About Me

How it all began…

My journey to becoming a sleep consultant really began when my little boy was born. 6 weeks early, he came into the world just before Christmas and everything changed! In the days and nights immediately after his birth, I did not sleep at all. Anxiety about having a baby in SCBU, a strict feeding schedule and a very loud ward made sure of that! I did think things would improve when we eventually got home, but they didn’t. Then I thought things would improve once we were out of the fourth trimester, but they didn’t!

This went on for months and months and I was desperate for sleep. This version of maternity leave was so far removed from the version I had in my head, and it was really tough. I spent nights scrolling Instagram but I found the algorithm served me an onslaught of ‘gentle’ accounts that all said the same thing: ‘Sleep training is harmful!’ ‘You’re a mum now, just suck it up!’ ‘Making change around how a baby falls asleep is damaging.’ ‘You should just co-sleep!’

This prevented me from making any change for such a long time. Eventually though, out of sheer desperation, we sleep trained. It was such a transformation. Suddenly we had our evenings back, we were getting great sleep at night and I had the energy for all the baby classes I used to book and then cancel last minute. Most importantly though, my little boy was so much happier as he was finally getting the sleep he needed! Suddenly my maternity leave was quite a lot closer to how I had pictured it to be, and I was really enjoying it. The power of sleep should not be underestimated, it is absolutely vital.

Ready To Transform Your Little One’s Sleep?

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FAQs

  • For babies 14 months and younger, my aim is to fix sleep quickly and completely. My method will require you to leave your baby for short periods of time and return to comfort them in regular intervals. It is my firm belief that this approach results in fewer tears overall and therefore I no longer offer ‘gentle’ or gradual methods for this age group. For toddlers 14 months and older, sleep habits tend to be more ingrained and as such, we take a slightly more gradual approach, usually starting with in room settling, depending on the situation.

  • Probably. As much as I wish I could promise no tears, babies cry as a natural response to change. We are making positive changes to their sleep and creating healthy sleep habits, but it is still change.

  • No. Improvements to sleep can absolutely be made while breastfeeding.

  • Every child is different. If you are consistent with the plan, I would expect to see improvements in your little one's sleep after just a few nights.

  • Absolutely. There is no reason why we can't work on your little one's sleep if room sharing or co-sleeping. That said, if you want to continue to co sleep while still making changes to sleep, I am probably not the sleep coach for you. Feel free to drop me a message and I can point you in the direction of some great ‘gentle’ coaches who may suit your needs better.

  • You can! The difference in using my services as a sleep consultant is that I will look at the whole picture; routine, sleep, activity and feeds. I get to know you as parents; your family life, your goals and your parenting style and create a plan that is unique to you and that WORKS. There is a lot of noise surrounding sleep online; I am here to provide clarity, reassurance and a plan that works around you. Not only that, I offer ongoing support, guidance, expertise, accountability and encouragement as you work through your plan.

The Dream Club Ethos

  • You Still Matter

    You don’t need to wave goodbye to the ‘you’ that existed before you had children. You can adore your baby more than anything in the world but still value (and want time for) hobbies, your relationship, friendships and a career. Your wellbeing matters too!

  • Sleep Training Is Safe

    Babies who require parental support to get to sleep are likely to need it when they wake in the night too. Teaching independent sleep enables babies to put themselves to sleep at bedtime, and back to sleep when they rouse between cycles overnight. Sleep training that takes place in the context of a loving home is safe, effective and it does not harm attachment. Study after study has shown this to be the case. Sleep training may not be for every parent, but if sleep is feeling unsustainable it is a really good option.

  • Sleep Is Essential, Not Optional

    Sleep is so important for the whole family. I don’t buy into the narrative that you must accept sleep deprivation as part and parcel of being a parent. Good sleep supports development, mood, relationships, learning and health. Parents and babies need sleep to thrive.

  • The Three Pillars Of Good Sleep

    There are three essential strands to good sleep; the right routine, an optimised environment and teaching independent sleep. Addressing one of these on its own is rarely enough to fix sleep, which is why looking at the whole picture is essential.

  • Evidence Over Myths

    I don’t buy into rubbish concepts such as ‘age appropriate wake windows’ or ‘overtiredness causing night wakes’. There is no evidence to support either of these ideas yet they are still spoken about as if they are facts. The advice that I give to parents is grounded in research and evidence.

Ready To Transform Your Little One’s Sleep?

Prefer to chat over text?

There are a lot of sleep consultants out there, and not every sleep consultant will be the right fit for every family. For the avoidance of any doubt at all, I have put together a list of what I do, and (just as importantly!) what I don’t do, to give a clear picture of how I work and if we might be a good fit to work together!

What I do:

  • Work with families to establish your child’s individual sleep needs and create a bespoke routine that works for them. 

  • In babies under 14 months, we teach independent sleep quickly and completely. This transformation tends to be achieved in just a few days. 

  • In children 14 months and older, we take a more gradual approach as sleep habits tend to be more ingrained. 

  • Support you, if required, when you are working through your plan.

  • Work with you to optimise your child’s sleep environment. 

  • Provide ongoing support, if required, to assist you with anything that may crop up with sleep (eg. nap drops, starting nursery, transition to own room etc)

  • Provide advice that is grounded in research and evidence. I have now completed 3 training courses in infant sleep - 2 of them brilliant, 1 not-so-brilliant. My most recent course was a Level 6 (final year degree level) Advanced Paediatric Sleep Practitioner Course. 

What I don’t do:

  • ‘Gentle’ methods for babies aged 14 months and younger. Having offered a range of methods previously, it is my firm belief now that gentle methods in this age group draw out the process unnecessarily, and result in more tears overall. . 

  • Ask you to leave your baby to ‘Cry It Out’ - my method involves responding to your little one with physical and verbal comfort after short intervals.

  • Terrify you with talk of ‘overtiredness’ - this nonsense dominated my early experience of motherhood, and made sleep worse, not better. There is no evidence for it.

  • Ask you to stick to rigid routines and ‘age appropriate wake windows’ - again, there is no evidence that a baby of a certain age can stay awake a certain amount of time. Babies are humans, not robots, and they are all different.

If this sounds good to you, and you would like to find out more about the process or are not sure what package you may need, book a discovery call. Alternatively, if you don’t feel you need a discovery call, you can book in directly.

A note on tears

This is a question that comes up time and time again. To be totally transparent, upfront and honest - tears are inevitable when you make changes to how your little one falls asleep, no matter how gradual an approach you choose. For example, if you have previously been feeding or rocking to sleep and decide you would like to work on independent sleep it is YOU and not your little one who has chosen that change and they may well communicate frustration about that change with tears.

However, tears in themselves are not damaging. While they are never the goal when we work on sleep, they can of course happen as this is how our babies communicate with us.

However, babies are so adaptable to change. If you choose to sleep train your baby, the changes that you can make in as little as a few days is astounding. And when you and your baby are getting the sleep that you both need, the whole family is happier.