Just Go with It?

My son used to think my mom's homemade soup was called "soup honey" because she always said "Would you like some soup, honey?" LOL

I'd just add her first name when you talk about her....like...."Did you have fun with Nana Judy today?"

I think that it would bother me too, BUT I would go with it, knowing that he's just calling her by name as he knows it right now. My friend has nannied for 18yrs and every child eventually calls her mama, just like my son thought all women were mamas and men were daddy's for a while. Good luck!

If he is calling her Nana then that probably means that he is really comfortable with her or he hears her granddaughter saying that. I would say it is all good. I can remember that a lot of the little kids that I babysat called me Mom and some of the kids on the bus call me Mom. I don't think that means I am taking the place of Mom but they are just really comfortable with me. My kids have a Nana and she is not their grandma but love her bunches!! I call her Nana too because I love her bunches!!

"Nana" or any other nickname is just a handle to a child – he has no idea what it means on a familial level. If another child calls your sitter this, then he will, too. If another child called her "Spot," then he would, too. I would let it go. It was considerate of your sitter to mention this to you, but really, the name does not mean to your son what it means to you.

When he's two or three, he'll get a better grasp on who's family and who's not.

he is going to call her that anyways, you can choose to call her by her name when you speak of her but weather she encourages it or not it is going to happen. My nephew "sam" would not call his own father daddy because EVERYONE including mommy and big brother (step dad) called him "mike" no one referred to him as daddy he understood mamma b/c everyone called her that but daddy nope. Kids learn from the people around them what to call people so in order to stop it all together her grand daughter would probably have to start calling her nana too. This may be a loosing battle.

While they are not family like to you, I surely hope she is to your son since she takes care of him all day. :)
That said, all of my kids' friends call my parents the names that my kids call them, and my kids call their friends' grandparents their nicknames. I think it is quite normal!

Sounds like she is your nanny since you say he is with them both all day. She IS supposed to be like family since she is helping raise your son. She is with him a large portion of his day so there needs to be something that he can call her. If he likes nana then why not? At least it's not mama.
When I nannied a little girl she started calling me mama. (I started when she was 12 months and stayed with her until she was 4). I would say "mama L.?" every single time she said it. I didn't want to hurt the mom's feelings that her daughter was calling me mama, but I wanted her to have something that she could call me. A pet name, if you will. She called me mama yoya. Loved it.
Maybe your son could call her "nana Jane" or whatever her name is. I don't think that sounds "too close" at all...I think it sounds like a little boy spending all day long with his nanny and calling her a name that he hears all day long.
L.

I think he's just calling her what he hears someone else call her.
All growing up, we had neighbors that we even called Grandma This or Auntie That because that's just how they were known to all of us children.
As we got older, we knew they weren't our "real" grandmas or aunts, that's just what everyone called them.

I wouldn't worry about it at all unless it makes you super uncomfortable. Your little one is only 15 months. There's no point in trying to explain to him why it's wrong. If she's okay and you're okay.....it isn't going to harm him any.

Just my opinion.
Best wishes!

I'd just go with it. my mom babysat for kids and they all called her Yeaya, which is what all the grandkids call her (greek for grandmother but spelled different). you don't have to be in a familial relationship with this woman, but your son is going to feel closer to her than you will since he is with her all day. really no different than calling her "miss ___." and it's probably easier for him also. when he gets bigger, if he's still with her, you can transition. plus, his calling her that isn't going to replace his real nana :)

I personally would just go with it (my friend's uncle is known as Uncle Bob to everyone; I have called him that for as long as I can remember) but if you aren't comfortable say just that. "I thought about DS calling you nana and I am just not comfortable with that. I hope there aren't any hard feelings."

I agree, he probably thinks its her name. My nephew starting calling his grandma "No No!" when he was about two. Hes 4 now, and he still calls her grandma No No! He loves going to No No's house! Stinkin hilarious in my opinion!!
I would let it go.

I would say that if you had someone in your family that your DS would be calling "nana", that teaching him something different would be better. But if no one in the family has or will have that name, then for him, it's just a name to call her and doesn't actually mean anything familial. :)

I would be called Momma or Mommy by the charges I used to Nanny for - happened with almost all the families I worked with. It's simply what happens when they grow close to and expect to be with one caregiver other than their parents. Doesn't mean they've replaced you or the title of person they are calling - simply means they trust, love and enjoy the person who's taking care of them.

Also, my Mom would sometimes watch the children I nannied for when something came up and she became Grandma Valerie. We are friend with 2 of the families I was their Nanny... and tho I've started to be called by my real name by the children, they still call my Mom Grandma Valerie.

If you don't like it, then say no. My daughter, 3 at the time, started calling my ex-husband's girlfriend's parents by grandma and grandpa because other kids were, including her half sister. I told him it needed to stop. I told him to blame it on me. My dad had just died when this started. I said those are precious names and titles and I want them to stay that way. Maybe you could tell the sitter that. Your 15 month old should, IMO, grow up calling her Miss whatever-her-first-name is. It's respectful.

If you are not comfortable with it then say you prefer he calls her "so and so" instead. Nothing wrong with that. Not sure how old he is? Really small ones tend to do this. The caregiver should understand.

Your relationship with her may not feel all that famial but I would chance it to say that your son probably does feel a bit of that bond. Only natural since she is his part-time caretaker.

I remember when I was growing up, there were a couple of older grandmother figures in my neighborhood who babysat me on ocassion or I'd hang out with them while they are doing their gardening. Even though they were not family and we didn't do much socializing with them, I still called them Grandma Winger or Aunt Annie. I don't think my mom got upset by this. Just seemed like the natural thing to do.

If you absolutely don't feel comfortable with this, maybe you can come up with a special name for your son to call her that is just for her. Not "nana" but something endearing nonetheless.

Go with it! It's no biggie. He's comfortable with her and hears her being called that. Kids learn what they hear. My son (who is 3) calls my husband and I "honey" sometimes because he hears us call each other that all the time. It's all good!

I'd let it go. He probably thinks that is her name, he doesn't know its a title of any kind. I like the suggestion below of calling her Nana Judy (or whatever her first name is) so it doesn't feel so awkward to you.

Of course, my kids have a "Grandma" and a "Grammy", so there is no competition for the title of Nana and I have no emotional attachment to it. I guess I might feel differently if my kids called my mom Nana.

I would go with it. It evolved out of respect-

I personally would let it go. He's only 15 months and doesn't know any different. You could call her by miss "her name" when you are talking to him so he gets that from you and he'll eventually learn it. But IMO i wouldn't tell the sitter not to. Your relationship may not be that familial, but it is to him. My friend who has 3 kids watches my 2 year old sometimes and my daughter heard her kids calling her mommy so she did too. She didn't know any better. That's the only name she knew her by. it didn't bother me and now she knows her real name and calls her by that.

Unless you already have a "nana" in your family, I would just go with it.

She is imitaitng the grand daughter. I would say that it is flattering that your daughter thinks a lot of her. My son calls the babysitters mom, Mom Mom. He knows that it is not his Grandmother but he calls her that since the kids and her grand daughter calls her Mom Mom. Just emphasize to her that is not her Nana just the babysitter. I am sure she knows the difference. Be happy you have anice babysitter and that she shares this informations with you.

If I were in this situation I would just go with it. From your son's point of view, that is her name because that is what other's call her.

He probably thinks that is her name, not a title. I would just let it go.