Since I became a mom I was shocked at how often I googled anything related to getting my baby to sleep. I was equally shocked to see how much information there was out there! I never thought I would need help getting my baby to fall asleep on his own; but when I was desperate and we were both in need of some major shut eye, I decided to hire a sleep consultant – and it was worth every penny!
{Why I Hired A Sleep Consultant}
Before becoming a mom I had no idea about the world of sleep consultants. Can anyone tell me if this is a new thing? Kind of like how the wedding industry and baby industry have blown up in the recent years? There are many, many sleep consultants and sleep training methods out there. You’ll hear words like “Ferber” or “CIO (Cry It Out)” thrown around. In the end you need to feel comfortable and take into consideration your baby’s personality.
Plenty of Trial And Error
Before I even considered how I would hire a sleep consultant I did a lot of research, reading and of course, trial and error. The problem was that I wasn’t confident in what I was doing. Scratch that…I had NO CLUE what I was doing. And therefore I wasn’t able to stay consistent with my method of getting T to sleep. Plus, since I was so sleep deprived and didn’t have a plan that I fully understood, it was difficult to figure out what was working and what wasn’t.
Sleep Deprivation for both Mom and Baby
At a certain point, when T was 4 months old he was waking every, single, hour. It was driving me crazy and I gave in and brought him to bed with me so that he could nurse easily but we STILL weren’t getting the sleep we needed. Not only was I desperate for some shut eye, but I was also worried that he wasn’t getting his much needed sleep in order to develop and grow.
Researching a Sleep Consultant
There are many sleep consultants and sleep training companies out there. It’s important that you do your research and find the company or person you are comfortable with. Ask a lot of questions before starting, and be sure the person you are working with will respect your parenting philosophy, your baby’s unique personality and your family situation. Everyone is different – some families have other kids to consider or perhaps one parent works night shift. Everything in your life should be taken into consideration and your sleep coaching plan should NOT be a “one fits all” program.
Seeking Advice
I was introduced to Kim Sopman, a certified sleep consultant through a friend on Facebook. She hosts a support group page about sleep issues for babies and toddlers. I scrolled through all the questions and read her answers and I loved how she was consistent yet flexible with her approach. I messaged her to see if she could help me and told her a bit about our situation. Her feedback was so supportive and it made so much sense to me that I decided right away to hire her.
Kim Sopman of Rest Easy Sleep Consulting
As soon as I contacted Kim, I knew I had made the right decision. She worked with my family’s unique situation and offered troubleshooting and support throughout the process. I booked a 3 week session with her and within the first week of working with her and following the sleep schedule (both nap times and bedtime) T was sleeping for much longer periods and getting him to fall asleep on his own was getting easier. Turns out he was extremely overtired; you would think that babies would just sleep more when they are tired right? Apparently when babies are overtired they actually have trouble sleeping and sleep less!
Our time with Kim helping us was money well spent. T was finally getting restorative sleep which meant that I was too. We were both in a MUCH better mood and I wasn’t feeling like a needed 5 cups of coffee to function! Kim was always whenever I had a question – even at 3am! And she was always checking in on us during the day and offering tips and suggestions for getting naps in while working around our schedule. Of course, while it’s ideal to stay home during sleep coaching, it’s not always possible! I really appreciated that Kim understood this and figured out alternatives to help us.
Sleep Coaching is for Parents – Not Baby!
Often times the sleep coaching is more for the parents than for the baby. Turns out that I WAS doing some things right; I just needed the acknowledgement and encouragement to stick with it. Kim helped me to understand what was happening with T’s sleep patterns and what he needed from me. Helping me troubleshoot through short naps and unexpected wake ups was a huge help too. By the end of our time together T was sleeping well in most environments and when we did have the odd “blip” here and there I knew exactly how to handle it and get back on track.
If you’re looking into hiring a sleep consultant I HIGHLY recommend working with Kim. I looked into many other sleep consulting programs and companies and I connected with Kim and her philosophy right away. Get in touch with Kim on her facebook page and on her website.
