Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:one of my infant charges had thrush a few months ago ... I've been a nanny for over eight years and have never seen a child with thrush, so we (the parents and I) had no idea what was wrong! she was crying differently than she does when she is teething so I asked the parents to bring her to the peds and voila! he had the answer and she was back to herself within a few days

Is thrush something you could see in her throat or mouth?

yes there is usually a white film on the inside walls of the baby's mouth and sometimes on the tongue

Anonymous wrote:I strip my baby-charge naked every day and do a quick check every day regardless of his behavior. So many times parents and nannies miss little skin breaks and infections because we look at their little bodies one section at a time. It's worth the five second risk of getting peed on.

Also check their armpits - it is a favorite place for ticks to hide on babies.

I strip my baby-charge naked every day and do a quick check every day regardless of his behavior. So many times parents and nannies miss little skin breaks and infections because we look at their little bodies one section at a time. It's worth the five second risk of getting peed on.

Anonymous wrote:one of my infant charges had thrush a few months ago ... I've been a nanny for over eight years and have never seen a child with thrush, so we (the parents and I) had no idea what was wrong! she was crying differently than she does when she is teething so I asked the parents to bring her to the peds and voila! he had the answer and she was back to herself within a few days

Is thrush something you could see in her throat or mouth?

one of my infant charges had thrush a few months ago ... I've been a nanny for over eight years and have never seen a child with thrush, so we (the parents and I) had no idea what was wrong! she was crying differently than she does when she is teething so I asked the parents to bring her to the peds and voila! he had the answer and she was back to herself within a few days

It ultimately boils down to knowing what's "normal" behavior for your particular child. No avoiding that...

This is an amazingly informative and helpful thread.


Please, Nannies, list any and all "hidden" injuries or illness symptoms you have come across and how you figured out what was wrong.

Good advice from 8:50. Thank you.

If your baby or toddler charge is crying excessively or continually and it is not his normal behavior, do a quick naked check including no diaper. Sometimes it is something as simple as a hard tag or one of those plastic price tag things. Then, look for any skin break of discoloration. Make sure they are moving both arms, both legs and toes. Check pupils for uneven pupils or dilated pupils.

Lots of smart nannies here.

Once when I was nannying for a seven month old, I arrived at work and he was crying - then he vomited. I asked the mother if he bumped his head and she said yes. I told her we should take him to the hospital because vomiting after a head bump is the sign of a concussion.

One of my charges had a dislocated elbow when he was a few months old. I knew right away something wasn't right because of his cry and because he wasn't using his arm.

This is why it's CRITICAL to KNOW the child. Parents who keep switching Nannies and sitters are really harming their child. It's so sad.

One of my charges gets ear infections fairly regularly but other than crying shows no symptoms- no tugging on the hurting ear, no fever, etc. So if he's been particularly fussy over a 48 hour period we take him to the pediatrician. Thus far its been an ear infection 4/5 times :-/

I just read a post on a baby with a dislocated elbow that is very difficult to recognize.

Has anyone come across other injuries or illnesses that are hard to recognize but has the baby/toddler crying? What should nannies be looking for with a crying child?