In this model, veteran parents are closely matched on as many dimensions as possible (language, culture, baby's diagnosis, family makeup and so on)10, 18 with current NICU parents to serve as their mentors or ‘buddies'. Through the relationship that parent mentors establish with new NICU parents, they can normalize the parents' situation18, 31 and help them accept it by modeling a positive attitude.22 Mentors can reduce parents' isolation,18, 29 sometimes even serving as substitute family and friends.10 This may be particularly important to low-income parents who may not have well-functioning support networks of their own.22 The support is provided in non-medical language that is easier for parents to understand than that provided by the health-care team.22 Mentors can also give parents practical advice, help them resolve day-to-day problems12 and help them access other services.22 Although parents may feel that they need to ‘hold it together' when dealing with the medical team so that they appear capable, having a support person not affiliated with the medical team allows parents to let their guard down and express their true emotions.16 Within the frequently changing NICU landscape, a parent mentor can provide a parent with continuity of care throughout their NICU experience and even beyond.29