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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

Obese nursery staff

85 replies

babybigears · 15/07/2009 17:17

A new member of staff will be working in the nursery baby room that I work at. I would class her as grossly obese and I am really really concerned that she may trip and fall on top of a baby because she may not notice for example, a baby at her feet or in her vicinity. There are a lot of babies rolling, crawling, toddling from as young as 3 months to 15 months old.

This is a difficult one for me to raise with the nursery. What do I do as a concerned member of staff?

If I was a parent I would be concerened. I would be interested to know if parents on this forum would see this as a safety concern?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

suwoo · 15/07/2009 17:20

Trip and fall on top of a baby .

Okaaaaaaaaaaaay

GIvePeasAChance · 15/07/2009 17:21

You are going to get a load of shit for writing that. I, however, am interested to know if this really is a H & S issue.............for the record I do think there may be something in this.

hobbgoblin · 15/07/2009 17:21

You mean because she cannot see her feet? I don't think many of us look at our feet when we move.

Fatness does not equate to clumsiness I don't think, but I could be wrong. That siad, if she did actually sit on/fall on or tread on a baby, it would indeed suffer more than if she were 7 stone...

LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune · 15/07/2009 17:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Sagacious · 15/07/2009 17:21

How likely is it?
Really?

I suspect you may get an awful lot of

LibrasBiscuitsOfFortune · 15/07/2009 17:22

I am 5'10 and clumsy, should I be banned from nurseries incase I trip over a baby and fall on another baby?

ihatemyjob · 15/07/2009 17:24

Do you really really believe that someone trained to work with babies will not notice one at her feet because she is fat? How bizarre.

hobbgoblin · 15/07/2009 17:24

Well OP may be having a laugh but it is worth considering actually. Any kind of physical impairment needs to be accounted for I guess and if your balance and mobility are affected by your weight then it is only fair to look at this issue isn't it?

Question is, are mobility and balance negatively affected by obesity?

TotalChaos · 15/07/2009 17:24

. yeah right.

LaurieFairyCake · 15/07/2009 17:25

Fat doesn't equal clumsy end of.

You should say nothing and try not to communicate your prejudices to anyone.

Yes, it would hurt more if a large object fell on a baby but since the world is full of large fucking objects I think you can let this one go.

Sagacious · 15/07/2009 17:25

YY but seven stoner' swould have less (ahem) cushioning so it would be safer surely.

(I realise this is crap reasoning)

I couldn't see my feet when I was pregnant. I don't think I was a danger to anyone (except anyone eating chocolate cake and not sharing it)

LadyGlencoraSnape · 15/07/2009 17:25

I'm dsypraxic and frequently trip over my own feet. Nobody's ever suggested I'm not safe around babies.
I wouldn't personally see it as an issue.

bigchris · 15/07/2009 17:27

you could say that smoking nursery staff are a hazard beause they havent the lung capacity to run after kids all day

hobbgoblin · 15/07/2009 17:28

See, this is why the risk averse are twonks. Which brings me back to the cycle helmet debate actually... You just cannot risk manage to the nth degree so one should not even try. Where one draws the line though is anybody's guess...

Just make sure there's a fire extinguisher somewhere and forget the rest

Joolyjoolyjoo · 15/07/2009 17:29

Funnily enough, there seem to be quite a lot of bigger ladies at my kids' nurseries, and I've never really thought of it as a problem. I did used to wonder slightly if they wouldn't get knackered trying to run around after the kids (I do!), but they seem to have as much energy and stamina as the rest, and some of the bigger ones have been some of the best and most liked nursery nurses with the kids.

I'm sure all the nurses need to be careful and are accustomed to being careful around babies on the floor. I imagine ANY adult tripping over or falling onto a baby would be problematic.

nickytwotimes · 15/07/2009 17:30

If she was skinny, would you raise it as a safety concern due to her impailing a child on her angular bones?

Fgs.

louii · 15/07/2009 17:30

Fat people should be banned form having kids as well in case they fall over and land on them!

GIvePeasAChance · 15/07/2009 17:30

My BIL is morbidly obese - 35 stone-ish. And it is like he has a serious disability. He cannot do some of the things that non-obese people can do e.g. Bend down (and pick up babies),walk quickly (to get a child), sit on a standard chair. I would say he would be seriously impaired in doing a job in a nursery for all sorts of reasons, not especially falling on a child though.

That sounds very prejudice I realise, but not sure how to get round that.

hobbgoblin · 15/07/2009 17:33

I also don't see why one should have to worry about offending the obese by discussing the physical limitations of being so. Why is it not okay to talk about this?

TsarChasm · 15/07/2009 17:33

I'm not obese but I trip over my children nearly every day. I think their mission in life is to upend me.

I guess the nursery think she's up to the job. That's all that matters isn't it?

bigchris · 15/07/2009 17:34

does your BIL have kids? and if yes does he ever look after them when he is alone?

TheCrackFox · 15/07/2009 17:34

What we now need is an A&E doctor (or nurse) to come along and tell us that it is a common emergency having babies brought in after having fat people inadvertantly squash them. Somehow, I think it isn't.

On choosing a nursery the biggest concern should be how nice the staff are.

Sagacious · 15/07/2009 17:35

Some people pay to get squashed... but thats a whole other thread

FenellaFudge · 15/07/2009 17:38

Surely any fully grown adult falling from standing position onto a crawling baby could cause damage?
Perhaps nurseries should only employ very short, very light people? or maybe anyone over 5.1 / 6 stone should be made to go round on all fours? thus reducing the gravitational pull?

bigchris · 15/07/2009 17:38

and really thin people could faint when holding a baby

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