Introduction
What is a sleep consultant? I want to start this blog by defining what a sleep consultant is and how their multifaceted role is the key to achieving huge success through sleep training. You may have been considering working with a sleep consultant but want to understand more about what they do to support families. In this blog I will explain how they support families to achieve the best sleep for your child based on their age.
We will also look at the detailed assessment process used by sleep consultants to gain a comprehensive understanding of your unique sleep concerns, enabling them to develop a personalised sleep plan for your family.
After reading this blog I hope you feel ready to confidently choose a qualified professional to meet your specific needs and support you on your sleep training journey.
What is a sleep Consultant?
A sleep consultant is an individual who guides a family to better sleep. A sleep consultant should listen to a family’s needs and address whatever sleep issues they are currently facing. This typically includes struggling to settle your child at bedtime, frequent night wakes, split nights, ditching the dummy, early rising, and issues with nap time.
A sleep consultant works alongside the family to coach them and offer support during their time together. Sleep training can be very stressful for a family and having a supportive sleep professional working with you can mean it is much less stressful and you get to the result more quickly. It can also give you the confidence to stick to the sleep plan and remain consistent.
I work with families 1:1 to achieve the best sleep for the entire family
Expertise & training
Sleep training is an unregulated industry and so there will be many sleep consultants who are working without any sort of training behind them. However, most sleep consultants will have obtained a certification and I am very proud to say that I am ‘sleep nanny certified’ and will very soon be becoming certified as an anxiety and autism sleep consultant as well. I make it my mission to keep on top of industry best practices and I am constantly researching and pushing myself to be at the forefront of the latest information around sleep including all the latest papers from ‘The Sleep Charity’.
When choosing a sleep consultant, it is important to choose someone who is experienced and can help you to make progress with your areas of concern. Some consultants may only look at sleep environment for example and not teach your child the skills they need to sleep independently. When you first contact a consultant, it is important that they confirm the kind of progress they believe you can make together.
Sleep consultants can work with children from 18 weeks of age
Assessment and a customised approach
When you begin to work with a sleep consultant it is important that a full assessment is carried out. An experienced sleep consultant will have very specific questions within their induction process which will very clearly identify if the issues the family are facing are simply behavioural or if something medical is of concern. Things like reflux and OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) can all have huge impacts on a child’s sleep which may require medical intervention before working with a sleep consultant. If these medical issues are present, I will always suggest a family work with the doctor first before working with me.
In my intake form I also have several personality questions. A child’s personality will also have a huge effect on which approach that I take with a family. A super alert baby will need a different approach to an easy-going child. All these things are considered when customising a child’s sleep plan. Ensuring the family feel comfortable with their plan and feel that they can be consistent in their response is also important to achieving the desired results.
This is the advantage of working with a sleep consultant 1:1 we have the ability to customise your sleep plan and adjust the plan as we work together ensuring the best results for your family. I have a high level of touch points with my families meaning they feel fully supported throughout our time together and my results speak for themselves (hear from happy families here).
The entire family will gain from the incredible benefits of sleep training.
Sleep training & techniques
There are various sleep training techniques that you can carry out, as your sleep consultant it is my job to identify the best approach for your family. Modern sleep training techniques are both gentle and responsive but also effective. This is not about leaving your baby to cry it out!
The techniques I use are proven techniques that I have developed and so your child feels supported through the process. I call my method a unique layered response technique allowing you to even pick your child up and cuddle them during the process.
I want to ensure my families feel comfortable with my appraoch so they can remain consistent at all times.
I work with children up to the age of 7
Ongoing support and follow up
When you work with a sleep consultant 1:1 you will be able to choose how much support you have with them. I offer anything from a power hour to three weeks of support. I will always signpost families to the support that I feel best suits their situation.
If you are feeling particularly anxious about sleep training then working 1:1 with someone and having lots of follow up support is going to be key to your success. I offer phone calls and well as WhatsApp support to my families. I always describe the WhatsApp support as having me in your pocket throughout the sleep plan.
These follow up touchpoints not only allow me to support my families but also to tweak the plan and adapt things should we feel that progress isn’t being made in the way we had wanted. It is important to track your progress and make necessary adjustments if you want to achieve your goals and more importantly long term success.
Long term success means the whole family get the sleep they need.
Conclusion
Sleep is an essential aspect of our well-being, affecting our physical health, mental clarity, and overall quality of life. However, the reality is achieving a restful and rejuvenating nights sleep isn’t always as simple as closing your eyes and going to sleep! Sleep challenges can present themselves at various ages and stages and this leaves us feeling tired and drained. That’s where the expertise of a sleep consultant comes in. I can help you to get your child’s sleep back on track which will ultimately get the parents sleep back on track too.
Sleep is our superpower and working with a sleep consultant can be life changing. Are you ready to start your sleep training journey?
Naomi. X
Supporting families with their sleep plan is such an honour and I feel so priveledged to go on a journey with each of my clients.