Every parent of a newborn has faced that moment in the middle of the night when the baby is crying mercilessly and you’ve been pacing back and forth for hours thinking, I would do anything to get some sleep right now!!

It's a tried-and-true ritual of parenting, but the sleepless nights that go with raising a newborn can really wreak havoc on your health and on any hopes of having productive days. With that in mind, many parents today are embracing the idea of a night nurse as a saving grace.

As with any time you consider bringing someone into your home to care for your child, there’s lots to investigate. You’re probably wondering, what is a night nurse? What are the night nurse costs? What does a night nurse do? How to find a night nurse? All valid questions with important answers. Let’s dive in:

In this article:

The phrase “night nurse” is a little old-fashioned, but the idea certainly has legs. Generally speaking, a night nurse is a caretaker whose main role is overseeing your baby’s nighttime needs. (A typical shift for a night nurse would be something like 10 pm to 6 am.)

Many families go through agencies to find a fully vetted night nurse with appropriate experience caring for newborns. In general, people working as night nurses are typically trained in one or more of the following:

They may be nannies or childcare specialists without formal medical training, or they may be doulas, registered nurses, or some other kind of healthcare clinician.

Of course, there is a lot of variation in the exact parameters surrounding what does a night nurse do—and you’ll need to specify those parameters when hiring a night nurse—but the main goal of having a night nurse is for them to take over childcare so you can get some much needed rest. Some of the common tasks include:

Night nurses are not typically expected to perform non-baby household tasks like cleaning or laundry, etc. at night. Their main goal is to take care of your little one so you can sleep.

Any parent who could benefit from additional sleep is likely to answer an enthusiastic “yes!” to the question of, Do I need a night nurse? There is no wrong answer to the question, either. Generally speaking, agencies report that the families who most often choose to hire a night nurse are those where:

In these scenarios, getting a good night’s rest is either harder or considered crucial enough that the parents decide the expense of a night nurse is well worth it.

Determining what are night nurse costs will largely depend on the area in which you live. Like all things related to child care, if you’re living in a large urban area, expect hourly wages to be higher than if you make your home in a small town or a suburb that is not close to a metro area. Other factors that can impact night nurse costs include the nurse’s:

In general, night nurses are not cheap—it’s a coveted service that comes at a premium. Expect to pay somewhere in the range of $18-$40 per hour or $150-$300 per night.

That cost contributes to the decision of for how long to hire a night nurse. While some parents do it for only a few days or weeks as a way to relieve the stress of the earliest days, it’s not uncommon for a family to retain a night nurse for the first several months or until baby is regularly sleeping through the night.

Selecting a night nurse is an important task and one you want to start before baby arrives. You’ll need to vet this person very closely and also make sure you feel comfortable with them ahead of time.

The best source of referrals to find a night nurse include:

You can also search through the Newborn Care Specialist Association and the International Nanny Association for referrals and recommendations.

Whether it’s viewed as an ongoing necessity for your busy life and family or a short-term luxury to maintain your sanity, hiring a night nurse can be a game-changer for many families.

Be sure to do your due diligence and find a night nurse with the credentials, demeanor, cost, and experience that will leave you feeling comfortable—and look forward to getting some much-needed sleep!