Recently I asked the question on my social media “Why do you choose NOT to work with a sleep consultant”? The choice of answers were ...
Too expensive
This is not my first baby and I feel I have got this!
I can feel I can sleep train on my own
What can a sleep consultant give me a book can’t?
The most common answer was “expense” and then a close second “what can I learn for a sleep consultant a book can’t teach me..”?
These are extremely valid answers. Of course the cost of a book is a tiny fraction of the cost a sleep consultant may be so of course we will head to the book shop first. Even read some blogs online and scroll our phones in the hope of finding free advice and answers. Even ask our friends what they did to get their child to sleep.
In this blog today I am going to go through a few reasons a sleep consultant may be the better choice for your family and is worth every penny…
First Off, a Sleep Consultant Has Been Trained
They will have had weeks of lessons, webinars, hands on experience, case studies and science backed evidence learning and of course assessments to pass before gaining any qualification. There is a lot to learn about sleep, the science, the inhibiting factors, diet, exercise, family backgrounds and cultures on sleep, medical hurdles and of course approaches of the actual sleep training to name just a few topics.
A sleep consultant will be trained to identify possible factors that are inhibiting your child’s sleep, they will be able to recognise possible other factors. Something like a ferritin deficiency or maybe the cause of reflux. Finding the root cause may actually solve the sleep situation. Asking a friend how they got their baby to sleep may work but remember your baby is a completely different DNA make up and may have completely different underlying factors.
Having a consultation with a trained and certified sleep consultant before you embark on the sleep training will give you knowledge, and knowledge is power. Your sleep consultant will gather information about your child and family circumstances to really understand the sleep challenges you are experiencing and any medical background information. That is a key factor when it comes to sleep training.
You Like and Feel You Need To Have a Plan
Perhaps you have tried to sleep train yourself with the help of a book or what your friend recommends to do but you are just not sure you are doing it right. A sleep consultant will draw up that plan for you and guide you along the way on implementing it.
Certainly with me, no matter what sleep training package you choose you will have phones calls along the way and daily text message support. Why? Because you will have questions. You will want to know if you are doing “it right”. I want to guide you on the right path, keep you on that plan, explain why we are doing what we are doing and celebrate those wins with you!
You want support through you sleep journey and a sleep consultant will be there with you to do just that. A book cannot do that.
A sleep consultant has the solutions and will keep you on the right path and if they feel that path needs to change they can advise that. They may see something that needs to be changed during your sleep training and a book can’t. At the end of the day YOU are your baby’s expert, not me, BUT, I or your chosen sleep consultant is the expert in sleep. Put the two together and you have an abundance of knowledge and power!
But A Sleep Consultant Is So Expensive…
You may think this but humour me for a moment and read on…
For example let’s dive into my most popular program, the "on track" 2 week package priced at £400.
This includes 2 weeks of sleep support
We will have a 90 minute video conference call, I will talk you through my findings on your individual sleep challenges you are experiencing and more from the documents and logs you send me
I will email you a sleep plan that is specifically written for your family after we have discussed the right approach to take
You will have me literally at your fingertips for 2 solid weeks. That means I am on hand to respond to your text messages during the day when you have questions i real time.
I also offer 2 x20 minute phone calls within these 2 weeks
But before we even get to our zoom meeting I will have already spent time analysing your child’s 72 hour sleep diary and questionnaire that I require so I come to your meeting fully aware of your family dynamics and sleep situation.
So, if we break this up, over 2 weeks that is only £200 a week. What profession do you know that pays this little A WEEK? That is less than £29 a DAY! And let’s not forget the time I put in reading your diary and questionnaire so I am fully in the know of your sleep situation before we even meet.
So let’s compare this cost to a lunch out with the family. On average this is going to be around £60-£90. Certainly “date night” can cost around that but perhaps you never go on that date night because you are so tired anyway and you need to be at home because your baby is waking up all the time… You and your partner deserve to go out on a date night, you need to connect and be the couple you are at your core. Being tied to home every night and not spending time together just the two away from the dishes and washing can have detrimental impact. I know this may not ring true to your family life but 99.9% of the families I have worked with will all tell me they crave some time together without the baby. And that is OKAY. This is a whole other topic of course so will leave it for another day! So in Conclusion, the Investment of a Sleep Consultant Yes it may seem like a big lump sum to pay out in one go but over the course of your sleep support journey it really is cheaper than a lunch out! You will feel refreshed at the end knowing your child sleeps well, you do not have to be tied to your baby all the time to ensure they sleep. You can leave the house to have that date night or see friends. But most importantly you know your child is getting the sleep they need to thrive. They may be napping better, eating more foods, regulating emotions and generally happier because they are sleeping! With any sleep training you undertake you have to put the work in to see the results, just like hiring a personal fitness trainer, you still have to do the exercise to see the results. And if you pay for it you are more likely to do the work and do it at full throttle and not half heartedly.
And Don’t Forget You Will Never Be Alone In the Process Your chosen sleep consultant should be there on hand when the going gets tough or when you have a question, no matter how small or big you feel it may be. I love my job, I love helping and guiding families through their sleep journey and seeing the positive outcomes at the end! Still not sure about sleep training and how I may be able to help you? Let’s jump on the phone for your FREE sleep assessment call today! Want to skip to the good part? Click here to see my programs! Peaceful nights are coming your way, Rachael, Your Paediatric Sleep Consultant xo