When Baby Meets Nanny

For all the working mums out there, it is critical to have some help while caring for the baby. Maids and nannies, come to the rescue. Arundhati Nath tells you how you can help your tot get familiarised with a new maid

- Arundhati Nath

If you’re a working mum, and you need to leave your child at home while you and your partner are in office, your maid is usually the person you need to rely on. When you engage a new maid to look after your child, you need to be sure that they get along well together.

HERE ARE OUR M&B’S TRIED AND TESTED TIPS TO INTRODUCE A NEW NANNY OR MAID TO YOUR CHILD:

MAKE HER FEEL AT EASE: Devasmita Bhattacharyya, mum to two year old Ahana, feels that there is a need to create a warm, welcoming work environment for the maid. “Consider your nanny’s preferences, such as dietary likes, dislikes and allergies as she is the person working in your house and, in many cases, living there. You want your nanny to feel comfortable while working and caring for your child in your home. If she is happy, we are happy and the child is happy,” she says.

INTRODUCE HER: Introduce the new nanny to your kid. Eileen Kennedy-Moore, professor for The Great Courses audio/ video series, Raising Emotionally and Socially Healthy Kids, advises parents to introduce a maid in the following way: “This is your new nanny. Her name is XYZ. She will be in charge of taking care of you when mommy and daddy are in office. I expect you to listen to her.”

ALLOW SOME TIME TOGETHER: Allow them to spend some one-to-one time so that they get an opportunity to know each other and feel comfortable. “We must get the maid to take over gradually with a few tasks at a time. She could take the child to the park for instance, or cleaning up after the baby and so on. These gestures will pass on a message to the baby that the maid is a safe person in mum’s absence,” Devasmita says.