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
This sleep programme is amazing; we spent a few very uncomfortable, sleep deprived months wondering why our daughter would wake… very couple of hours screaming, would only settle in our arms and what we should do about it. Following one particularly rough night with her, we saw Karen’s article in our local newspaper and decided to give her a try. Miraculously, within four nights of following her bespoke sleep plan our daughter was sleeping well through the night and was more cheerful during the day. You are supported through the process and given advice on how to deal with situations that arise. This has had a hugely positive effect on Mum and Dad as they have re-discovered sleep too. THANK YOU SO MUCH KAREN, YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER. 🙂 🙂 A very well rested Saffer family – Winterbourne Dauncey, Salisbury Read more “”
Ever since Harriet was born we had sleep problems. Inability to latch on, then silent reflux then lactose intolerance, then… a major set back in building work on our house meant living here there and everywhere sharing a room with Harriet far longer than expected! As a baby she would wake every 20 minutes , she got to a year and we would get about an hour or so before each wake up, luckily I only worked part time so I managed to catch up on sleep an hour here or there when I could but I just felt exhausted depressed and saddened that we had this amazing bundle of joy in the day but such a terror at night. We didn’t understand why she would constantly wake cry and want us. When Harriet was 18 months we moved back home , we never really had a routine and would dread night time every evening at dinner time my husband and I would get anxious and dread what was coming. We would either stay at my parents or Gary’s parents for dinner then drive home late for her to fall asleep in the car just for an hour respite or else it would be her falling asleep downstairs for us to then take her up when the night was over for us! She seemed like the Duracell baby and never wanted to sleep or needed it! We thought , to try and encourage sleep we would put her in a big girls bed! Well it made no difference and so many times she just climbed out and called us. I was up and into her up to 10 times a night to quickly put the dummy in or settle her before she woke up fully. I was exhausted!!! My husband would go in from 9-1 and I would do the night shift to try and help each other out. But it got to the point where I was working full time and enough was enough and we couldn’t go on like it anymore, and we felt so sorry for her little brain and body never resting!!! A friend of mine had used Karen and highly recommended her. My husband and I were a little apprehensive and thought it would never work with our strong minded stubborn independent 2 year old! WELL IT IS SINGULARLY THE BEST THING WE HAVE EVER DONE! For all those non believers and pessimistic parents PLEASE HAVE FAITH!! Karen gave us confidence and exactly what we needed to do without the crying out approach.We had to revert back TO THE COT which I felt so terrible for but the bed wasn’t working anyway. We also had to take her dummy and taggy away (all the distractions) but she was allowed her soft dolly.We had a routine we needed to follow, and as hard as it was we stuck by it!!! Night 1: an hour of tears and upset then settled- 2 wake ups, Night2: 30 minutes of tears and crying – 1wake up, Night 3: 10 minutes crying then settled- 2 wake ups and put herself back to sleep after only a few minutes of calling out! Seeing Harriet so upset and calling out our names and begging for us even when we were sat in the room with her was heartbreaking and we felt distraught but it wasn’t because she was actually hurt or sad it was just because of change, and she soon got used to it! And has days now when she is upstairs wanting messy bath time before we are even ready! 🙂 She asked for her dummy for 2 nights we explained how we gave it to her baby cousin and that was that. She soon got over that. 3weeks later……. My husband and I have never had so much sleep in over 2 Years!!!!! And can watch a film uninterrupted!!!!! A MIRACLE!!!!!! I REALLY CANT EXPRESS WHAT A LIFE CHANGER IT IS FOR ALL THE FAMILY!!!!! We also had friends round for a curry night which has never ever been possible before without constant interruptions!!! PLEASE DONT WAIT ANY LONGER….. IF you are reading this it’s because you are probably desperate for a little sleep!!!! CALL KAREN you will not regret it!! Xxx Thank you Karen for everything! We will call you when our next bundle of joy is due to arrive to ensure we get it right from the start! 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 “”
In a desperate sleep deprived state late one night I stumbled across babysleepthenight.com. I remember reading through all the testimonials… from happy clients thinking to myself ‘this sounds too good to be true’ and ‘this will never work for us.’ Well if that is you right now, have faith and put your trust in Karen – she’s amazing and she very quickly solved our 13 month olds sleep problems. Our little boy had not been sleeping well for months, it was not unusual for him to wake 6+ times a night and his naps were all over the place. It would take us ages to get him off to sleep and every time he woke he’d need us to help him back to sleep. We followed Karen’s personalised plan exactly to the letter and now we have a very happy well rested little boy. He sleeps from 7pm to 7 -7.30am and naps for 1.5 – 2hrs every day. It’s amazing when you consider that in one week he learnt to put himself to sleep AND to sleep all night. All this while transitioning from two naps to one! On a personal note, I have so much more energy and enthusiasm now. I’ve gone from struggling to just get through the day to really looking forward to all the fun things we can do together. Seriously money well spent, it’s transformed our lives! Thankyou so much, you’ll never know how much of a positive impact you’ve had on our lives. All the very best, Michelle, Arps and Eashan x Read more “”
At 18 months Molly had never slept through the night, waking up regularly and co sleeping with me. I decided… that it was time to implement a new routine and help Molly learn to self-settle but wanted to make sure that whatever I did I followed it through and made it as easy as possible for Molly (and me!). A friend recommended Karen and I am very grateful she did as Molly now sleeps through the night for a minimum of 12 hours. The plan made a lot of sense and Karen made sure she explained the reasons for each step which made me fully confident it would work and demonstrated the importance of consistency. I really can’t believe that now, as long as I follow my routine, I put Molly into her cot, walk out the door and before I know it she is asleep and then I don’t see her again to the morning! Thank you Karen! Read more “”
