Central Park playground at 96th Street and 5th Avenue.

Monday, October 2nd, 2006 Afternoon.
The child: A girl. White. About 4--5. Shoulder length brown hair with a little green bow barrette in it. Wearing a pale yellow sundress with a flowered pattern.
The nanny: Black. Probably in her 40's. Straightened hair, part of which had been lightened to an auburn shade. Average height. Heavy in the middle part of the body. Has a Caribbean accent.The little girl sat in the middle of the sandbox looking lonely and miserable for a long time, at least half an hour. No one interacted with her. Nanny no where to be found. Then she started eating sand. I don't mean just tasting it, but really EATING it, chewing and swallowing. I tried to gently suggest that she not do it, but she kept eating it. I looked around , still no adult with her. Finally, after she had eaten a LOT of sand, the nanny strolled over from the other side of the playground. The nanny was nasty with her, making fun of her for eating sand and scolding in a non-caring way.I'm not sure what the sand eating was all about, but I don't think it is normal for that age. It almost seemed like she was trying to harm herself. The expression on her face while she was doing it was painful. At the very least you should observe this nanny more closely and find out what's going on with your daughter.