7 month old suddenly cries when the nanny takes him. She's been with us since he was 3 months

moss_spoon_35629 Oct 2026

the last ten days or so our son screams when the nanny takes him from me in the morning. she's been with us four months and he's always gone to her happily. by the time i've logged in he's fine again, she sends a photo of him laughing. she's a bit hurt i think. i feel awful walking away. no family nearby so there's no plan b. is this the stranger anxiety thing everyone talks about, and if so why with someone who isn't a stranger 🤷

2 comments

mellow_rain_907229 Oct 2026
Our daughter did this at about the same age with her grandmother, whom she saw every day. It lasted a few weeks. What our paediatrician told us then was that it's more about the parent leaving than about the other person. Does he settle quickly once you're out of sight? If so, I would read it the way you already are: he's fine, the handover is the hard part.
fern_diary_998229 Oct 2026
Our son went through this around 8 months with a caregiver he'd known half his life. What helped us was her coming in and playing with him for five minutes while I was still there, then me leaving quickly. The long goodbyes made it worse. And tell your nanny it's not about her. She probably knows, but it helps to hear it :)