Aptly named Baby Driver, the clever new Melbourne-based business outsources one of the most common ways mums and dads get their babies to snooze – driving around in the middle of the night. It’s like Uber for babies.
Night nannies turn baby drivers
A mum-of-four, Baby Driver founder Avril Blague, knows all too well the feeling of sheer desperation that pushes parents to drive their kids around in the hope they’ll fall asleep. “I raised my oldest three children in France, where baby car nannies have been around for years. Many mums have live-in nannies anyway, so it just became an extension of their duties.”
The issue for parents is that they’re often so exhausted, getting behind the wheel can be a hazard in itself. Avril says while parents won’t necessarily sleep while their baby is being driven, they will have peace of mind that they’re not driving around while tired.
“You can’t predict what sort of night you’re going to have with a baby, so we have standby drivers at the ready. We’ve already got 10 nannies on our books, and the plan is to continue to expand across Melbourne and even into other areas of Australia.”
How does it work?
Nannies drive their own vehicles to your home, and each car is fitted with age-appropriate car seats. The nanny will spend a few minutes chatting with the parents. They need to find out critical details like:
- Does bub like soothing music or white noise
- Do they prefer smooth or bumpy roads
- How long does baby need to have been asleep before they can be successfully transferred into bed
Each Baby Driver car is fitted with security cameras, which parents can view via a smartphone app, and they can also communicate directly with the driver at any time. Parents can also choose to ride with the driver.
“We totally understand that lots of parents won’t feel comfortable letting a ‘stranger’ drive their precious baby around. That’s why we allow parents to come along or securely log into our onboard cameras,” Avril said.
What does it cost?
Like any taxi-style service, there’s an initial flag-fall charge, and then the cost is calculated based on how long the driver is engaged before bringing a sleeping baby home. Generally, a Baby Driver callout will cost somewhere around $35, which can be subsidised the same way as childcare payments. But the cost doesn’t guarantee a sleeping baby.
The service is available for newborns through to babies aged six-months and is launching in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs this week.
For further information head to Baby Driver.
