Us Weekly

Today's Dylan Dreyer Admits Son Calvin 'Preferred' His Nanny as a Baby

Today personality Dylan Dreyer quickly found out that it takes a village to raise a family.

"I'm a working mom, [and] I went right back to work after my oldest was born," Dreyer, 44, said on the Thursday, June 11, episode of her "Parent Chat" podcast. "I had a nanny, I had my mom and I had my mother-in-law, and I built my village, but I was always so hesitant to talk about my village and my nanny."

She continued, "I felt guilty that I couldn't do it all myself, and I needed to require other people. But, I mean, that relationship is so important because it helps you build your village and gives you the time to give to yourself too."

Dreyer and her then-husband, Brian Fichera, welcomed Calvin in 2016. The pair added sons Oliver and Russell to their brood in 2020 and 2021, respectively, before separating in 2025.

Once Dreyer returned to work after giving birth to Calvin, her newborn subsequently spent more time with the nanny.

"I mean, I love my nanny. She was with us from when Calvin was 3 months old," Dreyer recalled. "I remember when Calvin was a baby, so maybe [around] 4 or 5 months, and he would only want her. I was home a lot, like, I work a schedule where I can be home by 11:00 in the morning, [and] I was there to cook dinner, but he preferred her."

Dylan Dreyer with her mother and her three sons.Courtesy of Dylan Dreyer/ Instagram

While speaking with celebrity nanny Connie on the podcast, Dreyer questioned how parents can respond to their kids' unexpected bonds with caregivers.

"Stop judging that, [and] be happy that happens," Connie replied. "It would be devastating if it were the opposite if every time you walked through that door, they just wanted to latch onto you. … The beauty of that she's pouring into his growth and into his little nuclear that lets you know that things are firing right. That's important to know."

Connie continued, "A village is a beautiful thing. You are not built to do this all alone. Don't judge yourself because your village is giving [and] is showing beauty somewhere else."

As for Dreyer, she's found that her kids do still need her too.

"Yesterday, my 4-year-old, he's been just throwing some temper [tantums], and we're trying to talk through the feelings," she added of her son Russell. "Eventually, we sat on the couch, and I was just sort of rocking with him. He's like, ‘Can I just sit here with you for a bit?' A part of me wanted to say, ‘Well, I gotta go cook dinner,' but I took a deep breath and I said, ‘Sure.'"

Dreyer continued, "I was so tempted to be like, ‘I have to cook dinner.' There are things that I have to get done, but in taking those extra moments with him, it made me feel better too. I just felt like we had this connection for an hour [of] sitting on the couch together."

Copyright 2026 Us Weekly. All rights reserved

This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 10:09 AM.

Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER