Making the most of your sleep consulting experience. Tips for success.
Congratulations on taking the first steps to help your family get better sleep! I’d like to offer a few quick tips for making the most of your consulting experience and getting the best results. Families that have the most success in achieving their goals commit themselves 100% to the process, are open about their child’s sleep challenges, stay in communication with me, and have realistic expectations about the process.
Committing yourself and your family 100% to the process is invaluable to helping achieve the outcome you desire- better sleep for your entire family! Families are often unsure if they can follow through with 2-3 weeks of work focused entirely on sleep improvement. And this is ok. Each family is at a different point, which is why we spend 60-90 minutes during our initial discovery call making sure we are a good fit and that this is the best time to approach change for your family. If you are dealing with an overwhelming situation, your child is ill, or your family is preparing to move or go on vacation, a 100% commitment might not be possible.
Being able to be honest about what your family is going through is one of the most important steps in being successful. Being honest is not always easy, but gives me the most information when developing a sleep plan and helping you be successful. Often, being honest simply means the ability to look at things you might not consider important. For example, one family I worked with did not think to tell me that their child had eczema. I asked about medical issues, but the eczema was not a concern they were worried about. It was something they had been “dealing with.” Once this bit of information was discovered, however, we were able to discuss a possible dairy allergy with the pediatrician and change the child’s diet in a way that helped resolve some of his sleep challenges!
Staying in communication with me is also very important in your family’s success! All of my packages include a number of scheduled phone calls and unlimited email support. If something is not working well, I want to know! If something is working amazingly, I want to know that too! We will be working together for at least 2-3 weeks and staying in contact is so important in staying motivated, dealing with challenges, and celebrating successes. Also, if you are not completely comfortable with something I have asked you to do, it is very important to let me know so that we can work out a solution that will help move you toward success.
Having realistic expectations of yourself and your child is also valuable in helping you achieve success. With sleep consultants and books and families offering a wide variety of advice and expectations for what you and your baby “should” be doing, it can be tough to figure out who to listen to or what advice is best for you. Despite having great intentions, a family member may tell you that you need to let your baby cry for 30 minutes because that is the only way to get them to sleep through the night by 6 weeks. Families who are able to weed through these sources and set up realistic expectations for themselves and their babies will be more successful than families who think a 2 month old baby should be able to sleep through the night.
By working together as a team and being able to have full communication and commitment, we will be able to improve sleep for you and your family!