What Is the Difference Between a Night Nanny and a Doula?
When you’re preparing to welcome a new baby, you’ll quickly find there are many types of support professionals available—night nannies, postpartum doulas, newborn care specialists, and more. Two of the most common roles parents ask about are night nannies and doulas. While both provide valuable help during the postpartum period, their roles are quite different. Understanding these differences can help you choose the right support for your family.
What Is a Night Nanny vs. A Doula?
A night nanny (sometimes called a newborn care specialist or night nurse, though they are historically not medical nurses) is hired specifically to care for your baby overnight. Their main focus is the baby’s needs, which often includes:
- Feeding the baby (bottle-feeding or bringing the baby to you for breastfeeding)
- Diaper changes
- Burping, soothing, and settling the baby back to sleep
- Tracking sleep and feeding patterns
- Helping establish nighttime routines
The goal of a night nanny is to give parents the opportunity to get uninterrupted sleep so they can feel rested and recover faster.
What Is a Doula?
A doula provides emotional, physical, and informational support for parents. There are two main types:
- Birth doulas: Support families during labor and delivery, offering comfort measures, advocacy, and education.
- Postpartum doulas: Support families in the days and weeks after birth. Their work often includes:
- Helping with infant care
- Supporting breastfeeding or bottle feeding
- Light household tasks (laundry, meal prep, tidying up)
- Caring for the birthing parent’s emotional well-being
- Educating parents on newborn behavior and postpartum recovery
Unlike night nannies, doulas are trained to support the entire family’s transition, not just the baby’s nighttime care. Why would you need that? Let’s dive deeper….
Key Differences Between a Night Nanny and a Doula
| Night Nanny | Doula |
|---|---|
| Focuses on the baby’s nighttime needs | Focuses on the entire family’s well-being |
| Primarily works overnight | Works daytime, nighttime, or both (depending on your needs) |
| Tasks include feeding, soothing, and sleep support | Tasks include emotional support, education, and family care |
| Helps parents get more rest | Helps parents adjust emotionally and practically to life with a newborn |
| Usually not trained in emotional support or advocacy | Specially trained in postpartum recovery and family support |
Which One Do You Need?
The choice depends on your priorities:
- If your main goal is more sleep and overnight baby care, a night nanny may be the best fit.
- If you want comprehensive postpartum support, including education, emotional care, and household help, a postpartum doula may be the better choice.
- Some families even hire both—a doula during the day and a night nanny overnight—for round-the-clock support.
Final Thoughts
Both night nannies and doulas can make the early weeks with your baby smoother and less exhausting. While night nannies focus on overnight baby care so you can rest, doulas provide holistic support for the entire family. By understanding the differences, you can confidently choose the right kind of help for your postpartum journey. Our entire team at Michigan Family Doulas are both doulas AND night nannies, so whatever care or support you might need, we do that!
Plus, if you discover you need a daytime nanny, head on over to Michigan Family Nannies for our full nanny roster.
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