The ‘Baby Sleep the Night™’ Philosophy
Before being a child and baby sleep specialist, I am first and foremost a mother. For me, the most important thing, as a parent or as a child sleep consultant, is a child’s well being.
My Baby Sleep the Night™ gentle sleep-training programme is based on the belief that proper sleep not only helps the child but also the entire family!
Plus, you can rest assured that my philosophy and methods are aligned with best practices recommended by The UK’s National Health Service, The American Academy of Pediatrics, and The Canadian Pediatric Society.
Background and Experience
Teaching my children to be fantastic independent sleepers benefited them immensely, and in turn, my family. That’s why I dedicated my professional career to helping other parents who were as desperate as me to get their babies and toddlers to sleep.
For over a decade I’ve helped thousands of families get more out of life with my tried and tested methods that are more than just tips to get your baby to sleep. I ensure that every step is done precisely right, leaving absolutely no stone unturned. Close attention to detail is vital, and is why I hold a 100% success rate with families that stick to my gentle caring plans.
Whether it’s a baby going through a sleep regression or a six year old with bad sleeping habits, I’ve worked with them all!
During my training, I learnt all about the importance of sleep within the development of children. I also realised how a baby’s sleep pattern affected the health of the parents too. In short, when I helped stressed and tired mums and dads get their child to sleep, I inadvertently helped the family as a whole.
The more I helped, the more passionate I became about toddler and baby sleep training. The more passionate I became, the more I wanted to spread the knowledge I had acquired in the process.
Certifying Consultants
This is why I started training sleep consultants and certifying them to practise my philosophy.
I am determined to train people who care just as much as I do, so that they can help parents and babies get the sleep they need.
I understand that when parents reach out to a Baby Sleep the Night™-certified child sleep consultant to ask for help with their child’s sleeping habits, it’s almost always a last resort. Most parents never consult a baby sleep specialist because they feel it might make them seem like ‘failing at parenting’. Our Baby Sleep the Night™- certified consultants and I want you to know that asking for help does not make you a failure. Isn’t it said that it takes a village to raise a child?
However, we will make sure you understand the reason behind each and every step of the plan, why it’s so important, how it contributes to your child getting enough sleep.
What’s more, if you follow the detailed steps in your bespoke sleep plan you will notice a positive change in your little one, in terms of their energy levels, general happiness, and well being. That’s the power of good sleep!
Your Child’s Bespoke Sleep Plan
There are various methods to get your child to sleep that I use and teach. These strategies are based on individual family needs and preferences.
The most common specialist sleep solution I practise, and train the Baby Sleep the Night™-certified consultants, is the Gradual Retreat Sleep Training Plan.
This allows you to be right there with your child, touching them, talking to them and comforting them throughout the process of learning to sleep.
This isn’t for all families, of course. There are other ways to solve sleep issues and this is something that will be discussed in depth. This is so that parents get to choose what is right for them and their circumstances.
Regardless of method used, the success is in the detail – getting it just right. A consultant certified by the Baby Sleep The Night ™ will have been taught to:
- Learn About Your Child
As a parent, no one knows your child better than you. That’s why the Baby Sleep the Night™-certified sleep specialist will discuss your child’s sleep habits before designing a customised gentle sleep plan to get your child to sleep. - A Step-by-Step Plan
After they’ve got to know all about you and your child, they’ll lay out a plan. This will detail the steps that you’ll need to help get your child to sleep in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step format. But don’t worry – it’s not a hard and fast rulebook. It’s designed to give you enough discretionary power to make choices that will work best for you and your child! - Explain How to Measure Success
They will also explain what results can be achieved at what stage. The end goal is to get to the point where your child will sleep 12-hours a night. However, this will not usually happen on the first night (although it might!) - Manage Your Expectations
As part of the gentle sleep training programme, they’ll tell you exactly what to expect. Baby Sleep the Night-certified consultants take the uncertainty and guesswork out with their detailed ways to get your child to sleep. Effectively, they will hold your hand and support you throughout.
‘Crying it Out’
People always ask me whether the Baby Sleep the Night™ ways to get a child to sleep involve letting the baby ‘cry it out’. Here are my thoughts on this.
Let me reassure you that I’m not an advocate of controlled crying, ‘shut the door and leave them’ methods. I’m not saying they don’t work if they’re done correctly. They do.
However, I just think they are too tough on all involved.
What I will say though is we like things to be the same every night. Making big changes to anyone’s sleep environment would almost always be met with some kind of protest. With a child, their protest normally involves at least a few tears. So, I can’t promise you there will be no crying. In fact, with almost all of the families I have helped, there has been at least some.
