Shopping: There is a children’s store called “One Stop Baby Shop”, which sells everything that you could possibly need for babies and young children. It is, of course, quite expensive because everything is imported but they have most things, to name a few:
- Cots / Travel Cots
- Prams / Push Chairs
- Baby baths
- Bottles
- Baby food
- Nappies – including international brands such as Pampers and Huggies
- Toys
- Chairs
- And a lot, lot more
Healthcare: As mentioned in the healthcare section, there is an excellent Paediatrician in Abuja called Dr Chantal who treats many, if not most, of the expat children in Abuja. She works from her home in Asokoro and refers to the Turkish Hospital when necessary. I would highly recommend to go to her as a starting point for all of your children’s health issues.
Daycare: There are a few day cares around of varying qualities. One of the best apparently is called “Teenee Todds” but it has a price tag to match and only provides day care during term time (since it mainly caters for older children). There is also Kid City but it seemed a bit hectic and uncontrolled when I went to visit.
Nannies: It is very common to have Nannies in Abuja and they are readily available. Most people find their nannies through recommendations. If you don’t have anyone to recommend, one good way is to browse the various Expat Facebook groups because people tend to post recommendations from time to time when they’re leaving and have been employing a good nanny. There are also some agencies that provide but Welcome2Abuja.com has not gathered information on them yet.
Finding a Nanny
It’s really easy to find a Nanny in Abuja, but it’s really difficult to find a good one.
One of the best ways to find a Nanny is to look out for posts on the Expats Facebook Groups from people who are leaving. Often, when people have had a good experience with their Nanny (or any other staff) they will post there hoping to help them find another job. This is how we found our, excellent Nanny, and so it might also work for you.
I have heard of wages for Nannies ranging from 40,000 to 160,000 Naira per month. Many people make their nannies work 7 days a week for the bare minimum that they can pay, others opt for fairer employment conditions. No doubt there is a lot of exploitation that goes on too.