Baby Planner Q&A

Good Day Everyone - Below are our responses to commonly asked questions on baby planning!

Happy Reading!
Lisa Lee
www.Angels4MommiesBabyPlanning.com

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What is a baby planner?

A baby planner is similar to a wedding planner except instead of helping couples plan for their wedding, a baby planner helps couples plan for the birth of their baby or babies. A good baby planner is a good listener, non-judgmental, and truly understands that every pregnancy, like every person, is unique.

What type of services does a baby planner offer?

It depends on the baby planner but a number of baby planners offer a host of select services that generally fall into the following five categories:

Birth Prep – Oftentimes, moms-to-be want to know about their birth options (e.g. midwife, OB, homebirth, natural, medicated, etc.). A baby planner can discuss each birth option and recommend providers that have been highly rated by other families who desired similar birth experiences. A baby planner can also provide referrals for labor and postpartum doulas as well as lactation consultants. Finally, a baby planner can help with designing and stocking the nursery, getting the car seat installed, organizing the baby shower, packing the hospital bag, and doing other big or little things that the parents may appreciate as part of the birth preparation process. Baby planners can help adopting families prepare as well.

Support - Many moms I speak with through my baby planning business are interested in some form of support in the postpartum period. It’s important for moms to have a period of recovery from childbirth and time to bond with their brand new baby. They may need support with breastfeeding, and/or help with other children, housekeeping, and making meals. A baby planner can help moms get the help they need by recommending and/or interviewing helpers on behalf of the family. The baby planner sees to it that the helper meets the parents’ basic requirements and has the appropriate experience and/or training.

Products – A number of parents use baby planners to help with the baby registry and product selection. There are a plethora of resources to help parents select baby products wisely, but some parents don’t want to spend their baby preparation time shopping. Some parents are paralyzed by the sheer number of product choices and/or are concerned about the number of recalled baby products and really would like an expert to help them select the baby products that fit their values, lifestyle, and budget. This second group includes parents who want environmentally friendly baby products. A good baby planner should not push certain products because she or he receives a commission from their sale or works for the store that sells the product. It’s important for the baby planner to offer her or his client families an objective viewpoint.

Child Care – For moms heading back to work, finding someone to watch over and care for their baby is a priority. For moms staying home, they still need a few hours here and there without the baby, so they may look to hire a mother’s helper. In any case, a baby planner can visit daycares, interview and screen nanny candidates, and help coordinate nanny shares. The baby planner doesn’t actually select the provider but she helps the parents narrow the choices to viable candidates who would be a good fit for the family’s needs.

Concierge – Families can use baby planners to find reputable providers in baby related services, such as baby photographers, childbirth educators, child proofers, doulas, lactation consultants, night nannies, etc. Some baby planners may also offer concierge services themselves (e.g. doula services, child proofing, etc).

How much does a baby planner cost?

Baby planners generally cost about $75/hour and up, depending on the market. Some baby planners will do projects on a flat rate basis. In addition, concierge services may be complimentary depending on the baby planner.

Are baby planners certified by any organization?

There are currently two international baby planning associations: International Baby Planner Association (www.internationalbabyplanners.com) and International Academy of Baby Planner Professionals (www.babyplannerintsitute.com). Unfortunately, there is not yet an unbiased third party certifying organization for baby planners. The International Baby Planner Association is working on a third party certification program that would meet the needs of parents in evaluating baby planners.

What type of questions should you ask when interviewing baby planners?

It’s important for parents to understand exactly what to expect from their baby planner, so possible interview questions include the following: What experiences do you have that are relevant to baby planning? Do you belong to any professional organizations for baby planners? Do you have references that I can contact? How will we communicate? How often? How many clients do you take at one time? Will you provide a written summary of services? Which resources do you use for your research? Will you keep our information confidential? How long do you keep client files? How much do you charge? Do you offer flat rate services?

Should people who use baby planners have children?

Many people question the need for baby planners. Their general viewpoint is that the parents and their respective families should themselves be able to handle baby preparation, birth, and the postpartum period. However, many parents don’t have much or any family support, some parents undergo unanticipated changes during pregnancy (e.g. bed rest, moving across country for work, death of their own parent, etc.), and some parents find they need more assistance than originally anticipated. The baby planner’s role is not to judge who truly needs a baby planner or not, but to serve families with compassion, integrity, and professionalism.

Q&A

Good Day Everyone - This month we're taking questions to answer and post on our blog. So please ask us any baby related question and we will do our best to answer. We're taking ten questions this month! Just visit our website
www.Angels4mommiesBabyPlanning.com and "contact us" to ask your question. Thanks!

Lisa Lee
CEO & Founder
Angels 4 Mommies Baby Planning