What does a confinement nanny do? Her duties, area by area

If you're wondering what a confinement nanny does all day, the short answer is that she looks after two people: your newborn and you. She does the feeds, nappies and baths, cooks your confinement meals and keeps the baby's clothes and bottles clean while you rest. HealthHub says she can help take care of both you and your baby for at least the first month. Anything about your health, or the baby's, goes to your doctor or polyclinic.

How to set out her duties, step by step

1. Write her duties on one page under three headings (the baby, you, the chores) with a line at the end on what isn't her job. She gets a copy on day one.
2. Decide who gets up for the night feeds and when she wakes you. KKH's advice is to breastfeed on demand every two to three hours, night feeds included.
3. Walk her through the sleep set-up HealthHub and KKH describe: baby on the back, in your room but not your bed. For babies under 6 months the cot stays bare, with no blankets, pillows, bumpers or soft toys.
4. Agree her part in feeding, whether that's bringing the baby to you or giving expressed milk. Burping after each feed and washing the bottles and pump parts usually fall to her too.
5. Stick the call-me-at-once list below on the fridge, and ask her to tell you about anything on it before she tries a fix at home.
6. Talk through meals and groceries: who she cooks for, and who does the shopping. If she cooks with rice wine, HealthHub's advice is to wait at least 3 hours after eating it before you breastfeed or express.
7. Put anything else in writing before she starts. Older children, pets, family meals and cleaning beyond the baby's things all come down to what you agree.
8. Sit down with her after her first few days to ask what's working. Change the list together if you need to, and write the changes in.

Her duties, area by area

The job splits into the baby, your recovery and the chores around both. Each row pairs a duty with what HealthHub or KKH says, so you can brief her in one go.

For a sample day hour by hour, and what agency packages usually include, see our guide to hiring a confinement nanny. Once she arrives, the arrival checklist covers the day-one agreements, and newborn care basics has more on each task.

Tell her to call you at once if

Each line comes from KKH, SingHealth or HealthHub, and each is a reason for a doctor to see your baby or you straight away. She calls you, then you call the polyclinic or your doctor.

For your baby:

• A temperature above 37.5C under the arm. Below 36.5C, KKH says check again an hour later and see a doctor if it stays low.
• Refusing feeds several times in a row.
• Vomiting, not just spitting up, especially if it's green or forceful.
• Breathing that looks different: slower, faster, noisier or with more effort.
• Crying that won't settle, unusual drowsiness, an unusual rash or unusual movements.
• Yellow skin or eyes, which usually shows first in the face. SingHealth says a nurse or doctor should see your baby at 3 to 5 days old, and that direct sunlight doesn't lower jaundice and risks sunburn.
• Redness, a bad smell, discharge or bleeding around the cord.

For you:

• Heavy bleeding, clots, or swelling and pain that won't ease around your stitches or caesarean wound.
• A fever or chills, or a red, painful patch on a breast.
• Low mood that lasts beyond two weeks, or any thought of harming yourself or the baby.

Our guides to newborn jaundice, umbilical cord care and safe sleep go into each of these.

What is outside her job

Some limits come from MOM. A Malaysian nanny works on MOM's Work Permit for confinement nanny, and MOM's conditions say she works at your residence. She also cannot work for other employers in an occupation other than the one on her permit. So the job happens in your home, as your confinement nanny. A Singaporean or PR nanny needs no Work Permit and no levy, and our work permit guide has the rest of MOM's rules.

Health calls sit outside it too. She can spot the signs above and tell you, but the diagnosis and treatment come from your doctor, polyclinic or KKH. If she brews herbal tonics, KKH's advice is to see a doctor before taking any traditional or complementary medicine. HealthHub's is to check traditional herbal preparations with a registered TCM physician if you're breastfeeding.

The rest is up to you and her. Older children, pets, cooking for the wider family and cleaning the whole flat depend on what you agree with her and the agency, so write it down. If you already have a helper at home, our guide to confinement nanny vs domestic helper splits the work between them.

She may follow older customs, too. HealthHub notes that confinement runs 30 days for Chinese families, 44 for Malay families and 40 for Indian families in Singapore. On the food customs, its advice is to eat everything in moderation and include all 4 food groups. Our confinement myths guide covers the rest.

Daytime or live-in: what changes

A live-in nanny stays with you and can take night feeds. A daytime nanny keeps set hours and goes home. These are the hours two agencies print, in alphabetical order with no ranking (read 8 Nov 2026). NewBubs prints 9 AM to 5 PM for its daytime nanny. Xpress Confinement prints 9 am to 6 pm for day-time and 11 pm to 8 am for night-time, though another line on the same page says 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., so ask which applies.

Within her hours a daytime nanny does the same jobs as a live-in one. What changes is who does the night feeds, which still come every two to three hours. That might be you, your partner, a grandparent or a night nanny. HealthHub suggests asking family or your confinement lady to settle the baby back to sleep after a feed, so you can sleep again. Ask a daytime nanny what she leaves ready before she goes, like clean bottles and food for later.

The confinement nanny cost calculator adds MOM's levy, the permit fee and the extras to any quote, live-in or daytime.

Where to get help

• Your baby seems unwell: KKH's newborn care page says to go to the polyclinic or Children's Emergency.
• Feeding trouble: KKH's Lactation Consultant through the hospital main line, 6-CALL KKH (6-2255 554). Our breastfeeding support guide lists more help.
• Your own recovery: your doctor, a GP clinic or a polyclinic. Our postnatal recovery guide covers the first weeks.
• Low mood: our postnatal depression guide lists where to get help in Singapore.
• Permit questions: MOM's Work Permit for confinement nanny pages.
• Picking or checking an agency: how to choose a confinement nanny agency, and MOM's directory through our licence check guide.
• If it isn't working out: confinement nanny red flags sets out what to do next.

Frequently asked questions

What are a confinement nanny's duties?

Her duties cover your newborn (feeds, nappies, cord care, baths and settling), your recovery (confinement meals and time to rest) and the chores around both, like the baby's laundry and bottles. HealthHub describes her as help for both you and your baby for at least the first month. Anything beyond that is what you agree in writing.

What does a daytime confinement nanny do?

The same jobs, in set hours. NewBubs prints 9 AM to 5 PM and Xpress 9 am to 6 pm (in alphabetical order, read 8 Nov 2026). She goes home when her hours end, so plan who covers the night feeds.

What does a confinement nanny not do?

She doesn't diagnose or treat. A fever, yellow skin, poor feeding, a wound worry or low mood goes to your doctor or polyclinic. On MOM's permit she works at your residence and cannot work for other employers in another occupation. Housework beyond you and the baby is whatever you both agree.

Is there a set confinement nanny daily schedule?

Not a fixed one. Your baby's feeds set the pace: KKH says on demand every two to three hours, night feeds included, and the rest fits around them. Our hiring guide has a sample day you can adapt.

Is a confinement lady in Singapore the same as a confinement nanny?

Yes. HealthHub uses both names for the same help. MOM calls her a confinement nanny, and its Work Permit for confinement nanny is for Malaysian nannies. A Singaporean or PR nanny needs no Work Permit and no levy.