Professional Nanny Duties in Singapore: Agreeing the Right Scope of Care

“Help with the baby” can mean very different things to different adults. One parent may be thinking about feeds and settling; another may expect family cooking or school collection as well. A written scope gives the nanny a clear starting point and helps parents compare services fairly.

This guide focuses on private nanny care arranged in the family’s home. Use it as a conversation checklist, then confirm the actual duties and terms with your provider. For the booking terms that sit beside a care scope, read our nanny contract checklist.

Start with the child’s care needs

Build the job around a real day. Write down who needs care, when responsibility begins and ends, and which routines the caregiver will support. Include the moments that are easy to overlook: a parent taking a work call, a sibling arriving home, or the handover before the nanny leaves.

Describe preferences in usable terms. “A calm afternoon” is a starting point; “after lunch, offer a book and follow her usual settling cues” gives the caregiver something concrete to work with. Share the child’s existing care instructions rather than expecting the nanny to infer them.

Agree the boundary between childcare and housework

Tasks connected to a child’s care can sit alongside caregiving, but they still need to be discussed. Cleaning the child’s used feeding equipment, putting away play materials or preparing an agreed child’s meal involves time and attention. Confirm the provider’s scope and how the work fits around supervision.

Whole-home cleaning, laundry for the household, shopping and cooking for several adults are different requests. If your family needs those services, raise them before booking and ask how responsibilities will be divided. Avoid adding a growing list of tasks during a session without reviewing the care plan.

Professionalism is visible in how the nanny explains priorities, communicates changes and follows agreed instructions. Ask about relevant experience, training and the provider’s screening process, then discuss how those preparations apply to your child’s actual needs.

Turn the conversation into a short written scope

The example below is illustrative. It is a way to organise a discussion, rather than a description of a standard package or a substitute for the provider’s booking agreement.

• Children and location: care for one child at the agreed home address; discuss a sibling’s care separately.
• Hours and handover: record the booked start and finish times, who hands over and who takes over at the end.
• Core duties: follow the shared feeding, personal care, rest and play instructions.
• Child-related tasks: list the specific preparation or tidying tasks the provider has agreed to include.
• Outings and collection: record whether these are included and the permissions, route, transport and handover arrangements.
• Updates and escalation: record the preferred update method, urgent contacts and what to do if a parent cannot be reached.
• Changes: identify who can approve extra hours, additional children or a revised task list.

Keep the everyday scope beside the practical care instructions. The booking agreement should also make the price, payment, cancellation and any cover arrangements clear. Confirm changes with the provider before relying on them.

Plan for the situations that change the workload

A sibling needs care too

Tell the provider the ages and needs of every child who will be included. Caring for a baby and collecting an older sibling is a different arrangement from caring for one child at home. Ask how the caregiver will supervise both and what happens during feeds, toileting or travel.

A parent is working from home

Agree who responds when your child seeks a parent during a meeting. You might choose a brief, predictable handover and a clear way for the nanny to request help. Being in the same flat does not remove the need to define who is responsible at each point in the day.

Your meeting runs late

Ask in advance how extra time is requested, whether it can be accommodated and what charges apply. Make a backup collection or takeover plan for situations in which an extension is unavailable.

You need a different type of support

Separate the services in your enquiry. Private nanny care, confinement support, pilot childminding and directly employing a migrant domestic worker involve different arrangements. For direct employment of a migrant domestic worker, check the Ministry of Manpower’s Work Permit requirements and employer guidance.

Six questions before booking a professional nanny

1. Which children, tasks and care hours are included in the quoted arrangement?
2. What relevant experience and training does the proposed caregiver have?
3. Which child-related household tasks are included, and which need separate arrangements?
4. How will feeding, rest, play and concerns be communicated?
5. How are changes, additional hours, cancellation and caregiver absence handled?
6. Who should I contact if the agreed scope becomes unsuitable?

EduNanny® by BUTLER’s Private Nanny Services arrange care in the family’s home. Share your child’s age, proposed hours and requested duties so the team can discuss suitability, availability, scope and fees. The EduNanny® Oath sets out the commitment to children’s safety, dignity and wellbeing.

The current private nanny service page excludes baby bathing. Confirm each requested personal-care task before booking; parents should handle bathing or arrange a suitable trained caregiver separately.

Common questions about nanny duties

Does a professional nanny automatically do housework?

The agreed scope decides what is included. Ask about each task and how it fits around childcare; a job title alone does not define a household service package.

Can a private nanny care for more than one child?

Discuss every child with the provider before booking. Suitability depends on the children’s ages, needs, schedule, setting and the supervision required.

Should I provide a timetable?

Share the usual sequence of the day, care instructions and any fixed commitments. Leave room to respond to the child’s needs and agree how the caregiver should report changes.