Sleep, it’s a hot topic. There are just copious amounts of information readily available for parents.
But having so much information is not always a good thing! It can be utterly bewildering and baffling for parents.
The standard advice goes a little like this:
Try a calming bath with lavender, followed by a calming story in your child’s bedroom….
Then you’re hit with the dreaded techniques! Cry it out, don’t cry it out and be responsive. Use controlled crying, use rapid return, stay with your child until they fall to sleep.
So many parents understandably will choose their camp and roll with it.
When the standard advice doesn't work...
Now we as parents aren’t silly and we know that these things will take a little bit of time. So, we set the expectation. The first three nights are awful, but we can see it slightly improving. Then we get to say day four or five and it all seems to be going well.
Well, that is up until the little bump in the road. This little bump is often not talked about yet is oh so common.
When introducing anything new this is what tends to happen…
We get on a roll, feel like we have cracked it. Then, bosh, it feels like we are back to the beginning. However, we are not. It is completely normal for things to take a downward turn around day nine/ten for a few days and thereafter things tend to become a lot easier again.
Now the other thing about sleep is your child’s temperament, your temperament. Are the things that you are advised to do pre bed ACTUALLY relaxing?
Is a bath working?
Is a story working?
So, this I suppose where I come in. You may have tried all the techniques; you may have hit all the bumps in the road, but it still doesn’t seem to be getting you anywhere near to a better night’s sleep.
But you see sleep is almost a bit of a jigsaw puzzle all the components need to fit perfectly for it to be able to be completed.
I speak to many of my families each week who all say. The same thing!
“I feel so much more confident now”
“I can see the improvements”
“I have realistic expectations”
“It feels relaxing”
“I can see how this will work for US”
Often there are little tweaks that need to be made so the puzzle all fits together. Having someone to support you who understands sleep means that you no longer question what you are doing, or spend hours researching sleep and then getting confused, probably ending up completely changing your method and then ultimately giving in.
For almost every family there is a way. It’s sometimes a bit of a windy road and not always a straightforward journey but we get there, together!
A parent review which I think summarises it perfectly.
“I don’t know where to start- Kerry has changed my life. Like everyone who is suffering from sleep deprivation, I had little patience, family relationships were strained, we had sibling resentment and ultimately it was affecting not only my mental health, but also the mental health of the rest of my family. Kerry worked with us and gave me the confidence that I did know what I was doing, and we made simple yet consistent changes and are now starting to reap the rewards.
Kerry is one of the nicest people you will ever speak to, and it was like talking to a friend, when we would chat. Thank you so much Kerry, you really are the Sleep Fixer xx”
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