How to Choose a Confinement Nanny in Singapore: 7 Questions to Ask Before You Book

You’ve decided to hire a confinement nanny. You’ve gotten 3 quotes. They all sound similar on paper. The brochures all say “experienced,” “trained,” “trusted.” How do you actually tell them apart?

The answer is: you ask the 7 questions below — and you watch how the agency responds. The good ones give you direct answers. The shady ones get vague, change the subject, or quote you a price without addressing the question. By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly what to ask, what a good answer sounds like, and what to walk away from.

The fastest way to choose a confinement nanny in Singapore is to ask 7 specific questions before signing: MOM licence number, training process, replacement policy, exact fee inclusions, how nanny matching works, mid-confinement support channel, and cancellation terms. A reputable agency will answer all 7 in writing within one conversation. If they hedge — or if they promise you a specific named nanny 6 months out — you’ve got your answer.

Table of contents

1. Question 1 — “Are you MOM-licensed — and what’s the licence number?”
2. Question 2 — “What training does your nanny actually complete before placement?”
3. Question 3 — “How does your replacement policy work, and how fast?”
4. Question 4 — “What’s included in the fee — and what isn’t?”
5. Question 5 — “How does your matching process work, and when will I be assigned a nanny?”
6. Question 6 — “What happens if there’s a problem mid-confinement?”
7. Question 7 — “What’s your cancellation policy if my EDD shifts?”
8. Red flags to walk away from
9. How to compare agencies side-by-side
10. FAQ

Question 1 — “Are you MOM-licensed, and what’s the licence number?”

The first question to ask any confinement nanny agency is whether they are licensed by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) as an Employment Agency, and to share the licence number. A legitimate agency will give it to you within seconds — and you can verify it on the MOM website.

In Singapore, agencies that place confinement nannies must hold a valid MOM Employment Agency Licence. The number follows the format [2 digits]C[4 digits] — for example, Newbubs Confinement is MOM Licence 23C1524.

What a good answer sounds like:

“Yes — our MOM Employment Agency licence is 23C1524. You can verify it on the MOM EA Directory. Here’s the link.”

What a bad answer sounds like:

“We’re partnered with a licensed agency.” / “Our parent company is licensed.” / “We don’t need a licence because the nanny is on a special permit.”

These are red flags. If the agency you’re speaking to isn’t the licence holder, you’re dealing with a middleman who may not be accountable when things go wrong. Always verify the licence number directly on MOM’s EA Directory.

Question 2 — “What training does your nanny actually complete before placement?”

The single biggest quality differentiator between confinement nanny agencies is what happens to the nanny before she arrives at your door. Ask the agency to walk you through their training process step by step. Generic answers (“our nannies are highly experienced”) are not answers — push for specifics.

What a strong training answer looks like:

• Specific hours of supervised newborn care before placement
• Hands-on practice in a real care setting (not just classroom theory)
• Bathing, feeding, burping, sleep-cycle observation, weight tracking
• Confinement food preparation (Chinese / Halal / Indian as relevant)
• Basic newborn safety, CPR awareness, when to escalate to parents
• Communication style with English-speaking parents

Newbubs is the only confinement agency in Singapore that requires every nanny to complete a 100+ hour internship at our own confinement centre before any home placement. That means the nanny entering your home has already cared for newborns under registered-nurse supervision — not just learned from a manual.

Other agencies often do 1–2 days of basic orientation and put the nanny straight into a home. Ask the question and listen to the gap.

Question 3 — “How does your replacement policy work, and how fast?”

Even with the best screening, a nanny-family mismatch happens. The question isn’t “what if it happens” — it’s “how fast can you fix it.” Ask the agency to specify their replacement window, the cost (free or fee), and the typical replacement time.

Three things to confirm in writing:

What a bad answer sounds like:

“We don’t usually have issues so we haven’t formalised the policy.” / “Replacement depends on availability.” / “There’s a fee.”

Walk away if the replacement policy isn’t documented in the contract. This is the single biggest insurance against a 28-day disaster.

Question 4 — “What’s included in the fee — and what isn’t?”

A confinement nanny package fee in Singapore should include the nanny’s salary, agency placement fee, MOM Confinement Nanny Scheme permit costs (levy and processing), personal accident insurance, transport from Malaysia, and the replacement guarantee. Ask the agency to confirm each item in writing.

