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.
With the right routines and strategies, you can achieve peaceful and improved sleep for your child and for the whole family.
You’ve probably come across various Sleep Coaches and Sleep Consultants when researching ways to improve your baby or child’s to sleep. Having some 1:1 support will definitely help you feel more confident and empowered as you make changes to your child’s sleep. I often refer to the analogy of working on your fitness. It’s totally possible to do it alone, but you’ll reach your goals with far more ease with a personal trainer who devises a bespoke plan for you and meets with you every day to support you!
So, if you’ve made the decision to hire a Sleep Consultant, your next decision may be whether you should hire a Sleep Consultant who can support you online or whether a home visit from a Sleep Consultant would be better.
What's the difference? And most importantly, which option is right for you?
You’ll find out everything you need to know in this article…
What is a Sleep Consultant?
A Sleep Consultant is a professional who provides advice and education about sleep. Think of it as someone who can support you and your child to become the best sleeper they can be. Sleep Coaches and Sleep Consultants help families just like yours to create an individual plan and routine for your baby to achieve better sleep.
Sleep Consultants typically support families through individual consultations that can be either online or in person (or a mixture of both). Some Sleep Consultants (including me) also offer overnight sleep visits.
Related content: How to find the right sleep coach for you?
What does an online Sleep Consultant do?
An online Sleep Consultant will typically work with you virtually through Zoom consultations and potentially also via telephone, email, or messaging.
Some of my packages, are entirely online. Typically, when I start working with a new family, I will conduct a holistic analysis (in the form of a pre-consultation) by asking the parents to keep a 3-day sleep diary and answer some questions. I will then follow that up with a 90-minute 1:1 video consultation via Zoom (which will be recorded and sent to you so you can watch it back at any time).
After that, the level of support will depend on the package you chose. My Silver package provides a single follow up call that parents can use to trouble shoot and ask any follow up questions. If you opt for the Gold package, you’ll receive a bespoke plan via email, tailored to your specific situations and goals following your consultation. You’ll also have access to limitless Zoom and telephone consultations for 1 month, as well as daily Whats app support.
Pros of working online with a Sleep Consultant
Cost-effective
Working online with a Sleep Consultant can prove a cost-effective and efficient solution for your family. The service can work out to be much cheaper than hiring an in-person Sleep Consultant, and it means you won’t have anyone physically coming into your home, which can take the pressure off for some families.
No need for a mad tidy!
Now please trust me, there won’t be any judgements from an in-person sleep coach about what your house looks likes (you have a baby or toddler, I’d be suspicious if your house was sparkling!). However, I know that some parents would much prefer to chat to someone without having to do a mad tidy-up beforehand!
Use technology for a personal touch
Thanks to technology, you should be able to stay in touch with your Sleep Consultant in real-time and in a way that works around you, your baby, and any other children or members of the family. When I support clients over the course of a month with my Gold package, we use What’s app, Zoom and telephone. After the initial Zoom consultation, we set up a What’s app group for us to stay in touch each day, as needed. Some parents like to use this chat as a place to record how the days and nights are going, although this isn’t obligatory! When we want to review progress and decide next steps, we’ll sit down on Zoom and talk things through in more detail.
The reason I offer WhatsApp support is to save parents from needing to Google when they have questions about sleep. Rather than searching for answers on google, you can ping your questions to me, and I can get straight back to you. There’s no more second-guessing, and you can feel confident knowing that you’re following evidence-based advice from someone who truly understands and knows you and your baby.
Think of me as your personal, empathetic, accurate Google!
Take a stepped approach
Another advantage of online support vs overnight support is that parents can take a far more stepped approach, which may be best for them and their baby.
For example, with my Gold package, you get one month of limitless support, so you can work at the pace that's right for you and your baby, rather than doing a complete overhaul of sleep within a few days (which is typically what happens with overnight visits!)
Results can be just as good as the in-person approach!
And the biggie: when it comes to achieving results, working with an online Sleep Coach can often be just as effective as hiring an in-person consultant.
