraigsListCrusader, northjerseynannysaysyikes, Renee and several Anonymous Contributors! All of you have done an awesome job once again! Remember: CL-WTF will be Posted every Saturday... please send next weeks Ads HERE.

TO READ THE REST OF THIS WEEKS SUBMISSIONS: PLEASE CLICK HERE!

62 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow. Ok, is it me or am I noticing a trend here? Several of the Ads that are paying low wages are offering perks like taking a nap and watching t.v.? And they're being gilded with such come-on's as "easy money" or "full fridge"? I guess they are afraid no one will take the job with such low pay, but here's the problem: as soon as the parent starts lowering their standards, so does the caretaker.

Sad. Just sad.

Anonymous said...

Would you hire this guy to watch your kids?!!

Anonymous said...

These posts absolutely blow my mind! Isn't it heartwarming, how some people are "generous" enough to pay $80 for a 60-hour work week? I wish that they would halt for a second and imagine being paid a dollar an hour themselves.

Anonymous said...

"Somebody to Thrust"
Ha!
She should hook up with that dad who's looking for a nanny+companionship.

Unknown said...

um...in reference to 'scary' if he had good references, yes i would. this is 2009 and there is NOTHING wrong with a man babysitting.

i'm not sure whether you were being racist or sexist...but either way....stop it and grow up.

Anonymous said...

@harmonysmommy:
I'm gonna go with BOTH.

Anonymous said...

scary,
I wouldn't hire him for my kids but I'd take him to the Notel Motel and do him nice and dirty.

Anonymous said...

Philly Nanny- I think that she mean "Somebody to TRUST." It was just a typo. A funny typo, but a typo nonetheless.

In regard to the rest of the Craigslist ads-- hilarious! Great post this week. It's not any less scary each week when people are willing to leave their kids with strangers, but there were a lot of crazy posts with insane demands this week!

Made my Saturday!

Anonymous said...

These ads are incredible. Is this a sign of being in a depression? Geezus, women, now is the time to stay home with your children!

Anonymous said...

Don't let this happen to you! They can't take advantage of you unless you let them!

Anonymous said...

Hey Angelina, your link ain't working!

Anonymous said...

Good grief - Ad #14, good luck to whomever decides to try out for that job! That family is acting like their nanny died! No one will EVER measure up to their "precious nanny". What wackos!

Anonymous said...

LMAO! I went on CL to see if I could find some good ads and ran across this one, it was posted yesterday and it's in reference to # 24:

RE: need a 1st shift nanny asap!!! (Naperville) (out-of-your-mindville)

Anonymous said...

All of these posts are absolutely absurd! Most of these people are completely uneducated in the "Nanny Business." Having been a nanny now for 2 years I will accept no lower than $2500/month for 2 kids. The piddly $80-$200/week just isn't going to cut it. I was literally laughing out loud the entire time I was reading through these.

And seriously, YOU WANT SOMEONE ELSE TO BREASTFEED YOUR BABY?!?! Maybe that was acceptable in the year 1850 if you were royalty, but it's completely disturbing to hear of you wanting it NOW in the year 2009!

Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

I'm almost okay with the wet nurse thing (although I don't think Craig's list is the best place to try to find someone). It's just with all the formula scares lately I would definitely not get formula for my baby (I breastfeed and stay home and am able to take care of all my duaghter's needs that way).

Anyway, these ads are always fun to read.

Anonymous said...

Oh and who think that living in with a family is substitute for getting paid?? That woman cracked me up. I sure wouldn't want to work for someone and not get paid. The lady acts as if rent is the only person's monetary need. What about all the other little things in life that a person needs money for? Car, phone, food, clothes, etc.

Anonymous said...

not me -
OR: getting a small stipend including room & board BUT they want you at their beck & call 24/7 for it! I would never be a live in, too much of a commitment.

Anonymous said...

All of these posts are absolutely absurd! Most of these people are completely uneducated in the "Nanny Business." Having been a nanny now for 2 years I will accept no lower than $2500/month for 2 kids. The piddly $80-$200/week just isn't going to cut it. I was literally laughing out loud the entire time I was reading through these.

And seriously, YOU WANT SOMEONE ELSE TO BREASTFEED YOUR BABY?!?! Maybe that was acceptable in the year 1850 if you were royalty, but it's completely disturbing to hear of you wanting it NOW in the year 2009!

Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous.

Anonymous said...

Honestly, as long as the mother performs thorough background and medical checks, I see nothing wrong with hiring a wet nurse.

Anonymous said...

I am a wet nurse, it is a wonderful service to be able to provide. In fact, there seems to be a growing interest in the idea which is a good thing IMO.

