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The Complaint Radar allows you to find Mummy complaints that already exist on the Internet. Being able to access these complaints in one place helps with understanding how to provide better services to Mummies. Based on lessons learned from the Complaint Radar, here are the top 5 complaints Mummies make about their confinement Nannies and how you can avoid them in your next job. It is important to keep in mind that some people take their privacy very seriously and try to erase their digital footprints to make it as hard as possible for their actions and movements to be tracked. So their efforts are shattered when someone shares their personal information with the general public. Share only photos that have been approved by the people involved. As for baby photos, share only those that have been approved by the Mummy. In some cases, the Mummy might prefer you mask the baby’s face, so present it as an option. Do not share photos of the Mummy’s home without her approval. Do not invite your friends over or reveal the house address without the Mummy’s approval. Informing Mummies about your terms and conditions after they commit to hiring you makes them feel cornered. According to the complaints, most of the Mummies who proceeded with the Nanny after this experience only did so because they were unable to get a refund. Do not assume that the Mummy knows how things are done in the confinement industry. Clearly state your job scope and present it to the Mummy before she makes any commitment. You can easily create your job scope here. Let the Mummy know about any additional expenses she needs to make on your behalf. For example, applying for a visa, insurance, and transportation. Some Mummies who complained about this were upset by a significant increase in their utility bills after the Nanny’s arrival, while others were concerned about inconsiderate spending. Try as much as possible to conserve electricity, water and gas. Always keep electrical appliances switched off after use. Only use the air-conditioning when necessary or use the fan instead. Try to minimise expenses. You have to act as a member of the family while on the job, so always consider their budget before spending. Do not take advantage of your position to exploit the Mummy and her family. Avoid making selfish demands. Don’t forget that you are a professional and your well-being is your responsibility, so use your money if you need something that does not concern the job. Most of the Mummies mentioned poor hygiene in their complaints. After all, hygiene is one of the key aspects of the job so it is not surprising to find that most of the Mummies were concerned about it. The complaints about poor hygiene can be classified into 4 categories: 1. Environmental Hygiene Always keep the kitchen clean after using it. Ensure that the baby’s surrounding is clean at all times. For example, do not leave diapers or tissues lying around after cleaning the baby. Keep the environment clean at all times. For example, try to sweep the floor regularly if your hairs usually fall. 2. Hygiene with Utensils Ensure that the baby’s feeding bottles are always clean. Wash whatever utensil you use. For example, knives, plates, and spoons. 3. Personal Hygiene Ensure that you are clean and decent while taking care of the baby. Take care of your hair and dress properly — have a set of uniforms if possible. Dress appropriately while cooking — you could use an apron. Take a bath after activities that make you sweat. Always keep your nails short, clean and polish-free. Avoid drinking or smoking while on the job. 4. Hygiene with the Baby Never kiss the baby. Do not allow the baby to put their mouth on your face. Always be mindful of your attitude and how you present yourself while on the job because unprofessionalism happens to be the most common issue Mummies complain about. Remember that you are there to work and not to have fun, so avoid activities that make the Mummy’s house seem like a holiday escape. For example, always watching TV or sleeping longer than you should. Minimise your time on the phone as much as possible. Always being on your phone could make the Mummy feel like you do not have much regard for the job or have more important things to do. Remember that the Mummy is your employer during the confinement, so treat her as you would any other employer irrespective of your age difference. For example, talk to her as your employer, refrain from enforcing your beliefs on her, and always seek her agreement before you proceed with any plan, idea or procedure. Do not insist that things should be done your way. Say what you think and let the Mummy decide whether or not she wants it that way. If the Mummy prefers something to be done her way, then you have to provide it as requested. Always bear in mind that you are an employee who is being paid for a service. In this case, there is no one particular way to provide the service. The service you provide cannot be the same for every Mummy. Different Mummies will want things to be done differently, so you need to be flexible. Therefore, do not say something like “this is how I do things”, because then you will only be satisfying yourself and not the Mummy. It is not professional to go to someone’s house and dictate how things should be done. Congratulations for making it this far. You just learned the most common complaints Mummies make about their confinement Nannies. Keeping these points in mind should be a step towards a more successful career as a confinement Nanny. You can also improve your career by creating a professional profile on MummyNanny so that more Mummies will be able to find you. If you are already a member, ensure that your profile is always up-to-date with your latest accomplishments. Together we can create a better confinement community.