What should be included in the headline price:

• Nanny’s salary for the full contracted period (28 days standard)
• Agency placement fee
• MOM Confinement Nanny Scheme permit + levy
• Personal accident insurance
• Transport bringing the nanny to your home
• Replacement guarantee

What’s not included (you budget separately):

• Ang bao for the nanny (S$300–S$500 — see our ang bao rates guide)
• Confinement food / groceries
• Confinement herbs and tonics (red dates, longan, DOM)
• Postnatal massage (separate package, S$400–S$900)
• Extension days if you keep the nanny past 28 days (S$130–S$180/day)

If the agency says “let’s discuss permit fees separately” or “the levy is on top,” that’s a red flag. Unlike hiring a domestic helper, you should not be asked to put down a S$5,000 security bond — that requirement is for the standard Foreign Domestic Worker permit, not the Confinement Nanny Scheme. For the full price breakdown by tier, see our confinement nanny price Singapore 2026 post.

Question 5 — “How does your matching process work, and when will I be assigned a nanny?”

Here’s the question Singapore mums should be asking — and most don’t. Agencies that promise a “specific named nanny” 6 months out are either lying or setting you up for a switch later. Why? Because babies in Singapore deliver anywhere between 37 and 42 weeks — a 5-week swing — and a nanny committed to you in week 24 may still be finishing another family’s 28 days when your baby actually arrives.

The reputable model is agency-level commitment up front, nanny-level matching closer to delivery. You commit to the agency, the contract, the price, and the package. The agency commits to providing a qualified nanny who meets your stated needs. The specific nanny is matched 2 to 4 weeks before your EDD, when actual availability is finally clear.

What a strong answer to this question looks like:

• “We confirm your booking and lock in the package at signing. We assign your specific nanny around 4 weeks before your EDD, once we can see which of our nannies will actually be available for your delivery window.”
• “Once we match you, we send you the nanny’s profile — name, age, experience, languages, dietary specialty — and arrange a brief intro if you want.”
• “If your EDD shifts or our matched nanny becomes unavailable (early delivery from another family, illness, etc.), we re-match from our trained pool within 24–72 hours.”

What a bad answer sounds like:

• “Yes! You can choose your nanny right now from our 5-month-out roster.” → This means either the agency is locking nannies far ahead and praying (and will likely switch on you anyway when reality bites) or you’re being shown nannies who don’t actually exist on the active roster.
• “We can’t tell you which nanny you’ll get even after delivery.” → Equally bad. You should at minimum know the matched nanny by name a week before EDD.
• “All our nannies are equally good so it doesn’t matter who you get.” → Maybe true, maybe not — but the lack of named accountability is a flag.

What you should actually evaluate before committing: the agency’s training process (Question 2), screening, replacement guarantee (Question 3), and the credentials of the nanny pool in general — not a specific named individual you’ll never end up with anyway. The trust transfer happens at the agency level, not the nanny level.

If you want some pre-EDD insight into your matched nanny, ask whether the agency can share the nanny’s profile and arrange a short intro once matched (typically 2–4 weeks before delivery). Most reputable agencies do this as standard.

Question 6 — “What happens if there’s a problem mid-confinement?”

A 28-day confinement is long. Things change. Babies have unexpected reflux. Mums experience baby blues. Nannies have a bad day. Ask the agency exactly who you call, and when. The good ones have a dedicated CS WhatsApp line. The bad ones tell you to call the office during business hours.

What good mid-confinement support looks like:

• A direct WhatsApp line to a CS agent (not a general number)
• Response within 1–2 hours during day, escalation protocol after hours
• A check-in call from CS at Day 3 and Day 14 (proactive, not just reactive)
• Clear escalation path: nanny issue → CS → manager → replacement
• The ability to request a nanny change within the contracted window

What bad support looks like:

• “Call us during office hours” (no out-of-hours line)
• “Sort it out with the nanny first” (no agency mediation)
• No proactive check-ins (you only hear from them at the end)

Newbubs runs a dedicated WhatsApp CS line at +65 8912 8282 throughout the 28-day period. That’s not luxury — it’s the bare minimum for a service costing S$5,000+.

Question 7 — “What’s your cancellation policy if my EDD shifts?”

Babies don’t always come on schedule. About 1 in 5 SG mums deliver more than a week off their estimated due date (either early or late). Ask the agency how the contract flexes — and what happens if your baby arrives in the wrong month for your booked nanny.

What to confirm:

• Early delivery (preterm or 1–3 weeks early): can the nanny come earlier?
• Late delivery (1–2 weeks past EDD): does the contract clock start at delivery or the booked date?
• Cancellation if mum or baby has medical issues requiring hospital stay: is the deposit refundable or rolled forward?
• Nanny matched but EDD shifts by 1 month: can the agency swap to a different nanny?
• Deposit amount and refund window: typical SG range is 20–30% deposit, refundable up to 60 days before EDD

A reputable agency builds flexibility into the contract because they know SG mums book 4–6 months out. An inflexible agency reveals that they’re optimising for their own scheduling, not your reality.

Red flags to walk away from

If any of these come up during your conversation with the agency, end the call and find another one. The list is short but non-negotiable.

