FAQs for 
parents

Selecting a maternity nurse is often the first time (outside of the corporate world) parents go through the process interviewing and hiring someone. It can be tempting to treat the process the same as when you are at work, but when parents do this it can lead to oversights, or things going wrong. A maternity nurse is coming into your home to care for your most precious possession (and most likely look after you too). Therefore, there are certain considerations that need to be made.

To help you avoid doing the same, we have collated the 5 most common mistakes that parents make when going through the process of finding a maternity nurse.

1. Choosing experience over personality fit

Hiring a maternity nurse is not just about their qualifications or experience, it's also about their personality and compatibility with your family. Neglecting to assess whether the maternity nurse's personality fits with yours can result in a strained relationship and stressful situation. Of course experience is important (and will be a given), but don’t make the mistake of prioritising it over all else.

Many parents (understandably) want the most experienced and qualified maternity nurse on the market. It is reassuring to know that the person coming into your home might have cared for hundreds of babies before. They really will have seen it all! But there is more to it than that. You are letting someone into your private space and during a special time. You have to feel comfortable with the fact that they will both physically and metaphorically see your dirty washing! Therefore, you have to find someone that you don’t just tolerate, but feel genuinely comfortable having around.

At myTamarin, we only work with maternity nurses who have at least 3 years experience, but many on our books have a lot more. We encourage parents to speak with a range of maternity nurses (even if they think they have found the perfect fit first time around) to make sure they choose the right person.

2. Doing the whole process virtually

In a post pandemic world, we have gotten used to doing everything online. While this works well for some things, it isn’t a substitute for meeting people in real life. The energy and feeling you get from being in the same room as someone just doesn’t translate over Zoom.

We have known families do the process virtually with zero problem. If you’re hiring a maternity nurse from abroad, sometimes it just isn’t feasible to meet in person. However, there have been too many occasions where parents have elected to it virtually and regretted it.

There are a few reasons a virtual meeting isn’t the same as a physical one:

• In-person interviews allow you to establish a more personal connection with the maternity nurse. Pregnancy and childbirth are sensitive and personal experiences, so having a face-to-face meeting can help build trust and rapport.
• Some people just don’t perform as well over video. For some, video calls are harder to relax into as it’s harder to pick up on non-verbal communication, such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.
• An in-person interview allows you to assess the nurse's physical appearance and hygiene. While you would hope all maternity nurses have good personal hygiene, we have heard some horror stories!
• Maternity nurses will often want to see the environment they are working in. It’s better for everyone if you establish whether or not they will be comfortable in your home before you finalise the arrangement. A parent once told us that a maternity nurse came to their house for an interview and asked to see the bed she would be staying in. After assessing it, she asked the parents if they would consider buying a new mattress for her. The mattress was only 2 months old! This might be an extreme, but you don’t want to be caught up in these things later down the line.

3. Failing to communicate about parenting style

Clear communication is essential when hiring a maternity nurse. Parents should not only clearly outline their expectations of duties and schedule, but also how much they want to be involved. Some maternity nurses like to have full control, whereas others are much more comfortable at working as part of a team. If you are a super hands on parent, you need a maternity nurse who is comfortable with this dynamic.

You should ask maternity nurses about their flexibility when it comes to things like routine, feeding and just general working style. Some will have a set way of doing things, whereas others are more ‘go with the flow’ types. If you are unsure what your philosophy on certain things will be, best to go with a maternity nurse who will adapt to your needs, rather than one who is very set in her ways.

4. Not doing their own reference checks

While all reputable agencies will do their own reference checks, it is important for parents to also speak with other parents about their experience with a maternity nurse. Parents are more likely to be honest with other parents. So although you can certainly use agency references as a guide to screen nannies in or out, nothing compares to doing a verbal reference check yourself.

An agency will have checked that they're suitable to be a maternity nurse, but that doesn’t mean they're the right maternity nurse for your family. Different parents have different priorities, so it is important to ensure that any maternity nurse you hire matches up to yours. Other parents' firsthand experiences can provide valuable insights and help you make a more informed decision. Say you are a more reserved family, who like a lot of personal space. You can speak to previous families about what the maternity nurse was like when she was off duty. Did she go out or stay in her room, or did she spend her time in the communal areas? This is important information that a previous client can be really specific about.

