What Is The Process of an In-House Baby’s Sleep Consultation?

As soon as you announce that you are expecting, you will undoubtedly be bombarded with advice on the best swaddles, the best strollers, high chairs, cribs, bassinets, nursing accessories, bottles and so on. The topic of discussion that usually follows right after your birth announcement is the sleep pattern of your child.

We've all heard the line, "Sleep now, because for the next 18 years you won't sleep!”. You will encounter many thoughts, emotions, advice (requested and unsolicited) and heated debates on the subject of sleep for children. And that isn't a wonder. Sleep, as well as the health and emotional well-being of the whole family is important.

How Will A Baby Sleep Consultant Guide You Online? 

So what if you've read EVERY sleep book and tried EVERY suggested tip or technique, yet nothing worked. You might as well ask, 'What would the online baby sleep consultant do? " A nice question. As cheerleaders, supporters and educators, sleep consultants are there to act. Depending on the needs of your family, they can work with you in a variety of ways: from a short phone conversation or email, consultation to chat about minor transitions, to working in person or remotely via telephone/Skype/FaceTime for a period of one to two weeks as they guide and support your family while your child learns their new sleep ability.

The Process of  In House Consultation for your Baby’s Sleep

However, the main purpose of in house consultation for your baby’s sleep is to educate families on sleep hygiene, biological sleep needs, safe sleep practises, and to review the timing of night/day sleep while providing support and guidance. For instance, did you know that sleep (aka circadian rhythms) is very precise biological timing and we want to make sure a child sleeps within their optimal biological sleep rhythms, based on their age, so it's easier for their brain to fall asleep and stay asleep?

Online baby sleep consultants will also evaluate your child's room's sleep environment and make recommendations to promote sleep. We want the room to be cool, between 68-72 degrees, and dark, for melatonin production to be optimal. Black-out shades are ideal for making a room as dark as possible. They will have a separate sleep area depending on the age of the child, such as a crib, bed, bassinet, side sleeper, etc. If your child is older and has a night light, you want to ensure that the light that helps in the production of melatonin is red, yellow or orange. As they suppress melatonin, we want to avoid blue or green night lights.

The technique a sleep consultant uses should also be closely aligned with the parenting philosophy and lifestyle of your family. So before they begin, it is important to have an open discussion about any boundaries or requirements. As an online sleep consultant for your baby’s sleep, we use multiple techniques to support your family. Parenting is not a one-size-fits-all strategy and sleep is not either. We talk in-depth with my parents about the different sleep techniques available to them, while answering any questions they may have. Before the consultation is complete, both parents should be confident and comfortable with the approach they choose.

Wrapping Up

Things do not always go as planned, as with anything else in life, so the two weeks of support after the consultation are critical to the success of sleep. Especially during the first week, we need to be able to have flexibility as your children learn their new skills so that we give them the opportunity to do that.

If you struggle with the sleep of your child, which we all do at one point in the early years of our little ones, you will want to do your research on the sleep consultants in your area. Be sure they are certified as an in house consultation for your baby’s sleep from Mother In Touch, study the programme with which they have been certified and check their business pages such as Facebook, their website, Google Reviews and Yelp for reviews and testimonials.