A good sleep consultant will listen to your current situation, challenges and goals. Using this, a sleep consultant will identify changes that you need to make in your child's routine, sleep environment and provide a practical plan and support to improve your child's sleep. In addition to identifying improvements to those, I will support you with teaching your child to sleep longer / through the night by helping them fall back asleep by themselves. I will also equip you with the tools to respond you your baby's sleep needs in the future

No - it's not a need, in the same way that a personal trainer is not a need. Good quality sleep is vital for us, and there is research you can do yourself to implement and improve sleep for yourself and your little one. Similarly, you can exercise without the support of a coach.

However, having someone there to be one source of guidance instead of browsing through conflicting advice, having someone there to keep you accountable, encourage you, tailor things to your individual goals and circumstances is the value a sleep consultant adds. You’re more likely to stay consistent and see faster results by using a sleep consultant. There is a reason people say using a sleep consultant is life changing :) Though unlike with a personal trainer, you will hopefully only have to use a sleep consultant the one time, not on an ongoing basis.

When what you currently do no longer works for your family.

There is nothing wrong with co-sleeping safely or feeding to sleep, having a dummy or doing whatever else you need to do at night, as long as it is safe, to support your child at night. However if you feel like it is becoming unsustainable and impacting your family negatively, and you are ready to make a change - then its ok to ask for help.

I work with families of children 5/6 months to 4 years. I am trained to support from the newborn stage however, before 5 months baby sleep is very different - I am happy to chat you and offer some practical advice, but my sleep services are not suited for babies under 5 months.

No. Cry-it-out is not something I recommend to my clients, I don't see the need for it when there are more gentle ways of establishing independent sleep.

Typically, yes - no matter how gentle the approach, babies don't like change and when you're putting in place new boundaries. Crying is their way to communicate. It's feels more intense at night at night when they are resisting to change or boundaries because not only are they tired and therefore feeling more sensitive, you also can't distract them with a toy or otherwise - they need to sleep.

Some babies don't cry or cry very little - some babies cry a lot. Their temperament will dictate some of how they respond, my job is to help you find the best solution that you are comfortable with. But I want to reassure you that tears for a few nights won't damage your baby - they know you are there, you love them, you spend quality time with them during the day. It is not true that they won't call out for you at night when they need you once they learn how to sleep because they will expect you to be absent. Put simply, this is an internet myth, yes, even if you use controlled crying. Your child will learn to fall back asleep by themselves where they can and when they are feeling poorly, can't find their cuddly toy as a toddler, or need a drink - trust me, they will let it be known.

In short, I would not try to use a controlled crying method with a family unless they were explicitly comfortable with doing so.

But I am not completely against it, because I understand the need for a quick solution. I sit proudly on the fence between more gentle and controlled crying approaches. Whilst there is no evidence to suggest that controlled crying is damaging to a baby and in my experience the result is typically very positive for families, it is not a method I believe most parents prefer to go for unless they feel like there is no choice anymore. Not immediately responding to your child is very difficult for both parent and child, but it clearly and quickly communicates your boundaries with your child whilst still letting them know they are safe and you are there. It is considered a less gentle approach because you are less responsive to your child than other methods, however  there are some (rare) cases where children find it easier to settle if they are given the chance to be by themselves.

I always encourage my clients to use an in-room, comfort based method as a starting point. Depending on the scenario and progress, I may suggest you leave the room, but ideally when your baby is feeling comfortable in their sleep space already. I won't insist on controlled crying unless the parent expresses an interest in doing so or I may suggest it in rare scenarios where I think it will be more comforting for the baby to not have the parent present.

The reason I am not completely against these type of methods, is because there are occasions where it can be the more gentle option. If a family has a preference for a controlled crying method, I will provide the necessary support - no judgement. Using a controlled crying method ended up being the more gentle way to teach my son to sleep too, so I get it. But ultimately my goal is to achieve your goals in a way that you are comfortable with. If you are unsure - I am happy to chat through this with you on a free introduction call.

It varies baby to baby and situation to situation - it can take as little as 3 days on rare occasions, but usually 5-7 days to see real progress, sometimes it can take a little longer. Whilst it can often feel like real progress has been made in the first week, establishing good sleep and setting it as a habit can take longer. My preferred time to spend with parents is 2-3 weeks but I understand that this is not realistic for everyone.

My prices range from £169 to £369 depending on your chosen support period. For more info on the packages I offer, scroll a little below :)

Of course, you can send me a message on Instagram (@fridayssleep) or email (anete@fridayssleep.co.uk) for a quick reply or book a free, no obligations call with me and we can chat through whatever is on your mind :)