Raising children is no easy task, especially when you’re juggling a successful Hollywood career at the same time! That’s why many celebrities opt to hire a nanny to provide a little extra help around the house while they’re working. But despite a packed schedule, some of these famous parents have said no to having nannies in favor of taking care of their kids all by themselves.
From Eva Mendes to Reese Witherspoon, these stars all admitted that they skipped hiring help, even if that would have made life with their children a lot easier. Instead, they chose to do it alone so that they could spend as much quality time with their kids as possible.
Read on to hear what these celebs had to say about nannies…
1. Mila Kunis & Ashton Kutcher
When Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher welcomed their first child Wyatt, they agreed that they wouldn’t have a nanny until it was absolutely necessary. Ashton explained that they wanted to be “emotionally in touch” with the infant and felt the only way to do that was if they were the ones who were there.
Mila later confirmed Ashton’s statements, explaining that as a new mom she was “up every night” with the little girl while they figured each other out. And on top of that, Ashton was a huge help when it came to changing diapers and swaddling the baby. At the time, Mila was still a full-time mom but shared that when it got to a point that work was too overwhelming, she would be open to a nanny.
“When I go back to work full time and have to have 17-hour workdays, I’m gonna need somebody to come and help me because I can’t do both. But because I’m in a very specific place in my life where I could take time off, I did,” Mila said on “The Ellen Show.”
2. Eva Mendes & Ryan Gosling
After Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling welcomed their daughter Esmeralda in 2014, the couple decided to not hire a nanny. Eva explained that, at the time, she wanted to be a hands-on mom and care for her daughter herself. And after Eva and Ryan welcomed their daughter Amada, a source said that they still opted not to get a nanny.
“I’m a very hands-on mom; I don’t have a nanny. No matter how tired I am, I just do it,” Eva told InStyle in 2015.
When Cardi B was pregnant with her daughter Kulture, she figured that she would hire a babysitter when she returned to touring after giving birth. But when the little girl was born, Cardi and her husband Offset decided they wanted to go without outside help. And even several years into motherhood, Cardi says she still hasn’t gotten a nanny
“When I was pregnant, I was just like, ‘You know, I’m just going to get a babysitter, and she’s going to go on the road everywhere with me.’ And then once we had a baby, it’s like, your mindset changed. It’s like, ‘I don’t want to have a babysitter. I’m scared. I don’t want nobody taking my kid nowhere. I don’t want nobody touching my kid.’ Like, I can’t trust people,” Cardi told Apple Music’s “New Music Daily.”
Cardi and Offset have since welcomed their son Wave but it’s unknown whether they decided to hire some help.
4. Hilarie Burton & Jeffrey Dean Morgan
When Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s son was just a toddler, they shared that they didn’t have any help raising him. Jeffrey admitted that the little boy kept the working parents busy but it was completely worth it.
“It’s hard. Between the two of us, we’ve had our hands full. But we’ve managed to do it without any help. We have babysitters now and again, but we don’t have nannies. We wing it, man,” Jeffrey told People.
Back when Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony welcomed their twins Max and Emme, they decided to try to do it all themselves. At the time, Marc says they split up their responsibilities, with Jennifer taking the day time and Marc covering the night shift.
“It’s just us, man. We’re figuring it out and having a great time. She expects me to help and she makes no bones about it. I get the late shift. I get literally from 10 on because we don’t have a nanny. It’s just me and Jennifer figuring it out. From 10 p.m. to 8 [a.m.], that’s my shift,” Marc said on “The Billy Bush Show,” via People.
After the couple split, Jennifer admitted that she did hire a male nanny so that Max could have a “good guy who he can have fun with and discharge his energy with.”
In 2011, Jenna Fischer and her husband Lee Kirk welcomed their son Weston and, as a working mom, she says she had to figure out how to balance it all. Jenna explained that while many fans believe celebrities have a team of people managing their lives, it wasn’t true for her family.
“Like other working moms, I’m trying to figure out how to balance it all. I’m just trying to figure out how to do everything myself. When I say I’m going jogging with my son or eating certain things or whatever, there’s a tendency to be cynical and say, ‘Of course, because someone cooked it for her’ — or ‘Of course she’s on a date, because she had her nanny watch the baby.’ No, absolutely not. I want people to know that,” Jenna told People.
7. Matthew McConaughey & Camila Alves
After Camila Alves welcomed her second child with Matthew McConaughey, she revealed that she still hadn’t hired a nanny. Instead, her mother was able to move in with the family, which allowed Camila to be hands-on with her children more often.
“It’s very challenging. It’s just me and my mother with the kids. I don’t have a bunch of different nannies that circle around. There’s nothing wrong with a lot of nannies. I just like to be very hands-on. We make their lunches, get them ready for school, drive them and pick them up from school every day. So it gets tricky with timing,” Camila told Today’s Parent, adding that being a mom has forced her to become more organized.
8. Celine Dion
Celine Dion welcomed three children with her late husband René-Charles Angélil before his passing and she was adamant about caring for them all herself. She once explained that she was the one who chose to have her children and it was her job to raise them — although she did have some help from her mother Thérèse and sister Linda.
“I didn’t have these children to not take care of them, to give myself to them 200 — 300 percent. Sometimes it’s tiring, but I’m happy to do it day by day. I am changing diapers and breastfeeding and that’s something where no one can take my place. It’s tiring but an intense joy,” Celine told People.
9. Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick
When Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick welcomed their daughters in 2009, they suddenly were parents to three young children — but they still decided against getting a nanny. Shortly after the twins’ birth, Sarah Jessica explained that she wanted to be a hands-on parent to her growing family.
“We don’t have any live-in help. We’re pretty hands-on parents. That’s something that’s important to both of us, and we don’t shirk it, because what’s the point in having a family if you’re not going to really participate in it, you know?” Sarah Jessica told Vogue.
10. Mayim Bialik
When Mayim Bialik’s children were young, she and her then-husband Michael Stone chose “not to use nannies or babysitters.” While the actress admits balancing her career and raising a family didn’t leave her with much “down time,” she felt it was the right thing to do.
“[It’s] not because we think we’re better than anyone else, but it’s just a personal decision that we want to be the caregivers for our kids. So we’re making it work that way, because that’s what we feel is best for our children, and everything else fits in around that. To us, nothing is more important than being with our children at any given point of the day,” Mayim told PopStar.com, via People.
11. Jessie James Decker & Eric Decker
Jessie James Decker and her husband Eric may have three very young children but they decided against hiring any help. When Jessie recently faced some backlash for drinking a glass of wine while breastfeeding her son Forrest, she spoke out to defend herself — and mentioned she was raising her children without any outside help
“I honestly feel like I’m the voice of all the moms. I definitely feel like they get heat for certain things. I know I’m a great mother, there’s not one doubt in my mind. I know that I take care of my babies, I know that they feel loved and they feel happy. I don’t have nannies; I take care of my children,” Jessie told People.
12. Reese Witherspoon & Ryan Phillippe
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe may no longer be married, but they put in a lot of work when they were raising their young children Ava and Deacon. In fact, Ryan says they didn’t allow their children to be “raised by nannies.”
“I want my kids to grow up and be people who I would want to hang out with, who are conscientious and care about the rest of the world and realize how lucky they are. That’s one of your jobs as a parent…I imagine it would be more difficult if we weren’t as hands on as we are, if we allowed them to be raised by nannies. I think then they would become a-holes,” Ryan told Metro.
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