Philly Wallis PGCE BSc Psychology

I was never a believer. Nor was my husband. Wow. How wrong we were! Having our first child days into lockdown, with no support available, we just fell into a system that worked for us in this situation. However, awful silent reflux along with the addition of the dreaded 6 month regression, our almost “textbook” baby would now not sleep without being cuddled and held upright, in bed with us or rocked to sleep. This was also affected daily naps, bedtimes and causing 4:30am(ish) wake ups daily. Let alone the affect on us both as parents and people. 

At 13 months, something had to be done. I saw Philly in my Kicks Count group and our journey began. It seemed to good to be true – a baby sleeping for naps and in her cot within days?  Surely this was work of a fairy godmother. Well, that is now how we see Philly. She is our Fairy Sleepmother. Within days, we had a baby sleeping for naps and at bedtime. I could not believe it. We all adapted well to the gentle, personal advice and new routine and baby is so much happier in herself now she has better structure. I was so anxious to drop the dummy, but I didn't need to be. We have been free of this since the day we started and with no bother.

To say our lives have changed is now an understatement. Our little one can be put down to nap by anyone within weeks of her new routine and she’s enjoying it too (turning off the light switch herself – Little Miss Independent).

We really cannot thank Philly enough for guiding us. I have raved about this support to anyone and everyone. I just cannot believe that we didn’t do this sooner.

Forever grateful and most of all enjoying sleep again.

We would highly recommend Phillippa as a sleep consultant and Child Sleep Matters. When we initially contacted Phillippa, we were as a family of three all really desperate. After months of poor sleep, our little boy of 8 months was overtired, bad-tempered and the only place he would sleep his naps was in his pushchair outside. As parents, we were also at breaking point, and the lack of sleep was having a detrimental effect on our day to day lives.

We reached out to Phillippa as kind of last resort as we had tried everything else and also contacted other health professionals who hadn’t helped. We were quite sceptical because we thought it would be impossible to change our little boys sleeping pattern.

'I definitely recommend Philly!

My son was terrible at falling asleep on his own (our fault as we feed him to sleep every night). But with the sleeping plan we received from Phillippa, things changed so much!

Our son is finally sleeping through the night (before, he'd wake up 2 to 3 times a night for a feed). He's also falling asleep on his own now. No more feeding to sleep! And nap times are also so much better now. He falls asleep on his own and is staying asleep for one and a half hours! I still can't believe it! We're finally able to sleep through the night YAY ?'

Claudia and Paul, parents of 16 month old Bastian. 

'We got in contact with Phillippa to seek support with our early riser Toby (2) to see if there was anything that we could do as we were all struggling with the 4:30-5 wake ups.

Phillippa took the time to listen and learn all about Toby and the issues we were having and she created a bespoke comprehensive plan for us. She supported us throughout in our telephone catch ups which were really useful for making adjustments and getting much needed reassurance!

We are now enjoying much more sleep as a family with 6 o’clock wake ups, no night wakes and the bedtime routine has reduced in time by half giving me more time to relax in the evening, a bonus I hadn’t even anticipated!!!

Thank you so much for being so professional, never passing any judgement and being really friendly and supportive ??'

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Sarah and Chris, parents of 2 year old Toby

I highly recommend Phillippa as a sleep consultant, for anyone struggling with sleep to reach out and seek some advice. I believe Phillippa's strengths include her encouragement and her effective plan which is adapted to each specific case. Phillippa is also great at checking in and tweaking the plan accordingly, and I felt she really picked up on occasions where I had a niggle of doubt and provided encouragement and great advice. She is very personable and provided continuous support which I actually really felt and noticed, rather than left me to it. Thank you Phillippa!

Abbie, mum of 10 month old Louis. 

I used to get anxious around bedtime wondering if I was going to get any sleep. I contacted Phillipa and within days my baby was sleeping through the night. The sleep plans are easy to follow and are worth every penny.

I just wish I'd called Phillipa sooner!!

