Parenting in Kenya

Parenting in Kenya is not an easy task because of the expensive schooling and safety of the children. Unless your employer bears the school fees, transport etc, highly impossible to manage with a normal salary. As a foreigner, you are not eligible for parenting leave like the citizens.

Our first son was born here, so we don’t have previous comparisons of how is it to have a kid in our respective home countries different from here.

Both me and my husband work full time, and I enjoyed of 3 months of maternity leave plus 3 months working from home agreed with my employer upfront. Once I went back to work I must remark two things. Cons: lack of proper daycare installations around business areas. Pro: nannies are affordable and easily available.

However I live quite far from my office, and I wanted to continue breastfeeding, so the solution we found was a daycare close to the office, my son was 6 months and they were taking babies from 1 year and up, but we made a deal to send my baby with his own nanny and so far it has been working well for 3 months.

The biggest challenge is not having any family member from any of our families nearby.

Ysabel R.

I had my first in Kenya - and well, everyone has an opinion.  "Funika mtoto" (Cover the baby)  "Mzungu, I think your baby is feeling cold" was said by everyone, the watchman, the ladies sweeping the street, the cashier at Nakumat....  in December the babies of Kenyan mothers were wearing ski suits!!

I get covering the baby with a cloth for dust etc when out.  Most people were amazing when I had a kid, the Kenyans believe babies are a blessing from God and when you get one, other blessings will follow.  The African parenting model is very harsh, well with babies, it seems everyone was telling me "Your baby is crying, attend to her" but older kids it seems they are harsh and way less allowing of independence and use a belt and corporal punishment.    Even in many schools..

Oh, and don't give a child a cold soda in public.  I gave my nephew a Coke baridi (cold) as he asked for one at a cafe, he was around 8 at the time and the waiter and two onlookers asked if I was sure and told me it is best to give room temperature not cold to kids and Fanta not coke (Fanta being the favourite national soft drink).