Night nurses, baby nurses, and newborn care specialists are trained to provide care and support for families with newborns. Newborn care specialists do not get off the clock at a particular time, unlike a live-in nanny. They care for the newborn throughout the night so new parents can get the rest they need at night. Learn more about the services offered by these nurses so you can understand what you can expect.
What Night Nurses Do
Night nurses typically report for work at night so parents can get a good night’s sleep and get the rest they need to continue caring for their baby the following day. The night nurse comes in for the night shift right after the newborn arrives home from the hospital. They will help the new parents to settle in and establish good feeding and sleeping habits. This can involve a wide range of duties, including feeding the baby, bringing the baby to the parent for breastfeeding, putting the baby to sleep, and changing the diapers. The night nurse will also do baby laundry, clean the bottles and pump parts, and help around the house in general while the new mother is going through postpartum. Getting enough sleep can prevent the new mother from developing postpartum depression and anxiety while improving their breastmilk support, health, and partner relationship.
Night Nurses VS. Live-In Nanny
A live-in nanny may be present throughout the night but that does not automatically he/she is “on-call” and will respond to the newborn’s night cries. Since a live-in nanny is required to work around the clock, the parents need to implement a proper work schedule that provides the nanny with ample rest and this means not expecting the nanny to care for the newborn 24/7. Depending on your personal needs, you can decide whether you need the services of a live-in nanny or a night nurse.
Night nurses are usually highly qualified and have received proper education in caring for a newborn. They are able to identify different types of newborn behaviors and address them according to proper techniques that can soothe them. A nanny, on the other hand, often works under the guidance of the parents. Depending on what the parents require the nanny to handle, the nanny will follow the schedule closely. Nannies are also able to offer help with other tasks around the house such as doing laundry for the whole family, preparing meals for the household, caring for a pet, monitoring other siblings, and others. However, these duties generally fall outside of the job scope of a night nurse.
Nannies typically stay with a family over an extended period of time that can range from several months to even several years. A night nurse, on the other hand, usually stays with the family between four to six months until the baby is sleeping through the night. At that point the family usually hires a day time nanny. The night nurse focuses mainly on helping the parents establish feeding and healthy sleeping habits and will leave once they have been laid out.