Is a Baby Sleep Coach for me?

Parenthood may be something that you have dreamt about your whole life. It is no doubt it is one of the best and most difficult jobs anyone can have. It will fill your heart with the most special kind of love. However, it is not always pure bliss like you imagine it may be. The perception that all moms know what to do and they automatically know how to juggle it all can make any new mom feel like they aren’t living up to everything they thought this new journey would be. These new little babes don’t come with a manual and with a whole lot of mixed information out there, it is hard to know what the best options for you and your evolving parenting style is. There is no doubt that “it takes a village,” is one of the most understood saying after having kids and that village can be family, hired help, coaches, and physicans to help you navigate this new role. If you have thought about hiring a sleep coach to help you and your little one start out with healthy sleep habits, or you find that this is an area that you need that extra support, I highlight some of the benefits of for that part of your village below.  

1. Expert Guidance unique to Your Baby’s Needs:

Coaching your baby healthy sleep habits is not a one size fits all approach. You are as unique as your baby and it is finding a balance of what works for you, your family and your baby to setting your baby up for success. Each approach is personalized based on your baby, their temperament, their age and what is healthy and developmentally appropriate for them. Each baby is born with the ability to sleep well, it is finding the tools to help them learn that they have to do so. This encompasses the daily routine, feeding schedule and nutrition, the way in which they are learning to fall asleep, and the environment in which they are in.

2. Setting the Stage for Healthy Sleep Habits:

Sleep is as important as nutrition when it comes to development. It is a necessity for development to take place, new skills to be acquired, and to stay on a healthy growth curve as they get older. The first year, the proper sleep expectations change and sometimes change rapidly. The science behind sleep and its evolution in the first years will help set age appropriate expectations for nighttime and naps. Establishing these healthy habits now will lay the proper foundation for a life time of good sleep.

3. Reduced Parental Stress and Anxiety, It isn’t just about the baby:

It isn’t always sunshine and rainbows in the first few months of new parenthood. Sleep deprivation is a real thing and sleep is not a luxury that you need to give up as a new parent. Sleep is a necessity to be the best parent you can and want to be. Lack of sleep can lead to extreme stress and anxiety, lack of patience for your spouse or child, and create an emotional rollercoaster that you just don’t want to ride. Sleep coaches do more than just lay out a plan for you to implement on your own and you are off. They are there to support and guide you as you learn with your child. They are there to reassure you that you are doing it correct and if your baby throws a curve ball, teething, sickness, growthspurt, etc. they help you navigate those, too. At the end of working with a sleep coach you will have the confidence to handle any sleep scenario thrown you way, understand that you will have hiccups along the way and have the knowledge to know how to overcome each hurdle.

4. Consistency and routine:

Routine and consistency help child understand expectations and what is coming next and that starts at a young age. Establishing a solid routine and staying on course will keep your baby on track and make the learning process of self-soothing and independent sleep much smoother and quicker to the finish line.

5. Will my baby Cry? A gradual and gentle approach:

There are several different methods of sleep “training” and those depend on the baby’s age you are beginning and parents comfort level. Yes, there may be tears in the process, but there are options to work with your child at a gentler approach than the extinction method that everyone fears. I personally have never used that approach, and don’t foresee myself ever doing so. I like to use a gentler approach that keeps parents very much involved and supporting their child as they discover this skill and put it to use.

6. Will our bond be broken:

There is a fear out there that “sleep training” will lessen a baby’s bond with the mother. It is the opposite. A well rested mama and baby will be more alert, happy, engage with each other in more meaningful ways than when they are exhausted and overstimulated. It is more quality time together and no doubt strength their connect and bond.

7. Long-Term Benefits:

Starting you and your new family out with healthy sleep habits is the most gentle approach and ensures a strong sleep foundation for life. Educating and understanding the sleep cycle and what is developmentally happening with you child as they grown will set you up to strategies to handle regressions, sickness, teething, changes to routine, and anything thrown your way throughout childhood.

Investing in a sleep coach now is not only an investment in your child’s development and well being, but your well being. The expert guidance, customized strategies, and support they offer can transform sleepless nights into peaceful ones, creating a positive impact on the entire family. Remember, well-rested parents make for happier parents, and happier parents make for a happier home.