Daily AncestorWet nurse
A wet nurse was a woman hired to breastfeed and care for another woman's baby, when the mother had died, could not nurse or chose not to.
Before safe infant formula, a baby whose mother could not feed it depended on a wet nurse. She might live in the family's home or take the baby into her own.
In census returns a wet nurse often appears only as nurse or servant, so the word itself is more likely in diaries, letters, advertisements and court records.
As seen in a recordNewspaper advertisements and household records
Wanted, a wet nurse, apply at No. 12
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Wet nurse." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/wet-nurse. Last checked 2026-10-01.