Maid caring for baby says the parents did not give their infant enough rest

SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic helper with experience caring for an infant felt that her employers were not taking care of their baby and wanted to know if she should speak to them about it.

In an anonymous post to a support group for domestic helpers and employers alike, the maid said she was working with a first-time employer who was also a parent for the first time. She said she had basic parenting skills, so she knew babies had to sleep between 12 and 14 hours. She also added that she knew about their feeding, showering and childminding. The helper wrote that if the child woke up in the middle of the night, her parents would bring her to the living room and play instead of putting the baby back to sleep.

The helper said that she would put the baby down to sleep by 9.30 pm. However, her employers would play games or speak loudly and wake the child up at 11.30 pm. “then my employer bring baby to living room join parents PLAY GAMES… And play YOUTUBE music for baby ( actually isn’t my business what my employer do with their baby.. but I feel sad to baby not have enough rest at night… No fresh when wake up in the morning and look sleepy)”, the maid wrote.

She asked netizens if she should speak to her employer about her feelings. She added that she knew the baby well and said the child was friendly and active. When the child woke up in the middle of the night, she said she would put the infant back to sleep without any trouble. /TISG