If you hire a maternity nurse without using an agency it is even more important that you conduct your own reference checks. Unfortunately, there are a lot of CVs out there that are exaggerated, or just blatant lies. While in an ideal world this wouldn’t be the case, it’s best to do all you can to ensure that you cover for this. In most cases, you can quickly tell if a reference seems fishy, or if the maternity nurse doesn’t feel like a good fit for you.

At myTamarin we check at least two verbal references that must be glowing for each maternity nurse we onboard, but we always encourage our parents to follow up on references themselves.

5. Not using contract

This one doesn’t so much fall into the ‘not treating your maternity nurse search the same as hiring a corporate employee’ camp, but it’s important to remember. Although maternity nurses aren’t employed by parents, having a contract is important. It ensures that both parties’ rights and obligations are clear, and that ultimately both parties are protected.

A contract helps establish a clear understanding of the services the maternity nurse will provide, such as the duration of the booking, the schedule, duties and any other specific requirements. This clarity ensures that both parents and the maternity nurse are on the same page and helps avoid any misunderstandings or conflicts. In the unfortunate case of a dispute, it can be used to help resolve matters more smoothly and can protect the rights of both parties.

The contract can also include a confidentiality clause that ensures the privacy of the family. Maternity nurses have access to personal and sensitive information about the family, so having a contractual obligation to maintain confidentiality can provide peace of mind to the parents.

At myTamarin, we take care of the contract for you. We created our contract working alongside maternity nurses and parents to make sure that it is balanced and fair for everyone.

In knowing the mistakes made by other parents, we hope you can now embark on your search for the perfect maternity nurse with confidence and these common pitfalls.

If you are ready to start your search then sign up here to get the tailored support of one of our professional matchmakers, who have hundreds of successful matches under their belts.

Just like with our permanent nannies, we take screening and referencing very seriously. We schedule an initial phone conversation with every candidate and only candidates who pass the initial phone screening will progress to a more detailed face-to-face interview. Applicants are carefully evaluated based on experience, communication skills, personality, preferences and approach to working with children.

Our comprehensive 5-step screening process ensures we only recruit the best. In fact, we only accept 7% of nannies who apply to us. References are key and we insist on doing at least two verbal reference checks with previous families for each nanny.

We take screening and referencing very seriously. We schedule an initial phone conversation with every candidate and only candidates who pass the initial phone screening will progress to a more detailed face-to-face interview. Applicants are carefully evaluated based on experience, communication skills, personality, preferences and approach to working with children.

Our comprehensive 5-step screening process ensures we only recruit the best. In fact, we only accept 7% of nannies who apply to us. References are key and we insist.on doing at least two verbal reference checks with previous families for each nanny.

Yes, we have an excellent team of maternity nurses, night nannies, sleep consultants, and lactation specialists. You can hire them for several months, a few weeks, or just a couple of nights. And in the case of lactation specialists, you may just need a few hours.

They offer their service in-person as well as remotely via video calls and chats. For more details, please see here.

Yes, we have all of the above, as well as nannies who are fluent in many other languages.

In England, we work mostly with London-based families and the surrounding counties. We also work with families in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. We sometimes work with families outside London and in other countries too. Let us know your requirements and we’ll do our best to help you. If we don’t think we can help, we won’t waste your time and will let you know.

Nannies have experience working with children and usually have some form of childcare qualification and a pediatric first-aid certificate. They will be ready to step into the role with a focus on the educational, social, and emotional development of your children.

Au pairs typically come from abroad for a cultural experience and to improve their English, usually on a 6-9 month-long contract. They don’t necessarily have any childcare experience but will help out with school-aged children and do housework in exchange for room, board, a small allowance, and English lessons.

We don’t work with au pairs but if you are looking for a good childcare solution on a slightly lower budget (or reduced needs), we recommend one of our junior nannies. They will generally have some childcare experience, either as a regular babysitter, teacher, or nursery worker, and with the right support, can learn professional nanny skills.