Anonymous said...

Being a wet nurse is so very rare it must command a very large salary, yes? Please Hannah, tell us how much you make, we'd love to know. It would be the most interesting topic of this thread!

Anonymous said...

WOW, yes Hannah, please share with us because I had just assumed that it was a dead profession. Now my interest is peaked, though personally I don't think I could be on either side of the transaction. Intriguing.

Anonymous said...

For real, Hannah? I'm curious, too! Although aside from Honest Nanny saying she thought it was a dead profession... I actually heard that it was making a comeback.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if you're seriously asking me or if you're just poking fun at me, but yes I am a wet nurse. I could charge for it but so far I haven't. I was approached by my midwife three years ago as I was weaning my then-2-year-old. I've continued lactating since then and love being able to provide the best possible nourishment to babies whose mothers are unable to. I've only worked with hardship situations, not with wealthy mothers, so I can't say what kind of payment you might expect. If you worked with a midwife or even a doula you might ask her if she has any connections in this area... you'd be surprised, it really isn't that rare, it's just not openly discussed much because of some attitudes we encounter. :)

Anonymous said...

That is fascinating, Hannah, thank you for sharing. I hope nobody will make a joke of this.
Yes, it is uncommon and not something people talk about, but all the same, very intriguing! I would bet that you could be paid very handsomely. It is admirable what you're doing, but wouldn't you like to earn an income for it?

Anonymous said...

You know, I read somewhere that women who adopt and want to feel closer to that child and don't want to miss out on the special bond that develops from BF, can take some kind of medicine that will stimulate lactation and allow for milk to flow! How neat is that?

Anonymous said...

thanks for sharing Hannah!

BF to me is such an intimate thing that I've always thought it "strange" that women would feel comfortable allowing someone else to do this for her.

"to each his own." not something for me, but i'm definitely more educated now on the topic. and i do find it admirable, Hannah, that you do this for "hardship" cases for free. you obviously have a mother's nurturing heart.

Anonymous said...

Hannah,

I was under the impression that the nutritional value of a woman's milk changes as time goes on--that of mother who's just given birth is very different than that of a woman with a 6 month old. Is this true? Do moms who use a wet nurse have to take this kind of stuff into consideration? I knew 2 women who co-nursed their babies (both babies feed w/both women), but their children were the same age.

Also, as a wet nurse did you supply all of the milk for the child you were nursing, or just while the mom was working/away/whatever?

This is really interesting to me so if you find the time to answer, Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Well, wouldn't want to monopolize these comments which are about the CL WTF entries but to answer your question about being paid, Jada, I wouldn't mind but so far it just isn't something I've wanted to get into.

Some mothers are dealing with some health issues and are on prescriptions which are not compatible with breastfeeding.

There are other situations where the mother is separated from the baby upon birth and foster care is required, but the pediatrician has prescribed breast milk and a milk bank isn't feasible.

I guess if I were involved in a non-hardship case I would consider charging for my services, it would probably be fairly lucrative.

Anonymous said...

Philly Nanny -- yes, I cannot provide colostrum and my milk is quite different than a new mother's milk but still far preferable to formula for the most part.

Although different ages have different needs and the birth mother's milk adjusts accordingly, it is rare that artificial milk is a better match than human milk for a human baby.

There were only two cases where I provided the baby's exclusive feeding needs, and for those babies I pumped milk in addition to breastfeeding directly.

In other cases, my milk was supplemented by a milk bank, or by the mother herself, or by formula. Depending upon the circumstances, I will breastfeed the baby but that's not usually the primary means of me providing my milk for the baby. Sometimes the birth mother has a say in it and would prefer my milk be pumped, sometimes the foster mother's schedule and my own schedule won't allow me to have time with the baby each day, things like that... each case is unique.

Hope that answers your questions and I apologize to those trying to read this thread about the craigslist entries only to be interrupted by my posts. :)

MaryPoppin'Pills said...

Hannah
The Featured Post for this weeks CL is about a Wet Nurse. You are not derailing the thread!
:)

Anonymous said...

Oh, OK, thank you Marypoppin'pills.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing, Hannah!

Anonymous said...

What I also find disturbing about many of these posts is how little some parents expect for their kids. "Just feed them and change their diapers'. Really? That's all you want? Yikes!

Also, one said, 'refill!' the bottle. I really hope this person is not just refilling her child's milk bottle. Yuck!

Andria Lisle said...

there's a great article in this week's New Yorker about the politics of breast feeding -- it's up for free for awhile, but they'll probably put it in the archives in a week or so: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/19/090119fa_fact_lepore

chrissyma said...

Whoever said something about the formula scares; I am not a parent but I understand the fear. However, finding a wet nurse through craigslist is probably a bit more dangerous than, I dunno, feeding your child formula from an unmarked can on the corner.

Andria Lisle said...

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/01/19/090119fa_fact_lepore

(for some reason, my last post cut off the rest of the link)

Andria Lisle said...

uggh did it again.

just go to www.newyorker.com

scroll down below the barack obama section, and below the snowman video.

then look at the left column, 4th item down: Maternity Dept. The story is by Jill Lepore. it's 5 pages long, but a pretty fascinating history about the politics of breast milk vs formula. I read it and I don't even have kids! (but hey, I read this blog, too!)

Anonymous said...

Here's the Article Andria was trying to Post. Just click above to get a direct the link to the Story.

Thanks, Andria!

~ MPP

Anonymous said...

I cannot believe the amount of broke people that think they deserve a nanny! I can say that, cuz I'm very low income, but wow, I know I cannot afford a nanny and I would never post to find one for the petty pay that people offer! CRAZY... Maybe someone can write a guest post on ISYN regarding Nannies vs daycares, and pricing, and having reasonable expectations and we can all cut and paste it into our local CL!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
CatLadee said...

Ok, we get it. There are bad parents out there who hire people to watch their kids that day and are potentially letting dangerous people into their homes. How many of these ads do we need to see each week? I don't even read them anymore.

Anonymous said...

Uh, then why take the time to comment on them?

CatLadee said...

Because maybe there will be less of them. How is she supposed to know if no one tells her? Okay, smart ass?

nannypro said...

Catladee, it's great that we're able to analyze the irresponsible, weird, exploitative, etc childcare cases out there. They are all relevant to this blogspot. If you're not interested you can choose to not read them. This particular section is about the crazy listings on CL, hence the title, and obviously there are those who find it of interest. Navigate elsewhere if you've had enough, you make it sound like you're forced to read them. Empower yourself!

CatLadee said...

Excuse me for voicing an opinion. As a matter of fact I don't read those ads, I skip them to read the ones that I find interesting. And nobody commented on those ads this week. Are they losing their appeal? Do you run this website nannypro? If not, don't tell me what I can read and what I can't. You seem to want to run people off that differ from your opinion.

nannypro said...

Um, did you just not comprehend what I'd said? First you attacked nycnanny for stating the obvious, now you attack me...get your head sorted out. There's no need to be so defensive.

Anonymous said...

You go, Nanny Pro! LOL

Thanks!

It's so very easy. If you like CL, read it. If ya don't, skip over it. Quitcher complaining!

Anonymous said...

missdee loves CL. It's not the same w/o her. Where are you, girl? We miss you!

CatLadee said...
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CatLadee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CatLadee said...

God, you guys are real bitches. WTF?

Anonymous said...

This whole thing is disgusting! If I am lactating where does my child fit in in all of this? It reminds me of "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" where the psycho nanny is breastfeeding her charge and the mom can't figure out why he won't take the breast from her. Creepy! My breast milk is for MY children, as is yours is for yours. BLECH!!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Cat
I think I'd understand your defensiveness if any of the others had called you names, but what they did was question your actions, that's all. I saw no one curse at you or call you any names... but you definitely did.

To each his own, for sure, but we should stop with the name-calling. That's not cool.

And BTW, I like "new people", so welcome to the blog!

Jane Doe said...

I have heard from many people that they enjoy the ads. We have lots of people send us ads they find and Mary Poppinz spends a good amount of time putting it together for everyone to read. Having said that, if you don't enjoy reading the ads, don't leave the front page. MPP only posts the first of the ads on the front page, so they take up very little blog space.

Anonymous said...

I just hope that Catladee has called the police on that weirdo who keeps pointing the gun at her head and forcing her to read each and every section of this blog, and then post about how boring she finds it.

Anonymous said...

hahahahaha... wow!

you know CatLadee, I totally got bored reading through all of them as well...

SO I SKIPPED THE REST OF THEM!

that's all these ladies are recommending for next week. you can scan them or skip them, it's easy!

so much DRAMA over such a little thing.

nannypro said...

Ha ha, that was hilarious! Must be the same weirdo who makes me read celebslam week after week.

Anonymous said...

I love reading the CL ads!! So keep posting them!!! :)

Anonymous said...

Ditto! I love CL-WTF?

Anonymous said...

ladykej said: "Creepy! My breast milk is for MY children, as is yours is for yours. BLECH!!!"

***********************************

But COW lactation is for EVERYONE, right?

@@

Anonymous said...

ladykej, if you are lactating, then you have no need for a wet nurse.

Please educate yourself instead of spreading ignorance.