Entertainment

13 Celebrity Parents Who Said 'No' to Nannies

EntertainmentPublished Jun 25, 2016
By Celia San Miguel
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Many celebrities begin interviewing night nurse and nanny candidates before their children are even born, adding them to the ranks of personal assistants, trainers, chefs, and housekeepers that comprise their support staff armies. Some famous moms and dads, however, have forgone the hired help and embraced the challenges that come with juggling family and career head-on. 

By going nanny-free, these famous parents hoped to relish every aspect of parenting — from night feedings and diaper changes to first steps and bedtime stories.

Image via aplusk/Instagram

1/13

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher

“We just want to know our kid,” Ashton Kutcher said of why he and wife Mila Kunis decided to forgo hiring a nanny for their daughter Wyatt Isabelle. “We want to be emotionally in touch with her, and the only way to do that is by being the ones who are there.” In February 2015, when Wyatt was 4 months old, Kunis gushed about caring for her daughter full-time, but she did acknowledge that she'd probably have to enlist some help when returning to acting.

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Ryan Gosling & Eva Mendes-placeholder
Ryan Gosling & Eva Mendes
Tom Meinelt/Splash News

Ryan Gosling & Eva Mendes

When assistance is needed with their daughters, 1-year-old Esmeralda and 2-month-old Amada, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes prefer to lean on family members. "I don’t technically have a nanny, but I do have help," Mendes told Wendy Williams in September 2015. "I’m certainly not anti-nanny. You do what you need to do as a parent. But I’m so grateful that I have help with my family and [Ryan's] family."

3/13

Rebecca Romijn & Jerry O'Connell

X-Men star Rebecca Romijn and husband Jerry O'Connellapproached parenting as the ultimate form of teamwork, splitting responsibilities rather than relying on hired help. "We’re each other’s assistants," Romijn told Redbook in August 2013 of raising twin daughters Charlie Tamara Tulip and Dolly Rebecca Rose, then 4 years old, with her hubby. "We pick up each other’s slack. Whoever is less busy helps the busier one … That’s what real life is."

4/13

Ricky Martin

When Ricky Martin's twin boys, Valentino and Matteo, were just 4 months old, the Latin pop star said he was tackling parenting sans nanny. "I'm doing this on my own because I don't want to miss a moment," the "Livin' La Vida Loca" singer told People in December 2008. "I'm the one who changes the diapers, the one that feeds them, the one that bathes them, the one that puts them to sleep." Even now, Martin rarely leaves his sons behind when he travels, affectionately calling them his "road babies."

More from CafeMom: Ricky Martin Came Out for His Kids

5/13

Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds

In September 2015, nine months after Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively welcomed their first daughter James into the world, they were perfectly content sacrificing sleep in order to tend to their child. "I have no problem waking up five times in the middle of the night and changing diapers, and as exhausted as you get, I have this stupid grin on my face all the time," Reynolds told GQ magazine. "It's not because I have a nanny or something like that," he said of his joyful mindset. "It's just us right now, and I love it."

6/13
Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony-placeholder
Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony
Mike Jachles/Splash News

Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony

She may have a reputation for being a diva, but three months after Marc Anthony's then-wife Jennifer Lopez gave birth to twins Emme and Max, the crooner said they were not relying on any hired help when it came to their children's care. "I get the late shift," Marc Anthony said in a May 2008 radio interview. "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.” Though JLo hired a nanny that September, she went seven months without one — a rarity for a star of her caliber.

7/13

Elle Macpherson

Aussie supermodel Elle MacPherson believes eschewing a nanny in favor of a hands-on parenting approach has been one of the wisest choices she's made in her life. In a 2010 interview, the mother of two sons — Arpad Flynn, 18, and Aurelius Cy, 13 — said, "[the decision] allowed me to participate in all aspects of my children's lives." She also mused about her parental interactions having more of a "profoundness" as a result of her constant presence.

8/13

Ryan Phillippe & Reese Witherspoon

During their seven-year marriage, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe raised their children — Ava, now 16, and Deacon, now 12 — without any nannies. In 2011, three years after the couple divorced, Phillippe opened up about their nanny-free parenting style. "If we weren't as hands-on as we are, if we allowed [our kids] to be raised by nannies, I think then they would become a-holes," he said. "I want my kids to grow up and be people who are conscientious and care about the rest of the world and realize how lucky they are."

More from CafeMom: 16 Celebrity Exes Who Do Co-Parenting Right

9/13

Jeffrey Dean Morgan & Hilarie Burton

Like most parents, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton have struggled to juggle work responsibilities and parenting obligations, but despite the challenges, they're content with their no-nanny stance. "It’s hard, but we’ve managed to do it without any help," the Grey's Anatomy alum said in a November 2011 interview of raising his son Gus, then 20 months, with his wife. "We have babysitters now and again, but we don’t have nannies. We wing it, man.”

10/13
Brad Paisley & Kimberly Williams-Paisley-placeholder
Brad Paisley & Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Mayer RCF/Splash News

Brad Paisley & Kimberly Williams-Paisley

As a parent, country singer Brad Paisley wanted to remain loyal to his "working class, everyday people" roots by putting the kibosh on any suggestions of hiring a nanny — a sentiment that was echoed by his wife, Father of the Bride actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley. In a 2008 interview, Paisley said the couple took turns tending to their son William "Huck" Huckleberry, then 16 months, calling upon their respective moms when an extra pair of hands was in order.

11/13
Celine Dion & Rene Angelil-placeholder
Celine Dion & Rene Angelil
INFphoto.com

Celine Dion & Rene Angelil

In October 2010, after six rounds of IVF treatments and a high-risk pregnancy, singer Celine Dion gave birth to her twin sons, Nelson and Eddy, with husband Rene Angelil. Despite the exhaustion that comes with caring for two newborn babies and her older son Rene-Charles, then 9, Dion was determined to do so on her own — with just a bit of help from her mother and sister. "I didn’t have these children to not take care of them," Dion said adamantly. "I am changing diapers and breastfeeding and that’s something where no one can take my place. It’s tiring but an intense joy.”

12/13

Mayim Bialik

In July 2011, Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik wrote a blog post about her decision not to hire a nanny for her sons Miles, now 11, and Fred, now 7. "I want to raise my kids myself," the actress wrote. "I like knowing exactly what they are interested in, what foods they like ... I love holding them when they cry and seeing their joy when they build something awesome with LEGO. I don’t want to hear about this from anyone else, and there is nothing I was put on this earth to do more than to be the mama of these souls."

More from CafeMom: What 10 'Dowdy' TV Actresses Look Like in Real Life

13/13

Jennifer Love Hewitt & Brian Hallisay

In May 2015, while pregnant with her son Atticus James, The Client List star Jennifer Love Hewitt said she'd never had a nanny help with her daughter Autumn James, then 18 months. "It’s been really interesting to do it all ourselves,” Hewitt said of parenting alongside hubby Brian Hallisay, adding that the experience had helped her reorganize her priorities and gain a fresh perspective on the important things in life.

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