Yes, similar to hiring a permanent nanny you would always have a contract with a temporary nanny to have a clear agreement on hours, salary and expectations and duration of the role. At myTamarin we will provide a contract and liaise on the finer details to ensure both yourself and the nanny are happy and protected.

Temporary nannies can cover anything from one day of sickness for your usual nanny, to working the duration of a school holiday, to a longer-term arrangement up to a few months depending on your needs as a family.

Dependent on location we can find you a backup or temporary nanny the same day, often within hours. By working closely with a selection of high-quality nannies with whom we have excellent relationships, we have nannies who can step in and help families in need at short notice.

Less than 5% of nannies out there are OFSTED registered so some of our nannies are and some are not. Most nannies are open to going through OFSTED registration if you ask them to and we can guide you both through the process which is simple and only takes a few weeks.

Nannies who are OFSTED registered can normally be paid with Childcare Vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare if you have them.

We will supply you with a contract for you to input the terms of employment agreed at the point of offer. As you are the employer of the nanny, the final agreement is between you and the nanny.

When you hire a nanny you will become an employer. This means you will be required to register with HMRC, pay your nanny’s tax and NI contributions, employers NI, as well as offer a pension, and have employer’s liability insurance. We will handle most of this for you through our payroll service which is included in our monthly fee.

3-6 weeks is realistic although other factors can affect that timeline – how specific your requirements are, availability to interview, contract negotiations and notice period are just a few. For some though, it can be much quicker than that.

Babysitters will offer childcare for multiple families on an ad-hoc basis. They will only work for a few hours at a time when parents need to be out of the house. A babysitter is paid by the hour as opposed to being salaried. They don’t have as much responsibility as a nanny and will come to the house and play with the children for a few hours when needed or just keep an eye on them.

We don’t work with babysitters.

That depends on the family, type of the role and requirements of the role. Each nanny might have their own requirements as well and every family should be very up-front from the beginning on what they are willing to offer as a part of the role.

What you should always provide is a welcoming, comfortable, clean and safe working environment (which is essentially your home) for the nanny, which they will then in return help to maintain.

If you are looking for a live-in nanny, you will have to provide accommodation and food for them. The accommodation could either be their own room with a bathroom (that can be private, en-suite or shared with the family), a studio within the family’s home or a separate accommodation in the proximity of the family’s home.

Sometimes a family also provides food for the live-out nanny, however, nannies can take care of their meals on their own. If they cook for the children, for example, they might eat the same food with them during mealtime.

Some families might cover the travel costs for their nanny, especially if the nanny lives further away from them, by providing them with an Oyster card for example, or train tickets etc. If you require your nanny to travel with you, you will have to pay for those travel costs (and extra hours) as well.

If you need your nanny to drive your children to and from school and/or after-school activities, you will typically have to provide a car for them to use, unless they have got their own and are able to use it for work.

Based on our experience we suggest you start your nanny search between 1 to 2 months before you actually need them to start.

We do not recommend you start looking for a nanny more than 2 months in advance – nannies typically have 1-month notice and they usually won’t start looking for their next role more than 2 months in advance. Their situation can change quickly, so if you start looking for your nanny in March, and you will only need them to start in September, chances are most of the nannies will not be planning that far in advance, which can result in having fewer matches for your family.

Live-in: a live-in nanny (or a nanny-housekeeper, nanny-PA) will be living with your family, or in an accommodation otherwise provided by you. At a minimum they will need their own room, and a private bathroom is desirable. Sometimes families offer the nanny their own floor in the house, a studio within the home or a completely separate accommodation, close to the family’s home. About 15% of all nannies in London are live-in.

Live-out: a live-out nanny (or a nanny-housekeeper, or nanny-PA…) does not live with your family, they have their own accommodation and will commute to work every day. About 85% of all nannies in London are live-out.

There are different types of nannies based on the hours they work:

Full-time: A full-time nanny, nanny-housekeeper or nanny-PA will typically work between 45 to 60 hours a week, spread over five days although that depends on each family, their schedules and specific requirements. It is uncommon (or at least undesired) for nannies to work over weekends full time, or to work more than five days a week, although some nannies will consider such schedules.

