Confinement nanny care brief: what to agree before she starts

Three answers, and you can act on all of them before your baby comes home. First, the confinement nanny's scope is whatever you and she agree in writing before she starts — MOM publishes no fixed duty list, so the brief is your document, not the ministry's. Second, her right to work and the agency's track record are both checkable on MOM's own pages. Third, anything about feeding difficulty or a postpartum symptom is a health question, and it goes to a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional rather than to the caregiver.

HealthHub makes the same point about the difference between care and advice. Its parent page says nanny services are not licensed, and advises parents to set ground rules from the start about a baby's feeding, sleeping, TV-watching and discipline. That is a description of arranging private care at home; it is not the same thing as a licensed childcare centre, or an employment relationship arranged under MOM's rules. Keeping those three apart is most of what makes the arrangement workable. ^[1]

Draw the scope line before she arrives

No retrieved official source sets a list of what a confinement nanny must or must not do. MOM's Parliament reply of 24 September 2025 puts confinement nanny services on the same footing as other home-based care arrangements: private, decentralised, varied and highly personalised, and therefore not amenable to standardisation. Read that as a statement about regulation, not a permission slip. It means the scope is set by agreement, which is why an unwritten expectation settles disputes badly. ^[2]

What the agreement needs to name is more concrete. HealthHub's advice to set ground rules from the start on feeding, sleeping and discipline gives you the format: write down the routine, then write down the escalation route. Concretely, and only where it fits your household, a brief would list who handles feeds expressed or formula prepared, when settling happens, what happens at 3am, and who is called when something does not look right. If you are still breastfeeding, HealthHub also suggests telling the caregiver to support that decision. ^[1]

Work Permit checks, dates and the levy on MOM's pages

MOM's eligibility page for a Work Permit for a confinement nanny sets conditions on both sides. The employer must be 21 or older at the time of application, hold a newborn under four months old, obtain the Work Permit and pay a monthly levy. The nanny must be Malaysian, at least 23 and below 70 at the time of application, and work at the employer's residence. Both of you are bound by the basic Work Permit conditions, including that she cannot work for other employers or in an occupation other than the one stated in her permit. ^[3]

Two dates matter more than the rest. The maximum validity is 16 weeks from your child's date of birth, and a permit applied for after the birth is shorter. You can apply from four weeks before the expected delivery date up to 16 weeks after the birth; beyond that, MOM says to apply for a migrant domestic worker permit instead. The application costs $35 and processing is within one week unless more information is required. She receives a Work Permit letter rather than a card, and you must inform MOM of her start date before she works. ^{[3] [4]}

Two smaller costs are easy to miss. The monthly levy is $60 if your newborn is a Singapore citizen and $300 if not; if you also have a helper registered under your name, MOM describes a combined monthly levy deductible by GIRO. A medical examination for the nanny is optional, though MOM suggests one because she will be in contact with your newborn, and MOM asks you to buy medical insurance of at least $15,000, rising to $60,000 a year for policies with a start date on or after 1 July 2023. ^[3]

If an agency is involved, check the record

MOM notes you may apply for the necessary work permits directly or through an employment agency, giving flexibility to self-help without an agency's additional costs. If you do use one, its page publishes what to look at: all employment agencies must be licensed and agency personnel registered, and an agency record shows whether it has demerit points, its customer ratings, its placements in the past 12 months, and its retention and transfer rates. MOM's EA Directory also carries a list of agencies to avoid under the 'Under revocation / suspension / surveillance' tab, and states its officers will never ask you to transfer money or disclose bank log-in details by phone or email. ^{[2] [5] [6]}

The service agreement is the second document to read closely. MOM's employer guide lists what it must minimally contain: the validity period, a breakdown of costs, the circumstances for a fee refund and when to expect it, the circumstances for a replacement worker and the recourse available, and the avenues for dispute resolution. The same guide describes checking a worker's employment history through MOM's eService portal using her work permit number, and notes that there will be no history under her record if she has not worked in Singapore before. ^[6]

A hypothetical example, offered as an illustrative way to sequence the checks rather than as a tested routine. Say the birth is expected in October. You would apply from September, four weeks ahead, and pay $35; if the newborn is a Singapore citizen, the levy is $60 a month and the permit runs no longer than 16 weeks from the birth date. Before she starts, you would inform MOM of her start date, and check the agency's licence, ratings and placement numbers in the directory. Note that the employer guide states its information is correct as of October 2021 and is written around migrant domestic workers, so treat its eService and screening detail as that guide's published position and confirm current steps on MOM's site. ^[6]

Where feeding and postpartum questions belong

HealthHub's route is simple to state: if you have problems with breastfeeding, or are worried about it, speak to your doctor or to lactation consultants. That distinction matters for what you put in the brief. A caregiver's role is support within the routine you agreed; assessing a feeding difficulty or a postpartum symptom is clinical work. A Straits Times report of 12 September 2026 records the co-founder of a maternal care platform saying the lactation consultant title is not regulated here, that training behind it varies widely, and that IBCLCs are not yet in Singapore's allied health framework — which is one person's reported view, not an official position, but a useful reason to ask about qualifications. ^{[1] [7]}

Full disclosure: EduNanny is a BUTLER business and publishes its own confinement care pages, so treat its description as a provider's account rather than independent guidance. It states that a care brief can include feeding support, settling and rest routines, everyday newborn care and practical duties agreed with your family, that a baby's needs, family preferences and caregiver suitability are discussed before the arrangement is confirmed, and that meal preparation, household tasks and bathing support are included only when expressly agreed in the care plan. It also states that clinical concerns should be discussed with your healthcare professional. ^[8]

Disclosure: EduNanny is a BUTLER business. This article covers an EduNanny or BUTLER service.

Sources

EduNanny Editorial · AI-assisted research and writing, reviewed by our automated editorial team. Sources checked 2026-10-10. Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration.