Cruz Salas, the Baby Whisperer

If you’ve had a child in Mill Valley, or been a child here, chances are you've spent some time in the park. And if you spent some kid-centric time in the park, you've likely encountered Cruz Salas while you were there.

Few people have logged as many hours at Mill Valley's parks than Cruz. Originally from Mexico and currently living in the East Bay, Cruz has been working as a babysitter in Mill Valley for more than 20 years. Along with raising her own children and grandchildren, she has worked for several families here and has helped to raise almost a dozen Mill Valley children. These days you can still see Cruz and her nanny gang at the park, or just walking around town with her “kids.”
 
Mill Valley Patch: Here’s an important question: Did you invent the taco (the technique that involves a great deal of sweet talking while simultaneously tightly wrapping the newborn baby - arms straight aside the body - in a blanket, allowing only the baby’s head to peek out of the top)?
Cruz: Oh, I think I brought that to Mill Valley but I didn’t invent it. In Mexico, we do that to the babies to help them sleep. If they can move their hands then they wake up and move around, but if their hands are still they will sleep and sleep. My grandmother did that to me, and my mother too.
 
Patch: What was your first job in Mill Valley?
Cruz: My first job was with Terry Strauss. Her daughter, Sasha, was just about six months old. Sasha is in college now. I didn’t speak any English. I just said “good morning,” and not much else.
 
Patch: You have so many friends here. How did you meet the other babysitters?
Cruz: Mostly at the park. I’d see someone who looked the same as me and we’d both say, “Oh, she speaks Español too.”
 
Patch: Is it hard for new nannies to join in the group?
Cruz: Oh no, it’s easy. When I started I didn’t speak English but I have English-speaking friends too. I talk with my hands and my face. I see someone and I say, “Hi, how are you,” or “Como Esta?” For me it’s easy to make friends, and it’s good for the kids to be around the other kids. In the mornings, when the kids are up and ready to go we all go for a walk with the strollers or the older ones walking. Or the day before we’ll say “OK, tomorrow we can meet at Boyle Park,” and we’ll do that.
 
Patch: You’re a pro and you’ve raised so many kids. It must be hard when a mom with her first baby is telling you what to do, especially if you know it’s wrong.
Cruz: Yes, that’s true. But if mama says something I don’t like it doesn’t matter, it’s my job and I have to respect that she’s the mom. It’s never been a big problem.
 
Patch: You’ve worked all over town. What do you think is the best neighborhood in Mill Valley for families?
Cruz: I like being close to Boyle and close to downtown. You can take the kids for a walk, take them downtown to the Depot for a hot chocolate, and take them to the park. I love Boyle Park and Sycamore too. Old Mill is good in the summer for the shade. Sycamore was close to Sasha’s house when I started in Mill Valley. Now it’s beautiful, but we need bathrooms there.
 
Patch: How many kids do you have yourself?
Cruz: I have three kids and five grandchildren.
 
Patch: Do your kids always want you to babysit for the grandchildren?
Cruz: Yes, but it’s easier to babysit other kids than mine.

Patch: The children love you. They immediately want to be with you. What is it?
Cruz: I don’t know. Maybe I have something funny on my face.
 
Patch: What is the best thing about working in Mill Valley?
Cruz: I love working in Mill Valley. For me, I always said if I could, I would come and live here. Good parks, good neighborhoods, good people – all the people are very nice. Good for kids and everything is close and easy. I can make the kids walk everywhere and do their exercise.
 
Patch: Are there any babysitter secrets?
Cruz: Ha ha. No, everybody has his or her own personality. Right now I know the mamas are trying to be a little more careful. They are asking for everything! But that’s normal.
 
Patch: How do you feel about these children that you take care of?
Cruz:  I have to say I love the kids. I love my kids! I say to them, ‘When mama’s not home, I am mama.” One time the baby said “mama” to me, and the mama got upset and said, “No, I’m the mama!” But I told her, “Don’t worry, she knows you are the real mama.” You want your kids to feel that loved.
 
Patch: When I asked Terry Strauss about you she said, “I didn’t need to know where she was from or whom she had worked for anything else. I didn’t even need her to speak English. All I needed was to see her with Sasha and that was it.” Sometimes you can get all this background information and resumes from babysitters and then you meet them and the baby’s crying the entire time.
Cruz: You know what? You have to listen to your baby. Your baby knows who is real and who is not real. Babies are very in tune and they have to feel safe. Always when you take the baby to the babysitter and the baby doesn’t want to go, you have to be careful.
 
Patch: What would you like parents to know when they’re hiring a babysitter?
Cruz:  We always come to work saying, “Oh, I hope this family is a nice family and that they will trust me.” When I go to work with Terry and Allison and Kim and Catherine, and now Nick, they tell me that they love me. They love me and I love them. I know they trust me. I feel very good.