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Babysitter
for your baby:
what you need to know

Fatigue, exhaustion and even parental burn-out, these ailments can be expected from any parent whose child is not sleeping properly. Do you dream of a good night’s sleep that would allow you to recover and be fresh and ready the next day to take care of your baby or go to work? What if the solution was to hire a night nanny?

What is a night nurse?

Let’s start with what a night nanny is not: a babysitter.

On the contrary, she is an early childhood professional, a child care worker or a maternal assistant. She carries out her missions at night, in families, in addition to her activity or as a principal – in this case she often also wears the coach or sleep consultant’s hat.

Nurses use their experience and skills to help parents who are often struggling to take a break to rest. She also gives them valuable tips to help baby fall asleep or shows them the right techniques to reassure them.

When to call in a night nurse?

The profiles of people who use a night nurse are varied.

They may be mothers coming out of the maternity ward; poor parents facing their baby’s short, fragmented nights; parents of twins totally underwater; dads with staggered work schedules, etc. Sometimes even the relatives offer the services of a nurse at night as a birth gift!

When the evening becomes a source of apprehension and tension, there is no shame in being helped, especially when the family does not live nearby to relieve the couple. The use of a night nanny for twins or for a baby who is not sleeping is one of the ways to get essential support and talk about her difficulties in a reassuring setting. It can be punctual or spread over several evenings, until the situation improves. There are no rules.

How do I find a home nanny at night?

Parents who need to find a night nanny have several solutions. First, they can trust their knowledge or specialized groups on social networks. Word of mouth works very well.

On the internet, mother-to-nurse platforms have also been developed. They generally offer the guarantee of verified profiles and certified qualifications.

Otherwise, it remains to find out from the maternal assistants established in the municipality; from the maternity nurses or simply from the town hall.

How’s a night with a night nanny?

In the bedroom or living room depending on the available space, the nurse takes care of the infant at night. She gives him the bottle and manages any awakenings and tears, while making sure not to substitute herself for the mother in this night lock-up: certain tender gestures are carefully avoided so that everyone keeps his role.

This service is not incompatible with breastfeeding: the young mother may choose to draw her milk in preparation for the care or ask that the baby be brought to her at the time of feeding.

By its cost (from €10 per hour to €100 per night), the use of a night nanny is not available to everyone, even if CAF aid can be paid under conditions. It is also controversial, as the bond of attachment between parents and their child is also woven during the night. On this point, everyone will form their own opinion…