by PAR002_123
•
28 April 2023
Simply to Sleep's open diary March 2023 Simply to Sleep opened the consultant diary for an evening, letting parents book their 20-30 minute session and get to know Hazel from the comfort of their own home! Many parents are unsure what is involved in child sleep consultancy and are naturally cautious. This event helped eight parents in one evening to understand sleep consultancy and receive instant and responsive feedback to their sleep challenge and without obligation. The seven most common questions asked over this evening were: What is infant & child sleep consultant support? It’s an approach to analyse your child’s sleep routine and habits, consider this alongside an expert knowledge of sleep science and child development, and create a new approach to help your child optimise their sleep. The idea is to build a new routine that helps the whole family regain night time sleep and feel healthy, revitalised and ready for the day ahead. 2. How does it all work? Once you hire me, I conduct a comprehensive sleep assessment and I use this information to write a bespoke sleep plan, that considers the unique needs of your child and family. Working closely together I coach you through the changes, help you to understand what changes are being made and for what reasons. I build your confidence so you will be able to carry on beyond the initial coaching period and have tried and tested strategies up your sleeve that work with your child. This helps to prevent an unravelling of good sleep and provides you with a re-set approach to sleep following a period of changes such as childhood illness. 3. Will this be hard work for us? Most aspects of change are hard work, simply because things are different, and you are required to think differently and take different actions. However, I adopt a strengths-based approach to my sleep consultancy work, meaning we identify where your child is the strongest and build from this position. You are guided through the process using the most effective approaches for your child and family. 4. Will my child cry? Children use many emotions, to include crying, to communicate. Most children will show emotion numerous times a day as they try to communicate about many different things and needs. Some children cry at bedtime because they are tired and want to be asleep, but don’t know how to achieve this. Therefore, crying should not be seen as a problem, nor an automatic indicator of distress. My approach to infant and child sleep coaching will request you to take a responsive and emotional approach to your child’s crying. You will not be asked to let them ‘cry it out’. 5 What if my ‘situation’ is complicated? That’s ok. Every child’s sleep challenges are different and your sleep programme is unique. Most situations are challenging and can be complex. It’s all relative. As a certified sleep consultant, I have expert knowledge, experience, and skills to support complex cases. This includes supporting better sleep for families with multiple children, or children with additional needs, accommodating their health needs, considering factors associated with trauma and recovery, and working through unforeseen situations. I am non-judgemental, empathetic and I have the stamina to get you through! 6. How quickly will I see results? We often see results quickly and changes begin to be noticeable within the first week and much more obviously so by day/night 14. We often work together for three weeks, to build in consolidation and confidence. If families need longer, for example, if baby has been poorly during the sleep coaching period and we've had to go a little slower, then I stay on board with you until we are satisfied you're ready to go it alone. 7. What if sleep coaching doesn’t work for my child/my family? We identify the sleep goal(s) we’re aiming for at the start of our work together and as your consultant I check out the reality of your expectations and confirm this detail with you. I break the goal down into smaller targets required to be in place to achieve the overarching goal. Achieving the change requires you to commit to the plan, feedback very regularly to me, work with me as I make small changes to accelerate the sleep plan or equally break the progress step down further. Progress can be affected by child/family illness, or, parents not faithfully following the agreed steps. If children are poorly, I commit to extending the coaching period, at no further cost to yourself, to achieve the agreed goal. However, if lack of progress is due to parents not able to work faithfully with the plan content, I cannot offer further time as this would not be an effective strategy. However, this is rare and as we speak regularly throughout the sleep plan and the implementation stage, I would highlight my concerns at this point if this is the case and we would seek to have an early remedy to the situation so you can be assured to achieve your sleep success journey. I f you have more Qs, you find out more by: If you have any more questions contact me below with the word FAQ and I will contact you to chat in more detail.