Cat, mother of 10 month old Andrew. 

'We started our journey with Phillippa when our son was 3 years old. we wondered if it was too late to sleep train him, however after a first consultation Phillippa assured us that she would be able to help and support. We decided to try out the Sweet Dreams package and Phillippa guided us through the plan all the way. My husband and I found it very helpful to meet Phillippa in person and she was so thorough in talking through our situation and building up a picture of our son. Before starting the plan, our son was unable to go to bed without one of us sitting in his room whilst he fell asleep. This was the same situation at night when he woke up so we often found ourselves sleeping on the floor as this seemed easier. However within a week we could see progress and we were able to sit further and further away from his bed. By a week and a half we were no longer sitting in his room- he had learnt to stay in his bed amd self-settle knowing we were close by but not in his room. Although we are still having night wakings these have reduced and as a result my husband and I are now sleeping at night and our son will go back to his bed if asked. The plan given was simple and easy to follow and the phone calls and emails from Phillippa meant we had support when we needed it. I wish we had contacted Phillippa sooner- thank you for giving us our sleep back! It's easy.'

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Sarah and Tom, teachers and parents of 3 year old William. 

'When we began, P was nearing 5. He started out as a pretty good sleeper, but when his younger brother came along it all went screwy. We have experienced nightly, multiple wake ups for two years. We have oscillated between fighting, crying and punishments, to half-hearted sticker charts, to bed sharing - our approach has been so inconsistent we figured we'd broken any chance of a 'normal' sleeping child. Cue Phillipa.

I was amazed at the pre-work she put in to ensure that the plan she gave us was the best one FOR US. She gave realistic expectations (which we still didn't believe), and an incredibly amount of support in the two weeks following implementation.

If you think 'gentle' means 'useless', you're wrong. The plan is fair, and considerate of a child's needs, but it is firm - it gives you as parents the rules to follow night after night, to undo all those bad habits. Her simple, clear instructions relinquish you of the need to make decisions when you're least able to do so ("do we just let him in...you take him back...ill sleep on the sofa")

And it WORKS. It took three weeks (1 pretty awful week, 1 bit better, 1 much improved) before he was sleeping through the night. No tears, no fighting, and all the frightened questions he used to ask us before bedtime ("where will you be? Will I hear you?) disappeared. One morning he came in and said "Good Morning! The clock is orange. I needed a wee in the night so I went by myself and went back to bed". We nearly fell over. I can't think of a better way to spend money than on getting your kids (and everyone else) sleeping well.'

Lindsey, mum of 5 year old.  

We can’t recommend Philly enough, she managed to get our little one through our darkest time as a family, which we learned was a relatively common 18 month sleep regression!

She was, up until that stage, sleeping independently through the night with no assistance to settle.  Then one day it all changed and she was waking distressed every 2-3 hours and was very hard to settle again.  We didn’t know what to do or how to handle it best for the entire family, and then we came across Philly.  

We had our consultation, and implemented the plan immediately and more importantly we stuck to it by the letter.  Within a few days we saw huge steps forwards, and within 3-4 weeks she was sleeping through once more.  

Thank you Philly!

Louisa and Simon, parents to 18 month old Marnie.

I can honestly say that following Phillippa’s advice has changed mine and my families world.

I’m so very proud to watch my baby on her monitor fall asleep independently and furthermore sleep through the night. Phillippa supported us tremendously and we couldn’t have done it without her advice & encouragement.

Thank you once again for giving us all our sleep back.

Hannah, mum of 6 month old Jasmine. 

Our baby boy, Wilf, was just over 7 months when we contacted Phillippa and started our sleep plan. We are now a couple of weeks in and Wilf is sleeping through the night and having lengthly naps in his cot during the day.

Before contacting Phillippa, Wilf was waking up multiple times in the night, unable to get himself back to sleep. We were surviving on about 3-4 hours of sleep per night!

During the day he would refuse to sleep in his cot, and on the rare occasions he did, his naps were so short I would have to try and get him back to sleep in either the pram or the car.

