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Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

My baby calls his nanny 'mummy <name>'

25 replies

Judyandherdreamofhorses · 01/03/2014 21:17

I suppose that's quite normal.

I should be pleased he's so happy with her. I am. I'm not suggesting she's encouraging this, or can do anything about it. I suppose it's quite sweet really.

OP posts:
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beachesandbuckets · 01/03/2014 21:24

You will always be his mummy, hugs x

chelsbells · 01/03/2014 21:36

I work in a nursery and sometimes the children will say 'mummy...' And we just say, I'm not mummy, what's my name? Maybe ask her to reinforce her name with your little one, will make you feel more comfortable and she may find it odd too being called mummy! Lovely that they've got a good bond though x

TheScience · 01/03/2014 22:59

How old is he? My nephew calls me and DP mummy and daddy - I think as far as he's concerned it's just a generic title meaning "woman, get me something/do something for me" Grin

Cindy34 · 01/03/2014 23:00

Lets call nanny Kate.

A child calling their nanny Mummy Kate I feel is a learnt behaviour.
A child calling their nanny Mummy is accidental, a default the child uses to get attention. Dads can at times be called Mum by their children, then the child looks and say something like " I mean Dad".

As nanny Kate is being called Mummy Kate, not just Kate, or just Mummy, I consider the child has been taught to use that phrase.

So I feel you need to have a chat to nanny. The child is able to say the nannies real name... Kate in my example, and so the phrase can be dropped, replaced with just the name.

You will always be mummy. Children know the difference between mum and someone else. Now that your child is old enough to say your nannies real name, it is time to start using it.

VodkaRevelation · 01/03/2014 23:05

I would ask your baby to reinforce her name to the child and say something like, "I'm not your mummy". As a previous poster suggested.

Cindy- what wild speculation!

VodkaRevelation · 01/03/2014 23:05

*nanny! Not baby

Littlefish · 01/03/2014 23:08

Dd used to call her childminder "mummy" occasionally. Her lovely childminder would always say "mummy is at work, but

Cindy34 · 01/03/2014 23:20

Its possible the child called the nanny Mummy Kate (Kate is easier to write than ) themselves. The nanny may have tried to correct it at first but the name stuck.

How long has it been happening? Has the nanny tried to get your child to call them just by their first name?

Whilst we may disagree on how it may of come about, I think we all agree that the Mummy Kate phrase needs to be replaced with just the nannies name.

wadi1983 · 01/03/2014 23:38

I.sometimes get called mummy, daddy, Mrs Webb (teachers name)
I just who? and they laugh and say, I mean wadi :)

It's natural...

baby things, calls me mumma and dadda and I just say, mumma dadda are at work, I'm wadi

MiscellaneousAssortment · 02/03/2014 01:35

It's sweet, it's nice, and it very much depends on how the cm deals with it.

I'd feel fine with it if she did any of the suggestions here like 'mummy is at work but xxx is here sweetie' type of stuff

How is your cm responding to it?

gertiegusset · 02/03/2014 01:43

Depends how old your baby is, I wouldn't encourage it.

Chloerose75 · 02/03/2014 02:01

I agree with Cindy

HSMMaCM · 02/03/2014 03:48

I agree it is a general term for 'woman Carer', which just needs gentle correction. Children always know who their real mummy is.

Some of my mindees parents say they are called my name by mistake Grin.

OutragedFromLeeds · 02/03/2014 04:20

Cindy is wrong.

The 'mummy name' comes about because the child calls the nanny mummy, the nanny corrects with her name, the child self corrects and ends up using both and it sticks. For example;

Child: Mummy...
Nanny: Leeds!
Child: Mummy Leeds....

Correcting a child everytime they address you is unnecessary, the mummy bit will drop naturally (as long as it's not being encouraged). Leave him be. He knows who his mummy is.

17leftfeet · 02/03/2014 04:23

Do you refer to her as 'nanny Kate' or just Kate

I know families that do I hate it sounds very twee and you can understand the word confusion

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/03/2014 06:30

Tbh most children at some stage of their life call their childcarer mummy

Most I would like to think would say as I do. I'm not mummy / I'm
Blondes or I'm not mummy who am I? And child replies blondes

Nothing to worry about and will grow out of it

A nwoc I know is often called her own name by her daughter as her daughter hears the charge ask for 'example' Kate. So she says I'm kate to xxxxx but I'm your mummy

TheGreatHunt · 02/03/2014 07:05

My dd calls me by our nanny's name sometimes but I've never heard her call our nanny mummy before although sure there's the odd slip up.

Judyandherdreamofhorses · 02/03/2014 07:06

I think it's very likely to be as Leeds and blondes describe.

She brings her own child. I can imagine frequent conversations like this:

Her DD: Mummeeeeeey?
My DD: Luceeeeeeeeeey?
DS: Mummy Lucy?
Poor harassed nanny: Yes, everyone!

She's lovely. I'm sure she doesn't encourage it. Just made me a bit sad on Friday after a stressful week at work. Ironically, I'd had a child call me mummy several times at school that day!

OP posts:
minderjinx · 02/03/2014 07:30

My DH works in a large office. One of the younger recruits accidentally called him Dad, much to everyone else's amusement and her embarrassment!

Judyandherdreamofhorses · 02/03/2014 07:31

minder! Poor woman!

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NannyK7H · 02/03/2014 08:25

One of my charges used to think I was a second mummy until he was about 18 months. He'd call me by my name but if anyone said 'where's mummy?' he would point to me or point to both me and MB if we were both there.
MB used to like it because it reassured her that I loved him and treated him like she did.

Cindy34 · 02/03/2014 08:43

NWOC complicates it. I agree that could explain the Mummy Name thing happening.

As you have posted on here about it, I feel you are not totally happy about it, so what are you and your nanny doing about the situation?

Judyandherdreamofhorses · 02/03/2014 09:11

Nah, it's no big deal. We won't be doing anything about it.

OP posts:
cathpip · 02/03/2014 09:21

I am a nanny and one of my charges used to call me mummy all the time, but ask him to point at cathpip and he would, he just could not pronounce my name and as soon as he could he stopped calling me mummy. We (his mum and I) neither encouraged or tried to pursuade him otherwise. My most recent posting I was able to take my own son with me to work and when he was little he used to call my bosses mum and dad, as that's what my charges called them, so clearly that is what there names were! The dad did ask if I minded, it never bothered me as he has out grown it now. The funniest one was when my son had first learnt the word mummy, we went to visit my sister who is also my identical twin, well my son was stumped, two mummy's :)

Tanith · 02/03/2014 10:40

I'm a childminder and DD went through a stage of calling every woman who came through the door "Mummy".

DH works with me and, likewise, every man was "Daddy" - parent, postman, courier, gasman - you name it!! Grin

Nowadays (she's 4), she will call me Mummy. However, she will also call me Auntie Tanith like the others do, especially if she wants something :)

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