What our clients are saying…
…. “I can’t thank Merle enough for all that she has done for my family. Similar to a lot of first-time parents, we found ourselves unprepared for the level of sleep deprivation we would have. Our daughter would not sleep for longer than 20-30 minutes without waking up and needing our attention. We had several night nurses help us, but none made any progress on Addison’s sleep schedule. Merle came to the rescue to work with us seven nights a week to help us make progress in several areas. She helped us wean her from the 2am feeding, taught her to self-soothe, weaned her from the dream feed and now she is sleeping through the night. It took a lot of patience and we appreciate Merle’s dedication…”
Shannon G – Smyrna, GA
———————————————————————————————————————————
As a first-time mom, I was overwhelmed with all of my new responsibilities and trying to adjust to the demands of a newborn. By 3 weeks, my newborn wouldn’t sleep on his back, would no longer breastfeed and was awake every hour at night.
At my wits end, I contacted Cuddlebuggs and Natalie came right over the next day. She showed me how to properly swaddle him, and gave me techniques that allowed my entire house to get some rest at night.
Since then, I’ve been able to enjoy my baby more and I’m able to bond with him even more since he’s less fussy and less irritated. He’s now sleeping on his back, he’s back to breastfeeding and he is closer to sleeping through the night now. I recommend that anyone with a newborn contact Cuddlebuggs. It has made all the difference in my life.
A less-stressed mom,
Starla
——————————————————————————————————————————–
It is with great pleasure that I recommend Merle Phang as a baby nurse. Merle Phang worked as a baby nurse for our second son from September 2011 – December 2011. Merle was originally scheduled to work with my family for 8 weeks and we extended her stay an additional 4 weeks. If we could have we would have kept her in our home forever!
Merle is the second baby nurse our family has used. We used a baby nurse when our first son, now 3 ½ years old, was born. Our experience with Merle far surpased our experiences with our previous baby nurse. This is not to say that our previous baby nurse was not good. This is simply to say that Merle was phenomenal.
Merle came into our home the same day that we brought our son home from the hospital. One of the most prominent memories I have of Merle is the ease at which she came into our home. Coming home from the hospital is obviously an emotional time full of joy, excitement, as well as nervousness about how the new addition will impact the current dynamics of the family. Merle came into our home that evening with such an air of confidence and ease that it immediately relaxed our entire family. We felt as if she was not only here to care for our newborn son but also our family as a whole!
Merle worked for us on a 24/7 schedule. She was with out son constantly and developed an amazing bond and attachment with him. She is naturally gifted with newborns. Her extensive work history with newborns coupled with her natural talent makes her ability to care for and ‘read’ newborns cues truly superb. I never for one second questioned her ability to care for every need my son might have. She was constantly one step ahead of whatever it was he needed as far as a feeding, changing, gas relief, sleep or even a problem with a clogged tear duct. Merle was able to help get our son on a more predictable schedule and was even able work this schedule around our family routine.
Our son was diagnosed with acid reflux and prior to his being put on medication could be quite challenging in terms of sleep (for weeks only sleeping for 1 hour clips all through the night and day). Merle remained steadfast in her ability to manage his care despite herself getting such limited and broken sleep. She also remained loving and kind at all times, never becoming frustrated by his constant crying and fussiness. That level of calmness and lack of frustration is hard enough to maintain for a parent of a fussy newborn, let alone a non-family member of the newborn. Merle took care of our son as if he were her own. Showing him love at all moments. She would talk to him, play with him, and cuddle him. Merle’s work is not simply a job for her. Merle loves her work with babies. It seems our baby could pick up on this affection, as he loved Merle in return. He would often strain his head just to see her if he heard her voice.
In addition to her expertise in caring our newborn, Merle was also gifted in caring for our family. First, she was always nonjudgmental and very easy to be around in the home. She did not pass judgments or push her opinions on me regarding feeding decisions. She was able to help with questions about breastfeeding, and was even available to help ‘council’ me when breastfeeding was proving to be difficult. Merle knew how to be in the home and interact with our family but also knew when to give us our space or time alone. Secondly, Merle was able to interact extremely well with our 3-½ year old son. I was concerned that it would be confusing enough for him to have a new baby in the home, let alone a new baby and a new adult living in the home! Merle connected with our older son to the point that he talks about her as part of our family! She treated him with warmth and gave him the attention he needed during this transitional period. Finally, Merle was always clean and neat and moved seamlessly around our home.
We recommend Merle without any hesitation and hold her in the highest regard. We would recommend her to our closest family members and friends and of course, would use her again ourselves
Sincerely,
Dr. Noelle S., Atlanta, GA
——————————————————————————————————————————–
The personalized service she gave us would not be possible at one of the larger agencies…
My husband and I decided to hire a nanny to care for our 3 month old daughter after I returned to work. I asked my neighbor about recommendations for a service to help us find the right nanny for us, and she gladly recommended Cuddlebuggs.