Part-time: Working hours of a part-time nanny, nanny-housekeeper or nanny-PA vary; it all depends on what you are looking for and when you need help with your children. A part-time nanny could for example work three days a week, from 8am to 8pm, or five days a week for a couple of hours per day. A part-time nanny could also help you during the weekends only. Part times jobs that offer full-time hours over a couple of days (e.g. Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 hours each day) are much easier to fill than jobs that offer only a few hours, but each day.

Afterschool: as the word already suggests, and after school nanny will be looking after your children in the afterschool hours. They will typically collect the children from school and care for them until the parents come back from, or finish their work. Offering less than 30 hours a week of work makes any job less attractive. We, therefore, suggest that you try and combine nanny work with household work, and offer at least 30 hours of work a week.

Apart from looking after and caring for your children, a nanny-PA will also help with any personal assistant duties for one or both of the parents. This could include answering the phone and taking messages, organising diaries, organising meetings, running the errands, booking and arranging travel and accommodation and similar.

Apart from general nannying duties, they will also take care of the housekeeping and even cooking, depending on what your needs are. Typical duties include hoovering, mopping, deep cleaning, cooking, general tidying up, changing the sheets and laundry for the whole family, ironing, polishing silver and similar. 

Nanny-housekeepers typically perform the housekeeping duties when the children are in school/nursery, asleep, at different activities or looked after by the parents.

A nanny’s main and most important responsibility is caring for children, their safety and development.

A nanny is in charge of your child(ren)’s development, their learning, well-being and overall care. Typical nanny duties include changing and dressing the children, preparing meals, feeding them, cleaning up after the meals, tidying up their toys, play areas, nurseries or their bedrooms, organising age appropriate, educational or fun activities, arts & crafts, reading to them, playing different games, taking them out for walks, to parks or playgrounds, taking them to organised activities, attending playgroups, taking them to school or afterschool activities, picking them up, getting them ready for bath and assisting with bedtime routine.

There are several advantages of having a nanny looking after your child(ren), and also your home.

Flexibility: a nanny will adapt to your working schedule and work the hours that are convenient for your family.

Convenience: a nanny will care for your child(ren) in your own home, which means you do not have to stress about drop-offs and pick-ups. If your child is ill, the nanny will still be there to care for them and you will not have to worry about finding an alternative/emergency care or staying home from work.

Personalised approach: a nanny is able to adapt to your children’s specific and individual needs, and also focus on the areas you want them to spend more time on.

Help around the house: you will benefit from their help with all childcare related duties around the house (i.e. nursery duties), such as doing children’s laundry, tidying up their bedrooms, preparing the meals for them and cleaning up after them.

Some nannies are happy to do additional light housekeeping (e.g. laundry for the entire family, cooking for the entire family, running errands), however, any such additional duties need to be discussed and agreed upon clearly. 

We can help - we will speak to you about your needs and match you with candidates in the same way we do for permanent nanny placements.

Circumstances change on either side that can’t be foreseen or controlled. If your nanny leaves for some reason, we’ll immediately stop collecting the payments. Of course, we’d love to help you find a replacement nanny, but we won’t tie you in.

You’ll benefit from our guidance and support before, during and after you’ve found a nanny. All our nannies have gone through our rigorous 5-step vetting process and our childcare recruitment specialists and in-house psychologists will match you based on subjective, as well as objective criteria. Once you’re ready to hire a nanny, you’ll get a legally proofed nanny employment contract template, payroll solution including payments to the nanny and of HMRC obligations and we’ll help you with any HR and employment questions for as long as the nanny is with you. We’ll also find you a replacement if for some reason your nanny doesn’t work out and we’ll arrange temporary cover if they are off sick or on holiday.

Absolutely. We will always find a replacement nanny if you need one, no matter what the reason is. And if we can’t, we won’t charge you any longer.