Within the first few days of starting the plan Wilf was able to settle himself and short naps became a thing of the past!

The plan is so effective yet gentle and Phillippa offers such great support. If I had any questions or problems Phillippa would respond so quickly, it was so lovely knowing that I had reassurance and support throughout. I cannot recommend Phillippa enough and will be definitely be back again!

Hannah, mum of 7 month old Wilf. 

Philly is amazing and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her sleep packages.

I was always cynical about sleep training and thought that there were too many barriers for it to be successful for our family. I didn’t believe it was possible for our 7-month-old baby to settle to sleep without breastfeeding and felt really anxious about the idea of him crying alone in his cot. I also felt that I couldn’t fit a routine around our older children’s school runs or settle all three to bed without my feeding crutch.

I was wrong about all of these things!

Philly helped me to explore my worries in a really supportive and validating way. She listened to my concerns and worked to develop a gentle plan. I was very anxious and pessimistic –baby Freddie was sleeping in bed with me most nights, I was spending 2/3 hours in the evening getting him to sleep and he would wake 3-4 times per night for a feed, in the day he would cat nap or sleep on me whilst feeding.

To my surprise, incredibly quickly, Freddie settled into a routine, and this involved very minimal crying (much less than he had been doing before we started the program) and has enabled me to continue breastfeeding. He now sleeps for 11-12 hours per night (unbelievable) and has two good naps everyday. Freddie is so much happier in himself and his new routine allows me to spend more time with my two other children. I can honestly say that it has been life changing.

For anyone who is thinking about sleep training but has some of the concerns I mentioned above, please contact Philly, she really is fantastic and can make a huge difference.

Laura and Guy, parents of 7 month old Freddy. 

I was very skeptical about sleep training and anxious about whether it was the right thing for our 7 month old little girl.

Phillippa was very helpful in explaining the benefits and how to help in a child focussed way. I found the process very emotional, I was prepared for the stress of having some crying but I was not emotionally prepared for Phillippa’s plan to work so quickly and effectively and have to give up our snuggle time during the night so soon!
After a few nights of proper sleep in my own bed I got over it very quickly, but in the meantime Phillippa was so patient and understanding when I found it very difficult.

It still seems like a miracle, my baby went from exclusively feeding to sleep and bed sharing to sleeping through the night in her own room and cot, self-soothing to sleep, in 3 nights without leaving her to cry.

Phillippa’s ongoing advice throughout the process was vital, not only for emotional support but to continue to tweak the plan to get it just right for the best possible routine. It has not negatively impacted breastfeeding, in fact the opposite, which was one of my main concerns. I would highly recommend Phillippa to anyone, she is amazing to work with and her advice really works!

Beth, mum of 6 month old Isabella. 

I would 100% recommend Phillippa and her sleep training programme - it's changed our lives dramatically and the best decision we've made so far! Within a couple of days of starting our baby girl went from waking every couple of hours to sleeping through the night - amazing! The support that Phillippa gave throughout the training was brilliant at keeping us on track and cementing our new routine. Thanks so much Philly!

Paula and Matt, Parents of 6 month old Arabella. 

I can honestly say that following Phillippa’s advice has changed mine and my families world. I’m so very proud to watch my baby on her monitor fall asleep independently and furthermore sleep through the night. Phillippa supported us tremendously and we couldn’t have done it without her advice & encouragement. Thank you once again for giving us all our sleep back.

Hannah, mum of 7 month old Jasmine.

My husband and I highly recommend Phillippa. She completely transformed our 7 month old's sleep routine and she is now sleeping through the night. As well as helping us with our night time routine she also helped us with her day time naps, and she now has longer undisturbed naps which has resulted in a happier baby throughout the day too.
Phillippa really understood and listened to our issues from the word go and has a lovely supportive manner. Thank you so so much!!

Charlotte and Ash, parents of 6 month old Lily.

