Nanny/infant - was this negligent?

[Anonymous]

I'm still upset so may be overreacting but here's what just happened.

I work from home (yeah, I know nannies hate it, but that's our situation) and was sitting in my office when I heard what sounded like my 7 month old fall over from a sitting position on the rug (i.e., I heard a thump like her head hitting the floor). She then burst into screams and started crying. She rarely, rarely cries so I knew what had happened. The nanny was looking for some clothes for her and was just across the room. Of course, she went over and picked my daughter up, and so I just listened and didn't go in, but after a while, I had to go in because I wanted to comfort her. The nanny was fine but a bit defensive and kept wanting to take the baby back. I just wanted to comfort my baby so I kept holding her and rubbing her head. The nanny was getting ready to go out so she just tried getting them out of the door as soon as she could, despite my daughter crying loudly.

This is second time this has happened in two weeks. My daughter is just getting secure enough to sit up without assistance so I'm not surprised it's happened, but twice? It could have easily happened to me, I know, but twice? And what about when I'm not around - how many times has it happened before?

So my question is, am I overreacting or is this somewhat negligent on the part of the nanny?

[Anonymous]

This isn't even a good troll post.

[Anonymous]

oh and I've reported it.

[Anonymous]

Huh? I'm absolutely not a troll, and Jeff can verify that.

[Anonymous]

Then you're a total idiot. Babies fall over ALL THE TIME. When they are learning to sit, crawl, stand, pretty much do anything. Your baby is going to fall over a lot more than twice. Mine falls over more than twice a day since he's trying to learn how to walk.

MBs like you give other MBs like me a bad name. You are exactly the type of parent that needs to stay home with their child and never let anyone else near them.

[Anonymous]

OP here. You're insane. I KNOW babies fall over all of the time. My point is, if you know a baby isn't able to sit up yet on its own, why would you leave the baby in that position unattended?

[Anonymous]

Not negligent, you are overreacting. And yikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huh? I'm absolutely not a troll, and Jeff can verify that.

It can not be verified. Lots of people have more than one device. Are you just pretending to be stupid?

[Anonymous]

Yes overreaction. Babies fall over. Ask her to put a pillow/boppy behind her while she's still wobbly and move on. Your nanny was defensive because you were acting like a helicopter mom. And your kid continued to cry because your actions told her there was something to be upset about. Let your nanny do her job.

[Anonymous]

Can you discuss this with a therapist, OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huh? I'm absolutely not a troll, and Jeff can verify that.

It can not be verified. Lots of people have more than one device. Are you just pretending to be stupid?

Actually, it can. I am pretty damn sure that Jeff can identify my IP address since I'm on this site all the freaking time AND I report spam to him all the time. So, I think you might be the one pretending to be stupid. Or maybe just not pretending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes overreaction. Babies fall over. Ask her to put a pillow/boppy behind her while she's still wobbly and move on. Your nanny was defensive because you were acting like a helicopter mom. And your kid continued to cry because your actions told her there was something to be upset about. Let your nanny do her job.

I'm willing to admit I am overreacting, but shouldn't she know to put a boppy behind her? It's not rocket science, for crying out loud! That's my point. It happened once - no big deal. Second time, come on. Okay, well, now I know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes overreaction. Babies fall over. Ask her to put a pillow/boppy behind her while she's still wobbly and move on. Your nanny was defensive because you were acting like a helicopter mom. And your kid continued to cry because your actions told her there was something to be upset about. Let your nanny do her job.

This. DS falls over a lot (that's how he learns and so far has been early with everything) and he looks to us for a reaction. If we laugh or do something silly, he laughs or just continues on doing something else. If we freak out, he freaks out. We can tell when he's actually hurt vs when he's crying as a reaction to us. I can't imagine what you will be like when your baby starts to walk.

[Anonymous]

Ugh stop overreacting. Babies fall. Just yesterday my one year old was climbing in the garden and fell into a bush just missing a rock.

I've lost out how many times he fell while trying to sit up.

If I was your nanny I'd be annoyed too.

[Anonymous]

Put a pillow behind her so when she falls it cushions the blow. Or all around her since there is no guarantee that she'll fall backwards. Don't stick anything around her or have her lean against anything otherwise she won't learn to sit up unassisted.