Traditional agencies claim to offer a two, three or six-month replacement guarantee, but when you read the small print it’s clear that there’s no real incentive for them to find you a replacement as you’ve already paid them the fee upfront. Some agencies limit the replacement search to five CVs whether they’re a good match for you or not. What’s more, there’s no replacement guarantee for your replacement nanny.

Our matching service is carefully honed to find the most suitable candidates for you. We understand however that sometimes things just don’t work out for a number of reasons. We will find you a replacement nanny at any stage, and not only during the first few weeks or months which is the case with the traditional nanny agencies. If however you decide you want to hire a replacement from another agency, we won’t hold you hostage; you can simply stop your monthly payments.

We’ve identified the most important elements of childcare matchmaking, and we ask both parents and nannies to share their views and preferences on those important elements. We examine personality traits of both parents and nannies, their parenting styles, their preferred working and communication styles, family values and beliefs, e.g. views on discipline and routines, whether they are chattier or prefer their own peace and quiet. Overall, it’s quite comprehensive.

No. We offer you a selection of pre-screened candidates who best fit your criteria. We will arrange the interviews and help you prepare and discuss your feedback, but the final decision is yours.

The relationship with your nanny is going to be incredibly intimate so unlike most agencies who will match you based purely on objective criteria (i.e., location, number of languages spoken, and years of experience), we look at your compatibility in terms of family values, parenting style, and personality, which underpin the longevity of any successful nanny-family relationship.

If you hire a permanent nanny through myTamarin on our Monthly Pay As You Go fee emergency backup care is included. This means we will find a temporary nanny for you free of charge when your usual nanny is unable to work. You will need to pay the temporary nanny wages but there is no agency fee for us finding you a backup nanny for up to 20 days per year of backup care.  

A temporary nanny will command a similar hourly rate to a permanent nanny but on a short term basis. Market hourly rate for a nanny is usually in the region of £11 - £14.

Yes, we have the traditional payment option as a one-off fee available as well. But please bear in mind that with this payment option you won't benefit from all the additional support and benefits such as continuous HR advice and backup care that come with the monthly subscription.

Monthly payments will be collected via direct debit making it simple and easy for you.

Our fees are completely success based so there’s no financial commitment until we’ve found you a nanny. The first payment is due upon confirmation of employment of a nanny and each subsequent payment will be taken monthly on the anniversary of the nanny’s start date.

At myTamarin, we don’t believe in the lump sum fee upfront which is the model of traditional childcare agencies. We want our incentives to be completely aligned with yours, i.e. longevity.

With some of the London agencies you’d be paying in the region of £5000 to £6000 for a full-time, live-out nanny and you will “lose” that fee a few months down the line if for some reason things don’t work out or your circumstances change. If you break it down, that’s equivalent to 18-20 monthly payments of £299 to myTamarin. On top of that, with myTamarin, you’re getting all the additional support and benefits, such as payroll, continuous HR advice and backup care. What’s more, we’ll also find you a replacement nanny without charging you extra.

We charge a flat fee of £299 plus VAT per month. This means we’re incentivised to find the best possible match for you and encourage long-term placements, as we only get paid for as long as the nanny is with you. And because our fee is flat and not a % of the nanny’s salary there’s no incentive for us to inflate it.

At myTamarin we offer the PAYE service and we will handle this including payment of your nanny’s tax, NI contributions and employers NI through our payroll service which is included in our monthly fee.

A full-time nanny will work anything between 40 and 60 hours a week and a part-time nanny, anything between 10 to 35 hours a week. The majority of nannies we work with are full-time, but we do also have some excellent part-time nann

No. The matching is completely free. You only start paying our fees once you’ve decided to hire a nanny.

Postnatal doulas typically start working with a family in the first few days or weeks after birth, but some doulas do work with families with older babies too.

Just as when supporting birth clients, postnatally doulas provide emotional, practical and informational support.

The actual tasks in the practical support postnatal doulas provide varies enormously, and one of the big benefits of having a postnatal doula is that they are there to support the family, not carry out a specific task, so they do what is needed (within reason!). This can be any help around the house, looking after the baby while mum (and her partner) nap, helping with older siblings, making meals, helping with dinner time or the school run, helping overnight so the parents get more sleep.

