Cry before nap

T

TungBB

Registered User
My 6.5 months old girl used to settle down for her day nap without little or no fuss. I will just hum or sing to her while carrying her, then put her down in her cot to sleep.

Recently, I got a part time nanny that comes 4 hours a day for a few days a week.
I can take a break and also do some housework and cook dinner.

However, since then my baby has been very clingy and cry a lot before her nap.

Is it because there is someone new? How could I get her to adjust having new people around?
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It could be that, babies do generally take time to get used to new people in which case time should take care of it, it might help if the nanny follows your routine as much as possible so there aren't too many changes.

Also bear in mind that babies go through huge changes in the way they think and behave in the first few years of their life as they develop mentally and physically, good sleepers will suddenly stop sleeping well, good eaters will go off their food, a baby who has loved bathtime since birth will start screaming every time she goes near it.... in my experience sometimes you never work out what made a baby suddenly start doing something so you just deal with it as best you can.
 
I've found that consistency plays a huge part in making your baby adjust to someone new. I imagine you are the primary carer so it must be quite a change for your baby to have a different smell, voice or touch as yours. Your child's cry might saying "hang on a minute, this person doesn't feel, sound or smell the same as mummy. She also holds me differently & she even puts me to bed differently".

As JVN suggested, familiarize your nanny with your routine. To be consistent, I make sure I tell my husband & my helper how I put my baby to sleep. Creates less confusion for the baby and he/she knows the same routine/cues to sleep.

Good luck!
 
I anticipated that we may need some time familiarizing the new nanny to the baby. So I have been the one settling the baby for naps and bedtime. The nanny for the time being, is just for play, feeding solids and bath.

Even so, my baby will constantly look for me. And if she spotted me, she will want to come to me. If she didn't see me for a while, she will want to look for me.

It is as if she thinks mummy will disappear, better hold on to mummy.

She used to play independently when I was busy in the kitchen before. Now, she wants me to sit beside her when she play
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yeah, I agreed that consistency play a big part here. During weekdays out baby only get to see his daddy before he goes to work, it could be as short as 15mins or the longest is 30 mins. During weekends when daddy is at home to play with him, he will still constantly look around and make sure I am nearby. He also tends to get fussy and even skipped his nap.
 
Thanks for the advice. Perhaps my baby and I should join some playgroup to get to know people. That way, she don't just see mummy 24 hrs, 5 days.
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yes sounds like a good idea - all kids take a while to adjust to an unfamiliar face - even my 1 and 3 year olds. when i got a new helper i made sure to give them some alone time so that they could develop a bond - perhaps when they are playing you could make sure to stay out of site (though in the same apartment) so they can start to know one another and for your baby to feel comfortable around this new person. it will take time but keep to the routines like the others say, but try to "stay away".
 
Got a new nanny coming next week. Hope that my baby likes her. This nanny used to take care of her when she was 3.5 months. My baby really liked her then. Hope that she still do.

I tried staying away before but then she will come looking for me (now that she can crawl)
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