We approached Phillippa after months of sleep deprivation and feeling completely at our limit. Our little one was 6 months old, swaddled and waking 4-5 times a night and the only way to get him back to sleep was feeding or rocking. We were exhausted. Phillippa was so kind and gentle with us and listened to what approach we would be comfortable with and adapted things based on our little one. Getting the plan together felt scary but after only 2 nights we saw results and our little one has slept through the night ever since, even during teething. We just cannot believe it and we have seen such a change in our little boy, he is happier, healthier, brighter and feeds so much better.

We had trouble with allergies, which meant napping has been a challenge but Phillippa has supported us throughout and gone at a pace that is comfortable for us. We cannot recommend Phillippa enough, it has completely changed our lives as a family and we are enjoying parenthood so much more now the anxiety of sleeping has gone. Phillippa is amazing, her warmth and positive attitude has given us the confidence to know what our little one needs and how to manage changes throughout his life. We came to Phillippa at a time when we couldn’t think straight and thought there was no way out and now our lives have completely transformed – we can never thank you enough!!!!

Jo and Stephen, parents of 6 month old Joshua.

Working through sleep training for our 6 month old son Logan with Philly has literally changed our lives.
Previously we were co-sleeping, waking every few hours to comfort or feed. Now after a personalised sleep and nap routine we have our evenings (and bedroom) back. I highly recommend Child Sleep Matters - from spending time to understand our current routine and what sleep schedule would work for us to giving continual support while executing the tailored plan. Most of all it has helped our son self soothe and ensure he has a solid foundation for great sleep for the rest of his life.

Emma, mum of 6 month old Logan

Phillippa has been an absolute lifesaver for me and my family. Returning to work full time when my youngest was just 7 months old, my husband and I had reached levels of exhaustion we didn’t know were possible with multiple wakings by our little boy every night which inevitably resulted in him ending up in our bed rolling around and meaning we were operating on very little sleep.
Despite thinking we had a good bedtime routine, with some small adjustments and guidance from Phillippa, our little boy transformed within a couple of days to sleeping through the night. The speed of change and transformation it’s had on our lives is unbelievable, sleep is important for all of us!
I couldn’t recommend Phillippa highly enough, not just in the sleeping plan she gives you but also the reinforcement and confidence in what you are doing. If you have even the slightest sleep issue, I would recommend getting in touch as a sleeping family is a happy family!

Emily, mum of 11 month old Noah

Philly saved me (literally!) when I was going through sleep hell with my daughter, Ava.
My first child, Esme, was in a good sleeping routine by 4 months so I assumed my second would be the same. But we all know every child is different..!
When Ava was still waking 4-6 times a night at 9 months and not napping in the day, I called Philly in tears, I was broken.
Philly has this amazing calming nature and completely non-judgemental (that can be so bad with new mums) that instantly made me feel at ease and gave me the courage that I so badly needed! Night one with Philly’s new routine was hard but I just re-read Philly’s tips over and over (and over!) and stuck with it and by night THREE (!) she went to sleep in TWO MINUTES (it usually took hours of ssh’ing / pick up, put down, back rubbing, etc) and she SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT. Sorry for the caps but I can’t put into words how much Philly’s guidance helped me, my relationship with my husband and turned Ava into the happiest, best sleeping baby, ever. If you are having trouble with sleep, don’t wait to see if it might change, just book - sleep and your happiness is way too precious : )

Emily, Personal Relations Business Owner and mum of 2 year old Ava.

Even though I thought I had great sleepers, both of my children (aged 5 and 3) have had sleep regressions in the last few months.
Philly has been brilliant - she’s listened to the issues and potential reasons and has offered candid advice which worked on night one.
Thank you for saving my sleep again Philly!

Caroline, Interior Designer and mum of 3 year old Olivia.

We have our evenings back! At 20 months we decided everyone needed a better routine and our little man had to stop coming in to our bed, I need my sleep!
Night 1 was hard, little man is stubborn and not afraid to tell everyone he's not impressed but Phillippa had set us up with all the right tools to get through it.
Night 2, wow, a different child!
We're now leaving him to self settle which he happily does and he sleeps 7-7 most nights.
My husband and I now have a couple of hours every evening to ourselves which is brilliant.
The support throughout from Philippa was great, thank you so much. 

Gemma, mum of 20 month old Robin.

“Hey Phillippa. Just wanted to drop you a message to tell you how grateful we are to have our lives (and sleep!!) back. Two weeks ago today we started working with you for our son Oscar. Oscar had nearly woken every hour, of every night for three months. It had really started to take its toll on us and we knew we needed to make some drastic changes. With your support, enthusiasm and guidance we have made massive progress in just 2 weeks and have now had 5 nights solid sleep 7pm-6am. The first week was very tough and emotional for all of us but it has really paid off. Thanks so much for your professionalism and always reminding us how important sleep is to Oscar when it was difficult. “

Harriet & Richard, parents to 6 month old Oscar.

"Phillippa is actually magic!
My daughter has NEVER been a good sleeper and I had tried almost everything by her first birthday so when my friend said to try contacting Phillippa I thought well this won't work but may as well tick the box before I give up. I was so wrong!
Within the first 3 nights we saw a difference! And when Chloe slept through for the first time ever on night 5 I thought this wont last its just a coincidence! But here we are over a month after our sleep training and Chloe actually likes Bed time (now one of my favourite times of day with her as opposed to the battle we used to have) and naps better in the day than ever before!
Phillippa was very understanding and listened to all of my concerns before we started. I would go as far as to say Phillippa has saved my marriage as before this bedtime was a 3 hour battle and we ended up with no time for ourselves or each other now my husband and I actually get some time together!"

Jenny, mum of 9 month old Chloe.

“I cannot thank or recommend Philippa enough! With her gentle approach to sleep training, and her dedication and support throughout the process, our baby Leo is finally sleeping through and napping better than I could ever have thought possible just a few weeks ago. Philippa always offered a bespoke response depending on how Leo was reacting/ adapting to all the changes and it was reassuring that a generic approach wasn’t just being applied. After six months of sleep deprivation, it feels like a miracle and we are all so much happier as a family! Thank you again!”

Danielle, mum of 6 month old Leo.

I just wanted to drop you a short note to say thank you so much! It has been over a month since we started our sleep journey with you and the sleep our entire family is getting has improved dramatically.

If you remember my nine month old was being breastfed and rocked to sleep, would wake in the night and was not napping well during the day. Since we went through the programme with you she now calmly goes to sleep on her own in her crib, sleeps through the night and is much better at getting her naps during the day. It goes without saying that all of us in the house are getting a lot more quality sleep and are seeing the benefits but what really surprised me were the unexpected gains. Jo is more interested in solid foods and my husband is able to take over sleep time routines so I can go out to the gym. In fact I am so confident of her improved skills in eating and sleeping, I have booked a three day trip to New York with my best friend, something that i would never have thought of a month ago. 

I could not have done it without your clear guidance and support. Even when things felt very tough you were empathetic but firm which encouraged me to persevere.

I will think of you at the top of the Empire State building!

Natalie, mum of 9 month old Jo.

“I really cannot recommend Philly enough. Her gentle, personalised approach was perfect for our family. I am amazed at the impact the changes to our routine have had on my daughter’s sleep and her mood, and, in turn, my wellbeing! It was so beneficial having regular contact with Philly who offered reassurance and advice, all with a very positive attitude. She also adapted the plan as we went along in response to my little girl’s needs. My only regret is not starting sooner! Thank you so much Philly!”

Hayley, teacher and mum of 6 month old Olivia.

‘Phillippa is actually magic!

My daughter has NEVER been a good sleeper and I had tried almost everything by her first birthday so when my friend said to try contacting Phillippa I thought well this won’t work but may as well tick the box before I give up. I was so wrong!

