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Caring for spoiled boys and girls after sundown can be exhausting — and that doesn’t even include babysitting their kids!
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They say you can’t put a price on a good night’s sleep—and the self-proclaimed genius rapper agrees! To make sure that he caught enough shut-eye during the early days of fatherhood,
Kanye West shelled out $2,000 per night for one of Tinseltown’s top nannies. “The idea was to keep
Kim Kardashian from becoming stressed when
North would wake up crying,” dishes a pal. But it seems the pricey paycheck came with a catch: “The amount was vastly reduced if the baby interrupted Kanye’s sleep.” Guess Yeezus also needs his Zs.
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Getting kids to fall asleep is no easy feat for any mom. So when the
Sex and the City star,
Sarah Jessica Parker, discovered that singing to her 6-year-old twins,
Marion and
Tabitha, resulted in a one-way ticket to dreamland, the actress made it a part of their nightly routine—even when she’s not around to do it. “Her nanny has to sing ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head’ over and over until they drift off,” says a source. “I think it worked once for SJP, and now she’s obsessed.”
Photo credit: Splash News
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Even before
Gwen Stefani reclaimed her single status, the “Hollaback Girl” singer only hired male caregivers. Her reasoning: They look the best in spandex. Well, in spandex costumes, that is. “Batman, Superman, Spider-Man—you name it, I’ve dressed up as it,” reveals one of the singer’s former mannies about her superhero-obsessed sons,
Kingston, 9,
Zuma, 7, and
Apollo, 1, who also love getting dressed up as their idols. “She once promised it as a treat for the boys if they behaved and went to sleep, but I ended up doing it every night!”
Photo credit: Splash News
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Months before they announced their split,
Ben Affleck and
Jennifer Garner’s night nanny (no, not that nanny!) knew the couple were having marital problems. The caretaker was hired to look after son
Samuel, 3, who was a problem sleeper—and she often heard blazing arguments between the pair at all hours of the night. “They screamed and screamed,” she says. “They put on a happy front when the three kids were awake, but once the lights were out, it was a different story. I was always on Jen’s side, though—she was really nice to me.”
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Forget fringe handbags! The hottest accessory is a good nanny—and some celebs will do whatever it takes to get one…even steal from their pals. “
Fergie and
Josh [
Duhamel]’s nanny is known as the Sleep Whisperer,” claims an insider.
Photo credit: INFPhoto.com
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“When her friend
Kelly Rowland was having a tough time getting her son to sleep and found out about the nanny’s ability, she tried to poach her.” To make sure that her sitter didn’t stray, Fergie offered the nanny a whopping $1,200 per night! “She stayed put,” adds the insider.
Photo credit: Splash News
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The eldest Kardashian may seem like a down-to-earth mom who does it all, but it seems Kourtney Kardashian’s easygoing demeanor comes with plenty of outside affirmations! “She asked me to call her madam at all times,” explains a former nanny to the reality star’s three children: Mason, 5, Penelope, 3, and Reign, 10 months. “I once slipped up and called her Kourtney, and she threw a hissy fit,” continues the source. “I never made that mistake again!”
Photo credit: INFPhoto.com
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The Oscar-winning beauty, Charlize Theron, is adamant about keeping the hired help in their place. “I wasn’t allowed to speak or even look at her,” reveals one of her former nannies. Instead of providing updates about the star’s two children—Jackson, 3, and August, 4 months—at the end of each day, the staffer says she was told to take notes in a special diary. “It was odd,” she adds.
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Everyone wishes they could bump and grind like Beyoncé...well, almost everyone. The megastar allegedly made her previous nanny learn all the choreography from “Single Ladies” so she could perform it for Blue Ivy, 3, on command. “Seeing her mom sing and dance to the song was the only thing that settled her down,” claims the insider. Looks like that nanny deserves a ring!
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Attractive blondes shouldn’t even bother applying for a position with Jessica Simpson. Sources say the singer turned business mogul is so worried about her husband, Eric Johnson, cheating that she makes it a point to hire only homely household staff. “He’s got a real thing for blondes, so the last thing she wants is temptation in her house overnight,” divulges a pal. “The night nannies she always hires are, well, not exactly blessed in the looks department.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
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Even when Julia Roberts wasn’t able to tuck her three children into bed at night, she found a way to make sure her kiddos still got to see her pretty face—well, sort of. According to a former staffer, Julia used to make her nannies wear long red wigs when settling the kids at night so they thought it was their Pretty Woman mom tucking them in. “It was a bit weird, but I get it,” dishes the insider. “She hoped they would think it was her putting them to sleep instead of the sitter.” Or Annie.
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Sometimes a name just sticks—and in the Beckham household, that name is “Jo.” “Every nanny that Victoria Beckham and David Beckham hire for their 4-year-old daughter, Harper, has to answer to ‘Jo,’ ” dishes a source, noting that Jo was the name of the child’s first caretaker. “Harper was absolutely devastated when the original Jo stopped working for the family, and since then, she’s continued to call every new minder by the same name.” No, we’re not Jo-king!
Photo credit: Splash News
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After reading that children could absorb languages when they’re half asleep, the Thor star, Chris Hemsworth and his wife, Elsa, instructed their former nanny to speak Spanish to their 3-year-old daughter, India, and 1-year-old twins, Tristan and Sasha, for two hours every evening before bed. “I didn’t even speak Spanish,” exclaims the couple’s prior caretaker. “I used to read from a book and make up funny phrases that made me laugh.” Great Odin’s Raven!
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Don’t even think about reading Dr. Seuss stories to Jessica Alba’s children—Honor, 7, and Haven, 4—before bed. The socially conscious actress has a more introspective nighttime routine in mind. “Jessica makes the night nannies meditate with the kids before bed,” reveals an insider. “It’s really cute, actually.” And if getting two young’uns to sit still and “reflect” isn’t challenging enough, the Honest Life author also requires that all of her caretakers practice an eco-friendly lifestyle too.
Photo credit: Splash News
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In an effort to make sure that her two daughters—Sunday, 7, and Faith, 4—appreciate their Australian heritage, the A-list actress, Nicloe Kidman, instructed all her nannies to say, “G’day, mate!” to the children when they woke up each morning. “I always thought it was a bit of a joke,” dishes one of the star’s former Nashville nannies. “But I was never quite sure, so I said it every day just in case.” Crikey!
Photo credit: Splash News