Child Sleep Consultants - the other choice!

Child Sleep Consultants- the other choice!

When I became a mum, I quickly discovered that I knew very little about babies and parenting. A huge issue I was having was the lack of sleep for all. Once I had used everything in my ‘bag of tricks’ I was stuck – Miss E just wouldn’t sleep. I was exhausted. What was I doing wrong?

There only seemed to be two main points of reference when it came to children and sleep; "Ferber" ‘cry it out’ method or "Pantely" the ‘co-sleeping’ method. Both had merits but they just weren’t for me.

I found “The Sleep Sense Program” written by "Dana Obleman". Within a week Miss E was sleeping through the night - she was only 3 months old!

This profound transformation had such an impact on my life that I decided to dedicate myself to helping other parents to solve their sleep problems too. I trained with Dana in the U.S and became the first certified sleep sense consultant here in Perth, Western Australia.

So – what is a sleep consultant? A sleep consultant works with individual families to understand what the sleep problems are and how to fix them. They are not a ‘sleep school’ with hard and fast rules. They give parents the tools to help their children to self settle in a gentle, safe and nurturing environment – their own home.

Why would you hire one? They can objectively pin point the sleep issues and give practical strategies to solve them. They listen to parents and write a plan that suits their family and their child – not all families are the same! The BEST part is that they are there to hold parents' hands every step of the way. A book can’t do that.

There are many misconceptions about child sleep consultants or specialists. They are too expensive, they prey on the vulnerable, and they are unnatural. These comments come from misunderstanding and ignorance.

Yes, there is a cost involved but it’s money well spent when you are giving your child the best possible gift ever – the gift of sleep.

They prey on the vulnerable. Parents who come to me have tried lots of different ways to solve their child's sleep problems. It’s important to understand that they come to me – I don’t go to them. It’s about empowering parents to make changes for the better and on their terms.

It is unnatural. Not sleeping is unnatural. Techniques used by certified child sleep consultants are gentle and effective. Each part of the program is in consultation with the parents. A sleep consultant will never demand parents do something that is harmful to their child – in fact they require parents to be ‘in-tune’ with their child and listen to them every step of the way.

Parents today are bombarded with information everywhere. It is up to them to filter through and choose the best fit for them and their family situation. I did and I couldn't be happier!

Janelle Jeffery

Certified Sleep Sense Consultant

www.sleepytime.net.au