• No MOM licence number, or licence number doesn’t verify on MOM’s directory
• Asking for a S$5,000 security bond for a confinement nanny (that’s for FDWs, not the Confinement Nanny Scheme)
• Cash-only payment or refusal to issue an official receipt / contract
• Replacement policy not documented in writing
• Promises a specific named nanny 6+ months in advance (delivery timing is too unpredictable — they’ll likely have to switch on you)
• Quotes a headline price below S$3,000 for a 28-day stay-in package
• No support contact details once the contract is signed
• Pressure tactics: “only one nanny left at this price,” “must book this week”
• Vague answers on what’s included in the fee
• Claims like “we don’t need a licence because [reason]”

How to compare agencies side-by-side

The fastest way to compare confinement nanny agencies in Singapore is to ask the same 7 questions to 3 agencies, score each answer 1–5, and tally the totals. The agency with the highest combined score is usually the right fit — not the cheapest, not the loudest.

A simple scoring framework:

Most mums find that agencies cluster in three tiers: budget (15–20/35), mid (21–28/35), and premium (29–35/35). The premium tier is rarely 2x the price of budget — usually 20–30% more — but the difference in service is dramatic. Don’t optimise for the lowest cost. Optimise for the highest score within your budget.

For decision-stage mums comparing nanny vs centre as well, see our confinement nanny vs confinement centre Singapore comparison post.

FAQ

How do I verify if a confinement nanny agency in Singapore is legitimate? Verify the agency’s MOM Employment Agency Licence by searching for them directly on the MOM EA Directory. The licence number format is [2 digits]C[4 digits] — for example, 23C1524. Reputable agencies share the number openly. If they hedge or claim a “partnership” rather than holding the licence themselves, walk away.

What’s the most important question to ask a confinement nanny agency? The single most important question is “what training does the nanny actually complete before placement?” — because this is where agencies differ most. A nanny with 100+ hours of supervised newborn care will provide a fundamentally different experience from one who has had a 1-day orientation. Push for specifics: hours, setting, and what’s covered.

Can I meet the confinement nanny before signing the contract? Typically no — and that’s actually the right model. Babies in Singapore deliver anywhere from 37 to 42 weeks, so a nanny “committed” to you 6 months ahead may still be on another family’s placement when your baby arrives. Reputable Singapore agencies match you to a specific nanny 2–4 weeks before your EDD (once availability is clear) and share the nanny’s profile then. The trust transfer happens at the agency level — you commit to their training, screening, and replacement guarantee, not a specific name. Be wary of any agency that promises a named nanny months in advance.

What’s a normal replacement policy for a confinement nanny in Singapore? A standard replacement policy in Singapore offers a free replacement within 24–72 hours during the first 7 days of placement. After the first week, some agencies charge an admin fee of S$200–S$500 for a change. The policy should be written into the contract. If it’s not documented, the agency is hoping you’ll never need to use it.

Should I pay a deposit to book a confinement nanny? Yes — deposits of 20–30% are standard for booking a Singapore confinement nanny 4–6 months in advance. The deposit should be refundable if you cancel within a defined window (typically up to 60 days before EDD). Avoid agencies that ask for full payment upfront or refuse to issue a written contract.

How early should I start interviewing confinement nanny agencies? Start interviewing agencies as soon as you’re past 12 weeks pregnant (end of the first trimester). The best nannies are booked 6–8 months in advance, especially for peak EDD months (October to January). Talking to 3 agencies before you hit week 24 gives you time to compare answers properly. For a full trimester-by-trimester breakdown, see our when to book a confinement nanny timeline.

What does “all-inclusive” actually mean for a confinement nanny package? “All-inclusive” should mean the nanny’s salary, agency fee, MOM Confinement Nanny Scheme permit and levy, personal accident insurance, transport from Malaysia, and the replacement guarantee. It does not typically include ang bao, confinement food, herbs, postnatal massage, or extension days — those are separate budget items.

What’s the difference between a confinement nanny and a domestic helper in Singapore? A confinement nanny enters Singapore under the MOM Confinement Nanny Scheme — a short-term work permit (up to 16 weeks) tied to your newborn’s birth, available to Malaysian women. A domestic helper enters under the standard Foreign Domestic Worker permit (1–2 years) and requires a S$5,000 security bond. The two are separate schemes with different rules. See our confinement nanny vs domestic helper comparison.

Ready to start asking the questions?

If you’re 16–28 weeks pregnant and ready to compare agencies, Newbubs offers a free 15-minute consultation. We’ll answer all 7 questions on the call so you can use the same framework to compare us against any other agency on your shortlist. WhatsApp +65 8912 8282 or enquire here — most mums make their final decision within 2 weeks of the first call.