Night Nannies or Newborn Care Specialists
![[Post New]](/nanny-forum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| Hi, anyone ever have one? If so how did you find the person? Was it expensive? Was it worth it? Were you happy with the service? I know a lot of questions.... |
Anonymous
I just posted on the other thread. I am a former NCS. I worked through Hush Hush Little Baby (agency), so you would have hired me through them or been referred by a previous family. It costs between $25-35 per hour on the family end, I believe. My families always told me it was worth it, but obviously I am not the customer. My clients were always either: 1) People who wanted someone else in charge of the baby/ies for the entire night most nights. This was usually either twins/triplets, medically needy baby/ies, or a situation such as a SAH mom with a toddler and a newborn. For these families, especially with multiples, one of the big benefits was having someone who could sleep train and work on getting everyone on a good schedule. Obviously I was not doing CIO with newborns, but there is an art to getting babies comfortable sleeping in their own bed, settling them back down with minimal help, gradually working to reduce overnight feeds, etc. An experienced NCS who is able to sleep during the day is going to be much better at managing to instill healthy sleep habits than an exhausted parent who will be more likely to end up resorting to potentially unsafe habits like bedsharing or sleeping in a swing or other device. 2) People who wanted 1-2 nights a week to keep the exhaustion manageable. These folks typically are just looking for a pressure-relief valve. Even if nursing, I could bring the baby in to nurse and whisk them away right after so that the parent just has to nurse in bed then roll over and conk back out. I would usually wven bring in a little snack and glass of water for mom while she nurses. That one or two nights a week where both parents can bank on getting sleep is helpful for most people but the ones who need it most are those who have a fussy baby. Newborns usually wake every 2-3 hours to eat round the clock. If your baby wakes at 2am, is a slow nurser, gets worked up over a diaper change, then takes a long time to settle back down, then you as the parent are now wide awake, then you manage to drift off a little after 4 and then you are woken again 30 minutes later...it all adds up to no sleep! 3) People who want me to work alongside them during the day to establish routines or allow them to run errands. Some FTPs really feel overwhelmed with all the new skills needed to care for a baby so having an experienced caregiver teach them how to do baths, streamline the nap routine, etc. can give them confidence. |
Anonymous
|
15:15 here. Wanted to circle back to say this:
As far as whether it is worth the money, Let me break it down by the categories I numbered above: 1) If you have multiples then getting them on the same schedule ASAP is life-saving. If you have a medically needy parent or infant or otherwise cannot function without adequate sleep then it can be worth it. If you have one healthy infant and no PP complications for parents then this is probably overkill unless you have really limited maternity/paternity leave. 2) This is often the sweet spot, but the downside is that some parents can’t relax and let go enough to actually sleep, even when a caregiver is there. If you go this route, don’t schedule for more than a few weeks at first. See whether you are able to sleep. If you find that you can’t relax and you are paying someone only to stay awake and micromanage them all night then it’s not worth the money for you. 3) I honestly tend to feel that this is a bit of a waste unless the parents are either highly anxious or have very little/no experience with newborns. |
Anonymous
| Thank you so much extremely helpful |
Anonymous
| I'm an NCS that primarily does nights. I typically work for a family 3-5x a week, 10 hours per night for about 12 weeks or until baby is fully sleeping through the night. I charge $30/hr for one and $35/hr for twins. I'm assuming my clients think it's worth it because many use me again for their future children and almost all of my work is from word of mouth- former clients recommending me to friends and coworkers. I am usually fully booked about 4 months out all year round. |
Anonymous
Do you have to travel or are you able to find work in your locale? |
Anonymous
I only work locally as I also have my own 3yo and infant. |
Anonymous
OK thank you. So you think it's worth it to take the course? |
Anonymous
| We used a doula agency in Maryland called "Doula Care of Maryland" for postpartum overnights. I have heard good things about "Metropolitian Doulas" as well. |
Anonymous
| Overnight Newborn Care 301-526-2811 Teresa. She had a great agency used them twice with both babies. |
Anonymous
|
We had a preemie and I had to go back to the hospital because of complications. A friend referred us to her previous night nanny, because it was last min, and we needed someone trustworthy due to covid. She charged $20 for one child, $30 for two.15 years of experience. So we had her for 7 days, 9pm-7am. We was really happy with her work. One thing that I was really happy about was that she took time to speak with me and kept me engaged with positive thoughts. Very worth it, was able to get rest, so helpful having her around. If you need someone, let me know.
|
Anonymous
|
Tired moms helper was amazing for both my kids - they taught us everything about baby care. Www.tiredmomshelper.com
|