The ‘Baby Sleep the Night™’ Philosophy
Before being child and baby sleep specialists, we are all first and foremost, mothers. For us, the most important thing, as a parent or as a child sleep consultant, is a child’s well being.
Our 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 our 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
For us, teaching our children to be fantastic independent sleepers benefited them immensely, and in turn, our families. That’s why we both dedicated our professional careers to helping other parents who were as desperate as us to get their babies and toddlers to sleep.
For over a decade, we’ve helped thousands of families get more out of life with our tried and tested methods that are more than just tips to get your baby to sleep. We ensure that every step is done precisely right, leaving absolutely no stone unturned. Close attention to detail is vital, and is why we both 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, we’ve worked with them all!
During our training, we learnt all about the importance of sleep within the development of children. We also realised how a baby’s sleep pattern affected the health of the parents too. In short, when we help stressed and tired mums and dads get their child to sleep, we inadvertently help the family as a whole.
The more we helped, the more passionate we became about toddler and baby sleep training. The more passionate we became, the more we wanted to spread the knowledge we had acquired in the process.
Certifying Consultants
This is why we started training sleep consultants and certifying them to practise our philosophy.
We are determined to train people who care just as much as we do, so that they can help parents and babies get the sleep they need.
We 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 we use and teach. These strategies are based on individual family needs and preferences.
The most common specialist sleep solution we 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 us whether the Baby Sleep the Night™ ways to get a child to sleep involve letting the baby ‘cry it out’. Here are our thoughts on this.
Let us reassure you that we’re not advocates of controlled crying, ‘shut the door and leave them’ methods. We’re not saying they don’t work if they’re done correctly. They do.
However, we just think they are too tough on all involved.
What we 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, we 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.
We also completely understand that no one likes the idea of hearing their child cry. We are also mothers 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.
Our 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
Our methods have worked consistently over the last decade. This is why we 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 us via email philly@babysleepthenight.com.
Testimonials
Why we didn’t do this earlier, goodness knows!! After 21 months of disturbed sleep with my son waking at least… twice a night, we made the call to Karen. I knew a lot of the mistakes we were making, I just wasn’t sure how to reverse them, we had tried before but often gave in or he would be unwell and we would be back to square one. After a short conversation with Karen on the phone, she gave me the confidence to realise we could sort this once and for all. We completed a detailed questionnaire for Karen then met formally to discuss going forward. It was very relaxed with no ‘tuts’ of I can’t believe you have been doing that. She gave us a straight forward plan and target date to start. After only 3 nights my son was sleeping through the night and within a week he was having proper afternoon naps. He has been sleeping ever since, slight wavering when he got croup but with just a little adaption during him being ill, we have carried on as before following the new routine with total success Read more “”
Thank you so much for helping us Karen! Madison had not really slept since she was 4.5 months old, regularly… waking 4-5 times a night (sometimes more! ) and after months of sleepless nights, having exhausted most options we decided to bite the bullet and ask for help. This was the best decision we made . Madison has been sleeping 12/13 hours a night since Karen put together a plan for us (this started from night 2 of implementing the plan and we are now 3 weeks in!) She is dummy free and has now learnt to self soothe. We couldn’t be happier! Read more “”
Working with Karen has been life changing and I cannot recommend it enough. Our little boy was 16 months old… and had never slept for more than 3-4 hours without needing us. Before starting work with Karen I had spent the previous month sleeping on the floor next to his cot which at 3 months pregnant with our second baby and working full time was pushing me to the limit. Zach had suffered with severe silent reflux for his first year and the management of his treatment (as well as his medication) resulted in very poor sleep habits – e.g. Dummy, night feeds, holding upright 20mins post feeding. Once he was better we had tried many things ourselves including controlled crying which just led to a cot phobia. Having spoken with Karen I felt confident she could help although couldn’t quite believe we could fix Zach’s sleeping in just 2 weeks. Before starting the first night we were very nervous and steeled ourselves for a very long night. It wasn’t easy but he accepted the changes much better and faster than we ever dreamt he could and unbelievably on the 2nd night he slept through for the first time ever and has continued to do so!!! 3 weeks on I still have to pinch myself every morning that we now have a ‘sleeper’. Read more “”