Natalie was prompt in her response to my initial inquiry. She helped me feel confident that we would find a nanny in plenty of time, and she was right!
The personalized service she gave us would not be possible at one of the larger agencies. We appreciated her timeliness and eagerness to help us through this process. She met with us in person to get a feel for our personalities and preferences and, of course, to meet our little girl!
Natalie did the bulk of the leg work for us including advertising at key sites, wading through and interviewing a variety of nanny candidates, and arranging for us to interview only those who had all the qualities we requested.
We had interviewed two nannies and had a favorite, but we asked Natalie if she had heard of any others. She could have saved herself some time and effort and said, “No.” However, she was glad to tell us of another candidate who she felt was quite promising.
We liked all three of the candidates we met, but the third one was our definite favorite and had tons of experience with infants.
Natalie helped us negotiate our contract with the nanny. Now, our nanny has been with us for a one month, and things are great! She is so good to our little girl. Having a nanny gives me such peace. I don’t worry about Ellen getting germs or having to compete for attention as I would in a daycare setting. She gets the personal attention a four month old needs.
It is such a luxury to be able to have someone come to our home to care for our daughter instead of having to pack up all her bottles, toys, diapers, etc each day. It is especially great when you can see how much your nanny cares for your baby.
Having a nanny is wonderful, and I would highly recommend Cuddlebuggs and Natalie Akpele to anyone searching for a nanny. She charges a fair price for her services, and her personal attention (and your peace of mind) is well worth the money.
Lauren R., Dunwoody, GA
—————————————————————–
I am writing in reference to Natalie Akpele of Cuddlebuggs LLC. She acted as a night nurse for me after a caesarian with my second child. Her company provided nightly services from 10 pm to 6 am for a little over two weeks consisting of changing and soothing my daughter, bringing her to me for feedings, and watching her while I slept. Natalie’s service helped me to get some good rest while I recovered from my surgery and left me with the peace of mind knowing that my daughter was in capable hands.
Before we agreed to a contract, Natalie asked if she could use one of her employees to act in her stead on nights that we had prearranged. This worked out well, and when difficulties arose Natalie always addressed them in a very prompt and professional manner, and I never noticed a recurrence of the problem. Every interaction that I had Natalie was always courteous, professional, and understanding.
Bree P. Atlanta, GA
——————————————————————————————————–
We truly view her and Cuddlebugs as a godsend….
We had been searching for a nanny for several months before we found Cuddlebuggs. We had paid a significant sum of money for another nanny service, joined an on-line nanny service, and posted an ad on craigslist and still had not been able to find anyone to care for our 1 year old son and neighbor’s 1 year old daughter (nannyshare).
As soon as I contacted Natalie, she forwarded me all of the pertinent information (including her very reasonable fees) and requested a meeting with both families so she could ensure that she only introduced us to nannies who would be a good fit for the babies and the families.
In addition, within a few days, she introduced us to the first candidate–who we hired immediately. We have been extremely pleased with our nanny, she is very loving, dependable, creative, and firm with our children. She reads to our children, sings with them (in English and French), dances with them, initiates taking them on outings, and of course, prepares food, changes diapers, and cleans up after them.
She managed to get both babies on the same schedule within a few weeks and to get my son to give up his pacifier except at nap time–a great feat! We truly view her and Cuddlebugs as a godsend. Natalie is extremely professional and responsive, and has contacted me several times to inquire how things are going. Given our experience, we would recommend Cuddlebuggs without reservation.
Marci H., M.S., Atlanta, GA
——————————————————————————————
We first met Natalie in 2004 when our son, Nicholas, was placed in her classroom at the Clifton School (Clairmont Campus) in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 4 ½ months old at the time and, as first time parents, we were nervous and apprehensive about leaving him in the care of someone else. However, we were quickly reassured and very impressed with Natalie’s comfortable demeanor and superior skills as the lead teacher.
During our first meeting with Natalie, we felt very much at ease. She was warm, friendly, and immediately asked to hold Nicholas. From then on, he seemed very comfortable with her and vice versa. We always felt that Natalie and Nicholas had a special bond and that he was her favorite child. However, you will likely hear the same sentiment from other parents, because she cared equally well for all the children under her care.
Susanna and Michael E., Decatur, GA
—————————————————————————————-
Since 2004, when our first child entered Natalie Akpele’s care at the Clifton School, we have known Natalie to be a wonderful and skilled caretaker of children and we feel at ease when our kids are in her care. We highly recommend Natalie, whether for babysitting, baby nursing, or other childcare services, as a trustworthy, experienced professional with an enjoyable and warm personality.
Dan P., Atlanta, GA