Online sleep coaching pros at a glance…
More affordable
No one in your home
Ease of communication
Can take a stepped approach
Can achieve brilliant results if you find the right sleep coach for you
The downsides of working with an online Sleep Consultant
Finding the right one
I’ve been a Sleep Consultant for 12 years, and during this time, the industry has grown massively. There are lots of Sleep Consultants out there, and it and it might feel daunting working out who will be the right one for you. Most Sleep Consultants offer a free discovery call, so make sure you speak to a few so that you can get a good feel for their philosophies, and whether they’ll be a good fit for you.
TIP: If your partner is going to be involved in sleep coaching, try and arrange the discovery call for a time that they can join too. This way, you can both ask questions and make the decision of who to hire together.
There may still be some overnight ‘what ifs’ that aren’t covered by remote support.
Even with the most considered plans, there may be moments in the night where baby throws a curve ball, and parents are wondering ‘what should I do now?
My advice would always be, go with your gut, don’t do anything that feels wrong. Do what you need to do to get through. Parents with my Gold package will be able to hop on the phone in the morning, and we’ll talk it through and make a plan for the following night.
If I’m with you overnight, I’ll be able to help you through any moments that are difficult or different to what you were expecting. I’ll also be able to use my intuition and experience to help you find the settling method that works for your baby.
In truth, having someone to show you exactly what to do with your baby (so you can simply replicate any strategies or techniques your Sleep Consultant shows you) could be very handy.
Your energy levels are likely low!
The final downside of online support is around energy levels and the ability to make changes to your baby's sleep at the pace you want to.
Even with the gentlest sleep plans, when we are totally exhausted, it can be really hard to make a change in the middle of the night.
The part of our brain that ensures survival will become dominant and will be telling us to do what we need to do at the moment to get the sleep we so desperately need.
So, even if you're really keen to resettle your child in a different way, such as rocking rather than feeding, it can feel really hard to do so when you know you could get back to bed in ten minutes if you use the 'quick fix'!
Don’t despair though - if you decide to work with an online Sleep Consultant, they will act as your champion and cheer leader if the going-gets-tough! It’s likely you’ll have a sense of accountability, making it more likely that you’ll make the changes at night. However, if you find it hard (there are always tough nights), they will be with you to support you and help you find a path that is manageable for both you and your child.
Online sleep coaching support cons at a glance…
Your Sleep Consultant can’t show you directly what to do in the moment (although can demonstrate via video)
Your Sleep Consultant can’t physically resettle your baby while you get much-needed sleep
Your energy levels may be low, and it may be difficult to do things the ‘hard-way’ in the short term, to benefit the long term!
What happens during an overnight visit?
Generally, your Sleep Consultant will be with you from bedtime and stay with you throughout the night to provide hands-on practical support.
For example, in my Platinum Package (for babies aged 7+ months), after my 30-minute pre-visit consultation, I offer a 72 hours (3-day) home visit. This is designed to support you as, together, we guide your child into a new routine. Because I will stay with you during the whole day and night, we can establish an effective and flexible nap routine so that you can feel confident about naps going forward. Then at night, we can work together to settle your baby using a new, more sustainable method. If you prefer, I can do the resettle your baby throughout the night while you get some much-needed sleep!
Pros of having a home visit from your Sleep Consultant
Have someone show you exactly how it works
Working in-person with a Sleep Consultant is likely to help you feel calmer and more confident in the middle of the night. They can advise you and guide you personally as you implement changes in your child's routine.
When working online with a Sleep Consultant, you’ll have all the information to allow you to make these changes, but when you’re exhausted, you may find it difficult to put the advice into practice.
Sometimes, a little practical help goes a long way!
Working with Sleep Consultant who provides overnight visits can give you that hands-on help you might be in desperate need of.
Actually get some sleep!
If you’re completely exhausted, an overnight stay from your Sleep Consultant could give you the chance to get some much needed sleep. This means you’ll have some respite and have the energy to do things differently in the night as you move forward.
Can respond directly to your baby
When a Sleep Consultant is alongside you at night, they can see for themselves how your baby is responding and suggest tweaks or alternative settling methods. Sometimes just subtle tweaks can make a big difference.
