Artist, Csilla Klenyánszki has been working in a Dutch daycare since 2023. Her series How (not) to lift a toddler is based on her daycare work and her personal experiences in raising her own children.
Nurseries take care of children, aged 0 to 3 years old, who are at different stages of motor development; some of them can already walk, but most need to be moved and lifted by the nursery workers. According to a 2021 study by the Democratic Labour Union of Nursery Workers, a nursery worker executes approximately 60-100 lifts a day, which is equivalent to physically moving 600-1800 kg of mass manually.
This series, How (not) to lift a toddler, was originally intended to present the correct way of lifting a child, first entitled How to lift a child. According to the Manual of Workplace Safety published by the Democratic Labour Union of Nursery Workers, in accordance with the health, safety and ergonomic instructions, lifting a child in a correct manner can reduce the strain and back pain caused by bending and helps to prevent permanent musculoskeletal diseases. Csilla's experience, however, shows that having a correct posture during work is not always possible.
"A toddler is not a rigid box, but a constantly moving and wiggling being, whose frolicing makes it difficult to lift them correctly, as required, and to comply with ergonomic rules. In many cases, we lift small children suddenly when we want to remove them from inconvenient positions. Nevertheless, whether we would like to comfort them or just cuddle with them, strenuous holding and carrying becomes part of natural caring acts."
The artwork explores the duality of work and loving care in nurseries, which duality originates from the interconnectedness of professional nursery work and gentleness. Such a simple, repetitive and routine-like action as lifting a toddler arises from an instinctive, protective movement, which places a heavy physical strain on daycare workers. As a consequence, daycare workers often carry out their work abiding musculoskeletal pain, putting their bodies at risk of long-term damage while caring for the future of our society.
