12 Stories From Nannies Who Found Themselves Googling Retirement Plans

Every job comes with its surprises, but babysitting can really keep you on your toes. Looking after little ones can be full of surprises—and not just from the kids. Sometimes, it’s the adults—especially new parents—who add to the stress.

• I worked as a live-in nanny. One day, the mom came home way earlier than usual. “Come on, kids. We have to go now,” she said. An hour later, I got a text from her: “Be home in 20. Kids behaving?” My heart sank. Turns out, the kids were taken by her identical twin sister.
  Thankfully, they found the kids safely within two hours. She had taken them to a beach they used to go to. We’ve since added passwords for pickups.

• The parents had security cameras in every room. They told me it was “standard,” and I believed them at first. But I noticed they’d text me mid-shift with strange comments like, “Why did you give her the pink cup?” or “Don’t sing that song again.”
  They started sending daily reports correcting tiny things. One day I gently told their toddler, “It’s okay to be mad” after a tantrum. That night, I got an email from my dad saying I was “emotionally manipulating his child.” I gave notice the next day.

• I was asked to babysit my goddaughter while her parents went to meet-the-teacher night for her older brother’s kindergarten class. She was about a year old at the time.
  It was the first time I babysat, and she screamed the entire time. As soon as the door closed, she started freaking out. Since then, I’ve declined requests to babysit. © Chefbexter / Reddit

• I once babysat three children: two boys and a girl. The girl was the youngest and was supposed to go to bed an hour before the boys. I specifically asked the parents if that was going to be a problem, and they told me that is how it always is, and she’d be fine.
  When bedtime came, the girl protested, so I tried all kinds of things like telling her I’d tell her a great story or trying to make it into a game. Nothing was working, and she started crying. The two older boys completely turned on me, and all three of them became united against me. They told their sister that she didn’t have to go to bed.
  All three of them started running around the house and chanting, “Worst babysitter ever!” I don’t remember how the evening ended, but I do remember avoiding that family’s calls a bunch. © coughdrop01 / Reddit

• I babysat for this family for the first time ever, and the mother was walking me around the house, giving me instructions and showing me around. Then she stopped at the fridge and explained to me that when I sent her son to bed, I was to give him one hot dog out of the fridge.
  No heating it, no bun, just a cold soggy hot dog for her son to munch on in bed. Apparently, he ate one every night. © groceryenthusiast / Reddit

• They asked me to spoon-feed their 3-year-old. He was perfectly capable of eating by himself, yet they fed him like that until he was 5. © justmede123 / Reddit

• The parents were bodybuilders and had one daughter. I don’t even know what her name actually was because I heard them call her so many different things.
  Anyway, this kid would lose her mind unless I played cartoons on TV and consistently fed 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,” they said.
  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

• There was a mom who would only allow her kids to do art on Tuesdays. I never learned why it was only one day or why it was Tuesday. But she totally flipped out one day when we did it on the wrong day. © chickaboomba / Reddit

• The parents told me to give him warm milk in a baby bottle right after every dinner. He was a fully functional 10-year-old boy. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was babysitting for a single mom. The house was always messy, but I never complained. I knew the mom was doing her best.
  One day, I overheard her talking on the phone. I felt sick when she said, “This nanny is perfect. Once I report her for theft, we can sue. I’ve already planted the receipt in her bag.” I stood frozen, not sure what to do.
  I quietly grabbed my bag, checked it—and sure enough, there was a folded receipt from a local jewelry store. The one I’d never even been to. I snapped a photo of it and left immediately.
  Later that night, I messaged her saying I wouldn’t be returning, and that I knew what she’d planned. She never responded. The next day, she blocked me.

• I used to babysit for this couple that wanted me to just watch their child sleep through a camera while they were out. I felt creepy doing it. © Unknown author / Reddit

• The mom had me put her kids in their car seats and sit in the driveway with all the car doors open while she just hung out inside the house. 5 hours of me standing in the driveway watching them sit inside their car. Never returned. © ***ing*** / Reddit

If you’re up for more surprising and unforgettable stories from nannies who’ve seen it all, this article has plenty to offer. These real-life babysitting moments show just how unpredictable things can get when you’re the one watching the kids.