My little girl had never been a great sleeper. From when she was born the only way I could get… her to sleep was to feed her to sleep every night, and every time she woke – which was many, many times each night! As for nap times, well at eight months I could count on my hands the amount of times she’d napped in her cot during the day. Every day I’d walk for miles with her in the pram to try and get her to sleep. While this was very good exercise for me, my overall health was starting to really suffer from the effects of sleep deprivation. With a husband at work most of the time and no family local to help me out I was utterly exhausted, pretty miserable and feeling desperate. The final straw came after returning from two months away in my native Australia when my daughter was 8 months old. If her sleeping wasn’t already bad enough she now had jet lag to contend with! Even when she had recovered from this she still would be waking every hour or maybe very two hrs if I was lucky during the night. I had to get up and feed her back to sleep each time and as I was breastfeeding my husband couldn’t really assist meaning that I was out of my bed numerous times each night…. On one of these night feeds while awake and scrolling through my phone desperately googling methods to help get my baby sleep I came across Karen’s website. I had read so much information already and I knew what our problem was (feed/sleep association) I was just having trouble finding methods to actually resolve this without it being too traumatic for all of us. From reading Karen’s website details and the testimonials, I came to the conclusion that her fee would be a small price to pay if it meant we would all get a good nights sleep!!! Luckily my husband agreed after some initial scepticism (even I to be honest was a bit worried that nothing would be able to work with MY high maintenance little darling) but after speaking to Karen for the first time I genuinely had hope! Karen was so helpful during the consultation and really explained the process and techniques that we were to follow, this made us feel prepared for the challenge ahead! From the very first night after the consultation I’ve not had to get out of my bed once during the night! Yes, my baby has had not one single night feed since the night before our meeting with Karen! If you’d have told me this would have happened so quickly before, even with Karen’s help I still would have found it highly dubious. Ever since my daughter has also napped in her cot twice a day. Sure, it has taken a bit of work from us but this genuinely does feel a bit like a miracle! The effects on our little family are just great and I no longer feel like a sleep deprived zombie on the brink of a breakdown! We’ve even been able to treat ourselves to a couple of nights out recently, it is just sooooo nice to not need to fret about what will happen if she wakes and how the babysitter will get her back to sleep. Having Karen’s follow up support really helped us keep on track with the plan and erased any fears that I had regarding the methods we were using. She explained the technical details so well and was always encouraging. A couple of months on and everything is still going brilliantly. Once we settle her we don’t hear a peep from our little girl until a sensible time in the morning. A childminder even got her to nap well when I went into work for a couple of days recently. We are very grateful to Karen. It really was just so useful to have someone spending the time helping us work through our baby’s sleep issues and ‘hand holding’ us through the process. Her advice and experience was just invaluable. I think a few people thought we were mad paying someone to help us with our daughters sleep issues but each evening as my husband and I relax without worrying when the next wake up will be and every time now when I catch myself thinking during the day ‘wow, I actually feel really good and not tired, how amazing’ I know that we 100% did the right thing getting help and contacting Karen. Possibly the best money we ever spent! 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 “”
I recently wrote a rather desperate email to the Baby Sleep the Night Team entitled ‘Edie the untrainable’ and within… 48hrs Gemma had completely disproved my theory about our daughter. After an excruciating 3 months meticulously following the plan of another sleep trainer we turned to Karen & Gemma based on a few of our friends recommends. From the very first night 7pm came and went without event or the screaming/self combustion we’d become accustomed to. I’m still not 100% sure what wizardry has gone on but we are so hugely appreciative of all your wise words, the incredible unwavering support and ultimately our happy sleeping baby! We will sing your praise from the roof tops or to anyone who will listen forever more.
Thank you, thank you. Read more “”
Working with Karen has been one of the best investments that we’ve ever made! The whole process, from the initial 1.5hour consultation,… to the daily update call or e-mail and the final hand off after 2 weeks was so easy and stress free. The techniques and changes that we applied to our 13 month old sons bedtime routine were simple and, after the initial nervousness of putting our boy down in his cot awake (for the first time ever!), we quickly realised that the plan that Karen had put together was one that we, as a family, could actually work to. Within just a few nights our son was sleeping 10-11 hours with minimal wake ups. With Karen’s experience giving us confidence we were able to stick to her advice and help our son learn how to put himself back to sleep on his own when he woke in the night. After just one week he was sleeping through the night for 11 hours and resettling himself when he woke up. A revelation after more than a year of considerably broken sleep! 2 months on and we are still amazed (and so grateful) that our son consistently sleeps 11.5-12.5 hours a night. We have travelled away from home on a number of occasions over this time and not even this throws our son off sleeping through. We are all so much more rested and ultimately happier! I would recommend Karen to anyone experiencing sleep issues with their little one…life really is too short to struggle on through sleepless nights and the fix really can be incredibly quick and easy with Karen’s help. Karen – we thank you and salute you! Read more “”
Massive thanks to Karen at Babysleepthenight, our lives have been changed dramatically since our bundle of daytime joy has become… a bundle of nighttime joy too!
We enlisted Karens help after many failed attempts at getting out little one to sleep! (12 months of frequent wakings plays havoc!) We started on the eve of her first birthday and I can honestly say within 3 nights our lives were transformed! Within 2 weeks our little girl was sleeping 11 hours a night!
We used Karens time change advice when the clocks changed and took her advice on our first holiday, with our little one still managing 10-11 hours!
Now 6 months on we still stay true to the advice and get 11, sometimes even 12 hours of nighttime joy!
Thanks Karen!! Read more “”