This incident happened at the Dominick's on the corner of Foster and Sheridan in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, July 1 in the late morning. The nanny appeared to be an early forties Eastern European with dark hair, average build. The baby was in a navy jog stroller, about six months to a year old with blonde hair and blue eyes. (It was the birthday of the child's mother this day, as I heard the nanny say she was buying flowers for the mother.) As I was waiting in line, the baby cried for at least 5 minutes. I wasn't bothered by the crying at all. I was bothered by the inattention provided by the nanny. Instead of rocking the stroller or soothing the baby with voice or a bottle, the nanny told the baby in a mean voice to STOP CRYING. Who tells an infant to stop crying?! She was cold, callous and just a real jerk. I was heartbroken for this child. I asked her, "Is this your baby?" She said, "No, this is my charge." Then a second later, she turned around and said, "Yes, this is my baby." I already knew it wasn't simply by the way she treated this child. Momma, if this is your nanny, fire her. She is neglectful and mean. Who is mean to an infant? Just plain wrong.
Friday
Dominick's in Chicago, IL
Received Friday, July 11, 2008
This incident happened at the Dominick's on the corner of Foster and Sheridan in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, July 1 in the late morning. The nanny appeared to be an early forties Eastern European with dark hair, average build. The baby was in a navy jog stroller, about six months to a year old with blonde hair and blue eyes. (It was the birthday of the child's mother this day, as I heard the nanny say she was buying flowers for the mother.) As I was waiting in line, the baby cried for at least 5 minutes. I wasn't bothered by the crying at all. I was bothered by the inattention provided by the nanny. Instead of rocking the stroller or soothing the baby with voice or a bottle, the nanny told the baby in a mean voice to STOP CRYING. Who tells an infant to stop crying?! She was cold, callous and just a real jerk. I was heartbroken for this child. I asked her, "Is this your baby?" She said, "No, this is my charge." Then a second later, she turned around and said, "Yes, this is my baby." I already knew it wasn't simply by the way she treated this child. Momma, if this is your nanny, fire her. She is neglectful and mean. Who is mean to an infant? Just plain wrong.
This incident happened at the Dominick's on the corner of Foster and Sheridan in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, July 1 in the late morning. The nanny appeared to be an early forties Eastern European with dark hair, average build. The baby was in a navy jog stroller, about six months to a year old with blonde hair and blue eyes. (It was the birthday of the child's mother this day, as I heard the nanny say she was buying flowers for the mother.) As I was waiting in line, the baby cried for at least 5 minutes. I wasn't bothered by the crying at all. I was bothered by the inattention provided by the nanny. Instead of rocking the stroller or soothing the baby with voice or a bottle, the nanny told the baby in a mean voice to STOP CRYING. Who tells an infant to stop crying?! She was cold, callous and just a real jerk. I was heartbroken for this child. I asked her, "Is this your baby?" She said, "No, this is my charge." Then a second later, she turned around and said, "Yes, this is my baby." I already knew it wasn't simply by the way she treated this child. Momma, if this is your nanny, fire her. She is neglectful and mean. Who is mean to an infant? Just plain wrong.
This is really sad. No infant should be spoken to in that manner.
ReplyDeletePoor baby!
ReplyDeleteI have to say though that some times even moms have a rough day, not that she was the mom, and they just lose their cool because they feel incompetant in situations like this. Sometimes moms just need a break to pull themselves together... even nannies do. Who knows, maybe she's an over worked, underpaid woman who is unappreciated and thus extra frustrated. Maybe her ignoring the baby was because she was overwhelmed? I don't know but either way- telling a baby to stop sounds silly, non-caring and inexperienced to me. Hopefully she'll find a way to deal with her frustration before other problems arise.
Maybe this Nanny knew she messed up and tried to cover her bases after OP asked her if it was her baby, and she switched her answer because of the fear of being reported on ISYN?
ReplyDeleteGOD, puh-LEASE. Now we are reporting nannies for saying "STOP CRYING!"???
ReplyDeleteI don't think she was just reporting her for saying "stop crying." She said the woman was cold and callous towards the child. It just seems stupid and counterproductive to yell at a child when they are crying - this nanny should know better.
