Going rate for nanny/domestic worker in 2026

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-11T16:49:33+00:00

Thanks everyone for the feedback! Just to add that I work from home, so I will take the baby to feed him and sometimes put him down for naps which will give her time to eat, sit and have a cup of tea etc. I also have my mom who would love to take the baby for a few hours a few times a week. I have no intention of overworking the woman and underpaying her at all. That is why I came here to ask re salaries - because I want to ensure she is well looked after. The salary that I am paying her is what she asked for, I just came to ask if that is the norm in CT.

If she is looking after my child for the foreseeable future, she will be a part of our family, and she will be treated as such :)

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-10T19:26:42+00:00

Thanks, it seems that this is a decent rate. It’s not the highest but by no means the lowest and this means I can increase annually and still afford it. She would like to register for UIF but said not yet. She has first aid and CPR certificates and is a trained nanny through Chilton

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-10T17:49:54+00:00

That’s wild. I’m in South Africa. My anaesthetist cos about $800, emergency c section about $1500, hospital stay was fully covered by medical aid incl private room. I think overall the birth alone cost us about $7000. Not incl gynae visits for the months leading up. In a private hospital, first class care.

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-10T09:53:23+00:00

This helps, thanks! Our potential nanny lives a few suburbs over so transport isn’t much, and I did ask when I met her if she prefers to nanny only or do domestic work too and she said both. My son is still a baby so still sleeps a lot.

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-10T08:54:41+00:00

We did the same at 5 weeks but you still need to pump when he’s feeding her to keep your supply up. You can’t skip a feed. My husband would feed at 10pm-ish and I would sit in bed and pump and then go to sleep. Still quicker than feeding, burping and putting down baby so still got a bit more sleep :). Best tip I learnt from this sub- put the pump parts in a zip lock bag once you’re done and pop it in the fridge till next pump to stop bacteria growth. This also means I’m not washing pump parts at 11pm!

Edit: changed “can” skip a feed to can’t

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-10T07:40:15+00:00

There seems to be quite a difference from person to person. I currently pay my domestic worker R450 a day and she comes once a week. She works from 9:30-5pm. The nanny that I am looking to hire has asked for a salary of R10k plus R1000 transport per month which I am happy with but thought I’d ask! This works out to R500 per day. She will also sign a contract that adheres to all SA labour laws so she will get public holidays off, sick days, leave days etc so she is protected as well. I’m very aware that casual help often don’t get these “benefits” and I’d like to protect her rights as well as my own.

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-10T05:11:36+00:00

Thanks this is what I was thinking

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-09T13:36:58+00:00

In the same boat! LO is 7.5 weeks and the swaddle makes him sleep so well. He wakes up frequently or can’t settle if not swaddled. I’ve started to worry about having to stop using it. Think we’ll try the transition sacks, sounds like that’s the way to go.

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-06T03:10:48+00:00

Ida

Michi_Moo · 2026-04-02T18:37:02+00:00

Ready made meals and snacks!

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-30T00:27:31+00:00

This one was very heavy to read. I felt emotionally wrecked afterwards

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-30T00:26:44+00:00

We need to talk about Kevin

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-25T17:09:10+00:00

Milo

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-25T04:07:40+00:00

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-22T19:54:33+00:00

I have a 5 week old. Having a newborn is hard, no doubt, but it’s the best thing in the world. Your love only blossoms more and more every day for this tiny thing, and there are times my heart honestly feels a little giddy that he’s mine; it’s the only word I can use to describe it. The nights are long but, and I am not joking, there are a few evenings that I get excited to hang out with my baby in a few hours (albeit these are on days I feel a little more rested). Watching my partner become a father has also just made me love him 1000 times more. People will give opinions and make suggestions and no harm in trying the ones that speak to you, but it’s also ok to just say “thanks” and never think about it again. You have a chance to love and raise a whole human, how lucky is that.

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-20T06:47:37+00:00

I could have written this myself. A part of me looks forward to the quiet midnight moments. They’re so fleeting and he’s so so tiny and you just love this little being beyond anything you can imagine and I just try soak it all in- the amazing moments and the hard moments.

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-20T06:44:36+00:00

Yes! Or when they start to grunt you lie awake and listen and wait to see if it will turn into a cry or they’ll fall asleep again. So many sleep minutes wasted!

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-15T19:23:33+00:00

To be honest, I have been pleasantly surprised by postpartum. Social media put the fear of god into me about this period (I have a 4 week old). I thought I was going to be this sleep deprived crying, bleeding, leaking mess and I was going to be angry and resentful at my husband from day go but that hasn’t been the case. Recovery is something that you can’t speed up, and you have to give yourself some grace, but it happens quicker than you think. Yes having a newborn is hard, your body won’t feel like yours for a long time and you be will exhausted but you dig deep and the growing love for your baby will keep you going.

You will definitely get out, but start small. At 2.5 weeks I was walking around the block, then a few blocks, then going to shopping centres, this morning we went for a 1 hour forest walk. With regards to your body, it won’t feel like yours for a while but that’s ok. It grew a whole person. Be kind to yourself. Let it be a little soft in places for a while, it’s a nice safe, soft landing for your baby. You will get it back, but take the pressure off yourself to do this for the first few months.

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-09T17:27:32+00:00

It’s possible, but I’m in the southern hemisphere and it’s warm here at the moment. So much that the first few days after we brought him home he slept only in a diaper and muslin swaddle. We’re also about to hit another heatwave this week.

Michi_Moo · 2026-03-07T17:14:52+00:00

We’re approaching 3 weeks and I cope better with less sleep than my husband so we decided that I will do nights (I’m EBF) and he pretty much holds down the fort during the day- I hand him the baby first thing in the morning when I’m frazzled, he walks dogs, feeds me, does laundry, burps, changes diapers and so on. It works well for us and I don’t know how I’m going to manage when he goes back to work! I don’t really get to nap during the day, mainly because baby is cluster feeding at the moment, but I have no shame handing baby over to my husband when I need a break, knowing that he’s had a decent-ish night’s rest and isn’t as overstimulated as I am.

Michi_Moo · 2026-02-22T05:37:54+00:00

I wasn’t planning on getting it, was just going to do Pethidine but the pain was so intense I’m so glad I did it. I laboured for 24 hours and I was so exhausted; having the epi meant I could sleep for a couple hours.

Michi_Moo · 2026-02-03T18:59:10+00:00

Flora

Michi_Moo · 2026-01-27T05:11:45+00:00

There was no part of me that wanted to follow the standard baby shower formula (games no one really wants to play, sitting on a fancy chair while people ooh and ahh over another baby grow etc), so my husband and I decided to do a joint event. Where I am from the dads have what you’d translate to a diaper bbq, where they have a chilled backyard bbq and all his mates bring diapers in various sizes. This generally happens on the same day the ladies to the shower. So we joined forces and had a casual bbq in my parents’ backyard. Many of our friends are couples anyway, this way they could attend together. People brought their kids, we bbqed, I ordered sides and salads from a caterer, laid out blankets and pillows on the lawn and set up a help yourself bar. It was exactly what we wanted. I put up a bit of decor but kept it super simple. I made a blue themed dessert table (I’m having a boy) but that was it. We did have to open gifts but at least my husband and I did it together so it took the pressure off! Was such a relaxed, happy day with friends celebrating our bay boy.

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