Frequently asked questions

You will find answers to most of your questions below 🙂

Our team has a variety of training under their belt.  Some are certified newborn care specialists, some are doulas but they all have a heart for service. Everyone of our team members has at least 5 years experience caring for newborns, is CPR/First Aid certified, and carries their own insurance.  Some of our team members have even taken advanced training in things like RIE, lactation, tongue ties and more.  We are definitely qualified to help your growing family 🙂

No, with the following exception.  For those families with medically fragile babies, we’re happy to partner you with a registered nurse (RN) on our team who would be happy to provide awake care until your little one is cleared by their pediatrician. Our providers’ awake care rates typically start at $80/hr with a maximum of 4 weeks coverage.  If additional coverage is needed, please discuss this with your provider during your interview.

Yes. Most of our team members are happy to provide you with a grocery list or chat with your chef about meal selections.  Please discuss the logistics of how you’d like this be handled during the interview process.

We help all families feed their babies WITHOUT judgment. We’d be happy to help you with pumped milk, donor milk, formula or a combination of all 3.  We’d help to prepare the bottles for feeding and of course clean up everything once feeding is done.  We’re also there to provide suggestions on feeding techniques and positioning for those families who need that support.

Our families typically work with us for a minimum of 6 weeks and we have some families engage us for 3 months or longer.  Our goal is to help you feel confident in your ability to care for your baby once our time together has ended.

Your night team will handle all baby care overnight while implementing a gentle routine that will help your baby sleep longer stretches. They will feed baby (or bring them to you for feeding), change diapers, burp them and get them back to sleep.  This means that you can finally get the uninterrupted sleep you need to feel refreshed and rejuvenated in the morning. Please note your night team will also rest while the baby sleeps.

Our agency was started by Tamiko Kelly who worked 24/7  as a NCS for 15+ years in the homes of high profile and high net worth families all over the US. She understands the finesse needed to succeed in these positions is committed to matching families with high quality newborn care.  Our team reflects the diversity of our community and we are happy to have some of the best NCS and sleep consultants on our roster.  We look forward to working with your family!

We advise all families to pay their NCS as W2 employees.  Your family would be their employer and responsible for all tax withholdings. Should you need help setting up employee payroll, we’d be happy to connect you with one of our preferred vendors.

Yes.  If you are open to interviewing out of state candidates for your position, you’ll need to provide them with accommodations.  Typical accommodations include a separate room for use in your home during their off time with a bed and private bath. You may also provide separate accommodations at an off site location like a hotel.  It’s also a nice touch to provide your Sleep Consultant with access to a vehicle so they can explore your beautiful city during their time off.

Yes.  Your baby will absolutely protest the changes that we’re making.  

 

I know this is a big one but hear me out.

 

Your baby cries all the time during the day when you….

Change their diaper

Buckle them safely in the car seat

Take away the pacifier

Put them in the stroller

Wipe their boogers

Sit them down while you’re cooking

Go potty by yourself

Let Daddy, Wifey or MiMi hold ’em

Do tongue or lip tie stretches

And the list goes on….

 

 

What do all these things have in common?

 

Doing them doesn’t damage your baby’s attachment to you.

So why is it that when we hear our babies cry in the nursery we freak out?

Well it’s simple.

It has nothing to do with the tears….

It’s the meaning we attach to those tears.

Read that sentence above one more time and let it soak in.

 

 

For so long we have been guilted, shamed and told to attend to our babies every need…

 

Even if it’s to our own detriment

Even if it means that we feel overwhelmed

Even at the cost of own emotional well being

And I’m saying it’s time to reframe this.

It’s time that we say …

“In order for me to be a good mother to my baby I need to be rested

Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t selfish

It’s the best gift I can give to myself and my baby.”

 

 

Now I want to be clear, I’m not saying leave your baby to cry alone for hours.

 

What I’m saying is that there’s ZERO EVIDENCE that crying with constant reassurance has any negative long-term effects on your baby.

You won’t damage your baby’s attachment to you by giving them space to figure out how to fall asleep.

I know you love your baby and they absolutely know it too.

 

Please give yourself some grace and understand that some temporary discomfort now will pay HUGE dividends in the future.

 

Having a baby that sleeps all night is priceless.

Nope! If your baby’s got a crib, my Sleep Squad can help you. 12 months old? No problem. 12 years old? You’re on your own 😉

Our Sleep Squad has a variety of methods at their disposal and are trained to customize those methods for your family.  They are trained to tune in your little one’s personality and provide options they’re confident will work.  They’re also there to support you, explain what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.  Our goal is to make sleep training simple and seamless.

