Robyn Papanek, NCS, Newborn, Care, Bay Area Newborn Care, Night Nanny

About Robyn Papanek

I am an Elite Newborn Care Specialist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was born and raised in St. Louis Missouri. I met my husband of 34 years at freshman orientation at University of the Pacific in Stockton California, where I received my BA in Psychology and Sociology. In 2008, after my two daughters left home for college, I beg

I have cared for children of all ages, ranging from newborns to teenagers. I am especially passionate, however, about caring for newborns. I know that bringing a newborn home, whether it is your first or fourth, can be a very stressful and sensitive time for a family. I can give you the guidance in caring for your little one so that you feel comfortable and confident as you move forward in your journey as a parent. I believe it is a great privilege to care for babies at the beginning of their lives. As a Newborn Care Provider, I believe that I can help make a newborn's transition to living life outside the womb a calm, enjoyable experience for the whole family.

I have completed my basic and advanced training to become a Newborn Care Specialist. I have also taken advanced trainings in preemie and multiples care, sleep training from birth to six months old, and I am certified as an instructor for the The Happiest Baby On The Block workshop.

I believe pursuing continuing education is vital for my profession - both so I have the most up to date information about caring for an infant and so I know how best to support the entire postpartum family.

I also help parents with practical tips for basic care, self-soothing, routines and schedules, as well as sleep training strategies. I am also happy to help you with your layette and nursery must-haves and point out my personal favorites.

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Services

Overnight Support

My primary service is to care for your newborn (or twins or triplets) at night, providing parents with an opportunity to get some rest and help the baby to sleep through the night as soon as developmentally appropriate. I will typically work with a family for the first 12-16 weeks 3-5 nights per week. I am happy to care for your baby for a shorter time if I am available.

When I arrive at your home I will ask how your day has gone and for pertinent information such as the day's naps and eating schedule. This is also a good time for you to ask any questions or for us to discuss future sleep conditioning or training. Then it's time for you to say good-night and leave the baby in my capable hands.

When the baby wakes and is hungry, or when I wake baby at the determined time, and if mom is exclusively breastfeeding, I will change the baby's diaper and bring the baby to her to nurse. When finished I will return to take the baby back to the nursery where I will again diaper and swaddle the baby soothing her back to sleep, so mom can turn over and go right back to sleep.

When baby is being fed from a bottle I will perform all of the duties. Mom may get up at that time to pump her milk but usually that takes 15 minutes as opposed to the 45 minutes a newborn takes to nurse. Mom can leave the milk and pump parts outside her bedroom and I will retrieve them and make sure the milk is properly stored and the pump parts are cleaned.

During the night I keep a detailed log charting diaper changes, eating times and amounts, as well as awake and asleep times. I also gain insight into why a baby is not sleeping well simply by observing them. In the morning I will provide you with the written log along with tips and strategies to help with your day. If you have asked me for any information I was unable to provide you with right away I will research the issue and provide information through email.

My primary focus is on the baby but during the times they are comfortably sleeping I am happy to wash and sterilize bottles and breast pump parts. I am also able to wash, dry and fold the babies clothes and bedding.

Consulting

If you are feeling like you just have some questions about baby care or infant sleep - or lack of it - and you do not prefer overnight care, a consultation may work best for you. I will provide you with a questionnaire about your baby's schedule and ask you to record their habits during a three day period. Once I review the information, we schedule an appointment lasting up to three hours. I provide a written plan, including all the details from our consultation.

Every family is unique and what works for one may not work for another so we will come up with the plan together. Any consulting is supported by email and text support.

Testimonials

Family in Martinez

I would like to once again recommend Robyn as an outstanding nighttime newborn specialist. I had the opportunity to hire her for the second time as a night time nanny for my second child. Just when I thought she could not get any better, Robyn once again raised the bar! This time around, she brought sample baby sleep aids to my home. I had a chance to try out different products. I ended up buying the items that worked well to help my daughter sleep. This helped me save so much time and money.

I was very impressed that Robyn introduced me to swaddle straps and Merlin suit. It shows that she is still keeping up to date by collaborating with other NCS and taking continuing education courses.

After 3 months, my daughter was sleeping 12 hours a night by just turning on the shusher machine and giving her the pacifier! It was such a gift to be able to sleep, especially when I had a second child to divide my time during day times.

Unfortunately, my daughter caught a cold after my contract ended with Robyn. She had multiple sleep regression after that. And each time I called upon Robyn for help and she was able to squeeze me in between her free days. I was so appreciative of all her efforts to help me get back on tract.

