Hired Childcare and Changing Maternal Perceptions Among the Urban Poor: Baby Farming in the Western Lands of Late Imperial Russia

This article explores baby farming in the western regions of late imperial Russia, framing it as a childcare practice of the lower-classes – a form of crèche for working mothers. The article delves into the public discourse surrounding baby farming among the educated strata and contrasts it with how this practice was viewed by the lower-classes. I argue that baby farming was a form of wage labour – one of the few options available for middle-aged urban women – and that the use of baby farmers’ services by mothers demonstrates the changing maternal perceptions among the lower-classes.