National NAPS Registry for Postpartum and Newborn Caregivers

The in-home newborn care industry has no national licensing requirement. There are no mandatory training standards for caregivers, no regulatory body overseeing agencies, and no mechanism for families to verify that the night nanny or postpartum doula they are hiring meets any minimum standard at all. This is a documented gap — one The State of Newborn Care policy paper, authored by Let Mommy Sleep founder Denise Iacona Stern and published on SSRN, addresses directly.

Let Mommy Sleep has been working to close this gap not just through advocacy, but through action. From 2015 to 2021, the Let Mommy Sleep newborn and postpartum care curriculum was awarded a Fairfax County, Virginia government contract for its teaching. The materials have been cited and used by pediatricians, hospital healthcare systems, and private care agencies across the country.

The National Newborn and Postpartum Support (NAPS) Registry is the next step in that work, a nationwide listing of postpartum doulas, newborn care providers, and nurses who have completed an evidence-based curriculum verified by licensed clinical providers and subject matter experts.

What the NAPS Curriculum Covers

The NAPS certification program was designed to establish a baseline of evidence-based knowledge for anyone providing professional newborn and postpartum care. The five core areas of the curriculum are:

1. Newborn Care

Foundational knowledge of infant development, safe handling, feeding support, and nighttime care practices. This is the core competency that separates a trained newborn care provider from an untrained one.

2. Postpartum Mental Health and Physical Recovery

Understanding of postpartum depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders affecting new parents. Caregivers trained in this area can recognize warning signs and support maternal recovery, not just infant care.

3. Breastfeeding Support

Evidence-based breastfeeding education including positioning, latch support, supply management, and when to refer families to a lactation consultant. This is among the most frequent areas where families need overnight guidance.

4. Infant Safe Sleep

AAP safe sleep guidelines including safe sleep environment, positioning, and the practices that reduce the risk of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID). This is a non-negotiable certification requirement for all Let Mommy Sleep caregivers regardless of other credentials.

5. Public Health Best Practices

Vaccination protocols, infection control, and public health standards relevant to caregivers working in family homes during the vulnerable newborn period. This includes pertussis vaccination requirements that protect immunologically vulnerable infants.

The NAPS curriculum is subject to evaluation and review by the Let Mommy Sleep Advisory Board of Registered Nurses and clinical experts, established in 2016. Third-party verification of the curriculum content is what distinguishes NAPS from self-declared training programs.

Who the NAPS Newborn Care Registry Is For

Let Mommy Sleep built NAPS not just for its own caregiver teams but for the broader newborn care workforce. All Let Mommy Sleep caregivers have access to the NAPS curriculum at a reduced rate. Importantly, independent night nannies and postpartum doulas who do not work with Let Mommy Sleep can also complete the program and appear in the registry.

This was a deliberate choice. The goal is not to credential only the caregivers who work for us. The goal is to help families identify qualified providers regardless of who employs them and to raise the standard of the entire workforce, not just our own corner of it.

For families, the registry provides a way to verify that a caregiver has completed a structured, evidence-based training program. For caregivers, it provides a credential they can point to in a market where no regulatory credential exists. For the industry, it represents a voluntary standard in the absence of a regulatory one, the kind of self-imposed accountability that The State of Newborn Care paper argues the entire industry needs.

What This Means for Let Mommy Sleep Licensees

For prospective licensees evaluating what differentiates Let Mommy Sleep from building an independent newborn care agency, the NAPS registry is one concrete example. An independent operator starting from scratch in 2026 would need to build their own caregiver training curriculum, have it reviewed by clinical experts, make it available to their team, and maintain it as standards evolve. Let Mommy Sleep has been doing this since 2015.

The credentialing infrastructure that makes families trust Let Mommy Sleep — and that makes referral partners like OB/GYN offices and pediatric practices comfortable recommending the service — is not something that can be built quickly. It is the result of more than a decade of deliberate investment in standards, curriculum, and third-party review. See how this infrastructure translates into a licensee’s day-to-day business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NAPS Registry?

The National Newborn and Postpartum Support (NAPS) Registry is a nationwide listing of postpartum doulas, newborn care providers, and nurses who have completed an evidence-based curriculum covering newborn care, postpartum mental health, breastfeeding support, infant safe sleep, and public health best practices. The curriculum is reviewed by licensed clinical providers and the Let Mommy Sleep Advisory Board of Registered Nurses. Learn more at NewbornCareCertified.com

Do Let Mommy Sleep caregivers have to complete NAPS certification?

Yes. All Let Mommy Sleep caregivers across all licensed locations are required to hold evidence-based newborn and postpartum care certification as a condition of employment. The NAPS curriculum is one of the approved pathways, available to Let Mommy Sleep team members at a reduced rate.

Can independent night nannies and postpartum doulas use NAPS?

Yes. NAPS is available to any postpartum doula, newborn care provider, or nurse who wants to complete the curriculum and appear in the registry regardless of whether they work with Let Mommy Sleep. Let Mommy Sleep built the program to elevate the entire workforce, not just its own teams. Begin the path to certification

Why does caregiver credentialing matter if the industry is unregulated?

Precisely because it is unregulated. In the absence of mandatory standards, families have no mechanism to distinguish a trained provider from an untrained one. Voluntary credentialing programs like NAPS create a verifiable signal that a caregiver has completed structured, evidence-based training which protects families and raises the professional standing of the caregivers who complete it. The case for national mandatory standards is made in The State of Newborn Care policy paper published on SSRN.

New to Let Mommy Sleep? Start with our complete guide to opening a newborn care business How to Start a Newborn Care Business.