Sweet Dreams Sleep Solutions

12/07/2019

What does good sleep mean? To me it means a child who is ready to go to bed and happy to go to bed, it is a child who recognises when they are tired and may ask to go for a nap or to bed, it means a child who gets restful and restorative sleep.
I always see a lot of press about children not being developmentally ready to sleep through the night and criticising paediatricians and sleep consultants for showing evidence to the contrary. A securely attached child can sleep well safe in the knowledge that if they are scared, cold, hot, hungry, thirsty or unwell they can call for you and you will be there. Helping your child to sleep better is not abandoning them but giving them a life skill that aids behaviour and brain development. The funny thing is that most children I see who don’t sleep well don’t like going to bed as it is a distressing time for them. They cry going to bed and they cry regularly in the night. Bedtime does not feel like a secure time for them. This is where I help with establishing a healthy routine and helping children feel secure in their expectations so that bedtime becomes relaxed and calm.

21/05/2019

https://www.facebook.com/motherlymedia/videos/2385473911731326?s=511504427&v=e&sfns=mo

02/05/2019

There is nothing wrong with co-sleeping if you do it safely and for lots it means everyone gets more sleep. Most parents end up co-sleeping without ever having the intention to do so. Even if you don’t intend to please look at what to do if you do.

22/04/2019

So I’ve been a bit quiet recently but there has been lots going on. Mainly with moving my two into a bedroom together and putting our now 3 year old into a single bed or her ‘big girls bed’ as she puts it 😍.

So how did we go about it? We asked our eldest if he would like to share and he did, then we took the side off our daughter’s cot in her room and told her if she stayed in her bed then we would get her a big girls bed and she could share a room with her big brother. We waited until she was close to 3 to do this (2 years 10 months) as the guidance suggests that unless there is a reason to (climbing out for instance) then it is better to wait until they are closer to 3 to move them into a bed. I think this is probably why we’ve had such a successful transition.

So why the move? Well the research suggests that children benefit from sharing a room both emotionally and psychologically. It helps with fear of the dark and children generally like being together. It also aids better sleep in that children who share are used to noises and other disturbances and learn to sleep through them. My daughter still naps so sometimes doesn’t go to sleep as quickly as my son but he is still able to fall asleep even if she’s in bed singing 😂 and they both still wake at different times and surprisingly don’t disturb the other one but they love the mornings they wake up together and usually stay in bed having a little chat 😍

31/01/2019

Another successful outcome for a family wanting to stop co-sleeping. Mum never really slept as she lives abroad and the floors are all hard so she was scared that her son would fall out of bed. She had tried numerous things to get him to sleep in his own bed. With a sleep plan that focused on getting the conditions right for deep sleep and a consistent approach he has slept a full night in his bed only waking at 6.40am. This is in less than a week. It’s amazing what children are capable of when all the right things are in place 😊

13/01/2019

A successful night in the sweet dreams household 😊 💤

I often get asked when to take the side off the cot or move a child into a bed. Between the ages of 2-3 is the ideal time with as close to 3 as is possible. If you have a child at the top of the height and weight percentiles then you may find you need to move them to a bed earlier than age 3. The caveat to all of this is your child is climbing out of the cot then safety first means putting them in a bed or taking the side off immediately.

When you do take the side off the cot or move them into a bed please make sure the room is safe just in case little hands go exploring in the night and you don’t wake up and hear. Make sure furniture is secured to the walls and that there are no choking or strangulation hazards in the room. Keep floor areas clear so there is no risk of tripping.

If you are able to wait until your child is ready then it should be a smooth transition and an exciting one that you can involve your child in.

12/01/2019

So tonight in the sweet dreams household we have taken the side off the cot and turned it into a ‘big girls’ bed. I’m finding it hard to believe my littlest is getting so big now. She’s not asleep yet but hasn’t got out of bed. Hopefully it’ll be smooth sailing as she’s more than ready for it 🙏

10/01/2019

10/01/2019

I love this 😍
Securely attached children sleep better than anxiously attached children because they know their needs will be met. With anything we do with children remaining calm, consistent and loving are at the forefront of it all. This is what I advocate and seeing happy children and happy parents at the end of the day is why I love my job.

