Laura Cristiani

Pacific Northwest Baby Coach

*formerly Silicon Valley Baby Coach*

I am a warm and calming, respectful caregiver who provides research-backed, evidence-based support, education and guidance rooted in Attachment Theory and Responsive Care.

My career began in the late 1990’s as I worked in preschools and daycares while studying Human Development at the University of California at Davis. As I prepared to graduate with a Bachelor of Science, I knew I desired to work with very young children, initially thinking I would open an early childhood development center focusing on newborns and infants. The universe had other plans for me when I discovered I was expecting my first baby, and in the winter of 1998, I became a mom! It was a fun adventure, applying the theories of human development I had studied over the previous four years. We took some time to travel with our precious bundle - first visiting family in El Salvador and then spent two months exploring the north and south islands of New Zealand in a rented camper van!

Upon our return, I began to search for employment that would allow me to bring my son along with me. I was fortunate to find a nanny position with a family who had a little boy who was one month younger than my son. We spent the next two years growing and learning together. Once the boys were enrolled in preschool, I switched gears and accepted a teaching job in a Pre-K classroom. After welcoming my second son in 2001, I opened a licensed small family home daycare, Little Explorer’s Nursery, in San Jose, California where I supported five families with children ranging in age from 4 months old to 8 years old. I continued to run the daycare through my third pregnancy, returning to provide full time care less than a week after delivering my third son! I soon realized that I was wearing myself out so when the youngest was 5 months old, I closed the daycare in order to focus on raising my three boys.

The “time off” from my career was still filled with experience and education as I volunteered in various programs at the boys’ schools, continued taking classes to further my education, and began to re-think what my future career would be. Friends and family members would often call upon me, asking for developmental and parenting guidance for their families as well as asking me to watch their babies. In 2015, I began to reach back out to nanny placement agencies to see if I could make connections with families with newborns. Yet, even with a bachelor’s degree and years of experience, agencies would not forward my information so I had to find a way on my own. I began caring for a friend’s 10 month old, and less than one week later, also began caring for their friend’s 10 month old. This became a full time nanny share, which continued for two years. When those two were enrolled in preschool, I had the idea for my next career move and found my calling as a “baby coach!” I joined a back-up care team through Care.com, supporting 6 families (2 newborns, 3 infants, and 2 toddlers) with their on-call care needs. From 2018 until 2021, I found two families to support full time, guiding them through the developmental leaps of the newborn, infancy, and toddler phases, and then created personalized curricula to individually prepare them for preschool.

In 2021, I moved from San Jose, California to Snoqualmie, Washington where I have worked to establish myself as the primary local resource for newborn care and education. I have supported 30 families throughout the Seattle region since the fall of 2021 - including a preemie born at 27 weeks, a newborn with GERD, 2 newborns with cow milk protein allergies, 1 newborn with severe eczema, several newborns with oral ties, 3 gestational diabetes diagnoses, several IVF/IUI pregnancies, an umbilical hernia, and a long-lasting caput succedaneum. I continue to take trainings that complement and increase my skills and knowledge. I am currently enrolled in my 2nd year as an Elite Student with Newborn Care Solutions and in the past four years have earned and continue to hold 5 additional certifications in the perinatal field! With so many cultures and family histories and individual experiences, it is so important to continue to learn, grow, and stay educated in order to provide the best care possible. I would love the opportunity to support and guide you on your parenting journey!

When I am not supporting and caring for families with newborns, you may find me out hiking the local trails, paddling my SUP on the nearby lakes, snowboarding the slopes in winter, or working in my organic garden and greenhouse in Snoqualmie.