Postnatal doulas will usually work shorter hours than maternity nurses and night nannies (4-8 hours a day). However, shorter hours usually command a higher hourly rate.

Birth doulas support women and families who are planning any kind of birth, from planned caesarean birth or early epidural to home water birth.

A birth doula will usually meet with the mother-to-be (and her partner if applicable) at least twice before birth, and be available for phone or email support as questions or concerns arise.

A birth doula will then go ‘on call’ towards the end of pregnancy (typically around 38 weeks) and will then be available 24/7. The doula will then go to their client(s) when they ask during labour, typically before they transfer to a place of birth.

During labour, a doula provides emotional, practical and informational support to their client(s). Her most important role is to provide nurturing, continuous support and reassurance. She will stay with their client(s) until after the baby is born and the new family is settled and happy.

Birth doulas do at least one postnatal visit with their client(s), to support them as they settle in life with a new baby, help with infant feeding as needed and allow them an opportunity to talk over the birth.

Doulas support the whole family to have a positive experience of pregnancy, birth and the early weeks with a new baby. There are two types of doulas, birth doulas, and postnatal doulas. Some doulas work as both birth and postnatal doulas.

There are several arrangements you could agree:

• Your night nanny or maternity nurse will bring your baby to you whenever they are due for a feed. The big benefit of night nannies and maternity nurses is that they will settle the baby afterward, which often can take as long as the feed, while you can tuck in and relax until the next feed. Perhaps even more importantly, night nannies and maternity nurses are trained to differentiate between true hunger and any other reason that may wake a baby. And if your baby needs just a bit of soothing, or to pass gas, you won't even know it.

• You can express milk beforehand (or during the night), and they will feed the baby your milk with a bottle. What's really nice about this arrangement is that you may not even have to wake up during the night, or if you do have to express during the night, the time awake for you will typically be shorter and/or less frequent than if the baby was feeding on your breast.

• You can use formula milk during the nights. Many mothers opt for the combination of breastfeeding during the days and formula feeding during the nights. Not only does that allow them a good and uninterrupted rest, but also makes it much easier to involve fathers and other members of the family, who can help with night feeds when a night nanny or maternity nurse is not around.

• Eventually, your baby won't need to feed during the night at all. They may still wake up, but night nannies and maternity nurses know when they are not hungry and can soothe them back into sleep without any milk.

Breastfeeding mums can benefit tremendously from hiring a night nanny or maternity nurse. First, it's incredibly important to get a good rest especially for mothers who are nursing, so that their bodies can produce enough milk for their babies. Second, a well-rested mum (or at least, a less tired mum!) will have a better time looking after her baby and enjoying precious time with them. Finally, night nannies and maternity nurses can often help to troubleshoot breastfeeding challenges.

Your baby can be with you as much as you want! We recommend, however, that your baby sleeps in their nursery, which is often where the maternity nurse / night nanny will sleep as well. When babies sleep in their parents’ bedrooms, the benefit of having a maternity nurse or night nanny is much smaller. That said, if you have any concerns, your nurse can talk you through various other options.

Typically, night nannies work from 9pm to 7am. However, you can agree to a later start, and possibly an earlier or later finish. Eight hours is often the minimum they will do a night.

It’s only human to need a little bit of break when working with newborns and young babies. Typically, full-time maternity nurses will need a couple of hours a day for themselves.

Typically, maternity nurses work on a 24-hour basis, 4-6 days a week. They are considered full-time maternity nurses and are therefore a “live-in”. A daily maternity nurse will work during the day only, typically 12 hours a day, or as agreed with you.

A full-time maternity nurse works on a 24-hour basis and lives with you. If you don’t wish to have someone living in your home, but still want support with your newborn, a daily maternity nurse is an ideal solution. A daily maternity nurse typically works 12 hours a day (or as you agree).

Yes. Maternity nurses and night nannies aren’t meant to benefit just the parents, but also the babies. In fact, your baby can benefit tremendously, as they can aid their healthy development and teach them good sleeping habits for life:

• Your baby will be sleeping better and longer. As a result, your baby will be stronger and healthier. Sleep is the second most important factor for baby development, after food, but is often neglected.

