10 things to try before booking a Sleep Consultation
Struggling with your baby’s sleep, and considering a Sleep Consultant?
Perhaps your Small goes to sleep like a dream, but wakes shortly after? Or likes to hold a parent party at 2am? Or is it bedtimes that cause you nightmares?
There are hundreds more scenarios where parents, caregivers and Smalls may be sleep-struggling, and my first message to you is always that:
You are not alone, you aren’t doing anything wrong, and there are almost always things that can be done to make improvements and give everyone in the family a settled night’s sleep.
As you’ve found me in your search for Sleep Support, the chances are you’re looking for a caring solution that doesn’t involve Crying-it-out or anything else that doesn’t feel instinctively right to you. And I’m so glad we’re on the same page! But I only ever want you to actually pay for sleep support with me if:
You feel it’s the best step for your family
You’ve sleep stalked and consumed lots of my free content and are confident that I’m the sleep supporter for you
General advice isn’t cutting it; it’s at the stage where you need some advice that’s totally tailored to you and your individual circumstances
Many parents will reach the point where they just want to scream HELP! from the mountain tops, and if you’re at that point, then having an experienced hand guide you through the process of making changes to your Small’s Sleep - with care - can have a completely transformative effect.
Even if I’m not the Sleep Supporter for you, I still encourage you to work through my ten steps below before booking with ANY Sleep Consultant, they’re small things but you might find it’s one of these small things throwing your Small’s sleep off-track.
Ten things to try before booking an Infant Sleep Consultant:
Have you ruled out any red flags?
If you feel your Small is in pain/discomfort, or they snore, I always suggest checking in with your doctor. If there’s something medical going on which prevents them from sleeping at their biological best then they can be diagnosed and treated - most importantly. But additionally, you won't waste money on a sleep consultation that isn’t going to help them out-sleep a medical condition which is keeping them awake.
Aside from underlying health conditions; growth spurts, teething, and illnesses can all affect how your baby sleeps, and during times like this, you may find it very difficult to implement any big changes to their sleep.
Is their sleep environment as calm and dark as possible?
Darkness helps to increase the production of their melatonin AKA The sleep hormone. So getting it nice and dark can help them settle to sleep and stay asleep!
Additionally, providing a calm and dark space for every bedtime helps to establish that this is ‘Sleep time’. Babies and infants thrive on routine and knowing that if ‘this’ happens, then ‘this’ happens next, so you are helping them to settle in to sleep mode by always providing the same calm environment at bedtime.
Are they too hot or cold?
Most Smalls prefer a slightly cooler sleeping environment. Check their chest/back and if it’s sweaty or cold it’s worth adjusting what they wear.
Could noise be disturbing them?
If your Small is sensitive to noise or the bedroom is super noisy, white noise can help to cancel out the background noise. Small’s find white noise comforting as it reminds them of the sounds of the womb. The world is a big scary place! So providing that familiarity, even with older babies and toddlers, can help to produce feelings of calm and relaxation, and distract from any sounds which might otherwise keep them awake.
If you do use white noise is it audible and on all night?
Although looking at how your Small falls asleep at night is always the last thing I look at on my approach, some Smalls can struggle to stitch their sleep cycles together when they wake in the night due to them noticing a change in the environment from when they first fell asleep.
So, if white noise works for your Small at bedtime but they struggle to fall back to sleep after waking in the night, try keeping the white noise going all night.
Are their naps working for them?
If your Small sleeps too much or too little during the day, it can have a HUGE knock-on effect to their nighttime sleep. Every small is different, but I have created a Free Nap Gap guide which helps you to structure your Small’s naps so that they’re at their optimum tiredness for a good night’s sleep come bedtime.
You can get my free nap gap guide along with my Sleep Freebie video straight to your inbox by signing up here. You will have the opportunity to sign up for future updates in the email if you wish to, but there's no obligation - the video and nap gap guide are yours regardless!.
Is their bedtime routine calm with lots of time together to connect?
When you leave your Small to sleep, they miss you! Having a bedtime routine that is calming with lots of time together leaves your Small relaxed and topped up with love and connection from you, making the night time separation smoother for you all.
Is how they go to sleep as simple as possible?
It’s always OK to feed/rock/hold to sleep. And if that works for you, great! But if you’ve tried most other things, it might be time to look at the way your Small falls asleep. If you're currently pulling out all the sleep stops to settle them to sleep, simplifying it down to just one thing can make a big difference.
I cover this in my Bedtime Boundaries e-course if you’d like to learn more about slowly changing how your Small falls to sleep.
Are they getting plenty of fresh air, natural light and activity during the day?
Fresh air and natural light are both great at cementing their circadian rhythm AKA their sleep system. By keeping awake-time stimulating and envigorating for your Small, you are helping them to determine the difference between day and night, and ensuring that they are sufficiently ready to sleep when bedtime rolls around.
When they wake at night are they actually asking for your support, or even awake?
I don’t advocate for leaving your Small to cry. Ever (that’s the very reason I created my own approach as it never felt right to me when I was a nanny!) BUT, I do suggest taking the time to really listen to your Small. Are they communicating - are they asking for you? Or are they displaying Normal Nocturnal Behaviour?
My approach uses a Sleep Scale that helps you to determine whether to go to your Small, or whether giving them some practice and patience could help them settle back to sleep. You receive the full version as part of my e-courses, and I work through it with you in my paid services, but you can see a scaled-down version here:
Yes I know, some of these tips are really basic!
But sometimes something small is enough to make a big difference. So, if you think you’re at the point of booking a Sleep Service with me - or any Sleep Consultant - try these tips first.
My mission is to make sleep support accessible to everyone, so I’ll always ask you about these points before we start a paid Sleep Service. I also suggest looking at my e-courses, which are a great way to explore the Care It Out® approach in more detail, and you might find they help you enough that you don’t even need any of my 121 services!
Big Love and Sleep Solidarity,
Kerry xx