What to expect when working with a Nurture Sleep consultant

Your newborn sleeps all day but wants to party all night.  Your angel baby has hit nine months and all of a sudden is resisting naps and waking at night.  Your 18 month old has stopped napping during the day.  You spend hours every night putting your toddler back into their bed.  You are sleep deprived, tired and at the end of your tether.  You consider seeking advice from a sleep professional but you tell yourself that it’s just a phase and it will pass.  Weeks or months later you are still struggling and have decided to take the plunge and connect with a sleep consultant but you’re nervous about what to expect.  No matter what your family’s current sleep situation, I understand, I have walked and lived in the very same shoes as you.  So let me put your mind at ease and tell you a little bit about what I take into consideration when working with you and your precious little one.

If you engaged the services of a personal trainer, in order for them to put together your health and fitness plan they might need to consider your current level of fitness, your nutrition, any physical health concerns, your schedule, your goals and your expectations.  To the same extent, as a holistic baby and child sleep consultant I will assess your current concerns, goals and expectations and then consider all elements that could be having an impact on your child’s sleep, including:

• Any underlying health concerns: such as failure to thrive, snoring, sleep apnea, night terrors, anxiety, tongue and lip ties and allergies (to name a few).
• Sleep environment and hygiene: where your baby sleeps for naps and overnight, the brightness of their room, whether noises could disturb them, the temperature of their room, their sleeping attire and pre-bed routines.
• Feeding and nutrition: whether mum is breastfeeding or bottle feeding and how frequently, whether your baby is putting on adequate weight, whether there are any concerns around feeding, whether your baby is eating solids if an appropriate age, and whether there could be any nutrient deficiencies that could be impacting sleep.
• Nap schedules and routines: how many naps your baby is having during the day, how long they are napping for, the timing of their naps, how long they are awake between naps, what time they are going down to sleep for the night, and whether you adhere to a routine or not.
• Sleep associations: how your baby or child falls asleep and gets back to sleep if they wake during naps or overnight. For example, whether your baby is fed, rocked, walked, bounced, shushed or patted to sleep. Whether your baby or child uses a dummy to fall asleep, or whether they need you to sit next to them or stay in their room until they fall asleep.

As well as addressing any of the above factors I will also consider your child’s temperament, your philosophy as a parent, your family dynamic and daily commitments, as the right sleep plan is one that not only takes your child into account, but your whole family.

Through gaining an understanding of your child’s unique sleep situation, I will design a customised and comprehensive sleep plan, provide you with gentle coaching so that you have confidence to implement the plan, as well as provide you with ongoing support and encouragement as you and your little one establish positive associations and routines, while restoring optimal sleep for your whole family.

Keep an eye out for upcoming blogs where I will delve deeper into each of these factors that can impact your child’s sleep.