Aren’t we lucky to live in a day and age where we have the technology to happily sit downstairs, simultaneously watching TV as well as our slumbering babes. Fulfilling our parental duties while being able to continue with our everyday tasks is a blessing our ancestors would have loved.

We have become so trusting of technology that it’s ingrained in everything we do. From smartphones to smart watches and cams that look over our children. However, it’s not always as good as it might seem. Since the rise of nanny cams and video baby monitors, stories have abounded of some seriously unsettling things that have been captured on film.

From images of figures looming over sleeping kids to vicious attacks caught on camera, there are some unbelievable things that seem too unreal to even exist. It’s incredible what pops up when we least expect it, in one of the places we feel most secure – our homes. Can you image how you would feel if this ever happened to you…maybe it has and you don’t even know it.

You’re in for a bumpy ride, but let’s get started.

16. A VISITOR CALLS

Have you ever wondered exactly who little Timmy is talking to up in his room all alone? This photo might have you wondering if there really is a little playmate up there that you can’t see. In this picture captured on cam, a sleeping baby is happily in the land of nod when it appears that a ghostly child pops into his cot for a midnight cuddle. It’s quite a clear image of another child, with blonder hair. The apparition appears to be looking into the camera, so maybe he wanted to be seen? Either way, I think I’d be giving the tucking in duties to my partner after that.

15. That Is A Demon Child

There’s nothing like watching your child sleep, is there? Their beautiful curly hair, little chubby cheeks and gentle snores are the stuff dreams are made of. You couldn’t paint a more beautiful picture of innocence and bliss, could you? But what if you glance up in the middle of the night and happen to check your monitor, only to find THE EYES OF SATAN HIMSELF STARING DIRECTLY AT YOU?! Maybe it’s the grainy quality, maybe it’s a badly timed reflection of the nightlight, but one thing is undeniable – that looks creepy AF. I’d need someone to change my diaper, wouldn’t you?

14. Robber Checking In On The Baby

It’s not all ghosts and eerie demonic eyes that nanny cams are good for, you know. This particular camera was placed in the nursery, and fully functional when the poor family were victimized in a robbery. After reviewing the footage to see if it caught anything, the cam showed a clear image of the young burglar as he stopped his ventures for a moment to look at the slumbering baby. He clearly had no intentions of waking the baby, but thought it was simply too cute not to stop and admire before moving on to raid the family jewels. Wonder what he made away with from the nursery, a pack of Pampers and a stuffed toy?

13. ALIENS EXIST

Finding a trustworthy babysitter is damn hard. You go on recommendations and then they let you down. The family friend has now gone to college, and those nights out seem like a distant memory. And then, one night you’re downstairs watching another re-run of Two and a Half Men when you notice this absolutely terrifying figure leaning over your precious tot’s cot. This is something that nightmares are made of. From the pronounced arm resting on the side of the crib to the distorted face, this screams encounters of the third kind. It’s time to reconsider co-sleeping, it might not be that bad after all.

12. BLACK EYED UNICORN, BLACK EYED BABY

Here we have another entry of a child with eyes darker than anything ever seen. The unholy appearance of this little one is only equaled to that of her dead-eyed unicorn. We can only assume that she has been taken over by the inner spirit of her cuddly toy, and is plotting how to turn the world into a utopia full of endless rusks, unicorns, rainbows and devoid of mandatory naps. That has to be what it is, doesn’t it? The alternative is just too scary. I’m not sure what’s more disturbing about this photo, the completely black eyes or the look of sheer determination and defiance on baby’s face.

11. Creepy Sleepwalking Mother

Back in 2010 a worried husband set up a nanny cam to try and determine the whereabouts of his wife, who would often get out of bed and wander around the house. While many viewers claim that the video is clearly staged, the footage is still creepy as hell. In the video you can see the mother stand in the same position by the front door for hours on end, not moving. Then as day breaks she crawls toward the camera and snarls, with the baby crying in the background. It’s definitely enough to put anyone on edge and as this hasn’t been debunked we’ll take it on face value.

10. HACKER ALERT

Technology is something that we have allowed to take over our entire lives. Although it’s great in many aspects, when you allow it into the bedrooms of your little loves it can have chilling effects. One little boy in New York City complained to his parents that his cam scared him. The parents thought he was just being silly and told him there was nothing to worry about. However, one night the mother heard a voice coming from the cam, saying ‘Wake up little boy, daddy’s looking for you.’ That’s just awful, isn’t it? It was soon discovered that the cam had been hacked and the boy had been right all along.

