One parent has been left feeling completely distressed after her new nanny tells her seven-month-old baby, ‘Mummy’s here’ or ‘Come to mummy’ on several occasions while taking care of her
A mum to a seven-month-old baby has been left feeling ‘incredibly uncomfortable’ as her new nanny keeps referring to herself as ‘mummy’. The parent has also questioned the nanny’s experience, revealing that the hired helper took her baby out in the sun without appropriate protection.
In a bid to seek some support and advice, the mum of one took to Mumsnet with a post explaining her unusual situation. She wrote: “I’m looking for some advice from fellow mums as I’m really torn and not sure how to handle this situation. I have a 7-month-old baby and recently hired a nanny to help a few days a week.
“She’s warm and seems to genuinely enjoy being around my baby, but she has very limited experience with children under 1 year old – and it’s starting to show.
“She struggles with basic care (e.g. recently took my baby out in the sun without a hat, and when my daughter got hot and flustered, she told me she might be ‘allergic to the sun’). I also worry about how confidently she handles feeding and developmental milestones – it feels like she’s just unaware of what’s appropriate at this stage.
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“But the thing that’s really bothering me is that she’s called herself ‘mummy’ to my baby several times – saying things like ‘Mummy’s here!’ or ‘Come to mummy!’ when talking to her.
“I find this incredibly uncomfortable. I’ve tried to brush it off, but it keeps happening, and now I’m not sure if I should have a proper conversation about it or whether this is somehow common and I’m overreacting?”
The mum ended the post asking for advice, and was met with a flurry of comments. Hundreds of people agreed, labelling the situation ‘unprofessional’ and ‘unacceptable’, while urging the parent to seek a new nanny.
One user commented: “No, I wouldn’t be OK with that. Her calling herself mummy shows she doesn’t really understand or care about appropriate boundaries and she doesn’t understand enough about childcare to be a safe person to look after your baby.”
A second said: “I’d say it’s time to find a new nanny. The mummy thing is totally off, so unprofessional. And just weird. The not knowing what to do is a deal breaker anyway.”
“You have a Nanny that struggles with basic care…. just this sentence was enough for me to say fire her. The fact that she calls herself mummy is a huge no from me,” a third shared.
Another quipped: “She sounds bloody useless! Honestly I wouldn’t trust her with my kid. And who calls themselves ‘Mummy’ to their employer’s baby?!”
A professional also shared: “I’m a qualified Nanny and I wouldn’t take a job where I wasn’t fully comfortable with the age/stage or development. Some Nannies obviously do, but learn on the job – but hats in the warm weather is basic care. I have never said ‘come to Mummy’ to a child – that is unacceptable, as that’s not her title, I would be getting rid of her.”