Hiring live-in nannies is common among middle to high income Indonesian mothers. Although statistics on Indonesian nannies specifically are not available, the International Labor Organization reports that there are 2,593,000 household workers in Indonesia. This number encompasses nannies as they often do housework in addition to taking care of children. Around 1.4 million of these workers are in Java alone (Lembar Fakta tentang Pekerja Rumah Tangga di Indonesia). Nannies are hired for a variety of reasons. For some couples, the various demands from work and the pressure to gain adequate income led them to hire a nanny. While others may simply seek the comfort of obtaining help to fulfill the demanding duties of parenthood. Hiring nannies is typically a preferred method over other types of childcare services as nannies, especially those who live with the family, typically can supervise children at all times. In certain cases, parents may also send their children to daycare services with the supervision of their child’s personal nanny. 

The world of nannies is not all sunshine and rainbows. Concerns of human rights abuses and the prevalence of underage workers among the household worker demographic are not an unexposed fact and it continues to need growing attention. However, what is less explored but is also important is the two-sided impact of nanny and babysitter care on the development of children. Alongside its benefits, nanny care comes with several concerns. The existing lack of research on the effects of nanny care to children’s development in Indonesia is staggering, given that nanny care is common. This article aims to discuss the currently available research on the roles and effects of hiring a live-in nanny to the development of children, as well as provide future directions on research and practical implications on a societal level.

Benefits to Hiring Nannies According to Existing Research

Hiring a nanny potentially reaps many benefits. A nanny does not only help parents to accomplish tasks such as bathing, feeding, and tutoring children, they can also help children practice social skills. A nanny can improve a child’s language skills. A study conducted in Banyumas State, Indonesia studying 2–3-year-old children found that when nannies have a good relationship with the child, are patient, knowledgeable, sensitive to the child, and cooperative with parents, the presence of a nanny can increase a child’s vocabulary. Live-in nannies particularly provide a language resource for children as they introduce and explain new words in various activities done with the child during the day such as in conversations, play, and storytelling (Wahyuningtyas, 2016). Additionally, as a non-family member, children may learn about different perspectives, backgrounds, and more about the outside world from a nanny. This is especially true for children with nannies who migrated from a different city, an occurrence that is fairly common in Indonesia.

Drawbacks or Commonly Expressed Concerns with Hiring Nannies

While hiring nannies may bring relief to parents, those who hire nannies often express certain concerns. Several cases have been reported on the abuse of children by nannies when under no supervision. Cases have ranged from physical abuse to nannies giving babies sleeping pills to stop them from crying. In a particular case that occurred in December 2019, a nanny repeatedly tortured a seven-year-old child and her older sister when their parents are not home, to “punish” them of their misbehaviors. One of these abusive punishments included tying the child’s hands and legs and covering the child’s face with wallpaper and tape (Ladjar, 2020). In another case reported in October 2019, a nanny repeatedly abused a two-year-old for revenge to the child’s mother for getting angry at her (Lova, 2019).  The circulation of news and stories about child abuse committed by nannies brings concern that such cases too can happen in one’s home if not careful enough. 

Secondly, even if not officially qualified as child abuse, there are still a range of inappropriate ways a nanny may handle a child. This can be in the form of rough handling (e.g., dropping a baby unto a bed, pulling at children’s arms when walking, etc.), neglect (e.g., not attending to the baby’s physical and emotional needs, engaging children with technology for long hours at a time to avoid nanny-child interaction, etc.), or inappropriate ways of discipline (e.g., screaming or hitting children for misbehavior, punishing children for expressing emotions such as crying, etc.). Furthermore, in less extreme cases, parents who work for most hours of the day must consider that their children might potentially spend more time with the hired nanny than with them. As stated by modeling theory, a child inevitably learns and imitates the actions of adults around him/her. As such, it is a concern that a nanny must have good character and similar values with a child’s parents. 

Third of all, hiring a nanny to raise a child may raise several concerns relating to attachment. A study conducted in the 1980s found that any childcare arrangements (center care, family daycare, and nanny care) for more than 20 hours or more hours per week in the beginning of a child’s life were at risk for being classified as having an insecure attachment with their mothers at 12 or 18 months and tend to be more disobedient and aggressive from 3 to 8 years old (Connor & Brink, 1999). This is likely due to the amount of time the child is not spending with his/her mother. Furthermore, as nannies often do not work for a family forever, it may be problematic for a child when his/her nanny chooses to end his/her employment. Nannies often come and go due to various factors such as marriage, parenting responsibilities, and unsuitable job environment. At such a time, children may find it difficult to adapt to his/her new caregiver, whether it be his/her parents, another nanny, or another adult. Research have found that when repeated changes of primary caregivers occur resulting in the inability to form stable attachments, children may be more at risk to developing attachment disorders such as Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) or Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED) (American Psychiatric Association, 2017).