“With all of the information that’s readily available online, and the resources you have at your disposal in the form of friends and family who have managed to get their kids to sleep, why would you want to work with a stranger to get your child sleeping through the night?”
The question might not always be phrased exactly this way, but I know it’s a question I hear a lot from parents when they’re thinking about getting some professional help from a sleep consultant with their little ones’ sleep habits.
And it is a valid question! After all, your mother managed to get you to sleep at some point. Your friend might have four kids who are all champion sleepers, so she should have some answers for you, right?
Well, yes! At least they might have some tips that could help you make great sleep a reality. But then again, they might not.
And let me be the first to say, if you’ve got someone who can help you in this situation, I’m not the least bit offended if you want to ask them for help instead of calling a sleep consultant. After all, kids are expensive and if you can remedy the problem without paying for it, I’m all for that option.
Most of the time though, my clients are parents who have already tried that route and found it wasn’t successful. And there are dozens of reasons why that might happen.
The biggest reason why the solutions that work for one family don’t work for another
It is simple. The reason the solutions that work for one family don’t work for another is because they’re not dealing with the same baby!
Some babies are heavily reliant on sleep props. Others can’t sleep in a room that’s too warm. Some may not be getting enough daytime sleep, and others might be overtired from a bedtime that is too late. This baby might have developed an association between feeding and falling asleep, whereas that one might be ready to drop their second daytime nap.
And, of course, it could be any combination of all of the above, or the many other sleep challenges that babies might experience. The challenges you and your little one are struggling with are unique to your child and family.
Adding to the challenge is the fact that most solutions don’t work overnight. So parents might try a solution that could potentially help baby start sleeping through the night, but abandon it before they start to see progress and improvements due to some heavy protesting on baby’s part.
In short, sleep is a very complicated issue. There’s very rarely one single thing that can remedy the situation and it can almost never be remedied overnight.
Hiring a Sleep Consultant
A professional sleep consultant has the experience and training to recognize which problems result in specific symptoms. A sleep consultant can work with you to develop a personalized plan for your child that addresses those individual issues. They can provide some much-needed support when things get difficult. They are there to give you the encouragement you need to follow through on that plan for you to see marked improvement.
Think about it the way you would think about hiring a personal trainer. You could just get some dumbbells and watch some YouTube videos in order to get in shape and establish healthy workout habits. So why pay someone to guide you along?
Well, because sleep consultants able to give you solid advice based on education and experience, they can help to keep you motivated, hold you accountable to meeting your goals and they know how to respond to the problems that might arise when it comes to your specific situation.
When it comes to your baby’s sleep habits, it is very possible to find success on your own. But, just like with getting in shape, it can be hard to stay motivated and to follow through on your plan when results are not seen overnight. If you are having a hard time finding sleep success on your own for your family, hiring a professional Child Sleep Consultant can help you! By providing you with answers, encouragement and the support you need we can work together to make great sleep a reality at your house in a few short weeks!
Cheers to healthy, happy sleep!