You’re standing in the nursery, staring at the tiny bundle of joy you brought home a few days ago. All of the pages from the pile of baby books you’ve read are running through your head. Do you need to be sleep training? How do you swaddle? Are they comfortable? Are they really going to wake up every hour forever?
Did you know a night nanny can help you with these very common witching-hour questions?
Hundreds of years ago, we would have had a team of family around us to help us settle into the experience of parenting a tiny baby. We would have been able to hand the baby over to an aunt or grandma while we took a nap, or got 3 hours straight sleep. Our mums would have shown us how to swaddle our babies, the magic bounce that gets them off to sleep, and the right breastfeeding hold for us.
Now, the chances are that you’re living miles away from your family, and you might not have spent that much time around babies before you bring yours home! If you’re feeling lost, exhausted, confused, or all of the above, today people are hiring night nannies to help them make sense of it all.
What is a night nanny?
A night nanny can be called a number of different things: newborn care specialist, night nurse or maternity nanny.
All night nannies should be certified as a newborn care specialist and they may also have additional training in areas they are interested in, such as breastfeeding support, postnatal depression, sleep consulting, and infant health issues like reflux. Most often they’ll have a career background or experience in daytime nannying, nursing, or other childcare related fields.
And, while night nannies might’ve started out as a luxury support for new parents, they are becoming more and more popular among the general population.
What exactly does a night nanny do?
A night nanny will usually start working with you when you come home from the hospital, and stay for the first 8-12 weeks, arriving in the evening and leaving first thing in the morning. They’ll deal with everything the baby needs during the night, only waking you up if you’re breastfeeding and the baby needs to be fed.
For example, a typical night nanny schedule for me includes arriving at 9pm and sleeping in the nursery with your baby. When your baby wakes up to feed, I will come and get you. Then you can go straight back to sleep while I resettle them, change diapers, and handle any burping! If you’ve pumped, or if your baby is bottle-fed, then I will see to all the night feeds and won’t need to disturb you. In the morning, I sterilise any bottles I’ve used and prepare more for the new day ahead. I’ll then give you a debrief, before heading home around 7am.
Other aspects a night nanny can help you with are:
1. Sleep Training
Sleep is one of the biggest things you’ll be thinking about as a new parent. And it’s probably one of the first things you think of when you’re looking into night nannies. There are about as many ways of dealing with sleep as there are babies! Each night nanny has their own way of working with families, but most offer some kind of sleep support.
Some night nannies will institute a sleep training program with you, and if this is something you want then you’ll need to be clear on their processes during your interview. I’m not a big fan of sleep training, and you can find out why here.
Night nannies like me work with families to discover a schedule that works for you and your baby, tapping into their own unique sleep needs. When I work with a family I’ll get the parents to fill in a diary with all the details about their baby’s natural schedule. Then I help them build a routine that works for their family and their baby’s unique sleep needs. This means babies aren’t forced to follow a completely new routine which often results in them crying and being unsettled. Working around your baby’s schedule helps them to feel happy with their night time routine, resulting in less tears and resistance.
2. Overnight Reprieve
It’s hard to overestimate how important sleep is, and how much of a shock it is to new parents dragging themselves out of bed every few hours. Healthline found that, on average, a parent loses 109 minutes of sleep a night during the first year of their baby’s life. That’s serious. And that’s an average across the year, so the chances are that in the first few months you’re losing even more.
One of the biggest benefits of a night nanny is getting an overnight reprieve. Our night time support allows you to get enough hours sleep to function whether you’re breast or bottle feeding.
Sleep deprivation can play havoc with your mental, emotional, and physical health. And when you’re caring for a baby during the day, or heading to work, you need to be on the ball. Night nannies can be invaluable in helping you feel more rested.
3. Crash Course in Babycare
Other support a night nanny can give you is a one-to-one crash course in babycare! If you didn’t grow up surrounded by younger siblings and cousins, suddenly finding yourself with a newborn can be terrifying. A night nanny can give you pointers on invaluable skills such as swaddling, setting up the nursery, ironing out any breastfeeding concerns you’re having, and even how to interact with your baby.
There is no shame in feeling lost with any of these things. Books are all very well, but having a real person who can give you personalised support based on your baby’s needs is invaluable.
Are night nannies just for wealthy families?
There is still a little bit of stigma around hiring a night nanny. And the stereotype is that only the very rich can afford it. But I’ve worked for all sorts of families, at all sorts of income levels.
A night nanny is perfect for first-time parents who are nervous about their own skills and would feel more comfortable with some support. But, I also help many second or third-time parents too. These families feel the support allows them to have the energy and patience to look after the rest of their brood, as well as their newborn.
If you’ve had a difficult delivery a night nanny could really help you heal too. Night nannies have been common for a while for those with difficult deliveries, such as C-sections, whether expected or otherwise.
How much does a night nanny cost?
Ok, so everyone wants to know about the cost! Each nanny is different, and if you go through an agency then this will reflect the price. But, as a general rule, night nannies will cost approximately 50% more than a daytime nanny in your area.
Just as you’ll be thinking about how you’ll pay to furnish the nursery, the cost of future childcare, and even college, forward planning can help with the cost of a night nanny. An NBC News survey found that the majority of parents (72%) plan for the cost of childcare before the child is born. If this is something you think would benefit your parenting experience, then budgeting ahead of time can help.
I provide different levels of support to suit all budgets, so you can access my expertise at a rate that works for you. You can find out more about my different support packages here.
Will I be judged for having a night nanny?
Ah, parenting, where everyone feels the need to put on their judgy pants! As something becomes more common, people become more accepting. But you might come across a few comments when you mention night nannies. Such as…
“Will people think I’m lazy?”
With the rise of more honest mumfluencers on social media, there is more of an acceptance that parenting is hard, and we should be honest about needing help. Especially if you’re working, or balancing the needs of older children, reaching out for support from a professional is a sensible time management and self-care technique.
To be honest, you’re more likely to get your friends wishing they had one too!
“Will I still bond with my baby?”
When you’re interviewing your potential night nanny this is the kind of concern you can talk about. It’s natural to worry whether you’re missing out on important time with your child. If you’re breastfeeding (or if you would like to bottle feed your baby) then the night nanny will wake you up when necessary, so you are responding to your baby’s needs, you’re just getting back to sleep much more quickly afterwards!
How to find the best night nanny for you
Just like a daytime nanny, you need to find a night nanny you connect with. This person will be in your home, possibly wandering into your bedroom to wake you up. You need to like them!
Here are some things to think about when you’re looking to hire a night nanny:
- If you can, get recommendations from people you trust
- Do your research. Look at their website, trawl their testimonials, look up their qualifications.
- Figure out what you want – do you want to sleep train, do you need breastfeeding support, or do you just want sleep!
- Make the interview a two-way process – be open to questions and you’re more likely to get a good fit.
- Be clear about your expectations – talk about the duties you want your night nanny to take on, and which ones you don’t.
You might want a night nanny for sleep training, to help with specific antenatal needs, or you might just want someone who has done all this before and can reassure you that you’re doing okay. Either way, a night nanny could be the best investment for your young family.
If you want to find out more, get in touch for a chat about how I can support you and your baby through those first few weeks.
