What to Expect
A calm night, from start to finish.
Most families have never had someone in their home overnight. Here is exactly how it works, so there are no surprises.
Getting started
- A free call. Whether you are still expecting or already home with a newborn, we start with a free call. We get to know your family and the kind of support that would help most. No pressure to book.
- Book your nights. Still expecting? Choose a package and we hold your nights around your due date. Already home with baby? We will find your first night as soon as we have availability. You pay at checkout, and if plans change before your first night, you can move the full amount to Gift Nights, day support or later dates.
- A visit before your first night. Once you've booked a package, we'll arrange a free meet and greet in your home. We see where baby sleeps and learn your preferences. Booking a single night? We'll do a short phone or video walkthrough instead.
- Your family profile. You fill in a short form: feeding plan, bottle and formula details, pets, alarm codes, parking, and who to call in an emergency.
Already home, and the nights are long?
If your baby is unsettled, crying through the night or simply not sleeping, you don't have to wait it out alone. Call us. We will talk it through and find the soonest night we can be there. Bookings with less than 48 hours' notice are subject to availability.
Crying that lasts for hours, or that worries you, can sometimes have a medical cause, so please check in with your doctor or public health nurse too.
Your first night
Evening: we arrive. Usually around 10pm, or at a time that suits your family. A quiet knock, shoes off, a short catch-up on the day. We ask about the last feed, how you are feeling and anything you would like us to know.
Through the night: you sleep. We stay awake with your baby the entire shift. Nights are never spent sleeping on your couch.
Morning: a gentle handover. Usually around 6am. You wake to a settled baby, clean bottles and a written log of the night: feeds, diapers, sleep and anything we noticed.
What we do
- Stay awake and attentive all night
- Bring baby to you for breastfeeds, then burp, change and settle baby so you can go straight back to sleep
- Give bottle feeds with expressed milk or formula, prepared the way you have shown us
- Change diapers and keep baby clean and comfortable
- Soothe and settle baby, following your family's preferences
- Place baby to sleep following current safe sleep guidance: on their back, in their own clear sleep space
- While baby sleeps, wash bottles and pump parts, wash and fold baby's laundry plus one family load, tidy the kitchen and leave the nursery ready for the day. We always clean up after ourselves. Baby comes first, so some nights leave less time for these extras.
- Keep a written log of the night
- Offer calm, practical tips on newborn care when you ask
- Listen. Sometimes a 3am conversation with someone who has been there helps as much as the sleep.
What we don't do
We keep our role clear so everyone stays safe.
- No medical or nursing care. We don't assess, diagnose or treat you or your baby, even though our founder is a registered nurse.
- No medication. We don't give medication, drops or supplements to you or your baby.
- No medical advice. Questions about feeding difficulties, weight, jaundice, stitches, bleeding or your mood go to your midwife, doctor or public health nurse. We will gladly help you write them down.
- No unsafe sleep, ever. We never bed-share or fall asleep holding your baby, and we don't place baby to sleep on a couch, in a swing, car seat, bouncer or on their tummy.
- No sleep training. We support gentle, healthy newborn sleep habits, but we don't sleep train or promise results.
- No leaving home with baby. We don't drive, take baby outside or leave your home with baby.
- No care without a parent home. A parent or guardian stays in the home all night. We are not a babysitting or childcare service.
- No care for older children or pets. Our care is for your newborn. If an older sibling wakes, we're happy to help settle them back to bed once baby is safely settled, but a parent remains responsible for older children. We don't care for pets.
- No general housecleaning. We don't vacuum, mop, dust or clean bathrooms. Our help around the house is limited to the baby-focused tasks above.
- No cooking. We don't cook or prepare meals.
If something doesn't seem right
If we notice anything that concerns us about you or your baby, we will wake you and gently suggest you call your midwife, doctor or HealthLink BC at 8-1-1. In an emergency, we call 911 first and then wake you.
The weeks after birth can bring big feelings. If you are finding things hard, we will listen without judgment and help you connect with your care provider or postpartum support.