• Your baby will be in a better routine. Like adults, babies benefit from a predictable schedule. (Note: The exact routine should match the family's needs and preferences. Maternity nurses and night nannies can easily adjust the routine so that it works for the parents and the babies.)

• Due to better rest and better routine, your baby will be in a better mood during the days, more active, and happier.

• Your baby will feed fewer times a night. Night nannies and maternity nurses have the experience to more easily read baby cues than parents. More often than not, babies wake up because they have tummy pain or simply because they don’t know how to fall back asleep. When this is the case, a night nanny or maternity nurse can resettle the baby back to sleep.

• Your baby will learn how to self-settle and fall asleep on their own, not needing much comforting or sleep aid. Babies actually need to be taught how to sleep; night nannies and maternity nurses can teach them this important skill.

Maternity nurses will help you with baby routine, sleep, feeding or anything else that may be going on during those precious, but often unnerving first days, through daily video and text interactions.

They need a bed, or a comfortable sofa, typically in the same room as your baby. If space is tight, they can also be accommodated in your living room.

Maternity nurses are typically ‘live-in’ and will normally need a separate room and a bathroom (that can be shared with the family if needed). Often, they stay in the baby's nursery, your guest room, or an office with a comfortable sofa. Depending on how far away they live, they may go home on their days off.

As soon as possible, really. The earlier you start, the sooner you can teach your baby good habits, and the more you will benefit from help. That said, you can hire them at any point later too as we know parenting is hard, and sleep deprivation can accumulate!

It’s really up to you. Some parents do one to two nights a week, so they can catch up on sleep. If you’d like your baby to get into a good sleeping routine, we suggest doing four to six nights a week, for the first few weeks or months. Whenever possible, we suggest you book a block of nights (i.e. consecutive nights) as it helps babies recognise and internalise new sleeping patterns.

Maternity nurses typically work 4-6 days and nights a week. If they live nearby, they may be more flexible and may agree to fewer days/nights a week. It is rare for them to work 7 days a week, but that too can be arranged. If you need coverage around the clock, we suggest hiring two maternity nurses, one for weekdays and one for weekends.

It depends! Some parents know they will need help for longer, so they book them for several months, up to when their baby turns six months (at which point they hope the baby will sleep through the night), and some will book them for the full first year. At the same time, we have many clients who book just for a few weeks, which is absolutely fine. On average, parents book maternity nurses for 4-10 weeks, and night nannies for the first three months, or after they’ve already had a maternity nurse.

Maternity nurses and night nannies are self-employed. Therefore, they are responsible for their own tax and national insurance contributions. Rates vary depending on the experience and specifics of the job. For single babies, a full-time maternity nurse will usually cost between £220 and £250 per 24 hours. Night nannies and day maternity nurses are paid by the hour, generally between £16 and £18. For twins rates are higher.

Absolutely. We do our best to match you with exactly the right person, whether you’re hiring months in advance, or for tonight! (It goes without saying though, that there will likely be fewer candidates to choose from if you’re looking for help on short notice.)

For peace of mind, a lot of parents start the process during the pregnancy, typically after the first trimester. We have many clients who book toward the end of their pregnancy, as well as those who book after birth.

A maternity nurse provides support on an almost 24-hour basis (with some time during the day to rest) and is there to help establish routines and enable mum to rest and recuperate.

A night nanny provides support from evening until morning and enables parents to rest while teaching baby good sleeping habits. If you’re breastfeeding, your night nanny can bring the baby to mum for a feed and then settle the baby back to sleep.

Often, first, time-parents will hire a maternity nurse, and for any later babies, they will hire a night nanny.

A night nanny or a night nurse is a childcare professional who is specialized in helping parents with newborn and young babies during the nights. Nothing prepares parents for the incredible fatigue and drop in energy following lack of sleep. However, hiring a night nanny may be the answer – not just as a short-term fix, but also as a longer-term investment in family well-being. 

They are of a similar if not the same profile as maternity nurses, just that they choose to work nights only.  

