10 Times Babysitting Turned Into a Real-Life Nightmare

Babysitting might sound like a simple job—keep the kids safe, follow the routine, and maybe sneak in a little quiet time once they’re asleep. But for these nannies, the day took a sharp turn into the unexpected. What seemed like a normal shift quickly unraveled into chaos, confusion, and moments they’ll never forget. Some of the experiences are strange, others unsettling, and a few border on unbelievable.

• "I once babysat for a family and the parents basically underpaid me to tutor their children in math (and at 8 and 10, their kids were freakishly smart, and I could hardly help them at 18). The parents were BOTH home while I "babysat".
  The daughter started to goof off for a minute and asked if I could braid her hair like I had braided mine. When I did, the dad came in, yelled at us, mostly me, because it was time for studying, and this was not a "beauty shop". It was so uncomfortable." naptime03 / Reddit

• "The parents were bodybuilders and had a daughter. This kid would lose her mind unless I consistently feed her cheese. I would usually try and distract her with any other snack, but she would only eat cheese. The parents encouraged me to give her all the cheese she wants ("she's going through that stage where she only eats cheese").
  I was seriously concerned for this kid's health. For 2 years, I only ever saw her eat cheese. She was constipated almost every time I babysat. One time I ended up feeding her an entire block of cheese in 2 hours and refused to babysit for them after that." norberthp / Reddit

• I had just started babysitting a 6 y.o. girl. She kept saying her dad and her old nanny had a loud fight — and then the nanny "disappeared." "I have her purse in my closet," she whispered. Terrified, I opened the closet and froze: inside was a small handbag. It looked gently used, a little dusty but nothing alarming. I asked her where it came from. She said, "She left it when she moved out. Daddy said she didn’t want it anymore."
  Later that evening, I mentioned it to her dad in passing. He explained that their former nanny quit suddenly after a disagreement, and they hadn’t heard from her since.

• "For an entire summer, I babysat these kids. There were two of them, one was special needs. The parents worked really weird shifts, so I had to be there at 5am, and I wasn't done until 7pm. Since I would ride my bike there, they insisted I come over at night instead of needing to wake up so early. I didn't want to, but they demanded it.
  After I had been babysitting these kids for the entire summer, the mom pays me (not a problem, we had agreed she could pay at the end of the summer). So we sit down and she starts counting out my pay. $200 for an entire summer, she deducted from the 1200 rent, food, and all the crafting supplies that the kids already had in the house. I was livid and never babysat again after that." bachooka / Reddit

• "This kid called her dad at work, claiming I was being very rude to her (trying to get her to eat her dinner). Father tells me to "do whatever she wants" and to make sure "she never calls me again unless it's an emergency." After I hung up, the kid said "hah-HAH!" with a giant smile on her face." ebaumsresponse / Reddit

• I was babysitting a 6-year-old boy. Over time, I noticed he was becoming pale and losing weight. One day, I saw bruises on his arms and legs. Worried, I spoke to his mom — and her response shook me to the core.
  It turned out she was a single mom working two jobs, barely making ends meet, and completely overwhelmed. The bruises were from the boy roughhousing at daycare, and the weight loss was due to a recent dietary allergy they were still figuring out.
  She broke down crying, saying she was doing her best but felt like she was constantly failing. I offered to help however I could — even small things like prepping meals or just being someone she could talk to.

• "I used to babysit these 4 kids aged 2, 4, 5 and 8. Trying to keep multiple kids occupied at once is exhausting and extremely difficult. They all want to do different things at once, and they all want you to play with them.
  The oldest is spoiled and will refuse to allow you to play with the other kids first. The other kids won't hesitate to scream if you don't help them build their Lego houses. They all scream. They all run around, full of energy, no matter what time.
  None of them ever want to go to bed without a fight. It's hell. I'm never babysitting again." JustAnotherLondoner / Reddit

• "I was babysitting three-year-old triplets. They were alright during the day while I kept them entertained. But when I put them to bed, and settled down for a movie, they snuck out of their room, and painted the walls with ketchup. It was a disaster to clean up." badAballerina / Reddit

• "In 8th grade I was 13 and babysat some neighbors' kids after school every day, ages 8 and 6, both boys. One day, one of them wanted to go down the street to a friend's house, which his mother had told me not to let him do. He argued that mom wasn't there, so what did it matter?
  The kid would NOT give up..."Why? Whyyyy can't I go to Jimmy's?" I finally yelled, "Because I said so!" Suddenly, at 13, I understood my parents way more than I wanted to." BWSnap / Reddit

• "I was watching 3 kids at the time, one girl and two boys. We were all playing a game and I turned around for just a second, and when I turned back, the youngest boy (5 years old) was gone. Found him in the living room trying to take all of the framed pictures off of the walls." heh88 / Reddit

"My two-year-old daughter called me up to her room. 'Mummy, Daddy is watching me go to sleep,' she said. But he wasn’t—he was downstairs. When I told her that, she calmly replied, 'No… pretend Daddy.' Then she pointed to her wardrobe and..." Click here to find out what happened next.