How Can a Child Sleep Consultant Help My Family?

The field of child sleep consulting is relatively new and I hear all the time “I never knew people like you existed!” If you are thinking the same thing, with today’s post, I’m hoping to answer the question “how can a child sleep consultant help my family?” I’m also going to advise on the top things that you should consider when evaluating child sleep consultants.

How Can a Child Sleep Consultant Help Your Family?

ART & SCIENCE-BASED INSIGHTS

In our increasingly digital world, a plethora of information is readily available, which can be wonderful!  On the flip side, the sheer volume of information and differing opinions can be overwhelming.  Especially for new parents and parents that are exhausted from sleep challenges with their children.

Child sleep consultants help you to sift through all of the reading and opinions.  They provide with you fact based insight into the science and art of child sleep.

PERSONALIZED RECOMMENDATIONS

Client sleep consultants analyze your specific family and sleep situation.  From there, they provide recommendations specifically for your family situation, parenting philosophies and your children.

Most consultations begin with a family completing an in-depth intake form.  This will help the child sleep consultant to pinpoint challenge areas.  From there, child sleep coaches will often meet in person; through FaceTime / Skype / Phone; or through email to provide a personalized consultation.  During the consultation, the sleep coach will educate and help create a plan together to help the family meet their sleep goals.

Your family situation and your child are unique.  Having a sleep consultant will help you to ensure that the recommendations are tailored to you and your child.

DETAILED SLEEP PLANS & TAILORED SLEEP COACHING METHODS

A child sleep consultant will provide you with a customized, detailed sleep plan to help you achieve your sleep goals.

This is a great resource for exhausted parents.  It will save you from attempting to read all the popular child sleep books and choosing a sleep coaching method that you think ‘might’ work.  Then devise a plan yourself to try to solve your child’s sleep challenges on your own.  A detailed sleep plan helps you to know what to do instead of winging it!   Plus, you can pose questions to a real live person and get expert advice!

SUPPORT

Most child sleep consultants offer a support package as part of their consulting services.  This helps parents implement the sleep plan and troubleshoot challenges as they arise.  Change can be challenging for families.  It helps to have a knowledgeable support system in place that can reassure you and guide you as you go through making these changes.  A child sleep coach also creates accountability and answers questions / provides feedback throughout the process.

What Should You Consider When Looking for a Child Sleep Consultant?

• Are they certified? Ensure you work with someone who is certified from a reputable program, like the Family Sleep Institute. It is important that your consultant has both real world and classroom training so that they are providing sound advice and be able to truly support you.
• Do they offer a get to know you chat so you can talk with the sleep coach before signing up? I think this is important because you can learn a lot about the person from a quick intro call.
• Are your philosophies similar? Check that your philosophies align.  Some consultants are more flexible and work with many sleep coaching methods.  Others specialize in either gentle or more direct methods. Ensure that you ask questions about their philosophy when meeting with them to make sure it is a good fit for you and your family.
• Do you have chemistry? When choosing to work with someone, it can be helpful if you feel comfortable during your initial conversation and you can talk with the consultant openly.
• Does the consultant offer testimonials and have Facebook reviews? Read through the testimonials on their website, but also look to Facebook.  Reviews on Facebook will give you a really good idea of what it is like to work with the consultant and the feedback their clients provide.
• Does the consultant offer support options that work for your communication preferences? You may prefer text, email or phone.  Ensure that your consultant will be able to communicate with you in your preferred method of communication so that you feel truly supported as you go through the process.

I hope that I was able to provide some insight into the value of working with a child sleep consultant and factors to consider when you are evaluating sleep consultants to help your family.

If you have any questions or need personalized help from a member of our team, let’s connect!  Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!