The terms maternity nanny and maternity nurse are more or less interchangeable. However, sometimes a maternity nanny designation will be used to designate a less experienced or newly qualified maternity nurse.

Employers of international nannies will also cover the cost of a flight back to their home country once a year, as well as the initial flight over. In addition to this, all visa costs are usually covered by the employer as well as medical insurance.

Unless the nanny is already in the same country as you, trials aren’t as common as when recruiting for a position locally. However, the first 1-3 months of the employment contract is usually a probationary period and this is often seen as the trial.

There are parents who will want to do a separate trial and of course, that is ok too. If these do go ahead, they are usually for 1-2 weeks and all travel expenses are covered by the employer.

As candidates are often in different countries to potential employers, most will arrange an initial telephone or video interview. This may be with the parents or with another member of staff who is assisting with the recruitment process. After the first interview a further 1 or 2 interviews are normally conducted before making a decision.

Live-in nannies work between 5 and 6 days per week, 10 to 12 hours a day depending on the role. In the Middle East it is common for nannies to work 6 days a week, 12 hours a day. When travelling with a family they may be required to work on call 24 hours a day.

At a minimum, they will need their own room, and a private bathroom is desirable although they may sometimes share with the children. Sometimes families offer the nanny their own floor in the house, a studio within the home, or completely separate accommodation, close to the family’s home.

Nannies who work internationally will often have some form of qualification, although this is not always the case. Some may come with many years of experience and the best nannies aren’t always those who hold qualifications.

If a family does require the nanny to have some formal training, the most common qualifications are:

• CACHE Level 3, Diploma in Childcare and Education (DCE) (Previously known as NNEB)

• BTEC Higher National Diploma

• NVQ in Childcare and Education – Level 3

• Montessori

• Early years degree or diploma

• Bachelor of Education or Teaching qualification

Salaries for nannies placed abroad are generally higher than for those in the UK and will vary hugely depending on the nanny’s experience and the parameters of the job.

International nannies are particularly popular in the Middle East, notably the UAE and Saudi Arabia. They are also in demand in places like (but not limited to) China, Singapore and Switzerland.

Nannies can come from all over the world. Just like in London, nannies who work internationally come from a huge range of different countries. While candidates may come from a variety of places, most families require they have a fluent level of English if it is not their mother tongue.

From day 1! In fact, some parents like to have their first session even before their baby is born, to be well prepared for the new arrival.

While breastfeeding comes easily to some mums and babies, many others need extra help. With the help of a lactation specialist, there’s a lot you can do to prevent problems developing and get breastfeeding off to a good start.

Sleep consultants will develop a personally tailored sleep therapy programme to help you implement effective and lasting sleep solutions, for your baby’s healthy development, strong immune system and emotional well-being

No. We know every family is different, and every challenge needs to be addressed slightly differently. Your expert will advise what’s the best spacing of your sessions. To make the package effective for you, we don’t recommend stretching the sessions beyond six weeks in total.

You will get at least five video consultations with your expert, consultation notes and advice following the calls, and in-between support via emails as needed. 

We’ll ask you to fill out a bespoke questionnaire or have an in-depth first discussion with one of our experts. Our clients tell us this can be quite a cathartic exercise! Your answers will be studied in detail by your expert, to get a good sense of you and your baby’s needs.

You will have your first video call, followed by a bespoke plan for you and your child. 

You will be working with your expert, via daily check-ins, to help you and your baby make the most progress.

While we do offer parents the option of a single call, the bespoke package is by far the most effective for tackling specific issues.

Early parenthood is a rewarding yet exhausting period. You can benefit from regular, professional guidance and information on a daily basis, even if you don’t wish to have a maternity nurse or sleep consultant living in your home. Get the best possible start, so that you can fully enjoy the most precious early moments of parenthood.

From the comfort of your own home you can gain around the clock access to our team of highly skilled sleep consultants, midwives, maternity nurses, lactation specialists and other newborn experts. 

Whether you are looking for advice around sleep, routine, weaning or feeding, we are here to help.

Help is starting at £49 for a single call, or £349 for a weeklong bespoke package.