Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Would you hire a morbidly obese Nanny?

606 replies

whompingwillo · 01/02/2025 11:50

I would like to hire someone we’ve met for my 9 month old baby. She’s fab, great with kids, lovely, I have no concerns.

I would estimate her BMI is 50-60 and my husband noticed that it is a struggle for her to get up and down off the floor and he is worried that if baby was in danger she may struggle.

So what would you do? Do you think that weight could impact a job like this? I’m sure people of this weight have their own children and are safe to look after them?

YABU - morbid obesity could impact her ability to do this job

YANBU - she’ll be fine

OP posts:
To3ornot · 01/02/2025 14:36

Gosh I better hand my three children over to a thin person to look after - who knows how they’ve managed to survive so far as I’m obese and shock horror they are healthy and active.

Gansy · 01/02/2025 14:35

For anyone who has discriminated against hiring fat or big bodied women in this thread:
🪄I hope you choose a thin, athletic looking person, who to your eyes and on paper looks capable and able, but who proves to be a complete and utter unreliable, unkind, shallow nightmare for you. ⚡️ 🪄

That will learn you.

TheLymeTrew · 01/02/2025 14:34

MumChp · 01/02/2025 14:22

We had an au pair who was 25 kg overweight. No problem. She managed swimming, cycling, running and playing on the floor without any problems.
She cooked excellently. We chose her because she could speak Scandinavian with the children.

Extreme overweight would be a no thanks.
It will be a challenge with active children.

Did you weigh her?

randomusernam · 01/02/2025 14:31

I have that BMI and I have two kids. I can get down on the floor and play just fine. Surely it's better your child has a nice person looking after them than their weight. People are so fat phobic it's crazy!!

LadyTangerine · 01/02/2025 14:31

biscuitsandbooks · 01/02/2025 14:15

It's not a fact at all, it's an assumption. Lots of skinny people are unfit, or have joint issues, or take lots of sick days.

Some people with healthy body weights do have medical problems yes. It is well documented that morbidly obese people are sadly at much higher risk of every illness going.

TheLymeTrew · 01/02/2025 14:29

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Agreed

PistachioPickle · 01/02/2025 14:29

Your YANBU and YABU should be switched around.

TheLymeTrew · 01/02/2025 14:28

MumonabikeE5 · 01/02/2025 12:53

I risk flaming. But no I wouldn’t. I would struggle to be confident that she will have good judgement when it comes to feeding my kid, and modelling good eating habits.

I live with my mum. And she helped wean my daughter. She is obese.
my daughter has a much sweeter tooth than my eldest, and I think that’s because my mum served/offered things that I wouldn’t have whenever I wasn’t directly involved in the meals and snack.
she also models picky eating habits that my daughter has picked up .unlike my eldest who was weaned by me.

I needed the help as I have PND but I really wish I hadn’t.

You could have always paid for child care like other parents if your mum was such a horrible person she's forced her fatness and sweet tooth on your child?

Does PND stop you paying for childcare?

alpenguin · 01/02/2025 14:24

One of the best nursery workers my daughter ever had who became a nanny was morbidly obese. She had lipodema and was disproportionately heavy on the bottom half but it never stopped her being able to look after the kids or having to run around after them. She was up and down on the floor like everyone else and the kids loved her.

you give the best person the job not the best body.

MumChp · 01/02/2025 14:22

We had an au pair who was 25 kg overweight. No problem. She managed swimming, cycling, running and playing on the floor without any problems.
She cooked excellently. We chose her because she could speak Scandinavian with the children.

Extreme overweight would be a no thanks.
It will be a challenge with active children.

TheLymeTrew · 01/02/2025 14:21

Hope your kid never turns out to be a massive fatty op

ChishiyaBat · 01/02/2025 14:19

biscuitsandbooks · 01/02/2025 12:51

Always the same on here, though at least this time they're trying to disguise the bashing as "concern" for a child...

Yep, the poor child having a capable fat person in their care. Maybe people think you can catch the fat, or that you'll be force feeding them junk all day every day. Who knows. It's sickening that fat people are so hated especially on here.

InMyMNEra · 01/02/2025 14:19

OP stated that her husband noticed that the nanny struggled to get up and down off the floor.
So, this isn’t “nasty” “trolls” speculating about the nanny. This is a fact.

I absolutely would not hire her to look after my child

samarrange · 01/02/2025 14:16

A roughly equivalent question would be: Would you employ a nanny who is in a wheelchair? Because if something were to require rapid physical intervention, the ability of the two would probably be roughly similar. For a small baby this might not be a huge problem, but for a toddler you probably want someone who can leap across the kitchen pretty quickly.

Being morbidly obese at the BMI 50 level is a disability, and sadly, not all disabilities are compatible with every job.

