Why Work With a Sleep Consultant?

How To Get The Help You Need With Your Baby’s Or Toddler’s Sleep

If you are anything like me, you probably hadn’t heard of a sleep consultant or realised there was a need. Why would you, unless sleep is something you have ever struggled with? Sleep is one of those things that most of us take for granted until it all goes wrong, then we start to question and doubt ourselves. 

Sleep consultants for children, in my case, I focus on little ones aged nought to six years, can sometimes have a poor reputation, and the perception appears to be that what they offer is harsh and unkind. This often comes from the naive assumption that most sleep consultants use the ‘scream it out’ method. 

Perhaps some consultants do, but I don’t personally know any like that. The ones I know are kind, caring, compassionate and interested in the whole emotional well-being of children. We have a good understanding of the science behind sleep and the different approaches to improving it. Here at Sleepy Lambs, we work with parents who are keen and often desperate to help their children sleep well, and the younger our children learn the secret of restful sleep, the better! We spend time with families to understand their dynamics, parenting skills and ethos and their child’s personality. We also look at nutrition, developmental milestones and family routines. Without that inside knowledge, it is so hard, and I imagine often unproductive, to offer insight and support. We get alongside our clients in a helpful, gentle, supportive way, offering comments, feedback, and tips on tweaking and adjusting routines and habits. So, so often, it isn’t that parents are doing anything ‘wrong’ only that there might be an easier way of obtaining better, more consistent, long-lasting results. Watching as an onlooker often enables sleep consultants to see things differently, especially as we aren’t sleep deprived ourselves! 

Often others are dismissive and critical of consultants in whatever field they specialise in, and they feel that what consultants offer is over-exaggerated and expensive, with little tangible value. Our clients here at Sleepy Lambs experience the opposite, however. We help families in a gentle, non ‘scream it out’ method, which enriches all of family life, adding value and quality time together while removing the brain fog and tiredness that often goes hand in hand with sleep issues. And the real icing on the cake is that we see changes in the child’s behaviour and improvements in all the family’s relationships – Mum and Dad’s too and that is worth everything! 

Sleep problems are often so varied and can evolve due to many factors; moving house, a change in family dynamics and routine, travel, holidays, visitors, illness, the arrival of an extra family member, the start of daycare or school, plus so many other things. Life is unpredictable and challenging at best. COVID has tested us all, and if sleep isn’t on track, it’s easy for other things to suffer. 

Let’s get together and make sleep a priority so you can focus on living life to its fullest!

For more information about the support I could offer you and your little ones, visit https://sleepylambs.com/sallyvisser/ or send me an email at [email protected] 

Together we can make a difference!