Baby Not Sleeping Through the Night?
You’re not alone!
In fact, in study after study, “sleepless nights” or “sleep deprivation” tops the lists of the biggest struggles faced by new parents.
So it’s probably not surprising that more and more parents are turning to professional “sleep consultants” to help them get their new bundles of joy sleeping through the night. Hiring a sleep consultant can be a great idea, because you’ll be getting an experienced, compassionate coach who will:
* Help you understand why your little one is struggling to sleep well
* Explain how to change your child’s sleep habits
* Put together a plan that will work for your child’s personality
* Be available to answer any questions you may have along the way
* Have the expertise to make adjustments if things don’t go as planned
But how do you know if a particular sleep consultant will be the right fit for YOUR family?
Easy! Just give them a call and ask them these THREE questions!
QUESTION #1:
WHAT’S YOUR BACKROUND & WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR TRAINING?
Did you know ANYONE can put up a website and call themselves a sleep consultant?
It’s true……but it doesn’t necessarily mean they have any professional training or actual experience (even if they have some training, you may discover that it was obtained online for a few hundred dollars).
It’s my opinion that training and education really DOES matter—-especially for something as important for your child’s sleep health.
A sleep consultant who has been properly educated will have attended an in-person, multi-day learning workshop and undergone a fairly significant training period, and there will have been actual requirements that were met in order to obtain their “certification” or “graduation”.
In addition, you could ask what kind of “continuing education” is required to maintain their certification. Are they required to keep their knowledge current? If not, I would ask them how they stay “on top of” new research in the field of sleep.
QUESTION #2:
HOW MUCH SUPPORT IS INCLUDED
The easiest part of a sleep consultant’s job is working with you in person or over the phone to come up with a “sleep plan” for your child.
The tricky part?
Is when things don’t go according to plan! And, since your child is unique, you should definitely expect a few “road bumps” along the way.
In fact, the reason you’ve decided to hire a sleep consultant in the first place is because you have tried to fix this problem on your own…..and run into problems that you simply weren’t sure how to fix!
Make sure you have a clear understanding of what kind of access you’ll have to your sleep consultant as you work together to get your child sleeping through the night.
Will she be reachable by email? Phone? Text? Is there a limit to how often you can contact her?
These are all questions you’ll want answered BEFORE you start working together. A good sleep consultant will be able to send you an e-mail with a clear outline of EXACTLY what is included in your package.
QUESTION #3:
WHAT CAN YOU SUGGEST THAT I HAVEN’T TRIED ALREADY?
Hiring a sleep consultant usually isn’t the first thing parents do when they’re struggling with their child’s sleep. Chances are you’ve read a few books, done some research online, and tried a few things already.
So I recommend asking this question word for word and then listen carefully to the response you receive.
“What can you suggest that I haven’t already tried?”
A good sleep consultant will want to know exactly what strategies you’ve tried in the past AND how your baby reacted. She’ll also ask how long you’ve tried those strategies for, and why you decided to stop using them.
The way a sleep consultant answers this question will give you an excellent idea of how well she is able to adapt if things get tricky. You’ll also be able to get a sense of how flexible her approach is if you–as the parent– decide that a change in strategy is necessary.
Most of all, though, the answer you receive to this question should give you a “gut feeling” about whether this sleep consultant would be a good fit for your family.
WANT TO KNOW HOW TO GET A FREE 15-MINUTE SLEEP CONSULTATION FOR YOUR CHILD?
As a sleep professional, I think it’s important to “get to know” each family a little before we decide to work together. That’s why I offer a FREE 15-minute consultation to anyone who’s struggling with their child’s sleep!
This gives you the opportunity to tell me a little bit about your child’s sleep history and to ask me any specific questions you might have about why your little one isn’t sleeping through the night.
I’ll give you my thoughts on which approach I would recommend, and even give you some specific strategies you can get started with immediately.
To set up your FREE 15-minute phone consultation just give me a call, (209) 813-0609, send me an email, joannainks@gmail.com, or visit my website, www.sleepsolutionsunlimited.com I look forward to helping!
Sleep Well,