Based on our interviews with Mummies after their confinement, almost 60% of them wish they had done a proper interview before making a down payment. Some common complaints include: Passing the job to another Nanny; last-minute changes & cancellation; additional charges after confirmation; refusal to refund the down payment; bad manners; over-demanding; refusing certain tasks on the job; poor hygiene; and endangering the baby. There have also been recent reports of scams, whereby someone posing as a freelance confinement Nanny takes the down payment and disappears. To prevent these problems from happening to new Mummies over and over again, we did extensive research and came up with this guide. Malaysian Nannies require a visa to work in Singapore. Refer to The Step-by-step Guide on how to apply for a Work Permit for your Confinement Nanny in Singapore. Determine the Nannies you wish to interview. If you made a job post on Facebook, a lot of Nannies available during your Expected Date of Delivery (EDD) usually respond, so it will be difficult to conduct a proper interview with each of them. This is when you filter out all those who do not meet your key criteria. Key criteria include: Simply being available during your EDD is not enough. You want to be sure that the Nanny you choose has enough free days before the start date of your job. This is to avoid cases of no-show or the job being transferred to an unknown Nanny if your delivery is earlier than expected. You need to be comfortable with the Nanny’s salary for the number of days you want to secure her services. The freelance community is packed with experienced confinement Nannies so there is usually enough of them who will meet your budget. Do you have specific meal preferences such as vegan meals; halal meals; traditional Malay, Chinese, or Indian confinement dishes; or western dishes? If your answer is yes, then you need to consider only Nannies who know how to prepare your type of meals. Communication is key to successful confinement. You should only hire a Nanny who can communicate fluently in the language(s) of your choice. Some Nannies require a separate room for themselves and the baby to sleep, while others are fine with sleeping in the same room as the Mummy. Therefore, you can only hire a Nanny who you have enough room to accommodate. We have created an easier way for you to filter out Nannies, which is by asking them to create an account on MummyNanny. With MummyNanny, you can select your key criteria from a list and only the qualified Nannies will be displayed. You can also view each Nanny’s calendar to decide if they have enough free time before your EDD. The platform is free for everyone to join so a Nanny who refuses to create an account upon your request might not be authentic. Make a list of interview questions to determine whether a Nanny is suitable for your confinement. Here are some points we suggest you consider when formulating interview questions: You need to know the things each Nanny does and the things that are out of their job scope. Ensure their job scopes are clearly stated to avoid conflicts in the future. It is important to take note of the payment process of each Nanny. The salary is usually split into 2 parts — the Down Payment and the Remaining Salary. You need to know the exact day each part of the salary will be paid. Some additional charges may come in form of ang pows, postnatal massage fees, staircase fees, house chore fees, extra cooking fees (e.g., cooking for the entire family), health insurance, etc. Therefore, it is also important to have a clear payment agreement so that you will not find yourself being charged unexpected fees in the future. For this, we suggest you ask the Nanny to provide a list of all her additional charges. It is also important to know each Nanny’s working hours and when they need to take their rest. Know the exact time and duration of their rest hours and try not to disturb them during this period so that they have enough energy to take care of your newborn for the remainder of the day. Some Nannies do not consider house chores as part of their job, so confirm what they do to keep the environment clean (e.g., cleaning after cooking). Their environmental and personal hygiene must meet your expectation so that you will not have problems with how she manages your house or handles the baby. Every Nanny takes care of babies differently, so find a way to access their level of experience and knowledge about baby care. Confinement is a period for the Mummy to recover from delivery after all. Hence, you need to understand how each Nanny plans to take care of you and determine whether it is up to your expectation. It is crucial to understand each Nanny’s procedure in case of any emergency. Find out how each Nanny will respond in case an unfortunate situation occurs. Ask each Nanny about the items that need to be purchased for your confinement. This could include the type of herbs, ingredients, house furniture, and home appliances or utensils. Try to make a list of the required items so that you do not over-purchase. Clarify what you do not want the Nanny to do or share with friends, colleagues, or others to protect you and your family’s privacy. For example, you may want to approve the photos she can share, or you may not want her inviting friends over. Mummies tend to be emotionally sensitive after delivery. To avoid disputes that may lead to episodes of high blood pressure and depression, try to determine each Nanny's personality to see if you can work with them during your confinement. A video call can give you more hints regarding your personality match. For Malaysian Nannies, ask each of them about their visa situation so that you know when to start the visa application process. Ask them the questions you formulated and take note of what you have agreed on because this will become the Terms of Service for the job. Ensure the selected Nanny agrees to abide by the Terms of Service before you make the down payment. Unfortunately, since the freelance community is open and lacking regulations, two things you cannot be sure of are getting a refund and receiving a professional service. Our solution to this is making the Nanny’s down payment through MummyNanny. This way, you can always get a refund because the Nanny will get the payment only after you confirm that she has arrived at your home. A portfolio will also be created for you and the Nanny so you are likely to receive a more professional service since you will publicly evaluate her performance after the job is complete. Stay in touch with the Nanny and keep her updated on your progress so that she knows when to arrive at your home. If you made the down payment through MummyNanny, you should evaluate her performance in the job portfolio and publish it after the confinement period. Take note that the Nanny can only see your evaluation after you publish the portfolio, so we encourage you to be as honest as possible. By taking part in this process, you will be doing future Mummies a lot of good and playing a very important role in advancing the freelance confinement community.
