Newborn Care Specialist

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Moonlit Cradles places caregivers in two tiers - Experienced NCS and Emerging NCS.

    Experienced NCS candidates have done the following;

    • Provide care as an independent contractor through a registered LLC.

    • Have liability insurance for their LLC.

    • Attended, at a minimum, the Foundations and Advanced Newborn Care courses via Newborn Care Solutions.

    • Complete a newborn-care knowledge exam, demonstrating understanding of newborn and infant safety.

    • Speak with Moonlit Cradles’ candidate specialist about their care philosophy and experiences as an NCS.

    • Submit references of care for 3 newborns as a Newborn Care Specialist, and demonstrate a verifiable consistent history of newborn and infant care experience for the last 3 years.

    • Submit background checks and permit social media screenings, and be legally eligible to work in the United States.

    Emerging NCS candidates have infant care experience, newborn care training, and clear background checks, but are earlier in their newborn care career.

  • Moonlit Cradles qualifies Newborn Care Specialists into two different categories; Expert NCS and Emerging NCS.

    The hourly caregiver rate for Newborn Care Specialist services ranges between $35.00/hour and $60.00/hour depending upon the qualification level and education of the caregiver as well as the demands of the role.

    Please Note - Newborn Care Specialist providers are paid at a higher rate than nannies due to their expertise, long hours, overnight work, and because they work contractually and do not require the hiring family to pay via a W2 or provide any benefits.


    When living-in with a family, we generally require the family to provide their caregiver…

    • A meal stipend or meals provided

    • All travel expenses covered

    • A vehicle for use during time off if located outside of caregiver’s home state

    • A private room and bathroom for personal items and rest time

    • A flat surface to lay on in the nursery, if caring for a newborn on a 24/7 basis.

  • Service plans are flexible!
    Here are some examples of commonly used service plans;

    Live-Out Care
    12 hours overnight, 3 nights per week
    10 hours overnight, 6 nights per week

    Live-In Care
    16 hours per day, 5 days per week
    18 hours per day, 6 days per week
    24 hours per day, 5 days per week

    If you would like live-in or overnight care 7 days per week, we will provide you with two rotating NCS Caregivers to ensure our professionals get the rest they need to provide quality care.

  • Newborn Care contract lengths are customizable. Typical contracts run 12 to 16 weeks, and begin on or before the baby’s first day home, and begin no later than the baby’s fourth week of life. Contracts can be shorter than 12 weeks with the understanding that sleep training will not be fully completed in under 12 weeks.

  • We approach sleep conditioning gently, shaping sleep with an age-appropriate routine beginning on day one. Your newborn care specialist will use structure and environmental cues to regulate your baby’s sleep, encouraging independent soothing and therefore independent sleep skills. We do not use “cry it out” or Ferber methods. Newborn Care Specialists strictly follow safe sleep standards set by the AAP.

  • It is sometimes in best interest to hire a team of care specialists for your family, and in these cases, we are happy to provide multiple professionals who will work together on a team for cohesive care.