Mastering Baby Sleep

A Guide to Baby Sleep Coaching

Disclaimer: We want to be transparent with our readers and disclose that we received a complimentary sleep coaching session from Jane, the Sleep Coach, in order to share our experience in this blog post. Our aim is to provide an honest and informative account of our journey with sleep coaching. While our coaching session was provided at no cost, the insights and outcomes we share here are genuine and reflect our personal experience. We believe in the value of sleep coaching and hope that our story can offer guidance and encouragement to other parents seeking better sleep for their little ones.

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Jane is a mum of four and a certified Paediatric Sleep Coach with who has over thirty years experience of working with families as a Nursery and KG teacher, Doula and Sleep Coach. She is based in Germany (speaks English) and specializes in providing sleep coaching consultations over the internet, offering her expertise to families worldwide.

For more information about Jane and her services, you can visit her website at www.janethesleepcoach.com. Jane's remote consultations ensure that parents from any location can benefit from her guidance and support.

Our son is nearly one year old and, from the moment he was born, he was exclusively breastfed. We introduced solid foods when he reached six months, but he never took to bottles or pacifiers. From the very start, he kept us on our toes with his nighttime awakenings. It seemed like he wanted to be fed constantly, waking up multiple times throughout the night. Initially, we assumed this was typical for breastfed babies and that frequent nighttime feeds were par for the course.

Our little one also had the habit of sleeping in our bed. His nighttime routine involved bedtime around 8 to 9 PM, but he'd reliably wake up every three hours, like clockwork, until 7 AM. Whenever he stirred during the night, he'd easily drift back to sleep if we provided him with nourishment. However, when it came to Dad taking a turn at bedtime duty, things took a challenging turn. Our son would cry inconsolably if Mom left the room, only calming down once she returned.

Throughout the day, our baby had no trouble napping, whether it was in the comfort of a baby carrier on either parent or while taking a stroll in the stroller. Nighttime, though, was a different story. It felt like an insurmountable challenge to get him to sleep in his own bed, in his own room, and to gradually reduce his nighttime breastfeeding.

While our situation wasn't unbearable, we couldn't help but feel a bit concerned and unsure about how we could transition him to independent sleep in his room and cut down on nighttime feedings.

After our initial introduction, we delved into the structure of our first call with Jane, our dedicated sleep coach. During this conversation, we not only discussed what we could hope to accomplish in subsequent sessions but also engaged in a broader conversation about sleep coaching as a whole.

Jane provided us with invaluable insights into the intricacies of sleep cycles and how babies experience sleep. One crucial point was that babies, including our son Kai, don't instinctively know how to fall asleep on their own. They rely on us to teach them this essential skill. Many families Jane works with have issues with self settling and are navigating the same journey, where babies struggle to self-soothe and fall back to sleep independently during nighttime awakenings.

While much of this information is available in books and online, Jane's expertise is invaluable. She has the ability to condense and deliver this knowledge, backed by her wealth of experience, in a way that's practical and easy to understand. However, the true value of hiring a sleep coach goes beyond just knowledge dissemination.

We want emphasize the role of the sleep coach in providing consistent support and guidance, helping parents push through the inevitable challenges. She took the role of a sports coach or fitness trainer, where the coach doesn't just provide instructions but offers encouragement and helps individuals overcome obstacles and doubts.

We were genuinely surprised by how quickly we began to see results—within just a couple of nights, in fact. By the third night of sleep coaching, our baby had already started accepting the idea of falling asleep without needing to be fed. What's more, he began waking up less frequently during the night.

To optimize his sleep routine, we made a few adjustments. We shifted his bedtime to around 6:30 PM and introduced a 'sleep snack,' which involved breastfeeding around 11 PM before he woke up. This small change seemed to work wonders, as Kai started waking up only once around 3 AM and could comfortably sleep until 6 AM.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable shifts was that even Dad could now put him to bed, a feat that had been nearly impossible before. This newfound success was attributed to discovering that he found it more natural to fall asleep on his belly rather than lying on his back.