I also completely understand that no one likes the idea of hearing their child cry. I myself am a mother of three and have been in your shoes. The Baby Sleep the Night™ philosophy does not rely on asking you to leave your child alone to cry for extended periods.
The reason that the Baby Sleep the Night™ methods are so effective is that they let you develop a planned way of getting your baby, toddler, or child to sleep that you feel comfortable with. This is completely based on what you already know about your child.
Sleep Regression
Sleep regressions happen at very important stages in a baby’s life. Despite what the name implies, it is in fact developmental rather than a regression.
So what is it?
For adults, a sleep cycle has four stages. These are:
- Drifting off
- Light sleep
- Deep sleep
- REM sleep
For a newborn, however, there are only two stages – deep sleep and REM sleep. Since these are both deep sleep stages, your baby will usually sleep soundly once they do drift off.
However, around the age of four months, the sleep cycle develops into the four-stage sleep, with stages of light sleep. Since this is so new for the baby, they will easily wake up when they reach those stages.
While the four-month sleep regression is the most well known, babies can also go through sleep regression commonly at the ages of 8 months or 18 months, or at just about any age! It usually lasts for two to six weeks, while the baby adjusts and adapts to this lighter sleep duration.
However, if you aren’t expecting it, it can be distressing.
Sleep regression can throw a lot of parents off. They can’t understand why their child, who was sleeping so well, is suddenly waking up unexpectedly.
My gentle sleep-training programme is designed to ensure that this phase is easily and quickly managed instead of becoming the basis of poor sleeping behaviour for your child.
Learn More About Our Gentle Sleep Training Methods and Results
My methods have worked consistently over the last decade. This is why teach them to all the Baby Sleep the Night™-certified consultants.
Please do have a read of some of the Happy Client testimonials where parents talk about their own experiences.
If you have any questions at all about the Baby Sleep the Night™ method or philosophy, please do contact me via email karen@babysleepthenight.com or by telephone on 01794 341172.
Testimonials
Truly Amazing! Life changing! I never believed it would work for my son….until I tried it. From waking EIGHT times… a night for a year and reliant on motion or feeding to now sleeping 11 hours without waking! Everyone is happier and we even have the energy to go and join in with fun activities. Karen, so encouraging, positive, supportive and wise, she WILL help you succeed. I truly can’t thank her enough and could never have done it without her – Worth every penny! Sleep tight! Read more “”
“Working full time, surviving on very little sleep, a cranky baby, and stress levels at an all-time high, were part… of day-to-day life in my home. There was no harmony at all, not a minute to myself, and very little time to spend with my 4 year old child, as his little brother was using up every ounce of my energy. I came across Karen’s Facebook page advertising help getting your baby to sleep, and thought what have I got to lose?! I emailed Karen, and received a prompt reply to discuss my issues in further detail.I have to admit, I had reservations about the help, advice and sleeping plan working, but from the first night I implemented the new routine I saw a massive change!! Our home is now filled with sleep filled nights as a result of this amazing advice. Friends, family and work colleagues are astounded at the results, and have asked ‘who is this magical lady’? !If you are in the same or a similar situation to me, I strongly recommend you put your trust in Karen, and follow her advice to the letter! I did it, and so can you!!” Thank you! Read more “”
Dear Karen, I just wanted to thank you for all your kindness towards me, I really couldn’t have sorted out… Zac’s sleep without your support, encouragement and positivity.Its amazing, now I have time to myself of an evening and I am looking forward to sharing them with my husband! Thanks again, I could never have done it without you! Lots of love Kay xxx Read more “”
Amazing is just one word!! My son is 16 months old and has only slept through the night 3 times. … He would wake up the same time every night at around 11pm and 3am. He would always want milk to get him back to sleep. Me and husband had come to point where is was driving us mad and had to seek help. That’s were Karen came in. After having a new routine and the fabulous Karen at hand he was sleeping through after night 4! I thought it wouldn’t work and that I would cave in but no I stuck to it and the result was amazing. I have already recommended her to friends and I am sure that they will be amazed as we were. Read more “”