ReplyDeleteTelling a baby of this age to stop crying is mean. Perhaps the baby was tired, hungry or perhaps uncomfortable. This nanny should've been more experienced to attempt to comfort the baby, not tell her to stop crying.
ReplyDeleteI doubt a baby that young could even understand the words, and at best, this is just completely innefective and incompetent on the part of a caregiver.
ReplyDeleteYou know what? We all get frustrated and do and say things that don't make sense and come off as mean. Have you ever snapped at someone? Don't you think the woman probably just lost her cool, as all people could do with a crying infant? What the heck is the big deal? How could she be callous and cold while she is buying flowers for the baby's mother? She obviously means well and just got overwhelmed. Oh well.
ReplyDelete10:47
ReplyDeleteI hope you don't have any children. Your comment is pretty cold.
Seriously, for all you know this was hour 4 of crying and nanny was trying to take a 5 minute break so she didn't get more upset. Moms do this too. Its called being human.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to meet some of these saints who never get frustrated with a crying child.
If a nanny is yelling at a child in public and treating them coldly what do you think they do when no one can see? SHe knew she was wrong when she tried to cover up for it by lying and saying it was her child. She got caught and tried to cover her tracks. The child could ave been crying because she was tired or wet or hungry. A 6 month old baby cannot tell you why she is upset and it is the nannies job to find out why she is upset and crying. That is something you pay her for and pray that she has compassion for a little kid that cannot speak for its self.
ReplyDelete6:10
ReplyDeleteexcellent post.
babies cry..sometimes they have alraedy been fed, changed, held and loved and they still cry.
ReplyDeleteI have told my daughter,""sshh, aahhh aahh thats enough and at 9 months..she gets it and will actually stop!Of course not all the time but more often than not.
You cannot hold a baby everytime he/she cries,especially if there are siblings. . If you do, you will have a problem on your hands.
Often babies train us and it easy to fall into picking a child up evertime they cry.
If the nanny was talking to the baby enough for you to understand what they were doing(buying flowers for mom) then you must have misunderstood, as , if she truly was a cold or callous nanny she would not have been talking with the baby in the first place.
Perhaps it was you who was having a bad day and simply mis read the situation.
mean nannies do not go around buying flowers and engaging in conversation with their charges.
I too get frustarted when nosey people interefere when things are not going as planned with the babes.
ReplyDeleteLets admit it, we have all had that moment where we " think Calgon, take me away" Sometimes out in public our children put us in the limelight and not all of us do well there. We might react much diffrently than if in the comfort zone of our own home.
Because of the hysteria surrounding "how a parent or mother treats or disciplines her child"perhaps some people are more nervous than ever when out in public.
To assume someone is a child abuser(anon 610's assumption)is not fair or just . It is ignorant.I see that same post all the time on here and it is old and worn out and holds no merit what so ever.
where is the compassion for the child? what reason is there to yell at such a young baby??
ReplyDeleteThat's bizarre. First of all, the inattention, second of all, claiming the baby as hers? I don't get it? Even if ppl assume my charges are mine I make sure to set it straight; I would never want to take their credit of cuteness away from the parents!
ReplyDeleteeveryone experiences frustration, but not every parent or caregiver acts on this feeling in an inappropriate way. it's not acceptable to talk meanly to an infant. also, infants cannot be spoiled by being comforted. they cry because that's the only way they can communicate. conmforting infants turns them in to secure older children, not the opposite.
ReplyDeleteCalif nanny here....I watch a child who is 3 now, but back when he was about 2 months old I use to walk him in the doublestroller with his then 2 yr old brother. The baby use to cry from start to finish. I mean really really cry. It was kind of tough because we walked alot to get out of the house with the 2 yr old. It was quite miserable. Im sure I told that little cry baby...to sssh more than once. Ha Ha! His mom knew he cried but we stilled walked. And no he wasnt hungry, wet, etc etc. This was 3 times a week for about 2 months. Here in California its great to walk year round. So we did. What a bad nanny I am.
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