Ask any parent to a newborn and almost inadvertently, the issue of sleep will come up. How many hours the baby and/or parents are able to sleep, whether the bub is a “good sleeper” or wakes up every five minutes; the topic of sleep is very much a central one – especially since there are quite a few schools of thought and on how to train your child to sleep.
Whether you’re in favour of the “cry it out” method or “Ferber” method, you may have heard of sleep training professionals or “sleep consultants”. The question is, what do they do and who needs to engage one?
Sleep, happy baby
Any experienced mother can tell you that having a baby who can sleep well is a gift! Perhaps many underestimate this benefit, especially during the early postpartum months up to baby’s first year. Not only does it ensure that they get a healthy amount of sleep (and thus grow and develop well), babies who sleep better also help Mothers get their rest too. This in turn helps to reduce baby blues, postnatal depression and help with birth trauma healing.
With some babies, going to bed doesn’t seem to be much of an issue. Sure, they might have bouts of crying but beyond the first few weeks or months, seem to get into a natural cycle of sleeping through the night. It happens naturally, as if by magic and everyone is happy.
Unfortunately, this may not be the case every time and for everyone. Even generally healthy babies do get their bouts of illness and may fuss. Or teething times may see some babies cry out for extra comfort from their Mummas during the night.
But what if your baby never outgrows their short sleep cycles? Does this spell permanent eyebags for you?
Sleep doctors and professionals
While your paediatrician can definitely give you medical advice on your baby’s general wellbeing (including sleep matters), there are specific experts that specialise in this area of helping your baby sleep better.
Anyone can benefit from sleep coaching, even adults. Babies or even toddlers and older children who have difficulty sleeping through the night or settling into bed independently may need extra help. That’s where a sleep consultant would come in to guide the parent to practice specific methods that can deal with the necessary sleep issue.
Some parents and caregivers believe that babies can learn to self-soothe independently from birth, resorting to a method known as “cry it out” in which they restrain from responding to infants when it’s bedtime. However, many Mummas – especially those who are pro-attachment parenting – are uncomfortable with this method, as the maternal instinct to answer to their babies crying in distress is natural and strong.
However, there is no need to wait for a problem to happen. Many parents choose to engage a sleep consultant in anticipation of their baby’s coming, so that they can plan for a higher chance of sleep success – both for their child and themselves!
If you’re interested to work with one, remember to look for a certified sleep training practitioner who is using a reputable and known method.
Find Sleep Consultants in our Directory.