SLEEP CONSULTANT IRELAND – HOW WE CAN HELP YOU

AT IS A CHILD SLEEP CONSULTANT?

An infant sleep consultant can literally change your life. But what do they actually do? I remember when my eldest boy Teddy was 6 months old and we were simply broken as a family. He wasn’t sleeping, constantly overtired, always cranky and his feeding was minimal, challenging and stressful.

My wife Dani and I were broken as parents and a couple – we were chronically sleep deprived, badly in need of a good night’s sleep, and we weren’t the best parents or partners we could be. We were impatient with our gorgeous baby, we didn’t have any time for each other and we took our frustrations out on each other. 

As I said, we were broken as a family and that’s what real sleep deprivation can do to you. It’s impactful to your physical and mental health.

WHY WOULD I NEED A SLEEP CONSULTANT?

Improving baby sleep is really difficult. If it was easy, our babies would all be sleeping perfectly well and sleep consultants wouldn’t exist. But unfortunately, that isn’t the case and too many families are struggling, and constantly striving for better sleep.

There is a huge amount of literature online on how to improve your child’s sleep, articles are often conflicting, and there are lots of different ways to help improve things. Throw in some sleep deprivation and it becomes such a challenging task to do yourself. A gentle sleep consultant can help you see through all of this conflicting advice, be a single voice and provide you with a bespoke sleep plan to help get the whole family a good night’s sleep.

HOW CAN A SLEEP CONSULTANT HELP YOU?

We are here to change your entire baby’s sleeping patterns to help them sleep better, day and night. Ideally that will involve getting your baby to fall asleep independently, but ultimately a sleep consultant with work with a family to achieve their sleep goals.

Will that involve them sleeping through the night? Maybe not straight away, but your baby will learn to self-settle, they will sleep longer and better, their mood and energy will be better and they will likely feed and eat better.

Just think about what difference it could make to your life if your sleep issues disappeared in just a only a couple of weeks? What is they slept longer stretches each night, or had consistent naps most days allowing you the chance to catch up on life, have a hot cup of tea or coffee?

These things can be a life changer for many families and that’s what a child sleep consultant can do for you. Just make sure you research properly and find a certified child sleep consultant that’s right for you.

WHAT DOES WORKING WITH A SLEEP CONSULTANT ACTUALLY INVOLVE?

Not only will a sleep consultant bring you a good night’s sleep, they will bring you a unified (and knowledgeable) voice that is often missing within a family dynamic. One parent has this view; the other parent has another view. It’s totally normal!

And whilst both parents might not fully agree with EVERYTHING a child sleep consultant will tell them, if the family trusts that consultant, they will have a leap of faith and then at least both parents should be on the same page. This is absolutely key to making gentle progress as children thrive off consistency; if they see one parent do one thing, and one parent do another, they won’t know what’s going on. 

Put it this way, if a parent doesn’t know what they are doing, how can we expect the child to grasp what they should be doing? Again, this is totally normal and why child sleep consultants can help you bring clarity, consistency, clear communication and ultimately a plan for sleep success (for the whole family).

When working with a sleep consultant, there will be a consultation to allow the consultant know what is going on with the child’s sleep and then come up with a bespoke sleep plan. This sleep plan will usually involve changes to the routine and a gentle sleep training approach if required. This plan can also support other key sleep goals such as moving a baby into their own room, or moving a toddler from a cot to a bed.

Whilst not every family wants to do sleep training – and many sleep issues can be resolved with changes to the daytime or bedtime routine – if there is a settling issue with your child, sleep training will likely be required to change that.

Once the sleep plan has been created and shared with the family, there will likely be a support period, depending on which sleep consultant you work with as many offer various support options. The support period for many sleep consultants lasts 2 weeks, but we do 3 weeks at The Daddy Sleep Consultant as we find that most little ones take between 2 and 3 weeks to be where we want them to be with their sleep with our gentle approach.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN I NEED A SLEEP CONSULTANT?

Everyone’s “threshold” is different for when they may feel that they need a sleep consultant. For some families, this might be when their baby is waking just a couple of times per night; for others it might be when their child literally does not sleep day or night. Families may also want to try their own adjustments or gentle sleep training first; others may realise immediately that they would prefer the help and support of an expert.

Either way, it’s a very personal decision on when you feel like you need one. Our advice is that if you feel like you can’t see when things are going to get easier, you feel like your baby is too exhausted to be eating well or their development is a worry, or you are struggling with your physical or mental health then it might be the right time to start thinking about working with one.

HOW DO I FIND THE BEST SLEEP CONSULTANT IN IRELAND?

There are hundreds of sleep consultants in Dublin, Cork and other parts of Ireland, including Lucy Wolfe who has been a leader in our industry for a number of years. But who is right for you? Again, this is a very personal decision but things you should consider when choosing your sleep coach:

• What is their sleep training method?

• Do they help you with night time and nap time?

• Is their sleep package virtual or in-home?

• What is their view on night feeding?

• How much do they charge?

• How long does their support period last?

Having information on these key topics will allow you to find a sleep expert that is right for you and your family. You can find them through google searches, social media pages and also speak to your friends and other parents are classes and groups – you might be surprised at how many have used a sleep coach already! 

HOW OUR TEAM OF SLEEP CONSULTANTS IN IRELAND CAN HELP YOU

If you are exhausted, or you are worried about the lack of sleep for your little girl or little boy, our team of infant sleep consultants are hugely experienced in helping babies and families all sleep better. Our role is to help and support struggling parents improve their children’s sleep, introduce a gentle sleep routine that works and improve sleep for the entire family.  We can change your lives in just a couple of weeks… we really can.

If you want to find out more about how our sleep package can help your baby or toddler sleep better, hop over to our one-to-one sleep package page. We look forward to seeing you there.