“The youngest member of the family sets the tone”
INterview with Gerlinde Grunt | 18.11.2025
Gerlinde Grunt says she has one of the best jobs in the world: as a maternity nurse and nanny, she supports families in their most important moments – when they are growing and welcoming their baby.
It has now been more than 20 years since Gerlinde Grunt worked as a personal assistant to a businessman in Hong Kong. In this position, she was responsible for payroll and office management, among other things. Over time, she took on more and more tasks related to her employer’s private life – especially when he got married and started a family. Suddenly, Grunt was no longer driving to the office every morning, but to her employer’s home. No two days were the same. And Gerlinde Grunt’s life was now more varied than ever before.
Since then, she has been working as a nanny and maternity nurse in private households and can already look back on numerous stays in the most exclusive locations around the world. “Miss Gerlinde” – as her clients call her – supports parents in their new role and ensures that the baby’s needs are met. In between, Grunt raised her own children, studied and worked in completely different fields – in London, for example, as a domestic violence counsellor. Not least because of her multilingualism, “Miss Gerlinde” has also repeatedly worked as a governess for older children. It is always important to her that her clients’ parenting style harmonises with her own. This is the only way to ensure good cooperation.
Miss Grunt, you work as a non-medical maternity nurse and nanny in international private households. What exactly does that involve?
Gerlinde Grunt: I specialise in newborns from day one. The goals vary: some families want to establish a healthy daily routine or sleep schedule, while others focus on introducing bottles or complementary foods. I create an individual daily routine for each baby. You have to get a baby into a rhythm – don’t force anything, but introduce it slowly. Usually towards the end of the first year, I hand over my position to another nanny or stay with the family myself. Thanks to my background as a personal assistant, I can also support my employers in organising trips, for example. So I wear many hats.
How long do you accompany families on average?
Gerlinde Grunt: In recent years, I have only taken on shorter assignments because I focus primarily on baby care. This varies between a few weeks and a year. Sometimes I also accompany families purely as a travel nanny. In other words, the family goes on a two-month trip and I support them there.
Are you expected to be available 24 hours a day during an assignment?
Gerlinde Grunt: It always depends on the contract and the labour law conditions in the respective country. As a maternity nurse, I am on call for up to 20 hours a day and have four fixed hours of break time. The mother does not have to get up at night when the baby wakes up. However, if she wishes, I will of course bring the child to her. It is important to note that while the baby is sleeping, I can also rest and do not have to take on any other household chores. So my routine is actually organised around the baby. As a long-term nanny, this round-the-clock service package is out of the question. You can only manage it for a limited period of time. Otherwise, it would lead to burnout. We have to put our private lives very much in the background. Life revolves around that of our clients – and is therefore very different from that of us “normal people”. Nevertheless, I often hear: “We’re just a normal family.” But there is no such thing as a normal family. Mine isn’t normal either. (laughs)
“There is no such thing as a normal family. Mine isn’t normal either.” (laughs)
You said you organise your day around the baby. What about meals, for example? When do you have time for dinner?
Gerlinde Grunt: When the baby has fallen asleep. The families and staff don’t always eat at the same time. If the staff eat at 6:30 p.m. and the employers at 7:00 p.m., I can’t eat with either of them because I’m putting the baby to bed at that time. The youngest member of the family always sets the tone for me.
What is your educational approach?
Gerlinde Grunt: It’s a mixture of people skills, training and experience. I already focused on education at school. But in interpersonal professions, you need much more than you can learn from books. I work very closely with the families and spend time in their most intimate private spaces. The chemistry has to be right, otherwise you’re an intruder. My job is to make life easier for the parents. I’m not there to judge their lives. But I can, for example, argue scientifically why we shouldn’t let a two-year-old choose their outfit completely freely from a full wardrobe. We as adults guide the children.
How much freedom of choice is appropriate?
Gerlinde Grunt: Many people misunderstand the Montessori concept. Instead of opening the entire wardrobe or refrigerator, you can offer two or three options. Would you like green or red socks? The children still make their own decisions. Of course, they often have strong emotions. It is important that we allow these feelings. We cannot spare them every negative emotion and protect them from all disappointments. That would not be adequate preparation for the real world. It is the responsibility of adults to teach children how to deal with disappointment. If we want to have a reasoned discussion with a 12-year-old later on, we have to lay the foundation for this from an early age. It is important to communicate clear boundaries. “You hit your two-day-old brother. That’s a no.”
