1. What is sleep training?
Sleep training is a way to teach your baby to self-soothe and fall asleep on their own without help from their parents or caregiver. Through sleep training, they will learn to not only fall asleep but also to stay asleep on their own. There are many different ways to sleep train, but we use the gentle approach of sleep training; wherein the parent or caregiver is with the child throughout.
2. Are you a sleep trainer or a sleep consultant?
I am a certified gentle sleep consultant. A trainer typically focuses on coaching the family and baby to ensure that the little one sleeps for longer. Wherein, as a sleep consultant I focus beyond the training methods and look at the overall daily routine. This includes the feeds, naps, sleep environment and bedtime rituals while ensuring the family gets the deserved night rest and their sleep goals are achieved at the same time.
3. Does the gentle approach that you follow also entails crying?
Any new form of teaching for a baby can result in some crying. Babies are often unable to express their feelings or haven’t developed their speech skills and hence will express themselves in the form of crying. However, this method is different from the traditional sleep training method known as "cry it out".
In the gentle approach, the parent/caregiver is by the baby’s side and in the same room through the process. Our method focuses on reducing crying by offering attentive care and reassurance. As a parent or primary caregiver, you will remain in the room to support your child ensuring they feel comforted and never alone. This approach is quite different and does not involve leaving your baby to cry themselves to sleep.
4. At what age can we start teaching them to self soothe and sleep independently?
The ideal age would be post 5-6 months. Most babies under the age of 6 months do not have the brain maturity to self-soothe. When your baby reaches closer to 6 months, they can learn to fall asleep independently. It just takes a couple of weeks to help them gently let go of certain sleep associations, sleep independently and for a longer duration.
5. What is included in your Newborn Sleep Program?
Our newborn sleep program is designed for babies from the age of 0-5 months. This program helps us to understand the appropriate sleep environment, strategies to tackle colic or wailing babies and gentle ways of settling the lows. It essentially sets the foundation for sleep coaching post the age of 5 months and makes the independent sleep process easier.
6. Is a crib absolutely necessary?
Yes and no, both. It depends purely on what you wish to achieve from this highly customised program. If you are wanting to teach your baby how to self soothe, then the crib works the best. The crib can be in your room and doesn't necessarily need to be kept in a separate one.
If you wish to co-sleep or bed share, we would highly recommend not to do so if your baby is below the age of 5 months from a safety point of view. Post that age, it is up to you and we can achieve other sleep goals via the program. 100% independent sleep will be hard to achieve while the baby is co-sleeping.
7. Until what age group do you work?
Sleep coaching and solving sleep related issues can be achieved from 0-5 years of age. After that age, we usually don’t see any non-medical problems that disrupt sleep.
8. Can I still nurse on demand and start the sleep coaching process?
We will work 100% with you and your breastfeeding goals around the sleep routine. You can definitely feed your baby on-demand during the day and follow the recommended daytime sleep guidelines. We will make sure you are always positively supporting your supply. Our main goal is to help you and your baby get the rest you both need so that you can enjoy your time together and your breastfeeding relationship.
9. What if the coaching hasn’t worked the way I would like it to have?
Sleep consulting will definitely result in some positive changes and progress. Every little win is a success, as we know babies are unpredictable and parenting can be challenging, since it is new and overwhelming. All we tell our clients is to practice CPC - that is being consistent, patient and calm to yield the best results.
It is very important before you sign up to keep the following in mind:
• Both the parents and all the caregivers must be on the same page
• The goals are very well defined
• Verify that there no underlying medical issues
• A paediatrician has given the go ahead
• Be consistent and follow the plan patiently
• Your personal schedule for the span of the coaching, should be altered as per advice
10. Post the program, what if we need additional support in the future?
You can always book a follow-up call with us on a chargeable basis. It will be a 45 minute call, in which we will address all your concerns and help you with the appropriate solutions and a way forward. If need be, we can offer you a 21 day plan but at a discount for returning customers.