There is no shortage of free sleep advice on the internet, it’s truly information overload! But even after hours spent on google many parents still can’t determine a clear path of action! This is because so much of the easily accessible information online is conflicting, incomplete, or just isn’t that easy to implement.

A professional sleep consultant has the experience and expertise to quickly recognize what is causing your sleep challenges, and create a personalized plan of action to change those specific patterns and behaviors. We also recognize that a baby’s sleep history, temperament, age, and development all impact how well they respond to a certain method or approach. Working 1:1 with a family allows for real-time troubleshooting and adjustments!

Not every family needs the support of a sleep consultant, but for many parents it can mean the difference between months of sleepless confusion, and a sustainable, clear sleep solution!

Our strengths as sleep consultants are not in the methods that we use, there are no magic methods that you haven’t heard of, trust us! It’s also not our Pediatric Sleep Certifications, or educational backgrounds.

What makes us special is that when we work 1:1 with a family, we’re all in. We become your sleep teammate, your go-to when things aren't going as planned, and your emotional support though a big change. Your goals become our goals, and we will stand by you until we have reached them together. This is always our promise, and the reason why we have a 100% success rate…yes, every single family who has fully trusted us with their sleep has met their goals.

Regardless of the sleep training method we use… there will be crying!

We are changing your little one’s sleep expectations… this is really frustrating for them! BUT this doesn’t mean we need to lay them down and just leave them to cry it out! Most of the families we work with are looking for a more involved, responsive plan. In our practice, we use two main methods of responsive sleep training:

1) A parent present method where a caregiver stays physically present as the child learns to sleep independently, offering physical and emotional support.

2) A standard leave and check approach where a caregiver checks in frequently as the child learns to find sleep independently, offering physical and emotional support.

Together, we determine which of these methods is right for you and your little one. It is extremely important to us that each of the families we work with feel comfortable!

There are unfortunately so many myths about sleep training, many of which have been formulated using totally out of context research, or a handful of very flawed studies. There may never be a “perfect” sleep training study as parent reported data isn’t gold standard, and overall parenting philosophies make it tricky to study sleep training alone. BUT there is a body of well done, replicable studies that we can look to and draw the following conclusions from:

1) No method of sleep training has demonstrated negative health, behavioral, or attachment consequences in the short or long term.

2) How effective sleep training is depends on parent and child characteristics and temperament, which need to be considered when choosing an approach.

3) Sleep training has been shown to improve parental health, increase maternal confidence and lower stress.

4) Sleep training (CIO) demonstrated increased secure attachment behaviors (perhaps due to increased parental wellness, which is closely tied to secure attachment), daytime mood and feeding.

5) Sleep training is effective at promoting independent sleep. Children who fall asleep independently at bedtime tend to sleep better during the night, whereas assistance from a parent at bedtime is associated with more disrupted sleep during the night.

Here are some references to the studies that the above conclusions come from:

Five-Year Follow-up of Harms and Benefits of Behavioral Infant Sleep Intervention: Randomized Trial Anna M.H. Price, Melissa Wake, Obioha C. Ukoumunne, Harriet Hiscock. (2012). Pediatrics 130 (4): 643651.

Treatment of sleep problems in families with young children: effects of treatment on family well-being (2004). B Eckerberg. Acta Paediatr. Jan;93(1):126-34. doi: 10.1080/08035250310007754.

Infant sleep training: rest easy? Christina Korownyk and Adrienne J. Lindblad. (2018) Canadian Family Physician 64 (1) 41.

Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems: the role of parental cry tolerance and sleep-related cognitions. Michal Kahn 1, Efrat Livne-Karp 1, Michal Juda-Hanael 1, Haim Omer, Liat Tikotzky, Thomas F Anders, Avi Sadeh (2020). J Clin Sleep Med.15;16(8):1275-1283.1283.

Improving infant sleep and maternal mental health: a cluster randomised trial (2002). Harriet Hiscock, Jordana Bayer, Lisa Gold, Anne Hampton, Obioha C Ukoumunne, and Melissa Wake Arch Dis Child. Nov; 92(11): 952–958.

Effects of parent training on infant sleeping patterns, parents' stress, and perceived parental competence. Wolfson, A., Lacks, P., & Futterman, A. (1992). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60(1), 41–48.

Behavioral treatment of bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children (2006). Jodi A Mindell 1, Brett Kuhn, Daniel S Lewin, Lisa J Meltzer, Avi Sadeh, American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Sleep. Nov 1;29(11):1380.

Factors associated with fragmented sleep at night across early childhood (2005). Evelyne Touchette 1, Dominique Petit, Jean Paquet, Michel Boivin, Chista Japel, Richard E Tremblay, Jacques Y. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med (3):242-9. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.159.3.242.

Every family we work with worries about this! For good reason, investing your time and money and trusting someone you've never met feels scary!

The good news is that the 1:1 support and coaching we provide means “it’s just not working” doesn’t happen. We are in close contact every day, which allows me to quickly recognize when we need to troubleshoot or make an adjustment

We have a 100% success rate. Every family who has fully trusted us and followed our guidance has met their goals!

This is such a common concern!

Usually, families find they have MORE flexibility post sleep training! Your child will have the independent sleep skills they need to easily sleep at grandmas, daycare, or at home with a babysitter! Naps on the go become easier, too, as you will know exactly how to adjust your little one’s day to accommodate outings!

While we do ask that you try to be home at night/bedtime as much as possible for the two weeks we work together, you can absolutely have a very flexible lifestyle with your sleep trained baby!

There is no best age! It’s really up to you and how your current sleep situation is feeling. If you are ready for change then we can make that happen!

• If you're pregnant or your baby is younger than 12 weeks, we can begin by laying the foundation for safe and healthy sleep habits.

• If your baby is between 13-16 weeks, we can start with a gentle hybrid sleep training approach, gradually working towards independent sleep skills

• Once your baby is 16 weeks, we can dive right in with a full sleep training plan. Keep in mind that sleep training does NOT mean night weaning!

There is also no deadline! We always recommend being fully ready to make sleep changes before diving in. “Because your friend did it and says you should too” is NOT a reason to sleep train!