Would you hire a morbidly obese Nanny?

[whompingwillo]

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

Umm what now? I am around 16stone and 4foot 10, I managed to run aroynd after all 3 of my own toddlers and I have worked a physical job all my life. I also don't have any joint problems, t2 diabetes or anything else, probably because i'm so active, but that is my point, I am no less active now than when I was a supposedly healthy weight. This thread is fucking disgusting!

Were you 17 stone and short?

Hopefully the young woman in question will receive support for underlying medical or psychological conditions.

As for you, psychotherapy could help you understand where your expressed need to be rude and judgemental about complete strangers comes from?

And all the snide insults assuming this woman is stuffing her face all the time when no-one knows if she has a medical reason for being obese.

Theres giving an opinion and there is just outright disdain for someone no-one on here knows!!

@LadyTangerine You really can not assume. The diseases of obesity tend to affect people in their fifties, sixties and older. I would not expect a young fat woman to have ill health from being fat.

Skinny people can be incapable of climbing trees and chasing toddlers too.

Most of this thread is just the usual MN fat-bashing. 17 stone hardly makes her some massive freak of nature incapable of caring for child.

If MN had their way, any fat parents would have their kids removed for abuse and neglect judging by the responses on here. It's grim as fuck.

This thread is really exposing a lot of prejudice! That's not to say it doesn't reflect attitudes in wider society ... but IMO anyone applying this type of thinking deserves to get less-good childcare than they are hoping for.
BTW what are all the no-fat-childcarers-allowed posters going to do when their child reaches primary age and they discover the early years teachers are obese? Complain to the headteacher?

I am 5 foot 4. So, yes.

What's that got to do with anything?

Presumably, had I said I was 6 feet tall then I might have been allowed to be acceptably just a bit porky at 17 stone.

No from me. We had a nanny in her 40s with back pain and the kids were older and even that was difficult (going places etc). However, it was the young svelte nanny who lost one of ours in the park.

No, sorry, I would not have employed an obese nanny.
My son was diagnosed with hyperactivity, he kept me on the go from morning till night, had I employed a nanny she would have had to be very fit to keep up with him.

I know some very fat people are also fit, but if I had the choice, I would not have chosen an obese person.

I wonder if people are allowed to be skinny with T2 diabetes and joint disorders, or is it only an issue if you're fat

Err because 17 stone on a 6ft tall woman is not so much of a problem as on a 5ft woman. I refuse to believe all these morbidly obese people are as active as slim or even slightly overweight people, it’s just not possible.

Yes, it is. Don't accuse people of lieing just because it rocks your perception of lazy fattys.

What about slim people with joint disorders? Or T2 diabetes? Or who are so unfit they can't manage a couple of flights of stairs? Because there are plenty of them out there.

Do you sneer at them and dismiss them too? Or is just fat people who get your disdain and unpleasant judgement?

Our fit, sporty, 22yo nanny gets exhausted doing 4 days a week. They go out twice a day to activities. Otherwise, how will your child socialise?

no way would I employ such an obese nanny for such an active job. I would consider them for a maternity nurse role if they were qualified and experienced. But any child over 6 months, it’s just not suitable.

I was almost 16stone before I lost weight,

I swim 2x a week for 90mins at a time - training in a squad, none of the heads up, chit chatting, glacial breaststroke bullshit waste of time swimming.

another stone on my weight would have made a difference actually, I would have been less inclined to move or mobilise.

losing 2 stone from where I was made a huge difference. Losing 4 has made me almost keen to get up and go do things. I still swim, but so much further and faster, I also do hard core gym workouts 3x a week and love it. Before all this I felt so old and sluggish. Being heavier like 17/18stone would have definitely impacted on what I do in terms of movement and activity. I’m 5’5” tho. If I were 5’3” the weight would be more impactful I imagine.

would I hire this person? No. Is that prejudice? Possibly, but that’s life. I’m sure I’ve been discriminated against or judged etc etc as a larger person.

I get all the body positive stuff in the media etc etc, but it isn’t healthy and it IS limiting us as people, it is causing pressure on our bodies AND the NHS.

we do need to stop giving the green light to live as you wish and someone else will come along and save you/make it all better.

There's over weight and then seriously over weight
Wouldn't bat an eye lid at somebody over weight ... I am ... But I can easily get around with my child.
Dangerously seriously over weight I wouldn't employ for this particular role

I wouldn't I'm afraid, it might be ok whilst baby's mobility hasn't peaked but as a fit and healthy person I still struggle keeping up with my into-everything-14 month old! You sometimes need lightning quick reflexes to keep them out of danger and a person who struggles to stand up and sit down isn't going to be able to do this

No, I would not. Firstly, they need to keep up with the child and secondly, they have poor eating habits themselves, means they might give your dc poor eating habits as well. Dc learn from what they see or what they are given. I would not chance it.

But I haven't said it's healthy, or that it can't be limiting, or that it doesn't cause pressure on our bodies or the NHS. That's an entirely separate argument.

I just think the judgement on this thread is absolutely vile. None of these people know this woman - they have no idea why she's the weight she is or what's happening in her life, yet they all think they have a free pass to call her lazy, gluttonous and incapable based on her weight.

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.

BusyCaz · Today 12:39
This thread has just been a hate thread about obese people, have a word with yourselfs

I don’t hate fat people. My husband has been obese or morbidly obese most of his adult life. Was when I met him. He would have been the first to admit as a younger, fat man that he could probably not keep up with a quick toddler .

As we’ve aged he’s taken control after several serious health scares. He’s losing weight and will exercise daily as soon as his recovery allows.

I adore him.