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

Definitely not.

For anyone looking after my baby or toddler I'd want them to be able to leap and run after them if needed. If she's so obese that she struggles to even get up from the floor, I'd say she's not suited to racing after a toddler and I'd be concerned from a safety aspect.

It's not 'fat hating' to state the facts. I've been into the bmi obese category myself in the past and find weight management testing. I'm not saying this as someone who's been an 8 stone athlete all their life 😂

We're all (hopefully) grownups here and realistic enough to recognise that our bodies ARE relevant to certain employment.

If you're incredibly short, you're not going to be a catwalk model. If you're very tall and muscly, you won't be a jockey. If you're blind, you cant be a taxi driver 🤷‍♀️

If you're obese, you're not going to be employed by some for whom physical fitness is important. At least for those of us that struggle with weight there is at least something that can be done about that, if the very thought offends you so much.

No imagine if she fell on the baby 😱

So nobody is overweight because of medication or other issues then? It's all down to poor eating habits?

What a disgusting comment.

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?

In no way comparable. Teachers are not running after kids in a park or taking them out for activities twice a day. They are in a contained classroom. And also I've never seen a morbidly obese teacher - likely because they are not capable of the job.

I know you think this is funny, but it really isn't. I imagine anyone over 10lbs in weight falling onto a baby isn't going to be great. Still, at least you got a jibe in. Maybe some of the others will laugh at your comment. Fingers crossed for you.

You need a clear job description of what you expect nanny to do and if she can't do what you want on a trial morning, fine, she's not the nanny for you. If she can, you're good with her. Don't assume and don't judge by outward appearances.

That did cross my mind, too

How is it? Accidents can happen especially with little toddlers and leaving toys around. I've slipped on toy cars and other things a few times

Why is a morbidly obese person "not capable of the job"?

Thank you, but apparently I'm disgusting for thinking it.

Of course there are morbidly obese teachers, and plenty of them manage their jobs just fine - including chasing after children, running activities and getting on and off the floor.

Everyone always brings this old trope out don’t they? Of course some people are fat because of illness/medication but the vast majority are fat because they eat too much and don’t exercise enough.

Sorry but I don't think it is. There is a difference between being overweight and morbidly obese. I doubt if the nanny is the size that you say, that she is capable of walking everywhere. And while she might be able to lunge to protect your child in an emergency, she wouldn't be able to chase them, move quickly or for a sustained period. You wouldn't want your child's activities to be restricted to that degree - unable to go the slide with them or long walks in the pushchair in hotter weather. You also need to consider potential health issues, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, which could affect her ability to work consistently. I had a BMI of 30 when I had my son and although I was relatively fit, it definitely had an impact. I was too self-conscious to take him to baby swimming classes for example,

Her weight is not the issue, her mobility is
If you want an active person and she can’t fulfil that, I’d reconsider

I can only hope you never end up on life-saving medication that affects your weight, then. This thread makes for such unpleasant reading - the judgement is absolutely disgusting.

I wonder how you'd all feel if your kids ended up overweight due to their medication and you knew everyone was sneering at them like you're all sat here sneering

This thread is full of trolls.
Likely lonely men sitting in their rooms who hate women in all their forms

as someone who has had weight struggles themselves and knowing how it impacts activity levels no I wouldn’t, toddlers are so active it could potentially put your child at risk

It’s not the Ill people we are talking about is it? I feel dreadfully sorry for people who are obese because of any illness or meds they are on, that goes without saying.

Oh give over, she agreed some people are overweight because of medication or health condition, but it's a fact that most people are overweight from overeating or eating the wrong foods.

Is she currently working as a nanny? Has she given references that you can follow up, to see how she has got on in previous placements?

There's also an AWFUL lot of denial on this thread. The 'I'm morbidly obese and I'm as fit as a fiddle' brigade.

No. No, you're not.

You likely don't even realise just how much your weight is impacting you. I didn't, when I was obese. I didn't realise until I lost the weight because WHEN you're obese, the way you are is just your normal. You think you climb stairs quickly. You think you have no mobility compromises. You drop 5 stone and you absolutely realise just how wrong you were.

Oh no, they're almost 100% women. Women hate fat women almost as much as men.

I dropped 7 stone. I am less fit now than I was at my start weight of 17 stone 2lbs.

True.