A Coach at the Crib And a Consultant at the Potty

"You can't go wrong with a tutu and a wand," Collier said. "What girl doesn't like a stick to wave?"

Besides convenience, calling in a pro comes with another benefit for harried parents: reassurance.

Consultants who specialize in lactation or sleep fill a void left by parenting books and pediatricians. Books can't offer personalized advice, and pediatricians don't have time to sit with parents in the wee hours of the night and help them decide whether to let their baby cry.

And the consultants help parents cut through the overwhelming quantity and often contradictory bits of advice.

"When I was born there was one book, [by] Dr. Spock. That is what everybody went to. Now, there's the Internet and multiple books," said Annika Brindley, a sleep consultant. "When you start second-guessing and getting confused by what you're feeling and what everybody else is saying, you end up lacking in confidence."

Zimmitti, the toilet trainer, said most of what she does is "keeping parents hopeful."

Many of the families who seek her out aren't in an immediate crisis but go to her preemptively to find out what to do -- and what not to do. The toughest cases can take as long as eight weeks. But a few days is usually all it takes. Parents learn all they need to know in one session. A follow-up visit costs $175. Hand-holding via e-mail or phone is free.

"Parents want to do it right. I constantly tell them they can do it well enough," Zimmitti said. "If you mess it up, we can fix it."