But it wasn't just our baby's behavior that changed—it was our perspective as well. We used to interpret his pre-sleep crying as various demands like 'I want to stay awake,' 'I want Mommy,' or 'I want milk.' However, through the guidance of our sleep coach, we started to change our mindset and relaxed into believing that all babies can sleep well. It became clear that his cries were saying, 'I'm so tired; help me fall asleep in the way you've always done.' Once our son realized and accepted there was another way to fall asleep quickly, he almost immediately embraced the idea of not needing to be fed before bedtime.

We are writing this after the first week of coaching and our son is still sleeping in our bed for now, we will update this blog post in the future to document our progress and next challenge of putting him to sleep in his own bed.

One of the key takeaways from our discussion with Jane was the prevalence of misconceptions surrounding sleep coaching. During the first call, she empathetically acknowledged the fears that many parents have, such as the concern of damaging their child or the misconception that sleep coaching means letting the baby cry as a form of punishment. Jane stressed that sleep coaching is anything but punitive; rather, it's a systematic and compassionate approach to improving sleep for both babies and parents.

Initially, we shared this common misconception as well. We didn't believe we needed sleep coaching because our baby's sleep habits didn't seem particularly problematic or unnatural. However, our experience with sleep coaching revealed that even seemingly mild sleep challenges can be improved, leading to more restful nights for the entire family.

Indeed, we can wholeheartedly affirm that Jane's guidance brought forth a multitude of invaluable tips that gently eased our son into a better sleep routine. It's crucial to emphasize that this approach is far from punitive. A skilled sleep coach, like Jane, can find methods to help your baby in your special circumstance fall asleep without resorting to excessive crying.

Sleep coaching holds significant importance for both babies and parents. It's not just about improving sleep; it's about fostering healthier sleep patterns that contribute to the overall well-being of the entire family. When babies learn to sleep independently and parents can enjoy more restful nights, the benefits are far-reaching.

For babies, sleep coaching helps them acquire a vital life skill—learning how to fall asleep and stay asleep on their own. This independence in sleep not only supports their physical and cognitive development but also ensures they wake up well-rested and ready to explore the world.

For parents, sleep coaching provides relief from the exhaustion that often accompanies sleepless nights. It promotes a more balanced and harmonious family life, allowing for quality time together and fostering a nurturing environment for both parents and baby.

If you're considering sleep coaching for your baby, here are some practical tips and insights based on our experience:

1. Seek Professional Guidance: Consider working with a certified sleep coach like Jane. Their expertise and tailored guidance can make the process smoother and more effective.
2. Be Consistent: Establish a consistent bedtime routine and approach. Consistency helps babies understand what to expect, reducing anxiety and resistance.
3. Communicate as a Team: Ensure that both parents are aligned in their approach to sleep coaching. Open communication and teamwork are crucial.
4. Patience and Understanding: Understand that progress may take time, and each baby is unique. Be patient with the process and with yourselves as parents.
5. Self-Care: Prioritize self-care to ensure you're well-rested and equipped to provide the best care for your baby.

In conclusion, our experience with sleep coaching has been transformative for our family. We've seen remarkable progress in a short time, and the positive changes have extended beyond our baby's sleep patterns to our overall quality of life.

We want to express our deep gratitude to Jane, the Sleep Coach, for her unwavering support, guidance, and expertise. Her approach has been compassionate and effective, and we couldn't be happier with the results. You can find more information about Jane on her website at www.janethesleepcoach.com.

To other parents out there who might be facing sleep challenges with their little ones, we want to offer encouragement. Sleep coaching is not just about improving sleep; it's about nurturing healthier sleep habits for your baby and a more harmonious family life. We hope our journey serves as a source of inspiration and reassurance as you embark on your own sleep coaching adventure. Restful nights and peaceful dreams await both you and your precious little one.

Author's Note: This blog post was written and edited with the assistance of AI technology. However, we want to emphasize that the content reflects our genuine experience and journey with sleep coaching. It is not merely generic AI-generated text. We have shared our personal insights, emotions, and outcomes to provide an authentic account of our experience. Our goal is to offer valuable information and inspiration to other parents navigating the world of sleep coaching.