WHAT IS A HOLISTIC SLEEP APPROACH?
A holistic sleep approach doesn't just talk about sleep, we look at the whole picture taking a family centred, evidence-based approach which recognises our children’s developmental ability, their physical, psychological and emotional needs, and the resources we, the caregivers, have available to help and support them.
​
As well as considering the science behind sleep we consider their physical health, development and needs, nutrition, allergy, feeding style, etc. Furthermore our children don’t exist in a vacuum, they are part of a family unit so we’ll consider the impact sleep is having on parents, caregivers, siblings and any others in your home. We’ll consider the impact of childcare arrangements, parents' health, availability and working arrangements, we’ll consider sibling relationships and sleep environment set up. Parenting style and the journey from conception, through pregnancy and birth can also be important factors influencing how we respond to our children. Holistic sleep solutions allow us to take all this in to account to build a sleep solution which is completely bespoke to you and your child giving you the best chance of success.​​
WILL MY CHILD CRY?
I can’t guarantee your child won’t cry, but with holistic sleep strategies you won’t be asked not to respond to a child who needs you.
​
Crying is one of the key ways our little one’s communicate with us so our strategies will help us understand what they are trying to tell us so we can respond appropriately and empathetically to them at all times. Babies and children cry for all sorts of reasons: they’re not feeling well, the sun was in their eyes, they’re tired, a loud sound, they’re not tired, the pink bowl not the blue bowl, they’ve hurt themselves, you didn’t peel my banana the way they expected and so many more things can all be cause for tears. It’s up to us to recognise what’s caused the tears in the situation and to help them navigate that.
​
My aim is to help you identify what causes the tears and what your little one is trying to tell us so you feel confident to know which tool to use to help them. We can also talk about how crying makes you feel, your response to crying and help you feel confident in navigating their tears calmly.​​
WHEN WILL I SEE RESULTS?
This is a bit of a how long is a piece of string question. Generally parents see changes within just a few days, but it does depend on your child’s temperament and your ability to respond consistently, and of course progress is not always linear. However, most parents feel confident to be ‘signed off’ from support after just a couple of weeks as they can see things trending in the right direction and know what they need to do to keep sleep on track and navigate future changes.
WHY WORK WITH YOU? CAN'T I FIND ALL THIS INFO ON INSTAGRAM/FACEBOOK/CHATGPT?
Honestly, yes you probably can, the internet is amazing! But generally tired parents are so bombarded with advice and it’s all slightly different so it can be hard to know what path to choose and that can impact your ability to respond to your child consistently which makes results harder to come by. I’ll help you stay on track and navigate this confusion. My sleep plans are truly bespoke and tailored to your parenting style and your child’s temperament in a way a blog post (no matter how excellent) can’t be. I will be your biggest cheerleader through the process and will give you more confidence and support to make sure things stay on track. We can review sleep diaries together to adapt our methods as we go, so we really are worth the money.
WHAT DOES THE SUPPORT PROCESS LOOK LIKE?
It all starts with a call.
​
We’ll have a chat to get to know each other so I can understand what your current sleep situation looks like and feel confident that there are positive strategies we can implement to improve things and you feel sure that I am the right person to help your child before you have committed to anything.
​
If there are any indications that a referral might be needed (e.g. allergy investigations) we can discuss this and agree next steps to make sure that we’re always working with a well-child who is physically going to be comfortable enough to achieve good sleep.
​
After that we’ll agree what level of support would be most beneficial to your family and I’ll send you a quote. I always want to make sure that people feel they’ve had great value for money and want sleep support to be as accessible as possible so if I don’t think you need a full package or suite of follow up support I’ll advise you of that and quote accordingly.​
​
Once you’re happy with the level of support we’ve agreed and accepted the quote you’ll sign our Ts and Cs to be sure that our expectations are aligned and I’ll send you a full sleep questionnaire to fill in which gives me all the information I need to write a cohesive sleep plan for your family. This has to be returned to me at least 48 hours before your consultation so I have time to review it thoroughly and write up your plan.
​
Then we have a full consultation where we’ll go through all the strategies which might benefit your family and discuss how and when you can use the various approaches and tools to help you all get a better night’s sleep. I’ll walk you through the sleep science so you understand not just the how but the why as well. A lot of parents find this hugely empowering and say it really helps them stay calm and find patience in the tiredest moments.
​
Then we’ll agree when you’d like to start putting these new tools in place and if there is follow up support included we’ll schedule your first check in call. Throughout the support period you can email me any questions you have and we’ll speak every few days. Generally this lasts two weeks by which time families feel confident to continue navigating their sleep journey independently, but of course, you always know where I am if you need me.
Subscribe for Occasional Sleep News, Updates and Offers
We're not here to fill up your inbox, we'll just send you the odd sleep and baby related newsletter which we think you might like. Rest assured, your details will not be shared with any third parties.