ChishiyaBat · 01/02/2025 14:16

Motherofdragons24 · 01/02/2025 13:07

By my calculation that gives you a BMI of 46… still a fair bit away from the 50-60 that OP has estimated. And I’m sorry, that’s great you are healthy by you simply can not possibly argue that your weight doesn’t put you at greater risk of health problems, it’s simply not true, and you will not find a health professional alive that will advise you to remain at this weight and you will be just fine. Same in somebody severely underweight. You’re an adult and absolutely entitled to do whatever you want with your body but others are also entitled to make decisions about who they employ to look after their children.

Im genuinely not trying to be judgmental, no one lives a perfectly healthy live, I certainly do not! I’m considered overweight currently with a BMI of 27 as haven’t quite shifted my baby weight but I am trying. I also don’t exercise as much as I should or eat as many vegetables as I should and probably too much salt I can absolutely admit that I’m at slightly higher risk of certain health conditions because of these things. But to suggest someone with a BMI of 50-60 can be perfectly healthy and active is ludicrous.

No it's actually 48, so not that far off 50. No one is saying that health problems are not an issue, i'm lucky i'm 45 in a few days and don't have any health issues because of my weight. My Dr agrees my diet is healthy and i'm unlucky that even on a calorie controlled diet I can't shift any weight, it's probably due to hormones she says, I walk around 5miles a day too.
Just because you are morbidly obese that doesn't mean you will get health problems and it doesn't mean you can't do your job properly which many people on this thread including you are saying. Especially since so many people are no overweight and obese, it's just an excuse to slag off fat people.

biscuitsandbooks · 01/02/2025 14:15

LadyTangerine · 01/02/2025 14:09

Any unpleasant comments about gluttony just report.

The majority of comments have politely pointed out that to have a morbidly obese person to provide child care is not a good idea. It is a fact that they will have reduced energy levels and be prone to sickness due to all the strain on their joints etc.

It's not a fact at all, it's an assumption. Lots of skinny people are unfit, or have joint issues, or take lots of sick days.

biscuitsandbooks · 01/02/2025 14:14

chargeitup · 01/02/2025 14:13

@biscuitsandbooks

But according to this thread, one of the "issues" is that they can't get up off the floor - surely overweight teachers do that every single day?
Maybe some obese teachers can get up off the floor easily but this nanny struggled. It's really not relevant what other people can or can't do. It's relevant the person applying for the job can or can't do.

I bet if it was a skinny person who struggled to get up off the floor (like many do) nobody would be making snide comments.

chargeitup · 01/02/2025 14:13

@biscuitsandbooks

But according to this thread, one of the "issues" is that they can't get up off the floor - surely overweight teachers do that every single day?
Maybe some obese teachers can get up off the floor easily but this nanny struggled. It's really not relevant what other people can or can't do. It's relevant the person applying for the job can or can't do.

samarrange · 01/02/2025 14:12

CornishPorsche · 01/02/2025 11:55

Are you sure about BMI 50-60? Assuming she's the national average height for a woman in the UK of 5'3" she'd be around 17 - 20 stone?

5'3" is 1.6 metres. A BMI of 50 at that height corresponds to 128kg (501.61.6) which is 20 stone (128 * 2.2 = 280lbs). BMI 60 would therefore be 24 stone. 🙏

NovemberMorn · 01/02/2025 14:09

NonplasticBertrand · 01/02/2025 14:08

You could get help to understand what's going on for you here.

Disgust is a very strong word to use, so I agree with you.

LadyTangerine · 01/02/2025 14:09

biscuitsandbooks · 01/02/2025 14:05

It's still incredibly unpleasant.

Any unpleasant comments about gluttony just report.

The majority of comments have politely pointed out that to have a morbidly obese person to provide child care is not a good idea. It is a fact that they will have reduced energy levels and be prone to sickness due to all the strain on their joints etc.

NonplasticBertrand · 01/02/2025 14:08

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

You could get help to understand what's going on for you here.

chargeitup · 01/02/2025 14:07

ImNoSuperman · 01/02/2025 12:18

So many judgemental people here. Guess no one with a BMI over 40 should be allowed to have children since they are such a safeguarding risk and will have a heart attack or stroke while looking after their own children.

Look after your own kids @whompingwillo

It's not being judgemental. It's questioning if someone would be capable of doing a job. If someone struggles to get up off the floor for whatever reason then they aren't suitable for a nanny role to a toddler

chargeitup · 01/02/2025 14:06

SherbetSweeties · 01/02/2025 12:16

My friend is very weight. We are both nannies. She is absolutely wonderful at her job. She cooks healthy food. She walks every where and can easily chase after a toddler in a crisis. She is honestly one of the best nannies I know and you must hire the person who fits your family best and who you are the most confident and comfortable with. Perhaps a trial morning at the park see how she responds etc

But surely a morbidly obese person can't be as quick and nimble as someone of a healthy weight. If this nanny struggled to get up off the floor then she's not likely going to be quick and mobile.

biscuitsandbooks · 01/02/2025 14:05

Ilovecakey · 01/02/2025 14:04

But you said she hadn't consented to it. I doubt hardly anyone consents to posts about them. But it's anonymous so very unlikely anyone would know who it's about

It's still incredibly unpleasant.

Swipe left for the next trending thread