Explain your role with confidence
Describe what a Newborn Care Specialist does, and how it differs from a doula, night nanny or traditional nanny, so families and agencies understand your value.
Online course, 16 CEU hours
Turn your infant-care experience
into a Newborn Care Specialist career.
For nannies, doulas and infant daycare professionals who already work with babies. Learn in-depth newborn care and the business basics you need to work as an NCS.
- Price
- $997
- Format
- Online, self-paced, 73 lessons, 12.5 hours of video
- Prerequisites
- Age 18+ and prior professional experience working with infants, as a nanny, daycare provider or similar.
You already know babies.
Families hiring an NCS expect more.
You have cared for infants as a nanny, a doula or in daycare. But a family hiring a Newborn Care Specialist expects you to handle the first weeks with a newborn, support a recovering mom, and notice when something may not be right.
Without that depth, you second-guess yourself on the job. You may not know what belongs in a client contract, whether you need liability insurance, or how to explain what you do on a first call. So you undersell your experience, or turn down work you could take on.
Foundational closes that gap. It goes in depth on newborn care, the postpartum mom, preemies and multiples, and it teaches the business basics you need to start working as an NCS.
What changes for you
After the course,
you can:
Care for a newborn head to toe
Handle bathing, feeding, diapering, nail care and swaddling with a calm, professional routine.
Notice possible signs early
Recognize possible signs of reflux, tongue tie, food allergies, postpartum mood disorders and more, and know how to bring up concerns with parents.
Support the whole family
Care for preemies and multiples, and help a postpartum mom recover and feel supported.
Set up your NCS business
Put contracts, insurance and taxes in place, get paid, and handle the first call with a potential client.
Work well with agencies
Show agencies what you offer, so they can present you to the right families.
What the course covers
- What a Newborn Care Specialist is, and how the role differs from a doula, night nanny and traditional nanny
- The newborn head to toe, including cradle cap, concerns of the head and neck, and brachial plexus
- Caring for the newborn body, nails, diaper rash types, bathing, diapering, and medications and the newborn
- Feeding a newborn, including breastfeeding, bottle feeding with breast milk or formula, and helping support a breastfeeding mom
- Building a nursery must-have list, one for you and one for your clients
- The special needs of preemies, including swaddling a preemie
- Caring for multiples, including vehicles and car seats, sleep, feeding, and what to do when everyone is crying
- Caring for the postpartum mom, postpartum mood disorders, and bringing up concerns
- Recognizing signs of feeding issues, including reflux, tongue and lip tie, pyloric stenosis, and cleft lip and palate
- Food allergies and intolerances, and the Big 8 allergens
- Swaddling demos and options, and when to swaddle or not
- The physiology of sleep, the major sleep training methods, and how much sleep a baby needs
- Your NCS business, including taxes, legal and insurance, contracts, getting paid, and working with agencies
- Green practices for clients who want an eco-friendly nursery, plus sample documents
73 lessons in 19 sections, 12.5 hours of video, a course workbook, and the CACHE Accreditation Certification & Other CEU Approvals Exam.
Is this course right for you?
This course is for you if
- You are 18 or older and have worked with infants in a professional setting, as a nanny, daycare provider or similar
- You want to move into Newborn Care Specialist work, or you are a newer NCS who wants more depth
- You are a nanny or doula who wants a solid newborn base
- You want lifetime access and a lower-cost core course
Choose another route if
- You have no professional experience with infants yet. We can refer you to a program geared to your needs first.
- You want the broadest core curriculum with an AI companion. Choose Elevate instead of Foundational, not both.
- You have already finished core NCS training. Advanced is your next step.
Your instructor
Tonya Sakowicz
Founder and Director of Education, Newborn Care Solutions
Tonya is an INA Credentialed Nanny, Newborn Care Specialist, CAPPA trained Postpartum Doula and Parent Educator, with more than 30 years of experience as a nanny and Newborn Care Specialist. She founded Newborn Care Solutions with her husband, Todd.
She has spoken at the International Nanny Association annual conference and the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies annual conference. She was named DEMA Educator of the Year in 2016 and 2017, and received the DEMA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
The learning.
In their words.
There are a handful of training opportunities out there, but hands down Tonya is the most thorough, most updated, and best all around.
Her courses make my nannies and newborn care specialists more marketable and confident as they serve my clients.
Individual experiences, not a promise of outcomes or earnings.
Before you enroll
Your questions,
answered.
Who can enroll in Foundational?
You must be at least 18 and have prior experience working with infants in a professional setting, as a nanny, daycare provider or in a similar role. If you have no professional infant experience yet, we can refer you to a program more geared toward your needs. After you complete it, you can come back and take Foundational.
Should I choose Foundational or Elevate?
Choose one. They are alternative core routes and cover the same essential core objectives. Foundational is $997, with 73 lessons, 12.5 hours of video and lifetime access. Elevate is $1,799, with 140 lessons, nearly double the content, an AI companion and 365 days of access.
Does Foundational count toward CEUs or certification?
Foundational is approved through CAPPA for 16 continuing education units. The last section includes the CACHE Accreditation Certification & Other CEU Approvals Exam. A lesson called "Do I need to be Certified?" explains how certification fits into your NCS career.
How long do I have, and can I start right away?
The course is self-paced. After one payment of $997, you get immediate access to all modules, and you keep lifetime access.
Is there a Spanish edition?
Yes. Foundational is also available in Spanish. Use the Spanish edition link at the top of this page.
Is Newborn Care Specialist work medical?
No. NCS work is non-medical. The course teaches you to recognize possible signs of conditions such as reflux or postpartum mood disorders, so you can bring up concerns with parents and they can get the right help.
What comes after Foundational?
Advanced Newborn Care Specialist Training is the next level. You can buy Foundational and Advanced together for $1,497. Current and past Foundational students can also request complimentary enrollment in the Continuing Education Collective.
$997, online, self-paced
Your experience with babies
is ready for the next step.
Enroll now Not sure this is the right course? Take the six-question guide