FAQs

Why does my child wake so frequently?

We all naturally wake multiple times a night as our body goes in and out of deep and light sleep cycles. For a young child, a sleep cycle is between 30-50 minutes. As adults we barely notice these natural wake ups as we know how to knit our sleep cycles together. If your child needs help to go to sleep, for example, feeding, rocking, dummy etc then when they naturally wake in the night, they are looking for these ‘props’ to get back to sleep.

Why is my baby harder to settle in the early hours than the beginning of the night?

One of the things that make us go to sleep is our homeostatic drive which means the more time we’ve been awake, the more we need to sleep. If you think of your child like a rechargeable battery, when they go to sleep at night, they are naturally very tired   and they have that tiredness helping them to settle. As they go through the night they recharge so if they don’t have the sleep pushing them back and an ability to settle themselves, they struggle. As a desperate parent you start trying different ways of   ‘helping’ them to go back and unfortunately in the process, sending your child lots of mixed messages.

Can you sleep train under 6 months?

Depending on your child’s needs it may not be appropriate for your baby to sleep through the night without a feed. We can help you work on laying down good foundations and teach your baby to settle for nap and bedtimes and getting some good feed and sleep routines in place. For parents of newborns, we offer a special   package to help guide  you through the first   few weeks, build your confidence and give you the tools for the months ahead.

Do we have a sleep problem?

Every family is different and has different expectations of what their perfect sleep scenario will look like which is why we don’t have a one size fits all approach.  It has to suit your needs and if we have happy parents, we will have a happy child. With every family that contacts us, we first need to rule out hunger and discomfort as reasons for waking. Once we have confidently done this, we can unpick the habit and work with you to lay down some positive sleep associations.

Will my child cry?

If your child is distressed of course you need to be there to comfort them. However to imply that there will be no tears is misleading. Change is unsettling especially when you are all tired and it is normal for your child to show some resistance. We will be there to support you whilst you support them. We do not advocate cry it out.  We will always make sure that we have given you options and it feels manageable before we start. As mothers we really do understand how important your little one is to you and that you don’t want them to be upset. Remember why you are doing this, the best possible outcome for every family is having a good night’s sleep.

Does it make a difference if my baby is breast or bottle fed?

Good sleep and good feeding go hand in hand whether it is breast or bottle.  However you choose to feed your baby is incorporated into your tailor made plan.   We will discuss your child’s needs and help you to create a gentle sleep time routine so you are not reliant on feeding your baby to sleep.

My child is 5 years old, have I left it too late?

We work with children up to 6 years old.  It is never too late and we can always work on improving your child’s sleep. However the more engrained those habits are, the longer they may take to resolve so get in touch and let’s get you all sleeping.

Learning Centre

What does a sleep consultant do?
How much milk should a new born have?
Should my baby go to sleep on its front or on its back?
What to do when your new born baby won’t stop crying?
How much sleep does a new born baby need?

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