If I ever have a third child I will definitely request Robyn’s help again. After having multiple night time nannies, I never found a night time specialist even remotely as good as her. Her professionalism is world class. She comes exactly on time. Not a minute too soon nor a minute late!

It’s quite special the gift of sleep. Every night I put my daughters to sleep I think of Robyn’s magic. And every morning my daughters wake with a full night of rested sleep, I quietly thank Robyn for the gift she has given me and my precious daughters. Robyn is an angel that I will forever cherish!

Family in Livermore

My husband and I welcomed twin boys in early July. We met with Robyn when I was about 20 week pregnant and we were excited to know that we’d have support from night one when bringing them home from the hospital.

On night one she was more than prepared. She brought a sound machine and swaddles that our boys ended up loving. She also had transitional tools for different ages and stages.

Robyn was a wealth of knowledge for us and a true comfort at a time when we felt unprepared. She helped us establish solid sleep routines, understand our babies’ needs and watched over them all night long so we could get rest. She was completely unphased by two needy newborns and she was always calm and collected with them. I felt that she truly cared about the wellbeing of my babies and there isn’t anything more reassuring than that.

If you’re considering having night time support with your newborn or infant, which I highly recommend, and you have the opportunity to work with Robyn specifically, consider yourself lucky.

Family in San Francisco

Our experience with Robyn was fantastic- I cant recommend her enough. We initially hired her for three months and then extended to almost four.

To give context, Robyn was recommended by a close friend. We also interviewed three other candidates and Robyn was clearly superior given her intelligence, passion for newborns, newborn care specialist credentials and a deep knowledge about soothing and sleep training. (She also didn’t sleep on the job, while, shockingly, other candidates did!)

We feel so fortunate to have had Robyn with our family during our daughter’s first 4 months. Robyn was an invaluable resource no doubt made the transition to parenthood as easy as it could have been.

Robyn took great care of our daughter. She was super sweet and did an excellent job soothing her and help create good sleep habits that would make sleeping longer stretches at night a natural progression, helping us avoid the painful “cry it out” method most parents must endure. There are a few methods she ascribes to, but she also picks and chooses tactics based on what has worked from her experience and, of course, tailors it to each child.

We were also delighted to realize Robyn’s intellectual curiosity meant she was a wealth of knowledge on newborns in general, not just soothing and sleep training! She’s constantly reading books, attending conferences and learning new things. My husband and I would often pend the first hour of her visit peppering her with questions. Whether it was schedules, breast feeding, bottle hygiene, time spent in bouncers, or whatever issue was puzzling us that week, Robyn had intelligent opinions and pointed us in the right direction. As clueless new parents, it was so valuable having someone with experience helping us with ongoing troubleshooting.

Family In San Francisco

We interviewed and hired Robyn before our baby was born because we knew we wanted help right from the start, and we are so glad we did! Robyn was invaluable source of support. Though we had initially planned to only work with her for 2 months, we ended up extending our time to 5 because we loved having her so much.

Robyn’s depth and breadth of knowledge on newborn care, especially sleep, is really impressive, and she takes the time to stay current. Every baby is different and no one method works for all, so it is great to have Robyn as a resource.

In terms of how she cared for our little one, she was really wonderful. We could go to sleep at night truly believing that he couldn’t have been in better hands. She stayed up all night to make sure she could respond to his needs right away. She was gentle but meticulous in doing everything she could to encourage healthy sleep habits and taught us how to do so, too.

Robyn has a very collaborative approach. Every night when she arrived, we would discuss how the days had gone since we had last seen her - what went well, what didn’t, any particular things we were trying to troubleshoot. We would discuss plans together and she wold move forward with whatever we agreed upon, taking detailed notes throughout the night.

Robyn made us feel supported and confident, which as first time parents we were so grateful for! She was generous in sharing resources and even supplies that were helpful d was always encouraging. She got to know us and even our extended family through the course of her time with us, and was always so thoughtful towards us all. She came to feel more than just a part of our team, but rather part of our family. Our baby is a great sleeper now and we are a happy, rested family, and we owe that in large part to Robyn.

