Shocking video footage has emerged which appears to show the woman violently hurl the baby into its cot.
In the video, taken from inside the child’s bedroom in the family home in Namibia, the nanny is seen carrying little Laila by her shoulder and neck.
The nanny begins to tidy the bed and then throws Laila into it face first, causing her to land with a powerful thud. The tot, who is nine months old, can be heard crying.
The nanny – who has not been identified – was denied bail and is in custody in the southern African country.
Laila is said to be fine after her ordeal.
Her mother Annemarie Theron, 31, said: “I was absolutely shattered. I was horrified that [the nanny] could look me in the eye – like she did every day. My heart breaks.”
Ms Theron became concerned after noticing bruises on her daughter’s neck and shoulders, so she and her husband Johan installed a CCTV camera in Laila’s room.
She said of the video: “It was very emotional watching it. I refused to sleep, eat or drink for a couple of days afterward. It’s difficult to imagine how long this has been going on for. I can see Laila is so, so broken.”
The nanny, a mother of four, reportedly had a history of domestic violence and was a heavy drinker.