Do you need to stay with your child at bedtime to help them get to sleep?  Or does your child wake frequently in the night because they’re anxious about being alone? In this blog, I’ll explore strategies that you can use to support your child's journey towards independent sleep while ensuring they feel secure and loved.

If you've tried the Cry It Out (CIO) method and given up, or if you're completely against it, I'm here to reassure you that there are alternatives for you to consider.  

You don't have to use CIO to help your child sleep better. 

If it's not for you, there are plenty of other things you can try that may better suit you, your baby, and your family.

So let's get into the details of why I don't personally advocate the Cry-It-Out method….

Being the parent of a toddler is exhausting at the best of times. Being the parent of a toddler who doesn’t sleep well takes the exhaustion to a whole other level. Gone are the days when you could ‘sleep when the baby sleeps’ or spend time watching Netflix while you fed and cuddled your baby. Life is busy, you may have returned to work, and you may even have a new baby to care for as well. 

If this is where you’re at, please know that you’re not alone - sleep challenges during the toddler years are really common.

If you're currently suffering from sleep deprivation, and no book or method you picked up from the shelves seems to help with your child, firstly, I want to say you are not alone. I speak to many, many parents who have read every book imaginable on sleep coaching and have still struggled to make it work.

If you’re looking for a book (or an audiobook if you’re understandably so tired that you don’t have the energy to read!) to help with your baby’s sleep, here's a list of recommendations and things to watch out for when it comes to choosing books to read on the topic of sleep.

Have you been wondering whether to try an app to help with your baby's sleep? Or perhaps you’re already using a sleep app, but you’re feeling disheartened because it’s not quite living up to it’s promise.

There are oodles of sleep apps out there that promise to help babies sleep well without excessive expense or hassle. But the real question is–do they work? Can a sleep app really help improve your baby's sleep?

Let's dive into it by taking a look at the different types of sleep apps that are available, how they work, and which ones you should (or shouldn’t!) invest your time and money into.

Are you struggling with a lack of sleep?

Do you need to make changes around sleep, but don’t want to do anything that involves leaving your baby to ‘cry-it-out’?

If so, please know that you’re not alone. Lots of parents get in touch with me saying that they feel stuck between a rock and a hard place because they are desperate for sleep to improve, but they can’t imagine anything ever changing.

However, please let me reassure you that there are plenty of gentle strategies you can use to help improve both your and your child’s sleep.

If you’re feeling exhausted and at your wits end with broken sleep because of your child's current sleeping patterns, you’ve probably googled ‘sleep coaches’ or ‘sleep trainers’.

The problem is, when you’re exhausted and in desperate need of someone to help, it’s difficult to know who to hire.

Are you desperately trying to find a solution to getting your baby to sleep better at night?

Whatever problems you’re having around your child’s sleep, please know this, you’re not alone. I know how polarised the subject of sleep is–everyone seems to think that what worked for them will work for everyone else. If only!

So if you feel like you've tried everything and you’re getting overwhelmed and (understandably) frustrated, a Sleep Coach might be the answer.

As an infant sleep coach, one of the most common sleep isues that I help parents resolve is frequent night waking.  

Now, please be assured that night feeds and night waking are completely normal in babies and young children. In fact, a recent study by Amy Brown at Swansea University found that 78% of babies between the ages of 6-12 months regularly woke at least once in the night, with 61% having at least one milk feed during the night.

However, I know some babies and children wake REALLY frequently at night. I also know that, as a parent, getting by on a small amount of broken sleep night after night, month upon month isn’t sustainable forever. Everyone has their limit. 

Sleep is multifacted, and there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that’s going to improve things for everyone. However, there are some comon culprits that are known to affect sleep. 

I’ve written this blog to give you the 5 biggest cuplrits behind frequent night waking, and some gentle ways that you can help optimise sleep for your child.