They’re the it accessory of almost every celebrity family: The trusted nanny! Whether seen playing at the local park or out for a stroll with our favorite tots of the rich and famous, the celebrity nanny is sure to be captured by the keen lenses of the paparazzi.
Westside Nannies is the premiere placement nanny agency in Los Angeles and is well-known for placing nannies with celebrity families. Whether celebrities are seeking a full-time nanny, family travel companion, or trustworthy babysitter, this nanny agency is renowned for meeting the needs of celebrity clients. Celebrity Baby Scoop sat down with owner, Katie Vaughan, to ask some of our burning questions.
CBS: Are you able to tell us some of the famous families you’ve worked with?
“While we are unable to disclose the names of clients, we are known for working with high profile and celebrity families who demand the best both in terms of service and the nannies they hire.”
CBS: Can you give us the inside scoop on any of the famous families you’ve worked with? Any crazy demands?
“We are known for catering to all of our clients’ needs, and at times, those needs can be out of the ordinary! For example, one busy celebrity asked us to schedule nanny interviews for her at 2 a.m., 3 a.m., and 4 a.m. – it was the only time she had available! Another client asked for a governess who spoke French and had a professional ballet background – we found them the perfect danseuse (Ballerina in French).”
CBS: Give us an idea of what it’s like working with most celebrity families. How many hours per day are the nannies needed? Do the nannies ever do any overnight or holiday coverage?
“With rare exception, working for a celebrity family means that you are on-call 24/7. Celebrity nannies must be completely flexible and able to travel at the drop of a hat (sometimes up to months at a time). For our celebrity clients, we look for nannies with experience, excellent references, a willingness to work, and an attitude of service. Nannies who feel entitled do not last long in this business. It is the ‘I’m here and ready to help’ attitude that separates celebrity nannies from the rest.”
CBS: Have any of your nannies been wet nurses for any of the celeb families?
“No. Many of our clients either breastfeed or use formula, and our nannies are very well versed in the process of freezing and re-heating mom’s breast milk or preparing a formula-bottle for the infants in their care.”
CBS: Would you say most celebrity families are highly involved with the nannies?
“Although celebrity life looks like a piece of cake, our celebrity clients work extremely long hours (up to several months at a time) while working on a project. During such times, our clients will make themselves as available as possible to their children by waking up extra early, asking their nanny to bring their children to the site of their project for a daily visit, or staying up late at night to catch up with their children about their day.
They also often request updates from their nanny via text, email, or phone call throughout the day to check in on the kids. During a local or ‘regular’ project, many of our celebrity clients are like any other working parent – they are out of the door early in the morning and are home by dinnertime to spend a quiet evening with their family.
Whatever the celebrity’s schedule, we see that being a parent is extremely important to our clients, and that is one of the primary reasons they call us looking for the best nannies available.”
CBS: In your opinion, are most children of celebrities spoiled?
“We have found that most of our celebrity clients make a concerted effort to give their children as ‘normal’ a childhood as possible. Even though a celebrity household may consist of a team of housekeepers and nannies, many of our clients have their children ‘pitch in’ by assigning chores such as making their own beds, clearing dishes from the table, and picking up after themselves.
Nonetheless, the realities of celebrity life exist; celebrity children are known to own more expensive, designer clothing than most adults, and often, celebrity children will have spent more time on an airplane by the age of 5 than the average person spends in a lifetime!”
CBS: Please give any other details of celebrities and their nannies.
“The relationship between a celebrity and their nanny is often the same as the relationship between any parent and his or her nanny – they want the best care for their children, and treat their nanny with as much respect and love as any other family. While the added perks of private jet travel and designer handbags as birthday gifts may draw a nanny into a celebrity position, it must also be remembered that the demands of a celebrity nanny job are not always easy to fill. In the end, our goal as an agency is to make a perfect match between a nanny and a family, regardless of their fame, wealth, or status.”
I was a nanny for a “high-profile” couple for three years because they are family friends. It was hard work. I did everything for the children when mommy and daddy both had to work, but went down to just pick-up from school through dinnertime when they were on a more “regular” schedule. The hardest part was when the children were sick and only wanted mommy & daddy, but they were at work. In my particular situation, the parents were awesome and truly cared about their children more than anything. Daddy flew in from NYC on a red-eye (when he usually flew private) to be home with his sick kids. It gave me even more respect for them than I had previously.
For those who are going to ask – yes, the “perks” were nice. For my birthday I got a “bonus” of $5,000 plus a burberry bag with matching wallet. But for me personally, the children growing to love and trust me, the parents entrusting me with their most prized possesions, and the way we all became family – was the best perk of all. And we still are family. I am now married with a baby of my own, but when they need me – they fly me AND my daughter out so they can do emergency business things, etc. They’re awesome parents and its sad because in the press – they’re painted as bad parents BECAUSE they have nannies.
Amy,
I think it’s great you wrote in about your own experience — to tell you the truth, your firsthand experience was more interesting than the interview.
Don’t know why a celeb would be criticized for having a nanny though. Even in the “real world” people have nannies for God’s sake. Could you elaborate on that comment? It’s not like a HOllywood family can use daycare as an alternative.
I think I would like to be a nanny to a “high profile couple” someday. I think it would be hard work but I am up for the challenge. I’ve always worked with mothers and babies and I love it! I want to be a nanny for the experience…aside from doing what I really love, I think it’s going to be fun and exciting!
That’s a nice story, but the last sentence puzzles me. From what I can glean from this site and others like it, it’s the exception for a celeb family NOT to have a nanny. Sure, they may not necessarily use the nanny 24/7, but it’s only common sense that they would employ the services of a nanny. Celebs work crazy hours, travel and have the cash flow to hire as much help as they need.
Therefore, I can’t see why the press would take one couple to task for simply having a nanny. That makes no sense. Unless of course, the nanny is raising the kids.
I’ve worked as a nanny for two different celebrity families in NYC. Not once was I expected to be “on call 24/7.” Both houses I worked in had an army of nannies (day, night, weekend…) and everyone’s schedules were fairly spaced out. Traveling was rotated between nannies giving everyone a chance to have a much needed break. Any nanny that agrees to be on call 24/7 is crazy.
If they’re compensated well, it’s probably well worth it to them.
I made six figures a year working for both families and was never on call 24/7.
Good point!
I still don’t understand why some celebrities bring their nannies with them to the park or the store. With one or two kids… can they really not handle that?
I often see celebs like Jen Garner or Naomi Watts hitting the park or doing errands like a normal family. They use nannies of course, but the mundane errands or spending one on one time with their kids at the park is usually without nannies.
When you’re Heidi Klum or Angelina Jolie and have a bigger family, it’s a different story. Jen and Naomi only have 2 kids each. Obviously they can do the playground thing without help and it’s pretty clear that they enjoy that “alone time” with their kids anyway.
I think for some families, since the nanny is around so often, they become part of the family so it’s not strange for them to go places with the families like the park or on a shopping trip.
I just wanted to thank CBS for the great interview and the ex nannies of celebrities who shared their stories and experiences. I highly enjoyed reading them!
This was a great idea for an article — Interesting topic with great potential, but there was nothing new or revelatory here. Nothing surprised me and I didn’t find anything that was said to be particularly informative.
I really liked the article, and the very cool blog
Which nanny agency represents the Jolie/Bitt family? Does anyone know? Thank you!
High Profile Nanny is a
discrete nanny agency that
provides high profile clients with
nannies. They are located on the east
coast.