Exhausted newborn parents across Valley turning to nocturnal nannies
Jan 18, 2019, 4:44 AM | Updated: 9:13 am
(Pixabay Photo)
(Pixabay Photo)
PHOENIX — Bringing a newborn baby home usually comes with a lot of new adjustments. And for many parents, it means getting very little sleep at night.
But an increasingly popular nanny service is making those first nights with a newborn more bearable for parents.
A growing number of parents across the Valley are turning to night nannies and newborn care specialists to help care for their newborns at night.
“We get up with the babies in the middle of the night,” Nicole Fackrell, a Chandler-based newborn care specialist, said.
“When they need to be fed, we’ll make their bottles or we’ll take them in to mom if she prefers to breastfeed.”
These nocturnal nannies do more than just cover the night shift while the parents get some much-needed sleep. They also educate parents on how to care for their newborns and keep a log on feedings, diaper changes and sleep patterns.
In addition, they help babies develop a sleep schedule.
“Our goal going in is usually to have the baby sleeping through the night by 12 weeks,” Fackrell said. “That usually works with the plan that we have in place with the parents.”
She added that planning begins even before the baby is born. She meets with parents a few weeks before to educate them on everything from baby products to nursery preparation.
There are no hard statistics to track the number of night nannies and newborn care specialists or the number of parents requesting their services in the Phoenix area. But Fackrell said she has noticed “demand is growing at an incredible rate.”
Jennifer Hassett, owner of the Arizona-based nanny agency A Perfect Fit, said she also has noticed a rise in demand.
“Demand is higher, and we also see more nannies in general going through the newborn care specialist process to get certified,” she said. “That’s also becoming more popular.”
Hassett explained that although night nannies and newborn care specialists provide similar services, there are some differences. The major difference is that newborn care specialists get more training and get certified on newborn care and parental education.
She said demand is higher among working parents with demanding jobs.
“We see a lot of doctors, lawyers, business owners, high-level executives – people that really need their rest in order to function as a professional during the day,” Hassett said. “With young professionals, we don’t see it quite as often because it is a big financial burden.”
She said night nannies charge about $18-20 an hour, though a few who are starting out can go as low as $15.
Newborn care specialists charge more because of their expertise – about $25-35 an hour, with some charging up to $40 because of their experience.
