What is an Overnight Infant Care Specialist?
When I tell people what kind of services I provide, many are shocked that I take care of babies all night so parents can sleep. That's a real thing? Where were you 3 years ago?
What is an actual Infant Care Specialist, anyway? I often get asked if I'm a nurse. No, Infant Care Specialists are not necessarily nurses. Some nurses do go into this kind of work, but most are simply individuals well versed in newborn care. An overnight Infant Care Specialist will come into your home for a night shift, generally 8-12 hours at a time, and oversee your newborn's care for the entire shift, allowing you to sleep all night. Most will provide services until your baby is around 12 weeks old. Some families want consistent care a few nights per week for several weeks, while some only want random "as needed" care when they feel like they need a break. Most caregivers that do this as a full time job request a consistent schedule, but for me personally, I'm happy to accomodate "as needed" care requests.
During the shift, it is our job to feed, soothe, change diapers and put your baby back to sleep. Washing bottles and breast pump supplies is another duty. With time permitting, and per request, we can also wash, dry and fold baby laundry. Throughout the night, each time your baby wakes, we will log the time and amount fed along with diaper changes and any other details about the night, such as what we did when the baby woke if it wasn't feeding time yet, etc.
When looking into hiring an overnight care provider, you want to find someone that also has some knowledge in the subject of newborn schedules and feeding. Part of getting your baby to sleep well at night is what you are doing during the day. You want to find someone who knows how to direct you in the ideal daily routine you should follow in order to promote the best nighttime sleep.
Ready to get the best night of sleep since you've had your baby? Check out my overnight services for Cumming, Roswell, Alpharetta and surrounding metro Atlanta areas!
