Asked on 5th June 2008  |  3 replies

Answered on 5th June 2008:

Have you always had her at home with a nanny? Have you changed anything about her routine or caretaker? These things would give you a clue as to what may be causing her some problems. Also, I don't mean to go negative, but my first thought would be if something is going on between her and her caretaker. A child's behavior is a great indicator to tell you if there is a problem going on when you're not around. Start off by talking with the caregiver and going over their daily rountine to see if anything's different or has changed. Ask the caregiver if she notices anything different with your child (ie. naptime, eating, pottying, diaper, general behavior) Tell her you've noticed this change and your needing help and answers to get past it or help your daughter cope better. If you suspect that the caregiver might have something to do with your child's change in behavior and your child can talk, encourage a child-friendly dialogue in a quiet play envirnment (away from the caregiver) that would let you into their world. She (especially girls) can use their limited language skills to give you plenty of indicators if there is foul play going on and she is feeling uncomfortable with the caregiver. If you want you can always install the nanny- cams to get footage of their time together. I say this b/c children who are used to a certain routine don't usually rebel against it unless something new has been added to it that leaves them uncomfortable and distressed. The challenge is to find out w/o creating more discomfort with the child and unecessarily indicting the caregiver. You're daughter could also be experiencing some latent separation anxiety and just honestly misses you. Try spending more time with her during the evenings one-on-one and see if that helps. You can also tell her that you will play together or do a special event together when you get home. If this works then you know it was b/c she missed you and you could probably rule out any foul play with the caregiver. But, in any case - you have to become a supersleuth and put together some hidden clues. Let me know how it all worked out.

6 replies