Family in Walnut Creek

We worked with Robyn for two months in April and May 2019 and she was great. She provided nighttime support two nights per week once dad returned to work. Having Robyn’s help was so valuable for two reasons: 1) we were able to rest easier on the nights she was with us and 2) she taught us about newborn sleep and helped craft our baby’s schedule so that we slept better on the nights she wasn’t with us. Since we were breastfeeding and had issues with breastmilk supply, we were exhausted trying to triple-feed our baby (breastfeeding, pumping, and bottle-feeding - a two person effort multiple times a night). With Robyn, dad was able to get a full night of sleep and mom got the help she needed to feed the baby. With her expertise, we were able to cut down on the number of night feedings and lengthen baby’s sleep time so we were only getting up once at night.

Robyn is professional, easy to work with, and caring. She is incredibly punctual and also flexible as she adjusted her schedule to better match ours. She takes care in always asking your preference in caring for your baby, but also has a great wealth of knowledge to make your life better- we would save a list of questions for each visit and learned a lot each time. We completely trusted her with our baby. We highly recommend working with Robyn!

Family in Hayward

Before Robyn came to help us with out twins, I was so overworked I couldn't even enjoy my beautiful new babies. I was working to feed, change and soothe babies around the clock, and I hadn't had more than three straight hours of sleep in weeks. I was nervous about inviting a stranger into my home, but I was at my wits end and realized I needed help. However, after one night with Robyn I was sold. She did an excellent job of caring for the babies and I actually got a chance to sleep.

After a few days of Robyn I was more well rested and better able to care for my babies during the day, but after a few weeks of Robyn's care I was able to get a decent nights sleep even on the nights she wasn't working. She helped me become much more self sufficient. She took two babies with no schedule whatsoever and got them sleeping for 10 hour stretches pretty reliably.

Robyn is extremely knowledgeable and keeps her skills up to date. She gave us lots of excellent advise about babies, not just limited to helping them sleep through the night. If I had to do it over again, I would have tried to book Robyn sooner instead of waiting until I was stretched to my limit. I could have saved myself a lot of suffering and enjoyed more of the early days with the babies. I highly recommend Robyn to anyone whose baby has trouble sleeping through the night.

Family in Oakland

Hands down the best thing we did for Jaspa was bring in a night nurse, specifically Robyn. Jaspa was able to fast track his sleep schedule and Jerod and I were less stressed which made all three of us happier/healthier.

We started with two nights a week while Jerod was still on paternity leave and moved to three nights when he went back to work full time. Even if you are only able to do one night a week the most valuable thing about working with Robyn is the years of experience she shares with you. If you follow the advice and schedule she gives for when she's not there you'll see great results.

Family in San Francisco

We are writing to highly recommend Robyn Papanek as a Newborn Care Specialist. We hired Robyn to help us during nights in the early months with our third child in order to be better rested for the older two. She has been a life saver during these first months with three children and she has become an extension of our family. We feel so lucky to have found her!

Robyn takes great care in her work. She is professional, communicative, reliable, diligent and also a warm caring person. She has cared for our son is such a sweet and comforting way. We always knew he was in great hands when we said goodnight. She is also extremely knowledgeable about babies and although he is our third, she has taught us new little tricks and secrets, especially around sleep.

Robyn also has been helpful in other areas of newborn care. Every time we have had a question about anything - from car seats to swaddles to breastmilk donation - she is able to offer a solution or does some research and quickly gets back to us with a thorough answer. It has been so reassuring to have Robyn's expertise and opinions about all that comes with caring for a newborn.

We are so grateful that we found Robyn to be our NCS during the early days and weeks the help that she has given us has allowed us to really enjoy the newborn phase with our son, which otherwise can be a stressful, exhausting, overwhelming time. Robyn is the best and we recommend her to the highest degree! We are sad that our time with her is coming to an end but we know that we will stay in touch.

Family in Danville

I hired Robyn Papanek when I was getting treated for breast cancer right after I had a baby. She could not have been more warm and loving while putting my baby on a schedule that fit my needs. I trusted her completely and gained much knowledge from her as to how to care for my newborn and keep us both well rested.

I recommend her to anyone that needs a bit of guidance and help right after having a baby or wants to help their baby sleep better even a few months out.

Family in Martinez

I would like to write a recommendation letter for Robyn Papanek. She was our daughter's newborn care specialist for four months. I was fortunate enough to encounter her as a covering nanny for a sick babysitter.

Not only was she available at the last minute, I was very impressed with her knowledge and expertise. I have tried numerous nannies and she is without a doubt the best one out there. There is no reason to look any further.

She educated me on how to help my daughter sleep through the night. She helped me create a day schedule to encourage my daughter to eat well during the day and sleep through the night. She recommended products that work best for my colicky baby.

