SINGAPORE: A Singapore employer has taken to Facebook to share an “eerie” midnight encounter that left her husband frightened and her household puzzled — after finding their domestic helper talking to a baby doll while smiling in the kitchen as though it were a real child.
According to the post in the MDW/FDH (Migrant/Foreign Domestic Worker/Helper) in Singapore (working conditions forum) group, the incident happened at midnight, when the employer’s husband returned home late after work and spotted the helper in the kitchen holding a baby doll, but from afar, it appeared like a real baby girl.
“She was in the kitchen looking at the windows, talking to the baby doll… it was at 12 midnight,” the employer said. “My husband then woke me up, and I went to the kitchen. She was there smiling at the baby doll.”
The startled employer then confronted the helper: “I asked her, ‘What are you doing?’ but she (the helper) just smiled and walked towards me and said, ‘Sorry, ma’am, I’m bored, so I’m playing with a doll…’”
Strangely, the doll, which the employer described as “not even cute and actually an ugly doll”, was also reportedly not part of the helper’s original belongings. “The agent said, ‘That’s weird; she didn’t have a doll when checking in her luggage.’”
While the helper’s work performance was described as “acceptable” — even better than the family’s previous maid — the doll incident has left the employer and her husband unsettled.
“Her cooking is nice. She does ironing well, and it is very neat. But why lah she plays with a doll?” she asked. “My husband is so scared now… he even changed his shift work time.”
The employer later told the helper to stop sleeping late and playing with the doll. Since then, the helper has not been seen with it. “This happened 2 weeks ago, and until today, I haven’t seen her with the doll, but I’m left confused… My kids don’t know about this incident.”
“Maybe she lost her baby…”
The post triggered 259 comments from fellow employers and helpers, ranging from empathy to alarm. Some speculated the doll might be a coping mechanism.
“Let her be. If it can comfort her homesickness,” one helper commented. Another wrote, “Maybe she lost her baby recently, or has strong maternal instincts.”
Others found the behaviour alarming:
“Freaky!” one wrote, while another added, “Creepy!”
“She should be mentally evaluated,” said another.
“If it’s 12 midnight, that’s so scary… better tell her to stay and keep the doll in her own room,” one suggested.
Some reminded the employer that grief and loneliness can manifest in unusual ways: “Maybe she had a miscarriage and couldn’t move on, so she bought a doll to imagine her child was still alive,” one commenter theorised.
Others added levity to the debate: “I also have a doll from my childhood… am I also weird if I talk to it? 
”
“Sometimes I talk to myself, too. Is that weird?”
While many described the helper’s actions as weird, others suggested understanding and compassion.
“As you’ve said, she does her work well, so nothing to worry about,” one helper wrote. “Better to talk to her about her behaviour.”
Another added, “When there’s no one else to talk to, maybe she (the helper) feels she could talk to the doll. Sometimes I talk to myself, too. Is that weird?”
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