Making Caregiving
More Transparent

"I came across this platform and wanted to add a review. It has been quite a while, so I do not remember some of the day-to-day details clearly, but my overall impression and several key safety concerns remain very vivid. I am writing them down objectively for others’ reference. Strengths: * She values emotional connections and genuinely likes children. It was clear that the nanny had affection for our baby. I remember that when she left our household, she was especially reluctant to part with the baby; her eyes welled up as if she was about to cry. That was genuinely moving. So I do not think there is any need to worry that she would intentionally mistreat a baby. * Her basic skills were adequate. Her everyday hygiene habits were good, and her lactation-support and basic cooking skills were acceptable. Main issues and safety concerns (why I recommend choosing carefully): * Extremely attached to her phone, creating serious distraction in caregiving. What I remember most clearly is that she was on calls nonstop all day and never put her phone down, affecting both cooking and childcare efficiency. There were multiple serious lapses caused by looking at her phone—including during routine care, bathing/cleaning, and feeding, when her attention was entirely on the screen. She was even unaware when the baby was at risk, creating major safety concerns. * Proactive at first, then noticeably slackened off in the middle and later stages. When she first started, she seemed attentive and initiative-driven. Later, as long as the baby was not crying or fussing, she would lie beside the baby scrolling on her phone. She almost never proactively did passive exercises or black-and-white card activities; when taking the baby out for a walk, she would basically just switch locations and continue using her phone. * Emotional strain and shifting responsibility. She often found reasons to hand the baby back to the mother, and she was also prone to sarcastic remarks and creating psychological pressure. This was especially upsetting for a mother who needed quiet rest and recovery. I had previously seen similar reviews online, and after actually hiring her, I found that her working style did match them. To protect our family’s privacy, it is not convenient to disclose specific scheduling and photo details. The nanny also need not request a confrontation or demand that I prove this. This is simply an objective record from a real employer, for the reference of families who prioritize infant safety and the postpartum recovery experience."

"Objectively speaking, the nanny is not a bad person. She did put effort into caring for our baby and paid attention to nutritional balance when cooking. However, based on our actual experience employing her, she had fairly obvious issues with infant hygiene, work efficiency, accepting feedback, and emotional stability. Our seven-month-old baby developed a urinary tract infection while in the nanny’s care. We did not dismiss her because of that. What ultimately led us to let her go were the care issues we discovered afterward and the way she handled them when they were raised. After our baby had a UTI, took antibiotics for seven days, and developed a full-body allergic reaction, we began carefully checking the nanny’s daily care. We subsequently found multiple times that she had not promptly noticed after the baby had pooped, and the changing pads she washed still had fecal residue on them on multiple occasions. We showed her the actual items that had not been properly cleaned. At the time, she would say she would pay more attention in the future, but a few hours later she would come back to argue that it was not her fault and that we were deliberately wrongfully accusing her. Once, we merely asked her to pay closer attention to the baby’s hygiene, and at 2:30 in the morning, next to the baby, she lost emotional control and shouted loudly. To end the argument quickly so it would not affect the baby, we as the employers chose to apologize first and soothe her emotions. Similar situations happened more than once. The nanny was usually mild-mannered, but she had a very hard time accepting work-related feedback. When problems arose, she tended to fixate on arguing about who was right or wrong, immediately distance herself from responsibility, and even shift blame onto the several elders who had consistently helped her care for the baby. We had always been very accommodating toward her. She would bring clothes from her own home to use our washer and dryer, and would even take the baby’s clothes out to wash her own clothes first. On the day we dismissed her, she stayed in our home for three and a half hours, ate, washed her hair, took a shower, and did several loads of washing and drying. She said she did not have a washer or dryer at home and that her utility bills were expensive, and we had always expressed understanding. It was only after our new nanny had already been waiting outside for more than an hour that I very politely and gently asked whether she could move a little faster. She again became emotional and loudly argued with me. In addition, the nanny’s work efficiency also has substantial room for improvement. Cooking took two hours, preparing ingredients took one hour, and sometimes she would take half an hour to return after going out to throw away trash on the same floor. Families hoping for a postpartum nanny who can efficiently balance caring for the baby and cooking should consider this in advance. Finally, she would repeatedly talk about the work income of her previous employers and stir up conflict among family members. Employers who place importance on household privacy should take note. If your family is busy at work and does not have much time to supervise the nanny, we also recommend paying attention to the actual results of her work. When the nanny first started, she was very enthusiastic and appeared to be busy all day, but based on our experience, the actual quality and efficiency of her completed work were not as good as they appeared. We can accept that someone may lack ability, and we can understand the difficulties of age and physical stamina, but we cannot accept repeatedly facing intense arguments when employers raise normal concerns about issues involving a baby’s hygiene and health. Everything above is based on our real employment experience. Sharing it is not meant to negate everything about a person, but rather to give families considering hiring her more firsthand information, so they can make a judgment based on their own family’s needs. We wish everyone the best in finding a nanny they are satisfied with and who is a good fit."

"Auntie Li Xiangqin has extensive maternal and infant care experience and is highly professional in the baby’s daily care, including feeding, burping, diaper changes, soothing the baby to sleep, bathing, infant massage, umbilical-cord care, and monitoring the baby’s condition. She handled everything very skillfully. When our baby had gas, she promptly adjusted her care approach, did gas-relief exercises with the baby, and patiently comforted the baby, which gave us much greater peace of mind. She arranged the baby’s feeding reasonably. When there was insufficient breast milk, she promptly helped stimulate milk production and provided an appropriate combination of ready-to-feed formula, kept records on schedule, and gave us many scientific and practical parenting suggestions. Sometimes when I got up at night, I saw her patiently feeding and burping the baby, which was very hard work. By the time our baby reached one month old, the baby had gained 3 jin from birth weight, and even the pediatrician gave a thumbs-up. She pays close attention to personal hygiene and is organized in her work. She always keeps the baby’s supplies and room clean and sanitary, and does a full-house deep cleaning every week. In addition, Auntie Li is very good at cooking. Zha Jiang noodles, Sichuan pickled-cabbage fish, braised noodles with green beans... Whatever dishes I asked for, she could make deliciously. When we came back from a walk, we could smell the aroma as soon as we reached the first floor. More importantly, Auntie Li is responsible and full of love and patience for the baby. She often interacts with the baby, talks and sings to the baby, and we could truly feel her love for this work and her excellent professional qualities. Thank you for all her hard work during this period. I wish her every success in her future work and hope she can help more families welcome new life. I am willing to recommend her to families in need of newborn care, and I believe she will become an outstanding maternity nanny whom every family can trust."