You deal with many different age groups – from newborn babies to parents and perhaps even grandparents. What are the particular challenges?
Gerlinde Grunt: Sometimes the challenge is to explain that many things are done differently today than they were 30 or 40 years ago. Sudden infant death syndrome is, of course, always a risk. Against this background, there are certain aspects that are non-negotiable for me: babies should no longer be laid on their stomachs to sleep. The room temperature should not be too high, and toys or soft toys no longer have a place in the cot.
How much medical knowledge is required in your job?
Gerlinde Grunt: Unlike midwives or paediatric nurses, who are common in German-speaking countries, I have no medical training. However, I do have expertise in paediatric first aid. It is important to identify potential hazards in the home and eliminate them in advance. On a yacht, for example, there are many such areas that need to be secured or that children are not allowed to enter at all.
“The chemistry has to be right, otherwise you’re an intruder.”
Do you sleep well on a yacht with small children?
Gerlinde Grunt: Do you sleep well at work in general? I sleep best at home (laughs). Especially with newborns, whose noises and movements you first have to get used to, you are constantly on edge. During the first six months of life, the baby and I usually sleep in the same room. After that, one of us moves into the next room. With older children, I often stay in a hotel or a separate flat nearby. Even if the children wake up at night, they don’t want to come to me, they want to go to their parents. But back to the yacht: with small children, a one-to-one supervision ratio must always be guaranteed. No one in their right mind would take sole responsibility for three children on a yacht. It would be far too dangerous.
What are the most important skills in your profession?
Gerlinde Grunt: You have to be very empathetic. And you need to understand that women are not just mothers once they have children. They are still daughters, sisters, wives or best friends. I am there to support women. I encourage them to go out for dinner with their husbands or call their best friends. In German-speaking countries, there is a stigma attached to women seeking help with raising their children. In Anglo-American countries and the Middle East, it’s different. There, it’s sometimes a status symbol to have six nannies plus a head nanny to look after your baby.
So there are significant cultural differences?
Gerlinde Grunt: Yes, in the Middle East, for example, there is also a strict protocol regarding the order in which people walk and who carries the baby. I am a very cosmopolitan person and follow the Dalai Lama’s advice: when you are a guest in another country, behave accordingly and respect your hosts.
Among other languages, you speak Mandarin and Cantonese – how did that come about?
Gerlinde Grunt: My mother comes from Singapore and is of Chinese origin, my father is German. I myself grew up mostly in Asia. At home, I spoke Cantonese with my mother and German with my father. At school, lessons were taught in Mandarin and English. I find it particularly appealing that, even today as a nanny, I sometimes get to speak Mandarin with children. This linguistic awareness is so important for the children’s future. Languages can end or start world wars, because misunderstandings are often the biggest problem.
So you are also a language teacher for many children?
Gerlinde Grunt: Language is usually the icing on the cake in the application process. I am also a baby swimming instructor as swimming is a very important life skill.
These are extremely responsible tasks. How do you relax?
Gerlinde Grunt: Among other things, I practise Korean Zen. We don’t always have to multitask. Focusing on one thing has something meditative about it. When I eat, I eat. Without any other distractions. This is also important to me with children: they should be able to enjoy their food in peace, using all their senses, without having a toy, book or smartphone in their hands.
Is there anything else you would like to share with people who are considering becoming nannies themselves?
Gerlinde Grunt: You have to have a service-oriented mindset. In a private household, you are not a servant, but you do serve, regardless of your position. You have to be able to put your own needs aside. This is often difficult, especially for younger people. Compared to working in a kindergarten, for example, the payment and staff-to-child ratio are much more attractive, but you have far fewer opportunities to interact with other adults. So it’s important to be able to work independently and get along well with yourself. Then it’s one of the most wonderful jobs in the world.
You can reach OPMG by phone at +49 89 414243 99-0 or by email at office@opmgstaff.com.
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