We are a family of 5. Two teenagers and one 15 month old. When I was pregnant with my youngest… – Mala – I read a book (an ancient hippy 1970’s one to be exact!) That said, in no uncertain terms, that babies cry in cots because they are scared. There was no way my baby was going to be scared and as the book advised, that meant that she would sleep with us, by choice from day one. We never bought a cot. In the early days this worked OK ish, it meant that I could latch her on without properly disturbing each time, which led to more sleep, hooray! Everyone was happy and also it was lovely to all wake up together, warm and cosy… As Mala grew we split up at night, with my partner (Alex) sleeping on a single bed next to Mala and I in the double. Gradually the rustling of duvets, flushing of toilets, doors gently closing and in fact pretty much anything woke her up, every night… even if I wasn’t feeding her, I was awake trying to keep still! It certainly was not much fun for the rest of the family either. The lowest point we got to was after 15 months of feeding about 12 to 20 times a night (No exaggeration!)… My exhaustion meant that I could barely function. I HAD to sleep in the daytime in order to function which meant that I was barely dressed or ready for the day by 2pm… just in time to start dreading the next night. The trouble being that because this was of our creation, this habit, I could see no way out. Every time Mala murmured, she was pacified immediately,,, she was totally used to being in with me and being breastfed most of the nigh,t how would we ever break that? And more to the point I didn’t have any energy at all for even thinking straight, let alone contemplating even less sleep whilst we sorted it out?! That was it. Life was awful and utterly unmanageable. I wont go into what this eventually evolves into within a small house, I’ll let you imagine it all! A friend who knew what we were up against passed us a copy of Karen’s advert. It stayed around for a few weeks, but reading was something I wasn’t doing anymore as it was blurry. My partner teaches and at the start of his summer holidays he encouraged me to call and at least find out what the technique was and if we stood a chance of it working. To say I was sceptical is an understatement. Mala is strong willed, intelligent and in a 15 month old habit. This would clearly work for all other children in the world, except mine! Karen explained over the phone what she thought about babies crying in cots… instead of anxiety and fright, Karen explained it as being tiredness and frustration at not knowing how to stop the feeling… needing help to gain the valuable skill of being able to fall asleep on their own… it made sense and sounded great… 2 weeks of support and then she’d be doing it on her own…. would she???! Karen came over one afternoon and spent a couple of hours with us finding out what sort of parents we are, what we wanted and what she advised we followed to the letter. After getting ready we embarked on the new routine. As that day grew closer I got more and more stressed as I ‘KNEW’ this was going to be a nightmare, and I cannot bear the sound of her crying. That’s when Alex took over. On the first night as I sobbed into making a rissotto in the kitchen with earplugs in and the radio on (?!) Alex got her to sleep, in her cot, in 9 minutes flat?! I was ready to back out the second he found it hard, but he stayed strong. That first night she woke up between 7.45pm and 8.45pm on and off and each time, she cried for less that 3 or 4 minutes. She learned so much in that first night. When she woke at 2am, and 4am she self soothed back to sleep. I slept the whole night for the first time in 15 months! It was unbelieveable. I felt I could see better, and realised just how awful it had been. The next night we did exactly the routine Karen advised again and she woke at 1am and 5am and again both times got herself back off to sleep. On the third night, with Alex still settling her, so that Mala didn’t think about breastfeeding, she slept through the night!!! And, has basically done so ever since. We have the odd blip with cold or teeth etc but either one of us can now settle her and know that we wont be required again until the morning! It’s changed our lives in so many ways. To have an evening together…. to catch up with work or household things….We went out together for the first time the other night…. she slept! We can flush the toilet, close doors, watch TV etc etc as she is in a deeper more satisfying sleep… she doesn’t wake. For Mala it’s changed her life too… she is a calmer, more observant and happy child… Hilariously, she now loves her new found sleeping independence so much that she begs not to have a story or song shouting “IN IN” to get into her cot and lie down! Do I recommend Karen?! Totally, utterly with no hesitation whatsoever! Do it, you can’t be a good parent until YOUR basic human needs are met, and sleep is one of the most important. I’m now pregnant again and Karen is going to help us get it right from day one… We can’t go through that again! Read more “”
So before we had kids everyone use to take the mickey out of me as I was always going on about how… much I loved my sleep! I even had a badge that said I love my bed, I just love sleeping!!! So it seemed strange (and cruel) that I could produce two children that didn’t like sleeping, at all!!! Sleep had become a distant memory as we had been suffering with a four year old who has never slept very well and now a 10 month old who was following exactly the same path and we had tried everything possible so I decided enough was enough! Our nights were just extensions of the day except for the fact we were desperately trying to catch 40 winks inbetween the kids waking up! We were exhausted and had turned into parent robots! So when someone gave me the Echo with Karens interview in I could relate to so many things I decided to give her a call. Initially I hadn’t decided to go ahead with it but just wanted to see what she had to say. As soon as I spoke to Karen I felt like I had known her for years, she was friendly, understanding and gave me such confidence that she could help I immediately signed up. OK so my husband nearly collapsed when I told him I had spent money on this ‘sleep lady’ who was going to solve all our problems, but I was willing to try anything. When Karen came round for the consultation we went through all the relevant information and she came up with a plan, my little girl only cried for such a short spell of time those first few nights, the plan was easy to follow and it was a relief to have times to aim for so I felt I was doing the right thing. After just one day my 10month old was sleeping through the night! 7-7 no waking!! I am not kidding it was a miracle! She has continued to do this since that day! My eldest one is no longer waking either with advice and support from Karen both my girls are now like little sleeping beauties at night and we are no longer robots but have got our lives back! People don’t understand what sleep deprivation is like, parents of kids who sleep well think you are just overreacting or being overdramatic they don’t understand how it effects every single area of your life. What we have now is ‘normal’ to most people but for us Karen has given us our lives back! My husband and I believe Karen is worth every single penny! You just can’t put a value on your life or your sleep!! Read more “”
