Hi I am Darby! I am as a Certified Child Life Specialist, Newborn Care Specialist, and owner here at Love n’ Littles. So what’s my story? Well to give you a bit of context, I have worked with babies, children, and families for about 11 years now - but in MANY different capacities. I started my career working as a babysitter and then a nanny for newborns, infants & toddlers. I can honestly say out of all the jobs I have had, it was my absolute favorite. But of course I assumed that it was something I would outgrow once I had my degree. It was the natural progression and all, right?

Well, wrong. While I moved into education, first as a preschool teacher and then as a middle school and elementary teacher, I clung tight to my roots and continued to find families with infants to support in the evenings or weekends. Sure, the extra money didn’t hurt, but in all reality I loved my time with those little ones and their families and it was exactly how I wanted to spend my free time. As I moved out of education and toward supporting children and families in a hospital setting as a Child Life Specialist, I continued to find young families to support and even offer a bit of education to. And even when I took a job establishing a Baby Cuddling Program for newborns and infants in a children’s hospital, I somehow continued to want even more hours supporting babies outside of the hospital as well.

While my path has not been linear, it has lend me to the work I love most - supporting growing families from their very first moments together. If I was a bit better at listening to the signs, I may have ended up here sooner but boy do I think each of the hats I have worn and each step I have taken have made me even better at what I do.

My Child Life background has given me experience at supporting families in tough situations & helping siblings and parents adapt and cope with changes, including unforeseen medical challenges. My Cuddler background has given me endless hours of experience with preemies and medically fragile infants, as well as allowed me to teach adults a whole lot about babies. My teaching background gave me the framework for how people best learn and collaborate when engaging with new concepts (& as a new parent everything is BRAND NEW!). And my early days of babysitting and nannying gave me experience in a home setting, understanding the unique role that I play when I enter families lives, whether that be to support parents with their first baby, their first babies (twins always seemed to gravitate my way - even early in my career!), or with baby number two, three or more!

The years have been kind to me when it comes to offering ample opportunities to learn and grow. Not only have I had the pleasure of learning through all the above hands on experiences, but I have also had the pleasure to be formally educated in so many relevant areas. My early college years were focused in Early Childhood Education, I then received a BA in Psychology with a minor in Education. Then I received an MS in Child Life as well! I am Certified as a Newborn Care Specialist and Certified as a Child Life Specialist too. Basically, I have spent a whole lot of time and money not just to work with little ones, but to really understand the ways in which we approach babies, children, and families and to ensure we back this understanding with research and evidence whenever possible.

And, of course the most important part - what I do now! Now, I work as a Newborn Care Specialist for families in the Southern California area, as well as provide consulting to families all over the country on everything from helping set up a realistic schedule for your little one, to helping a sibling adjust and cope with a new member of the family, and even supporting parents adjust to their new role. I have been so lucky to support so many local families as they take on this new role over the last few years, and I would love the opportunity to support yours as well!