Parents blamed the babysitter for their toddler’s nightly meltdowns. One night, she waited outside and heard something strange on the baby monitor
She doubted her skills until the baby monitor exposed their secret
A certain level of trust between parents and babysitters is always appreciated. However, a 21-year-old babysitter (u/developmentno1348) was not shown the same courtesy by the 'Smiths,' her clients, who also happened to be first-time parents of an 18-month-old baby. Well, the babysitter had been professionally looking after kids in their parents' absence for two years before the Smiths hired her. However, every time she put their daughter to sleep, she would wake up hysterically crying exactly 30 minutes later. The first few times, the babysitter couldn't understand the baby's weird behavior until the baby monitor in her room revealed her parents' little secret. The post, shared on August 28, 2026, has received 4,000 upvotes on Reddit.
AITAH for dropping the family I've babyset for, because the parents set me up for failure?
by u/DevelopmentNo1348 in AITAH
'She needs our aura'
Even before hiring the babysitter, the Smiths had warned her about their daughter's peculiar nature. They told her that their baby can't sleep when they're not around. "The weird thing then was that they said it was because 'she needs our aura,'" the author said. Although she initially ignored their warning, the babysitter started noticing a strange pattern in the baby's behavior — exactly 30 minutes after putting her to sleep, she would wake up crying. "I would then change her, soothe her, and put her back to bed — only for the cycle to repeat again," the author added. For almost a year, the babysitter couldn't figure out what bothered the baby. Meanwhile, the Smiths told her they would fire her and find someone else for their daughter. The author felt incompetent and doubted her skills.
The bedtime blowup
One night, after the author put the baby to bed, she sat in the hallway instead of moving downstairs. Half an hour later, she heard the parents' voices on the baby monitor. "They were telling her how much they missed her and that they'd be home soon to cuddle her," the babysitter recalled. That was all the baby needed to hear, as she burst out crying. Not risking it a second time, the babysitter took her downstairs and laid her in the playpen. There, the baby slept soundly without disruption. When the Smiths came home at 1 a.m., they were furious that their daughter was made to sleep in a "dirty, not ventilated, no AC living room." Instead of saying sorry, the author got the last word. She accused them of being ''horrible parents'' for distressing their infant and disrupting her sleep, just because they felt they had to talk to her. In fact, the author left their home without her payment.
Finding a good babysitter
Finding a good babysitter is a challenge for many parents. A Care.Com Babysitter Survey found that 89% of parents had trouble finding a good sitter, which led to cancelation of plans. Parents also revealed that they checked their sitter's background (26%), experience (24%), certifications (23%), availability (15%), and reviews (13%) before hiring them.
Similarly, another poll conducted by C.S. Mott Children's Hospital found that parents of 3-year-olds have several fears while leaving their children with babysitters. The main fear was their child choking (16%), followed by a head injury (12%), and poisoning (4%). They were also afraid the sitter would be unprepared for a child of that age (16%). The author worked as a babysitter for two years. She had the experience, but the parents still felt the need to 'check' on their baby, which ultimately disrupted the very sleep of their baby they were trying to protect.
'They're sabotaging their child'
Meanwhile, people in the comment section were appalled that the parents did that to their baby girl. For instance, u/calacmack wrote, "You should have quit the moment they told you they would be looking for someone else." u/agarrabrant advised, "Spread around town that they don't pay."
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