Just over 7 weeks ago I was living off about 3hrs sleep (broken) per night and this had been going… on for 5 months. I barely saw my husband in the evenings as we did shifts – dinner together, talking about our day or even just 5 minutes of TV was a big NO in our home and we both couldn’t see how this would change. One of my friends gave me Karen’s leaflet and since meeting Karen in August mine, my husbands and our daughters life has completely changed – it sounds dramatic but it’s true. It got so bad that rocking Ruby (for 2hrs one night!!!) or even putting her next to me in bed was not helping her to sleep and now…she does between11-12hrs every night and she is such a happy, smiley, chatty baby – it’s amazing and her development just increases day by day. For my husband and I we have our evenings back! We can sit and have dinner together, chat about Ruby, listen to music all with the knowledge that our daughter is sleeping soundly and its great to know that we’ve helped her to learn to self soothe – sleep is so important. Karen, you were brilliant and supportive – I still pinch myself every morning when I hear her stir just past 6am – thank you very much. Ps All of the tips you gave me for going abroad worked wonders, Ruby slept through the night even though we were all in the same room and in a totally different country. Thank you. Read more “”
Thanks to Karen and her plan our 9 month old daughter now consistently sleeps 11 and a half /12 hours… night and has 2 decent length naps in the day. We sought Karen’s advise after all being sleep deprived and after realising that we were falling into bad habits at bedtime and nap time. We could be in and out of her room up to 6 times at night and sometimes trying to settle her for up to 2 hours in the middle of night. In sheer desperation and exhaustion I started bringing her into our bed, which I knew I didn’t want to do but felt I had no other option. After religiously following Karen’s sleeping plan Amelie slept through the night from day 2. We couldn’t believe how quickly it worked for Amelie. We can’t thank Karen enough!! Read more “”
It’s amazing what you put up with when 2 weeks with Karen can completely change yours and your child’s life. … Jack would come and visit us 4 or 5 times a night, ask to sleep in our bed or we would end up sleeping on the floor in his room. We kept thinking it was just a phase and it would get better. It didn’t so we asked Karen for help. We had an informal consult when we discovered what methods Karen used. One thing we didn’t want to do was try things that we had tried before and hadn’t worked. Karen then spent 2 hours with us via face time discovering what type of child Jack was, what our routines were and then sent us a detailed plan of what to do as well as talking us through the plan. I’m not denying things changed in a day and that it was easy! It took a lot of hard work from us but Karen made us see it was working and was there with positive words and back up when we needed it. Jack now sleeps 12 hours a night, goes to bed easily and we have seen such a developmental leap in conversation which I do think is due to sleeping better. He’s really happy, as are we that we have achieved a great balance for work, rest and play! My husband and I even managed a night out after 3 weeks of the plan which we hadn’t achieved in a year! Thank you Karen! Read more “”
After 21 months of crying for 2-3 hours a night we decided enough was enough and contacted Karen to help get… our little boy sleeping through the night. We have read and tried numerous different ways to try and get him to consistently sleep through the night and none of them worked for us. Karen devised a sleep plan for us to work with and it was tweaked along the way to suit our little boy and us. Unfortunately during the process, we had the clocks changing, chicken pox and a nasty cough and cold to contend with but we have now had 16 nights of sleeping through!!! Not only are we feeling more human, our little boy is much happier in the daytime and napping better too. Thanks Karen Read more “”
What can we say? After months of sleep deprivation and a toddler, who had just turned two, slowly turning into a… vampire we finally decided enough was enough and after a recommendation enlisted the help of Karen at Baby Sleep The Night. After a friendly chat and then a thorough consultation a plan was devised. With a few simple and manageable changes with Karen guiding us all the way this new plan was put in place.On the first night we were not woken up and Theo no longer had his dummy. A fluke…surely? Well we are now nearly two months on and we have one very happy little boy who now loves his sleep – nearly as much as Mummy and Daddy do now. Thank you so much Karen. The difference you have made to our family life is amazing. I just wish we had asked for your help sooner Read more “”
I contacted Karen on a whim after reading on the internet from various sites what seemed like the 100th tip… to get my 11 month old daughter to sleep through the night and have a nap through the day! To be honest my husband wasn’t convinced that contacting Karen was the best way as he had convinced himself that she would never sleep through! However as I was due to return to work I was desperate for things to change. After speaking with Karen at great length and completing the questionnaire on Ruby’s sleep habits Karen assured me there was light at the end of the tunnel and that she was confident we could turn things around. Of course it was hard to start with but by the second night Ruby had surprised both me and my husband by sleeping through the night! The daytime naps even started to fall in place! You wouldn’t believe the difference a full nights uninterrupted sleep can do! We have both felt like we have more energy and Ruby is also not as cranky through the day! Karen was very supportive throughout the process even when I buckled at the start and picked her out of her cot for a cuddle! I only wish I had contacted Karen earlier! We have missed out on so much valuable sleeping time! But now I can say I feel more confident in being able to return to work knowing that we have all had a decent nights sleep! Read more “”