Send over an email and I will be happy to clarify any further questions

hello@sleepwellwakehappy.com

Yes!  We’re happy to help your family wherever you’re located.  We simply ask that if your family lives in a remote area that you’re willing to send a car or come pick up your sleep consultant from the airport.  I’ve been lost in the backwoods before and it’s NOT fun at all.

12 hours.  We typically staff our providers in teams of 2.  One person works a 12 hour day shift and the other person works a 12 hour night shift.  This ensures your team is well rested and provides your family with outstanding care.

  • We have a team of NCS who are trained to provide basic support and tips for new nursing parents. They can help with latch, positioning, pumping, and newborn feeding behaviors. For many parents, this is all they need to establish great breast or chestfeeding.  
  • Should your family need a more tailored approach, we’d be happy to refer to an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) who would be happy to help you troubleshoot and provide additional support.

At this time we don’t provide just overnight support and here’s why.  We’ve found that families need more support adjusting to parenthood.  We wanted to fill that gap and build a team that’s here to support you during the exciting (but sometimes overwhelming) time.  We’ll be there to support during the day and then help you get some rest at night.

Your day team will take care of both you and the baby. Whatever questions you have about lactation, umbilical cord care, adjusting to parenthood or just want to talk about your favorite reality TV show, they’re there for YOU. We know that being a new parent can be overwhelming, so we’re here to help you navigate this exciting and sometimes challenging time.

At this time, this answer is no.  We prefer to connect families with our awesome team members and let them handle the payment side of things.

Our agency requires a minimum 6 week contract to engage our services. Based on a provider rate of $50/hr, with 2 NCS working 12 hour shifts, 7 days per week for a 6 week contract, your investment would be as follows:

    • $1,000 non refundable registration fee to initiate your search
    • $25,200 per NCS (paid directly to each provider)
    • $5,040 agency fee per NCS hired
    • 25-50% deposit of the total contact price paid directly to your NCS to secure time on their calendar

Yes you absolutely can.  We recommend having your NCS work 24/6 or 24/5 so they can rest and provide your family with the best care. Your family would just be responsible for covering their 6 hour break daily. Typically our team members will need at least one week off for contracts of 12 weeks or longer.  Lastly, your family would also be responsible for covering any sick/personal days your NCS may need during your contract.

I’m glad you asked! Here are your sleep milestones. Put ‘em in your diary (⭐gold stars optional⭐). 

2 hours in a row by day 2 << it’s the little things

5 hours in a row by day 4 << you’ll feel like a NEW (WO)MAN

12 hours in a row by day 6 << call the sitter, baby – you’re goin’ out!!

I know, right? 

SO MUCH SLEEP, SO SOON!

Here’s my dazzling disclaimer:  We’re dealing with human behavior here so your baby may not be sleeping the full 12 hours by 6 days but that’s ok.  We’ve totally got you covered with your 2 weeks of follow up support. During this time, your sleep consultant will help you fine tune things so your little one can sleep longer stretches.

Once your baby passes the newborn stage and has regained their birth weight, you can absolutely wean those middle of the night feedings so they can sleep longer stretches. So unless your baby has some underlying health issues there’s no reason why you couldn’t start sleep training pronto.

Yep!  We’ll address ALLLL the things that are getting in the way of your goodnight’s sleep. They’ll develop a plan, implement the plan and then walk you through how to implement the plan in their absence.

All payments are due upfront to secure services and reserve time on your NCS and/or sleep consultant’s calendar. Services rendered including agency services, consulting, and coaching, are not refundable. All searches require a non-refundable deposit to begin and the balance is due once your family is matched with a NCS/sleep consultant or in accordance with your client contract. Should a client choose not to move forward with their search, the deposit is kept for work invested in research, client contact, and any other service provided during the time Parties worked together.

Nope. However if you have a FSA (flexible spending account), HRA (Health Reimbursement Account) then your sleep consulting may be 100% reimbursable.

Here’s how you may be able to be reimbursed for some or all of your sleep consulting*:

  • Have your doctor write you a prescription or letter of medical necessity. This should be super easy for them to do especially if you have chronic issues that are exasperated by a lack of sleep. 
  • Purchase your referral + search fees with our agency and pay your sleep consultant directly for their services 
  • Print the receipts emailed to you or request an itemized receipt for your purchase directly from your sleep consultant.
  • Submit the signed letter of medical necessity or prescription, your sleep consulting receipts and any other required documentation (usually there’s another form to fill out) to your plan provider for reimbursement.
  • Voila! Your expense is reimbursed!

*be sure to reach out to your HR department for specific information and documentation that’s needed for your company’s reimbursement