The Nanny

Our nanny is really great. She's young (but not too young), energetic, and most importantly she really likes BG and BG really likes her. She is very attentive to BG when she squawks or cries... she always seems to have a bottle ready to go at feeding times. She's great at putting BG down to nap. Which is why my wife is now freaking out. She's afraid that BG is going to "like the nanny more" than BG likes her.

There's something to that... when I was working and my wife was home with BG all day, BG definitely was more responsive to my wife. When I was home, taking care of BG all day, she became more interested in me. I think it's natural for the baby to be comfortable with the person who is taking care of her all day long. I mean, she'll be with the nanny for 8-9 hours a day... so I think it's completely normal for her to be a little more responsive to the nanny. She's a baby. As far as I can tell, she responds most to whoever is fulfilling her immediate needs (warmth, hunger, shelter) which is probably a pretty good evolutionary tact.

And BG still knows who we are... she still smiles and laughs when we come home and get to hold her at the end of the day. I think, as long as she's not calling the nanny "mamma" then there isn't really much to worry about. Besides, I still like the fact that even though it's not my wife or me giving her the individualized attention everyday, BG is still getting more attention and care than she would from a day care provider who was charged with taking care of multiple babies.

God, it's so hard as a parent to know if you are doing the right thing.