Night Nannies / Newborn Specialists

Running on no-sleep, going through the motions somewhat clueless and feverishly googling “is this normal?” is a state of being new parents know all too well.  The baby books may have given you a foundation, but nothing can prepare  you for the day you bring your bundle of joy home and find yourself  faced with the monumental task of caring for a life completely dependent  on you.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to have someone there to  teach you the ins and outs of caring for your baby, help tend to them in  the middle of the night (so you can get some much needed rest)  and work towards establishing a sleep schedule to have them sleeping  through the night by the time you plan to head back to work?

Imagine the peace-of-mind knowing that you could sleep and feel confident your baby was being well taken care of throughout the night.  

It may sound like a dream fueled by sleep-deprivation, but for those who hire a night nanny it is very much a reality.

Most people are familiar with daytime nannies — someone hired to take  care of children while their parents are at work or busy during the day,  or in some cases, around the clock. Night nannies — also referred to as  newborn specialists — perform a similar service, but only during the  nighttime hours.

Night nannies typically work with you starting the day you come home  from the hospital for a period of 8-12 weeks, coming in the evenings and  leaving early in the mornings (though they can stay all day if the service is requested.) The nannies  handle everything pertaining to the baby in the period of time they're  there, granting exhausted parents some much-needed rest — mothers are only roused during the night to breastfeed.

You may be thinking, “This sounds great — if you can afford it.” But  contrary to what you may be thinking the service isn’t only an option  for wealthy families. While the idea of paying a nanny to tend to your baby overnight may be  foreign to some, paying for child care certainly is not. And parents are  no strangers to shelling out cash for child care.

Despite high child care costs, the majority of families (81 percent)  say it’s money well spent and that their current child care plan is  worth the money.

While prices differ from nanny to nanny, the  average cost per night is approximately  $200-$250. Most night nannies work for about 10-12  hours each night. Most are flexible with their scheduling to meet your individual needs.