The one area where many of us are not just indirectly but directly creating jobs is child care, by employing a nanny or a child minder.

This might be a good opportunity to clarify what I mean by local jobs. Friends with whom I discussed this project were wondering whether I advocated that we should employ only South Africans, as opposed to women or men from other, mostly African, countries. Obviously not. Local is not about nationality. It’s about where you live and where you are part of a community and economy. Of course some locally earned income will flow out of the country – that is the case no matter whether I buy a locally manufactured Unilever product or if I employ someone who supports relatives outside South Africa. I am a foreign national myself, married to a South African, and I am witnessing the growing anti-foreign sentiment with some unease.

And just as “local” is not tied to nationality, it’s equally not meant as “jobs for jobs’ sake”. Jobs have to provide decent conditions (think hours, health and safety) and decent pay.

Many of the products for babies and children listed above are expensive. We love getting and giving nice things for children so we should be equally unsparing when it comes to remunerating the people who we trust with our most precious little ones.

Chances are your nanny is the sole breadwinner for her family, a 4 or 5 person household including her children. Currently R4,600 a month is considered the minimum living level for a 4-5 person household. Women need to start earning that if they are to provide a future for their children and themselves. Sounds serious? Well, you can never be prodigal when paying properly for care for your progeny!