A Newborn Care Specialist is an experienced and educated caregiver who specializes in the care of newborns. Their primary focus is newborn care and parent education. An NCS understands typical newborn appearance, behavior, and newborn care practices such as appropriate feeding guidelines, sleep development, and conditioning and they will stay up to date with the latest standards of care and studies related to newborn care. Some may have additional credentials in lactation, sleep training, or postpartum care but a professional will stay within their scope of practice. Most NCS will provide full-time overnight care to allow parents to rest and recover. They may also provide 24/7, daytime, and travel care if they desire those positions. An NCS will typically work independently with minimal guidance from parents (in collaboration with parents to uphold family values). An NCS is not a medical professional unless they hold that level of education and credential.

Families have many options for postpartum care depending on their needs and expectations. According to CAPPA, PP Doulas provide “emotional, physical, and evidence-based informational support to the new family after the birth of their baby.” Their focus is the recovering birth parent and family unit. They do model infant care but it is not within their scope of practice to routine or extended care of newborns for families. Some may hold the NCS credential and will act as an NCS in addition to their PP care services.

A Night Nanny offers a similar service to an NCS by caring for infants or children overnight, allowing parents to rest. However, they typically work under the direct guidance and instruction of the parents. They may or may not only care and have experience with newborns, and may or may not have education or credentials related to newborn care.

The terms ‘Baby Nurse’ and ‘Night Nurse’ are outdated and often incorrectly used to refer to Newborn Care Specialists. It was a term that many in the industry used before the creation of the NCS term. However, it is illegal to refer to oneself as a medical professional, like a nurse, if you do not hold that credential. Some nurses may also be newborn care specialists and provide newborn care services - especially to medically fragile newborns in the home - but this is not the norm for the industry. Overnight newborn care has been around much longer than the term NCS but the field is growing with many professionals and organizations pushing for more recognition and standardizations of the specific service we provide.

A Newborn Care Specialist will provide high-quality newborn care and parent education. This includes general newborn care such as changing, feeding (bottle-fed or bringing baby to the nursing parent), and soothing throughout their shift. It also includes washing and sanitizing bottles/pacifiers/pump parts, washing laundry, maintaining an organized nursery, and restocking as appropriate. An NCS will be able to educate parents on typical newborn appearance, behavior, and development, realistic expectations, safe sleep guidelines, and various soothing methods such as proper swaddling techniques. The NCS can advise on appropriate routines for the family and establish healthy sleep habits and sleep conditioning during the early months to encourage sleep development. During a daytime position, the NCS will continue following an appropriate routine, general newborn care, and related responsibilities, along with nap support and engaging play.

Some of the many benefits of hiring an NCS include rest and recovery. No matter how your baby came into your world, all parents need adequate rest to be their best selves, an NCS provides the support needed - even for pumping and nursing parents to maximize their rest and recovery.

Other benefits include having an experienced and knowledgeable resource to ask newborn care and development-related questions. An NCS will be able to guide families on what their newborn is doing, proper feeding techniques, how to read their cues, and if they’re showing symptoms outside of the typical range such as reflux or irregular bowel movements and rashes. Then they can help gather the necessary information and refer to the pediatrician. Many NCS have experience with reflux, oral ties, rashes, and food intolerances/allergies that can affect newborns.

An NCS may guide parents in their product selection through their experience with many different kinds. They will also help create a healthy sleep environment that helps the family reach their goals.

For many of my clients, an NCS provides them with the support their family needs for their mental health. Adequate rest is an essential part of maintaining mental health, especially during the postpartum period. An experienced and qualified NCS can be both a source of comfort and care for families in this regard.

A Newborn Specialist will at least have newborn-care experience along with foundational Newborn Care Specialist training - commonly through Newborn Care Solutions or Newborn Care Training Academy. Many will have additional credentials or education in sleep, multiples, lactation, formula, and special conditions such as oral ties. Some NCS may also be certified through the Newborn Care Specialist Association or CACHE (Council for Awards in Care, Health, and Education - established in the UK and common in the Nanny Industry). Some may also be credentialed through the International Nanny Association. Nikki is both a CACHE Certified NCS and an INA Credentialed Nanny, along with her degree in Child Development. She is currently working towards certification through the NCSA. None of these credentials are legally required but show the professional’s dedication to the field and the level of care they provide families.

I typically provide care 5 nights a week - usually Sunday - Thursday -, between 10-12 hours per shift. My start times range from 7 pm to 9 pm and end between 6 am and 9 am. However, I do offer care any night of the week, depending on the family’s needs and my availability. My minimum is 3 nights per week, 10 hours per night unless my availability allows for less - if this is what your family is seeking, you are welcome to reach out to check my availability! My contracts typically range from 12-16 weeks but can be shorter or longer depending on my availability.

In addition to overnight care, I also provide full-time daytime care for newborns! Many of my clients request or extend their contracts to include daytime care for a couple of weeks to help with transitioning and daytime routines. Daytime care is lots of fun for me since I get to play with baby! Depending on what your family’s needs and desires are, daytime care can be the primary focus or an additional part of my service.

Travel care is dependent on my availability and conditions of travel. If a client hires me for overnight care and needs to travel during the contract, I will typically try my best to accommodate but it is not guaranteed. Travel care may also include additional hours of care, a switch to 24/7 care, or an increase in my hourly rate. I always recommend families ask for my availability for travel care and positions outside of my standard area of service.

No, at this time, Newborn Care Specialists are not covered by insurance.

Sleep conditioning involves creating a healthy sleep environment, meeting the needs of the newborn (feeding/rest/activity), establishing appropriate routines, soothing, and supporting the baby’s sleep development progress and their circadian rhythm development. During the first 4 months, we do not “train” baby to sleep, as they are growing so much during this period. We work on establishing healthy habits from the beginning and meet them where they are to encourage healthy development. Many of my client’s babies are sleeping through the night by 3-4 months but every baby is different and it’s normal for infants to wake throughout the first year. Sleeping through the night during this time is never guaranteed. Sleep conditioning can help reduce the need to later “train” infants.

Sleep training can begin around the 4-6 month mark and there are many styles and methods a family may choose to use which can vary from lots of support to little support. While many NCS can sleep train, families looking for sleep training can also seek professionals who specialize in sleep training such as sleep consultants. Sleep training is typically not my focus since I care for newborns during the first four months and I do not have extensive sleep training credentials. If I care for infants beyond the 4-month mark and they need continuing support, I collaborate with parents to determine which methods and styles they feel most comfortable with to best meet the needs of their child.

Yes! One of my favorite aspects of being an NCS is caring for multiples and helping families not just manage but thrive!

From breast/chest to bottle, I will support your feeding journey. I believe a well-nourished baby is the goal and it can be achieved through breastmilk/human-milk or formula. I support parents through nursing, bottle-feeding, pumping, and even using frozen donor milk. I have additional education in both lactation and formula, and experience with oral ties, food intolerances/allergies, and reflux. My goal is to ensure a well-nourished baby, support you through your feeding journey, and ensure parents feel confident in their decisions.

Yes! I believe all families deserve support! I believe in using inclusive language and practices to support all families as they bring their baby home.

Yes! No matter how your baby came into your world, my goal is to provide your family with high-quality newborn care and support your parenthood journey! Whether you choose to grow your family through adoption, surrogacy, or gestational carriers, I am here to support all parents!

Yes, I believe in providing respectful, inclusive, non-judgemental support to families of any race, religion, or identity. All families succeed when they get the support they need.