Calmer parent, calmer baby
When a Sleep Consultant is alongside you at night, you'll likely feel a whole calmer and more confident. If you're feeling confident, your baby will probably pick up on this, and this may help them settle more easily.
You don’t just get sleep advice
The likelihood is, you won’t only get advice about everything sleep-related. But you'll also have lots of other conversations around parenting.
For example, when I stay with families for three nights with the Platinum package, we leave no stone left unturned! We talk about everything from weaning, recipe ideas, positive parenting, transitions that occur when we enter parenthood, and everything inbetween!
Results are generally quicker
Finally, results are generally quicker when working overnight with a Sleep Consultant by your side.
When working alone, you need to be realistic about how much change you can make at any one time.
If you're really exhausted when you start, you may need to take more of a stepped approach, working on one part of the night at a time. However, when you have a Sleep Consultant with you overnight, the Sleep Consultant will bring the energy (and resolve), which will mean you can tackle the whole night from night one!
Accountability to make changes
And finally, having a Sleep Consultant along side you at night will provide you with accountability. Having someone physically present in your space forces you to make the changes you've been wanting to make, especially if it's something you've been struggling to do on your own until now.
Hands-on Sleep coaching/night nanny pros at a glance…
Can physically show you what to do
Can respond directly to your baby
Can allow you to get some sleep yourself
Can help you feel more calm and confident, which your baby will pick up on
Results can be quicker
Give you some accountability
Gain more than sleep advice
Can provide remote support afterwards
Are there any down sides to having a home visit from a Sleep Consultant?
There aren't that many cons to working with an in-person Sleep Consultant, as long as you feel comfortable with the person you've chosen. After all, they'll be in your home for a few nights, so you and your family need to feel at ease with the person you hire.
Money, money, money!
Naturally, because of the time spent at your home, a home visit from a Sleep Consultant is a lot more expensive than an online consultation, so the additional cost is something to be factored in.
Home visit cons at a glance…
Will be more expensive than an online package with a Sleep Consultant
Having someone in your home could feel strange to some people
Online Sleep Consultant or a home visit - which one should you choose?
There's no right or wrong answer here!
Your choice mainly comes down to personal preference and whether you'd like someone in your home to help you out with your baby for a few nights. If you tried an online Sleep Consultant before and found that didn't work for you, maybe an in-person visit would work better? Or, if you’re about to return to work in a few weeks, and the cost isn't an issue, then an home visit from a Sleep Consultant may help you improve sleep in the short space of time you have available.
However, if you are on a budget and are looking for information, guidance, and support to help your baby sleep as well as possible, then an online Sleep Consultant will be a good match.
Once you understand the difference in the services the two types of Sleep Consultants offer, it's completely your choice!
And if you'd like to find out more about this, check out the blog post How to Find the Right Sleep Coach for You and Your Baby.
What do I do?
I provide both online Sleep Consulting, as well as home visits (UK wide). Because I understand that everyone's situation, needs, and goals are different, I offer different packages that suit different budgets and vary depending on the type of support you require.
The Young baby sleep shaper (for babies 0-5 months old) is completely online and includes a one-hour video consultation, a bespoke sleep plan, and two follow-up support calls with me.
The Gold package (6 months+) is also online and includes a slightly longer video consultation, a bespoke sleep plan, and one month of limitless Zoom consultations and Whats App support.
And finally, the Platinum package (7 months+) includes in-person support for 72 hours (i.e. a 3-day home visit UK-wide), a bespoke sleep plan, and a month of limitless remote support via Zoom and What’s App.
Would you like some help to improve your baby's sleep?
If you're currently suffering from sleep deprivation, you feel you've tried everything, and are at the end of your tether; I want to reassure you that you can find a solution!
As a Holistic Sleep Consultant, I can help you achieve peaceful and improved sleep - for your child, yourself, and the whole family.
If you'd like to find out how I can help, please get in touch by arranging a call or sending me an email. I'd love to hear your sleep story and help you improve your child's sleep.
Hi! I’m Louise…
You can find out more about my services here: