At Little Crown Interiors, one of the items we are often asked for when designing a nursery or children’s room is a nanny cam. It’s a must-have item for many Moms, but figuring out the right solution (and, of course, what’s going to look good in the nursery design!), is often a daunting task. So, we’ve done a little homework and wanted to share our thoughts as a resource for the Project Nursery community. And, we would really love to hear your thoughts too – so please post your comments!
In order to get to the bottom of this particular nursery design item, we called on an expert: Sal Marino of www.SecureNannyCam.com which is a great resource for all things nanny cam. We posed a few questions to this nanny cam expert, and here’s what he had to say…
Little Crown Interiors: “What’s the most popular camera on your site?”
Secure Nanny Cam: “Our most popular models of nanny cams are the cameras which have an internal DVR so that the user can simply take the SD card, (a popular camera card), insert it into an SD receptor that is common on computers and printers and download what the camera captured. The most popular are alarm clocks and air purifier units that both function as such items as well as nanny cams.”
Little Crown Interiors: “What’s your top advice when looking for a nanny cam?”
Secure Nanny Cam: “Many people are confused on which nanny cams to buy… Some people do not understand between wired nanny cameras and wireless nanny cameras. They believe it has to do with a 110v power supply. In fact, all cameras require 110v power supply. Wired versus wireless means whether or not the camera is wired to the recorder or not. As such, it is easiest for most people to simply take the SD card with the internal DVR units. Also, it is nice to have a nanny cam that is motion activated. This means that it only takes footage when there is motion in the room. That way, you do not need to watch hours of nothing. In summary, I would buy a disguised unit such as an air purifier or clock with DVR and SD card.”
As a nice little bonus for readers, Secure Nanny Cam provides email and video support and a free SD card for purchases from their site! And, here’s one more really great article about how to choose nanny cams.
And, as nursery and children’s room designers, here’s one very important tip that we’ve learned along the way: the idea of watching your baby from your workplace via an internet connection is appealing, but be sure you call your internet service provider (ISP) before you purchase a system. We aren’t geeky enough to understand the logistics involved, but we have had two families try to install web based nanny cams, only to return them because they couldn’t get the ISP to cooperate (at least not for a reasonable monthly fee).
So, our Project Nursery reader – what are your thoughts? Have you purchased a nanny cam, and what was your experience? We know the Moms reading this post would love to hear your advice, so post your comments now!
Comments
Melisa
Great post! I am curious as to what other mom’s think of nanny cams too. I did not use one with my first but I know parents who have and have seen some pretty bad things.
Children Vouchers
Yes, many office-going mums like me would appreciate nancy cam users if they come up with pros and cons of fixing such gadgets at home.
Amity
I have a friend who had a sad experience of a negligent nanny. She installed a spycam and saw with her own eyes how her kids were being abused by the babysitter. Thank goodness for nanny cams. And these are great designs, especially now that babysitters know that they could be watched, it’s nice to have it hidden as discreetly as possible.
Formo
Hidden cameras in the nursery and in certain other rooms in the house is really important when you have little ones. It puts your heart to rest when you’re out of the house and are trusting them to strangers. I cannot stress enough the advantage of cameras, especially in this day and age.
johnvictor
If I find a nanny cam that I was not informed of, I will immediately terminate a position. As in call the parents, inform them they need to come home and quit on the spot.
I am not alright with being recorded without my knowledge in someone’s home. It is not a public place and there is an expectation of privacy. If the family can not respect me enough to tell me they are videotaping my every move, I do not feel I owe them much either.