At 6 months of age, Henry had never slept for more than an hour at a time, night or day.… He wasn’t napping well in the day and was obviously grumpy. We were both totally knackered and feeling that we weren’t able to engage with him as much as we should because we were so tired. Life was simply survival. We found Karen and asked for her help. She was fantastic, within 5 nights Henry was sleeping through for 12 hours and within a week he was having 3 naps in the day as well.We are now 2 months, one change of clocks, 3 holidays and one bout of illness down the line and all 3 of us are still sleeping well.Karen’s advice worked and was tailored so that neither Henry or us were too upset with what was going on. She was confident and dealt with our problems in an open and understanding way. We would have no qualms about recommending her to anyone who is having problems with their baby’s sleeping. Many, many thanks Karen. Read more “”
When I called Karen I was feeling a bit hopeless about our sleep situation, my beautiful 15 month old daughter… Evie had been sharing my bed since around 3 months of age and had been breastfed to sleep for every bedtime and nap since she was born.. I couldn’t see how we could ever get out of that as previous attempts had proven upsetting for me and her and I had resigned myself to carrying on until she decided to get herself to sleep or wanted to go in her own bed, whenever that would be!! None of us were getting a good sleep as she would wake between 10-20 times a night and need to be immediately pacified (fed) back to sleep. As a result her appetite and moods were suffering in the day. I barely saw my other half and eldest daughter as i would go to bed with Evie and not be able to leave the room as she woke so frequently.. it was all a mess.. something needed to change!
I called Karen and she immediately she made me feel positive, her confidence told me that we were going to come out of this alive!! After speaking to her I just couldn’t wait to get started.
At the 90 min consultation I was made to feel even more at ease and confident.. Karen had put together a plan to suit us all with a routine that worked perfectly for our family.
First night was hard but even then she surprised us with how quickly she learnt.. By nights 7/8 she was sleeping 7-7.30 with one or two little shouts in the night but she was settling herself. I never ever thought she would be doing that.. I have my evenings back and my bed.. She is a different child in the day too.. So happy and she has a wonderful appetite now too. She loves her new routine and knows what’s coming next and I think she is actually beginning to enjoy going to sleep as she leans towards the cot when we sing her bedtime song 🙂
Best thing I ever did ringing Karen, she has changed our lives completely and was worth every penny! Read more “”
We really cannot thank you enough for the help and support that you have given us with Dylan’s sleeping pattern.… For 12 months he had only ever slept through the night twice and due to personal circumstances outwith our control we had slipped into bad habits that we just couldn’t reverse. We did not know what to do or where to turn for help and so when I was given your details it was like a light at the end of the tunnel.We thought it would take a lot longer but within 2 nights of your help he was sleeping right through the night managing to get himself back to sleep and he now regularly goes for naps during the day. The plan is simple to follow but more importantly makes sense so we understood the reasoning behind it. I must admit that my husband was sceptical to begin with but he admits it’s the best money we have ever spent. In short Karen, you have given us back our lives and for the first time in 12 months we felt confident enough to leave Dylan with a friend and enjoy a meal out together. Read more “”
“We contacted Karen in desperation! Our 3 year old has never been a great sleeper, but the last 6 months had… been really hard, not actually understanding why he was waking and how we could help him get back to sleep. We tried everything, and it left us all completely shattered everyday!! His behaviour during the day became difficult, probably due to the fact he was so tired too. So we made one of the most life changing phone calls, to Karen. After meeting Karen I immediately started to feel more positive, we put her plan into action and started to notice a difference after 4 days, and now 3 weeks later we have our lives back. He is sleeping through the night and going to bed on time and without any fuss. I cannot thank Karen enough, the system works and I no longer go to bed each night full of anxiety! Thank you so much Karen!!” Read more “”
My twins Olli and Jessi are nearly three with my son having speech and language difficulties.
I contacted Karen at… the end of my tether, lacking in ideas and
suffering from sleep deprivation.
Jessi was not settling at night running me ragged. I was up and down the stairs for hours to a girl who would not stay in her bed and if she did she would cry and scream for hours..
Both twins were waking several times in the night with Olli coming into my room and refusing to return to his bed…
Both were often awake at 4.30/ 5am……… Karen has been incredibly supportive, professional and very
honest and always quick to explain the reasons for the structured
programme we have introduced….
Has the past three weeks been easy…. no….. especially having two
toddlers one with special needs…. but we have stuck with the programme and three weeks on I am downstairs relaxing by 1830 every evening with my twins settled and sending them selves to sleep with their doors open….I have to say I never thought I would be where I am today…! Karen is a life saver, she can solve your problems and get you relaxing for the evening….. Thank you Karen…. I feel as if you have been sitting on my shoulder for the past 3 weeks and I will
miss you….and all your support……. Read more “”