Within the first 3 nights we saw a difference! And when Chloe slept through for the first time ever on night 5 I thought this wont last its just a coincidence! But here we are over a month after our sleep training and Chloe actually likes Bed time (now one of my favourite times of day with her as opposed to the battle we used to have) and naps better in the day than ever before! Phillippa was very understanding and listened to all of my concerns before we started.

I would go as far as to say Phillippa has saved my marriage as before this bedtime was a 3 hour battle and we ended up with no time for ourselves or each other now my husband and I actually get some time together!’

Jenny, Accountant, mum of 9 month old Chloe, Guildford. 

“Hey Phillippa. Just wanted to drop you a message to tell you how grateful we are to have our lives (and sleep!!) back. Two weeks ago today we started working with you for our son Oscar. Oscar had nearly woken every hour, of every night for three months. It had really started to take its toll on us and we knew we needed to make some drastic changes.
With your support, enthusiasm and guidance we have made massive progress in just 2 weeks and have now had 5 nights solid sleep 7pm-6am. The first week was  tough and emotional for all of us but it has really paid off. Thanks so much for your professionalism and always reminding us how important sleep is to Oscar when it was difficult. “

Thanks again, Harriet & Richard, parents to 6 month old Oscar.

“I cannot thank or recommend Philippa enough! With her gentle approach to sleep training, and her dedication and support throughout the process, our baby Leo is finally sleeping through and napping better than I could ever have thought possible just a few weeks ago.
Philippa always offered a bespoke response depending on how Leo was reacting/ adapting to all the changes and it was reassuring that a generic approach wasn’t just being applied.

After six months of sleep deprivation, it feels like a miracle and we are all so much happier as a family! Thank you again!” 

Danielle, mum of 6 month old Leo.

I just wanted to drop you a short note to say thank you so much! It has been over a month since we started our sleep journey with you and the sleep our entire family is getting has improved dramatically.

If you remember my nine month old was being breastfed and rocked to sleep, would wake in the night and was not napping well during the day.
Since we went through the programme with you she now calmly goes to sleep on her own in her crib, sleeps through the night and is much better at getting her naps during the day.
It goes without saying that all of us in the house are getting a lot more quality sleep and are seeing the benefits but what really surprised me were the unexpected gains. Jo is more interested in solid foods and my husband is able to take over sleep time routines so I can go out to the gym. In fact I am so confident of her improved skills in eating and sleeping, I have booked a three day trip to New York with my best friend, something that i would never have thought of a month ago. 

I could not have done it without your clear guidance and support. Even when things felt very tough you were empathetic but firm which encouraged me to persevere.

I will think of you at the top of the Empire State building!

Natalie, mum of 9 month old Jo, Hampshire

“If you are looking for some help with your baby’s sleep I would highly recommend Philly. She was amazing!

Her calm and gentle approach to sleep training has enabled my little boy to sleep through the night every night. I wish I had found her sooner when he was waking hourly! She was supportive and understanding throughout the process and made a  bespoke plan specific to my child that was adapted during the program.

Not only did she manage to get my baby sleeping well, she also helped with a nap routine and removing the bottles and dummies.

I would highly recommend Philly and her sleep training to anyone! Thank you again.” 

Vicki, teacher, Basingstoke mum of 18 month old Arthur

“Thank you so much for all your support and energy.

I am so glad we undertook this process - it has really given me the structure and tools to help my daughter sleep well and my family life is almost unrecognisable. She is more interested in solids and is getting so many more hours of sleep than before. Thank you.”

Natalie, mum of 9 month old.

“I really cannot recommend Philly enough.

Her gentle, personalised approach was perfect for our family. I am amazed at the impact the changes to our routine have had on my daughter’s sleep and her mood, and, in turn, my wellbeing! It was so beneficial having regular contact with Philly who offered reassurance and advice, all with a very positive attitude. She also adapted the plan as we went along in response to my little girl’s needs.

My only regret is not starting sooner! Thank you so much Philly!”

Hayley, Teacher and mum of 6 month old Olivia from Basingstoke