9. NOT YOUR CHILD

When a woman posted about her nanny cam experience on Reddit, many readers were apprehensive about the outcome of the story. According to the tale, mom went to bed after putting little one to sleep, leaving dad doing dad things in the den. When she checked the monitor before settling in, she saw something that shook her to the core. At the end of her child’s bed stood a woman, leaning over and picking him out of the crib. She ran into her husband and they both entered the child’s bedroom, only to find he was sound asleep. It turned out that the people next door had the same baby monitor as them and what they were watching was their feed that had crossed over onto theirs. Can you imagine how terrifying that must have been?

8. VIOLENT ATTACK

In New Jersey, a mother was going about her day watching her small child while her husband went out to work. At some point in the day, the house was broken into by a man who violently attacked the defenseless mother as her child looked on. He punched, kicked and beat her then threw her in the basement as he robbed the house. When he left, the woman managed to crawl her way to her child who was thankfully unharmed. The footage helped the police find and identify the criminal as Shawn Custis, who was sentenced and charged of attempted murder, robbery and child endangerment.

7. A LIVING NIGHTMARE

In the Czech Republic, a nanny cam saved the lives of two young boys. When a man was setting up his recently bought piece of tech, the footage that appeared on the screen wasn’t from his cam but from the next door neighbour. Her two sons were kept chained in the basement in horrendous conditions, partially skinned alive. Police made instant arrests and it was discovered that the mother was taking her directions from someone named ‘the doctor’ over text, who would instruct her when and how to torture her children. The poor kids were taken into custody and given a shot at a normal life.

6. IS THAT YOU, NANA?

We’ve all heard tales of deceased relatives returning to watch over the babies they had to leave, or never got to meet. When this was caught on a baby cam, the parents thought it may have been the ghost of a recently deceased grandparent, coming back for a moment to look over the grandchild she loved. If you look at the end of the crib, there’s a clear form of an elderly lady looking down at the child as they sleep peacefully. Although it might be a bit startling at first, it brought some comfort to those that needed it at the time.

5. HACKERS STRIKE A NOTE

A Minnesota mother was left reeling when she awoke one night to the sound of strange music playing through the nanny cam in her child’s bedroom. When she entered the room, the music immediately stopped. Not shy of some detective work, the couple tracked down the IP address that had taken over their camera and discovered a website with thousands of pictures from cam’s from over 15 countries. Not only that, but anyone was able to log on to the site and access cameras from those locations. If that doesn’t put you off owning one, I don’t know what will.

4. THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

In this instance, a small child has woken up in the middle of the night, visibly upset. As he cries out for his mama (who is presumably sound asleep) he managed to climb onto the side of his cot and balance there, in a move most adults would struggle to pull off. The picture shows the child as he stands, apparently transfixed on something that the camera can’t see. They do say that children and animals are vastly more aware of anything paranormal than adults, so what exactly the little boy is looking at remains a mystery. Whatever it is, it looks like something that is so fascinating to the youngster, he just won’t move from his spot. Won’t…or can’t.

3. IS THAT…A FACE?

While this picture isn’t of a child, it shows a blanket in a heap on the ground, just minding its own business and doing what blankets do best. What viewers didn’t expect to see was the clearly distinguishable and sharp features of a distorted face on it. Everything is defined, from the eye sockets to the slope of the nose, down to the bump of the chin. Whatever the reason for the shape of the face, let’s hope that the blanket was given directly to Good Will in order to banish this particular demon. Lord knows I wouldn’t want to snuggle up with that.

2. MIDNIGHT SNACK

There are those pitch-black eyes again. It’s just like you can’t get away from them, isn’t it? There’s not much else you can do to make those eyes become more terrifying – that is, except for a baby launching himself at the camera with mouth wide open, screaming. Who needs an alarm clock when you’ve got a deranged baby looking at you as though he knows you’re looking back at him…it’s something that will make sure that you never sleep in the first place, let alone something that would wake you up. Whatever happened to old fashioned baby monitors that just terrified you through audio?

1. IS THIS THE RING?!

Figures watching over children aren’t always lovingly looking over them, but sometimes lurking in the background. In this footage caught on cam, both baby and household hound are fixed on a long-haired woman stood in the middle of the room. It’s close to 2am according to the time stamp on the cam. The woman appears to be dressed in an old fashioned dress, floor length and full sleeved. Her head is down as if she’s crying… I’m not going to lie, I’d be looking for a realtor first thing in the morning. It’s a possibility this could be a fake, but what do you think? Is there an explanation?

Sources: viralnova.com, therichest.com