10/01/2019

So I’ve been very busy the last few months... I recently worked with a family whose child would not be settled by anyone by mummy which would not be a problem normally. However being 34 weeks pregnant she wanted daddy to be able to settle her son in preparation for baby arriving and a potential hospital stay. She was very much for attachment parenting and was currently co-sleeping. We decided on a clear plan that she was happy with, that did NOT involve controlled crying or leaving her son alone in the night. Within a week he would let mum or dad settle him and would even call out for daddy if he did wake in the night. After a week he decided he wanted his own bed and by his own choice moved into a toddler bed. He had never napped longer than half an hour in the day and never at home. Within a few days of the plan he was napping for 90 minutes in his own room. Mum is due any day and is so happy that her son is happy to sleep in his own bed, be settled by her or daddy or grandparents, is napping well and is mostly sleeping through the night. I would say this is one little boy very ready to become a big brother and a mum who can relax about baby’s imminent arrival 😊

01/01/2019

Wishing you all a very happy new year 🥳

30/12/2018

Hope that all my customers and supporters have had a lovely Christmas. Its been a busy time in the sweet dreams household with lots of illness (darn those winter viruses!), festive activities and a family wedding. I’ve also been a busy bee over Christmas helping families solve their sleep problems without resorting to controlled crying and whilst still being responsive to their children. I love helping children sleep better and become happier and more content. Hope all your families have had a wonderful time over the festive period and are looking forward to the new year xx

06/12/2018

What I love is helping others. To hear from families that their little ones seem happier and more content and that family life has improved for the better. It’s what keeps me doing what I do 😊

22/11/2018

One of the things I love about my job is giving parents their evenings back. I know parenting is 24/7 and that doesn’t stop but actually everyone needs a break. It helps us re-charge and this in turn helps us be even better parents. An exhausted parent who is up tending to their child all the time and not able to even sit and eat dinner or spend time with their partner or get any respite time is not going to be at their best mentally, physically or emotionally. Even the simplest thing like being able to sit and have dinner once your children are asleep makes such a difference.

20/11/2018

Something that will probably shock you in a sleep consultant’s household but we are sleep deprived at the moment 😴 illness has hit the sweet dreams household with a very bad cough. We have a raised cot, baby rub on the feet and a humidifier but even that isn’t fully easing it. Last night cuddles in bed with mummy was the only solution and I’m fully prepared for the same tonight! Being a parent means that there are nights where you don’t get to go off duty and may be up all night but with my sleep consultancy service this does not have to be the norm.

14/11/2018

I’m currently working with a family who have always cuddled their son to sleep and if he’s woken in the night. This has worked for their family until now when they have another baby on the way. Mum did not want the new baby to arrive and for her son to feel abandoned when she can’t go to him as often and he currently won’t let Dad settle him. We are 2 nights in on the sleep plan we agreed to and her son slept from 7.30pm-5.15am. He has also never napped at home, only in the pram or car and now he is napping in his own bed. All of this without resorting to controlled crying 😊

03/11/2018

With Christmas fast approaching why not treat yourself and your little one to good naps and bedtime sleep by choosing a package with me that suits your budget. There’s no need to resort to controlled crying and you can still be a responsive parent who meets your child’s needs. Yes....even after your child starts sleeping well they will wake and cry for you if they are hungry, hot, cold, ill or in pain and I want them to! I want them to know their parents are there for them if they NEED them. If all their needs are met then they’ll sleep beautifully for both naps and night time sleep giving you a happy well rested child. I work with babies and children up to the age of 10.

28/10/2018

For those of you up early this morning today you can start putting things in place to help your little ones adjust to the time change. One method is to just adjust the time of their naps and bedtime by an hour. It shouldn’t take more than a week for their body clocks to re-adjust although I’d expect to see changes within a few days. If you want a more gradual approach then slowly move their naps and bedtime by 15 minutes increments each day until you are at the desired time. And in the meantime try and enjoy those extra early morning snuggles ❤️