FAQ

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Do I have to give up breastfeeding?

Oh my goodness - NO! I don't know where this idea came from. I breastfed both my babies for a long time and certainly won't be asking you to give up. To be clear though - there are some breastfeeding fanatics out there and I am not one of them. I couldn't care less how you feed your baby as long as you are both healthy and happy. Breastfed? Formula fed? Combi fed? It's all good :) 

I don't like routine! Can I still do this? 

Me neither. I HATE routine (honestly). But do you know what? Your baby LOVES it. And if you make the effort to give your baby a routine you'll find you suddenly have lots of freedom to do what you want to do. It's a win-win! 

I'm anxious about crying. Can you put my mind at rest? 

Nobody likes hearing their baby cry and almost everybody worries about this. We will talk a lot about crying. What it means... how to deal with it... and most importantly how to make your baby happy again as quickly as possible. Because that's what we all want, right?    

Are you a 'gentle' sleep consultant or do you favour traditional methods? 

I believe in supporting parents no matter what their parenting style. I pass absolutely no judgement. When it comes to settling your baby I put you in the driver's seat and guide and support you in the choices you make. I'm like a talkative co-pilot!

When's the best time to start? 

Get started as soon as you feel mentally able to make some changes. This is ALL you need to think about. Don't worry about sleep regressions, developmental stages or upcoming holidays. The longer you put this off the longer you will suffer. If you're ready to make some changes, it's the right time.   

For some parents this feeling of being 'ready' never comes because chronic sleep deprivation takes such a toll. If taking steps to improve your family's sleep feels like more of an effort than carrying on as usual, try and find the strength to take the first step . Many of my clients with older children look back and wonder why they allowed themselves to suffer for so long. 

I'm struggling to decide which package will work best for me. Can you help?  

It can be tough choosing which package to go for because you never know how your baby is going to respond to the changes before you start. No matter how difficult things feel now, you might find everything just clicks and you end up sleeping through within a matter of days (it happens)! On the other hand you could find implementing my advice very difficult, in which case it will take a lot longer. 

Unfortunately it's impossible for me to predict. Some of the babies I think are going to be the easiest turn out to be the most challenging, and some of the babies I think are going to be the most challenging turn out to be the easiest.

We are therefore left with a scenario where some parents overpay (but get great results) some parents underpay (and struggle) and some parents (through sheer luck) get the support package just right.  

Make a decision based on your available budget (obvs) and your feelings about how resistant or adaptable your little one seems to be. If you think he or she is going to be very challenging (you might be surprised!) go with some additional support. Also, how resilient and/or confident do you feel making decisions as a parent? Do you have older children and some experience of routines/sleep training, or is this all very new and worrying? Are you good at reading, understanding and putting things into practice independently, or do you prefer bite-size chunks and one-to-one coaching? How do you feel about asking questions within a Facebook group of other parents? If this makes you uncomfortable opt for some private support. If you're fine with that, the bronze package may be perfectly sufficient. Finally, how old is your child? In general the younger they are the easier this all is (for both them and you) but the more things will change as they grow up. You may therefore want to choose silver or gold for peace of mind that you can stick around long term without additional cost. If you have an older child, long term support may be unnecessary. 

Can I choose the Bronze Package and upgrade if I have difficulty? 

This is a question that gets asked a lot and unfortunately the answer is no. If I allowed this, everyone would choose the bronze support and a certain percentage would return to upgrade after a period of difficulty. This period of difficulty (where the parent struggles alone) can be particularly detrimental to the sleep. So it would mean me having to unpick issues which perhaps weren't there initially, and I'd also have to reacquaint myself with old cases which would create a lot of additional work.  So for these reasons I ask that you make the decision upfront. 

What happens if it doesn't work? 

If you listen and follow my advice you will not fail. I can assure you of that.  

Those who say sleep interventions don't work either implement them badly or focus solely on a very specific age group. If you buy a '6- 9 month sleep programme' for example, you might see success for 3 months and then watch everything start to unwind as your baby approaches 10 months old.  My packages ensure that a) you do this RIGHT! And b) that you have everything you need for the future too. Almost all my business comes in from personal recommendations - your (short and long term) success really matters to me.