pseudonymous
New Member
Hi all,
I'd like to share my experience with a confinement nanny that helped us out earlier this year. We had a great experience with her and I would love for her to find some great employers. I'm based in the US and was back in Singapore to visit family with my 12 week old infant. My husband and I made the last minute decision to hire help for our two week stay in Singapore and we were fortunate to have found Amy through a friend's referral. She can be contacted via Whatsapp at 84995265, which is her Singapore phone number. She is Malaysian and we communicated in Mandarin but I believe she also speaks Cantonese and Hokkien, and understands some basic English. The online application for the confinement nanny permit was quick and straightforward. She's already in their system so a lot of fields were automatically populated.
Some (not so) brief notes about our positive experience with her:
1) Experienced nanny - I don't believe I've ever met anyone who loves babies as much as she does, and it really does show in her care of our baby. He was jet lagged for a full week after our arrival but she was always patient with him and happily entertained him when he woke up in the wee hours of the morning and refused to go back to sleep. He was also in his distracted feeding phase and it was a real challenge to bottle feed but she handled it expertly. Babies and newborns can be challenging and I love that she was always patient and would never say anything negative to my baby. She also has years of experience working as a confinement nanny and raised 6 kids herself so she was great at reading baby's cues and knew when he was overtired or if he was hungry etc.
2) Physically fit - We were a little apprehensive initially when we learnt that she was 65 years old, but that turned out to be a total non-issue as she is physically fit and very strong. Her energy levels were comparable to our full time nanny in the US, who is a very fit woman in her 50s. Please don't let her age deter you from hiring her. I was also able to find an insurer that insures confinement nannies above the age of 65 at a reasonable rate - PM me if you are interested.
3) Cooking - We did not require her to cook for us but I've seen pictures of her cooking and she used to work as a hawker for many years so I have no doubt that she's more than capable of cooking confinement meals and preparing desserts and teas.
4) Scope of duties - Our expectation was for her to take care of baby and handle baby related duties only (baby laundry, washing of baby bottles, keeping the nursery clean etc) but she went above and beyond and helped clean the apartment if she had some down time and helped with folding our laundry as well. She's also open to feedback and easy to get along with. Communication is key so I would highly recommend that expectations be discussed beforehand and to have discussions on an ongoing basis if any issues arise or if you prefer things to be done a certain way.
With all being said, being a confinement nanny is an extremely tough job. Round the clock care for an infant that needs to be fed ever so often, lots of washing, laundry and cooking. I do hope that we all keep that in mind that nobody should be expected to work round the clock like that without sufficient rest and self care. A little respect and and lots of understanding goes a long way. If you own a washing machine and dryer, have a helper, or any other appliances that will make her life easier, please do give her the option of using them. If baby has been difficult and not sleeping well, or if it's been an exhausting week for everyone, perhaps give her a break from cooking during the weekend and just grab takeout for everyone. Hawker food is very affordable so please don't cheap out and do get her a proper meal. A happy and well rested nanny will be in the best position to perform her duties well and safely.
Time to get off my soapbox. I hope you all get the help you need and good luck with your delivery and postpartum!
I'd like to share my experience with a confinement nanny that helped us out earlier this year. We had a great experience with her and I would love for her to find some great employers. I'm based in the US and was back in Singapore to visit family with my 12 week old infant. My husband and I made the last minute decision to hire help for our two week stay in Singapore and we were fortunate to have found Amy through a friend's referral. She can be contacted via Whatsapp at 84995265, which is her Singapore phone number. She is Malaysian and we communicated in Mandarin but I believe she also speaks Cantonese and Hokkien, and understands some basic English. The online application for the confinement nanny permit was quick and straightforward. She's already in their system so a lot of fields were automatically populated.
Some (not so) brief notes about our positive experience with her:
1) Experienced nanny - I don't believe I've ever met anyone who loves babies as much as she does, and it really does show in her care of our baby. He was jet lagged for a full week after our arrival but she was always patient with him and happily entertained him when he woke up in the wee hours of the morning and refused to go back to sleep. He was also in his distracted feeding phase and it was a real challenge to bottle feed but she handled it expertly. Babies and newborns can be challenging and I love that she was always patient and would never say anything negative to my baby. She also has years of experience working as a confinement nanny and raised 6 kids herself so she was great at reading baby's cues and knew when he was overtired or if he was hungry etc.
2) Physically fit - We were a little apprehensive initially when we learnt that she was 65 years old, but that turned out to be a total non-issue as she is physically fit and very strong. Her energy levels were comparable to our full time nanny in the US, who is a very fit woman in her 50s. Please don't let her age deter you from hiring her. I was also able to find an insurer that insures confinement nannies above the age of 65 at a reasonable rate - PM me if you are interested.
3) Cooking - We did not require her to cook for us but I've seen pictures of her cooking and she used to work as a hawker for many years so I have no doubt that she's more than capable of cooking confinement meals and preparing desserts and teas.
4) Scope of duties - Our expectation was for her to take care of baby and handle baby related duties only (baby laundry, washing of baby bottles, keeping the nursery clean etc) but she went above and beyond and helped clean the apartment if she had some down time and helped with folding our laundry as well. She's also open to feedback and easy to get along with. Communication is key so I would highly recommend that expectations be discussed beforehand and to have discussions on an ongoing basis if any issues arise or if you prefer things to be done a certain way.
With all being said, being a confinement nanny is an extremely tough job. Round the clock care for an infant that needs to be fed ever so often, lots of washing, laundry and cooking. I do hope that we all keep that in mind that nobody should be expected to work round the clock like that without sufficient rest and self care. A little respect and and lots of understanding goes a long way. If you own a washing machine and dryer, have a helper, or any other appliances that will make her life easier, please do give her the option of using them. If baby has been difficult and not sleeping well, or if it's been an exhausting week for everyone, perhaps give her a break from cooking during the weekend and just grab takeout for everyone. Hawker food is very affordable so please don't cheap out and do get her a proper meal. A happy and well rested nanny will be in the best position to perform her duties well and safely.
Time to get off my soapbox. I hope you all get the help you need and good luck with your delivery and postpartum!