Robyn stays current with newborn care information. She attends conferences and networks with other specialists to learn up to date recommendations. She is well versed in the American Pediatric Association guidelines. Every time I had a question, she looked it up and sent me articles even off the clock! Her strong dedication to her work shows her true passion to helping newborn's adjust to life outside the womb.

I am lucky to have met such a wonderful person like her. I consider her as a second mom. I have not only found a phenomenal Newborn Care Specialist but a true friend. It was an honor to have her mentor me into being a new mother. Words can not express how much she means to our family.

Family in Montclair shared through Nextdoor

With all the young babies in the neighborhood I wanted to reach out and share contact information for a fabulous Infant Care and Sleep Specialist we've worked with. Robyn Papanek with Bay Area Newborn Care provides overnight postpartum care as well as gentle sleep conditioning. She provided wonderful assistance with our second baby including one overnight with feedback on his sleep as well as follow up check ins through email. We also have friends who have worked with her to transition their baby from the swing to the crib (in two nights!) and newborn overnight assistance when partners are traveling. She has an extremely loving and gentle approach to sleep and not only was I able to rest a few extra hours knowing my son was in excellent hands but she provided a page of tips the next morning. My first son was an easy sleeper but after driving myself crazy with the second she has been a breath of fresh air!

Family in San Francisco

Robyn has worked with us for almost 6 months to help us with our daughter and has provided an invaluable help (apart from letting us sleep longer!) for the time she has been working with us.

Even as a second time mom, she has given me helpful tips in child development and helping our daughter develop good sleep habits.

Before my daughter was even born she sent me a list of items that were essential in a nursery. She was basically my "phone a friend" in getting things ready for baby #2.

Throughout her time working with us, Robyn was always professional. She coached us in various ways we could help our daughter self soothe (she was miraculously sleeping long stretches for 2 months into Robyn working with us - a big difference from our son's sleep habits!)

Every night that she would arrive, we would do a quick check and sync so she knows when my daughter was last fed, diaper changed etc. In the early weeks, I also had specific instructions about feeds (a certain amount of high calorie formula because she was born prematurely) and was always confident that Robyn would be able to address those.

I highly recommend hiring Robyn to help out new and experienced moms! Having her help definitely gives moms that extra boost of confidence that most sleep deprived new and experienced moms need, in addition to the longer stretch of sleep that helps us recover.

Family in Walnut Creek

I am writing this reference on behalf of Robyn, who may be applying to become your Newborn Care Specialist. Robyn was an exceptional NCS to our now 4 month old son. We wish we could keep her but our son is now sleeping through the night thanks to Robyn. From her first night in our house she seamlessly connected with our little boy. He was very comfortable at night with Robyn.

Robyn has a number of strengths to offer an employer. She is always interested in helping children. For example, she was always reading, searching on the web or speaking with other night nannies to make sure she was on top of the latest trends. She took time to keep a very detailed log on what Duke was doing every night. She helped coach/guide my wife and I to become better parents. She helped us put him on the proper nap schedule and bed time routine and she is always on time!

I would highly recommend Robyn. Her performance over the last 4 months far exceeded our expectations. Robyn will be an extremely positive addition to your family and make your life easier.

Family in San Francisco

I had hired Robyn to care for boy girl twins when they were 2 months old. First we had her come by thrice a week but soon moved on to five times a week.

She would swaddle the babies, change their diapers at night and would feed them their bottles whenever necessary. I decided to sleep train the twins at 4.5 months and discussed in detail with Robyn the plan which she followed to a T. In case either of us would have any doubts, she'd search online overnight and I'd wake up to emails from her with all the research :-)

She even helped weaning off their dream feed. She was extremely punctual, patient and a great person to have watch our little ones.

Reference contact information available upon request.

Robyn Papanek Newborn Care Specialist

Robyn Papanek: San Francisco Bay Area Newborn Care Specialist

Not Accepting New Clients

Thank you for visiting my site. I am not accepting new clients at this time (updated 2023).

About Robyn Papanek

Services

Overnight Support

Consulting

Testimonials

Family in Martinez

Family in Livermore

Family in San Francisco

Family In San Francisco

Family in Walnut Creek

Family in Hayward

Family in Oakland

Family in San Francisco

Family in Danville

Family in Martinez

Family in Montclair shared through Nextdoor

Family in San Francisco

Family in Walnut Creek

Family in San Francisco

Contact Robyn

Bay Area Newborn Care