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.

I often get asked what makes me special or different than the many other sleep professionals out there. This is a GOOD question, because it means parents are doing their research and exploring a variety of options!

My strength is not in the methods that I use, there are no magic methods that you haven’t heard of, trust me! Its also not my Pediatric Sleep Certification, or my Master’s degree in Human Physiology. Yes, my background ensures that the sleep recommendations I make are evidence-based, but this isn’t my secret sauce.

What makes me special is that when I work 1:1 with a family, I’m all in. I 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 my goals, and I will stand by you until we have reached them together. This is always my promise, and the reason why I have a 100% success rate…yes, that’s right, every single family who has fully trusted me with their sleep has met their goals.

Hiring a sleep consultant is a big decision, both emotionally and financially, so its incredibly important that you find someone you align with! Don’t just go with the lowest price, or someone with great google reviews. Speak with them about your goals, ask all of your questions, and be sure you would feel comfortable with them becoming a temporary member of your family! If you want to chat with me and to see If we are a good fit you can book a sleep evaluation call anytime, here!

The first step of working together is to book a sleep evaluation call. The purpose of this call is for us to discuss the specific sleep challenges your child is having, and determine how I can best support your family. Once you decide to move forward in working together 1:1 you will fill out a detailed intake form- this will help me to develop a personalized sleep plan for your family!

We will then have a 90 minute virtual consultation to go through this plan, step-by step! There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion, and you will receive a finalized copy of the plan after our meeting. Together we choose a start date, and you will have my support and guidance for two weeks as you implement each stage of your sleep plan. All of my clients fill out digital sleep logs daily, which I check frequently! We also have phone calls throughout our two weeks, and some of my clients choose to purchase text message support as well. See my services page for package options.

Cry it out (CIO) sleep training has been shown to be safe and effective overall, HOWEVER, implementing this method can be stressful for babies and parents. I prefer a more responsive approach! In my practice I 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 me that each of the families I work with feel comfortable with the approach and methods we use!

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! I work very closely with families to make sure we are setting baby up for success (minimizing the tears as much as possible) and have a solid response plan in place.

For more on what to expect check out my blog post on crying and sleep training.

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) Sleep training in any form (many methods have been studied!) does NOT negatively impact babies or children. No method of sleep training has demonstrated negative health, behavioral, or attachment consequences in the short or long t

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.https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/130/4/643/30241/Five-Year-Follow-up-of-Harms-and-Benefits-of?redirectedFrom=fulltext

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. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14989452/

Infant sleep training: rest easy? Christina Korownyk and Adrienne J. Lindblad. (2018) Canadian Family Physician 64 (1) 41. https://www.cfp.ca/content/64/1/41.long

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. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32279703/

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. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2083609/

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. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.60.1.41

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. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17068979/

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. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15753267/

Item dEvery 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!