The Bedtime Champ: Sleep Consultant London & Remote Worldwide

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The Bedtime Champ: Sleep Consultant London & Remote Worldwide

Qualified children’s sleep consultant based in London and offering remote consultations worldwide.

Professional sleep support for babies and children using responsive methods and using a holistic approach. Janine is the founder of The Bedtime Champ and is a mum and qualified sleep practitioner. She’s helped hundreds of families to get to the root of their child's sleep issues.

10/03/2025

🌙🥱 Is being nap trapped leaving you feeling touched out? 🥱🌙

This has been one of my most popular posts to date, so I thought I would spruce up the post and make it more informative and useful.

You might have mastered getting your baby to sleep in a cot at night, but daytime sleep is a different matter. Your baby will likely only take contact naps. At best you might be able to get your baby to sleep in a sling or stroller.

This is biologically normal for a baby to want to be as close to you as possible, and if you can, I'd lean into it. Get lots of snacks, drinks and the remote control in hand because it really won't last forever. If it makes it easier, a stretchy wrap style sling really helps your baby to feel that sense of closeness, while keeping your hands free.

BUT if you're done with contact naps - there are some ways to ease into the transition.

The first nap of the day is the easiest to work on - it's when there's still a decent amount of residual sleep pressure left over from nighttime. It's also generally the shortest wake window of the day, because babies get tired pretty quickly after waking up for the morning. It's also a great nap to choose because if it all goes wrong, you've still got the entirety of the day to get back on track.

So try that nap in the cot, it might only be a short nap at first, but be consistent with it, and you should see results. Then, when that nap is established consistently and is over 45 minutes for a number of days, move to the next nap and so on.

This process could take weeks, so do not feel disheartened - have patience. It’s a huge change for your baby. Remember also that babies often have very short naps until they are around 7 months of age when wake windows are consistently over 2 hours in length. So don’t be alarmed if this process takes months.

My baby sleep course, The Essential Gentle Baby Sleep Course, contains a comprehensive guide to naps. Or for the younger ones, my free 0-3 month sleep survival guide is linked in my bio.
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08/12/2024

The recommended range of sleep across a 24 hour period for a baby between 4-11 months of age is vast - 12 to 15 hours of sleep is recommended, but as low as 10 or as high as 18 can also be normal. I always ask families I work with to avoid fixating on numbers. If your baby is content between periods of sleep and they are meeting developmental milestones you really shouldn’t feel anxious.

At this age most will be on 2-3 naps per day, but I typically recommend sticking to 3 naps at this age. But really, it's about what works for you! Naps will range from 30 minutes - 2 hours in length with wake windows of 2-2.5 hours between sleeps. At
this age 70% of babies will still wake for at least one feed or more per night. So even if it FEELS like everyone around you has babies who sleep through, I promise they aren't.

At 6 months, a day with 3 naps *could* look like this:

7am: Wake Up
9-9:45am: Nap 1 (2 hr wake window)
12-1:30pm: Nap 2 (2.25 hr wake window)
4-4.30pm: Nap 3 (2.5 hr wake window)
6:10pm: Begin bedtime routine
6:40pm: Place in bed
7pm: Asleep (2.5 hr wake window)

NOTE: This is just a sample routine, every child can and will tolerate different amounts of sleep. Be guided by your child’s own sleep cues.

Remember to save this post to refer back to, and share it with anyone you think would find it useful.

Follow for more helpful baby sleep advice.

17/10/2024

If you're like me, you're probably confused about which way the clocks change and when the clocks go back by an hour on Sunday 27 October 2024. It happens at 2am where, in essence, you basically live the same hour twice.

Here’s some options for how you might want to manage the clock change.

Option One

During the week prior to the 29th, move your little one's routine later by 15 minutes every couple of days. This means moving your morning awake time, feeds, naps, bedtimes. It's easiest to start with the first nap of the day, extend the wake window before that nap by 15 minutes in the hope that pushes the rest of the daytime routine as a consequence. This option is probably best for those weeny babies, where wake windows are very sensitive.

This is how it would work, if your child usually goes to bed at 7 pm:

Sunday 20th: 7:15 pm
Tuesday 22nd: 7:30 pm
Thursday 24th: 7:45 pm
Saturday 26th: 8:00 pm

Option Two

The night before the clocks change, put your child down to bed half an hour later.
This may not guarantee a later wake-up but it can help somewhat with the body’s adjustment.

Option Three

Just wing it! Just pray they will wake up later. This is the option I will probably follow. I know with my own children if the house is silent they are less likely to wake - but I know we are in the minority.

But the biggest advice I have is to have a consistent wake-up time that is always after 6am, but it's a realistic time you know your child is capable of, and make sure they remain in their bedtime environment until that time. If they wake before that time and they are upset, commit to resettling them, if they are awake but not upset, just leave them until your desired wake up time.

10/09/2024

Nic left this review over on Trustpilot. This is their experience of following my Gentle Baby Sleep Course for babies aged 0-18 months of age. This is what she said:

"Really impressed with how quickly, but gently this programme has taught our little one to self settle and sleep long periods of time. It's been a game changer for us! 2 weeks in and between 7 and 9 hours sleep before a feed, then back to sleep for another few hours."

Drop a comment below if you want to know more about my online course and how it could help you.

06/09/2024

It's been quiet on the grid over the summer - juggling work and childcare in the holidays in a struggle. So social media was on the back burner. But we're back now. This week I'm back with another mini sleep guide, this time for babies who are 15 months of age.

The recommended range of sleep across a 24-hour period for toddlers between 1 and 2 years of age is vast - 11 to 14 hours of sleep is recommended, but as low as 9 or as high as 16 can also be normal. I always ask families I work with to avoid fixating on numbers. If your baby is content between periods of sleep and they are meeting developmental milestones you really shouldn’t feel anxious.

At this age, most will now be on 1-2 naps per day with nap lengths ranging from 30 minutes - 2 hours in length with wake windows of 3-5 hours between sleeps. This phase is a transition phase where they may have 2 naps some days and other days they have 1.

At 15 months, a day with 2 naps *could* look like this:

7am: Wake Up
10:15-11am: Nap 1 (3.25 hr wake window)
2:45-4:15pm: Nap 2 (3.75 hr wake window)
2:25pm: Begin bedtime routine
7:55pm: Place in cot
8:15pm: Asleep (4 hr wake window)

At 15 months, a day with 1 nap *could* look like this:

7am: Wake Up
11:30am - 2pm: Nap 1 (4.5 hr wake window)
6:10pm: Begin bedtime routine
6:40m: Place in cot
7pm: Asleep (5 hr wake window)

NOTE: This is just a sample routine, every child can tolerate different amounts of sleep. Be guided by your child’s own sleep cues.

Remember to save this post to refer back to, and share it with anyone you think would find it useful.

Follow for more helpful baby sleep advice.

14/07/2024

Tom has reached out for help a few times over the first year of parenting and this is what he said:

"We've benefitted from Janine's consultation multiple times in the first year or so of parenthood. She's knowledgeable and friendly, and really helped us when feeling sleep deprived and struggling to find our way out of night wakes. Would highly recommend her!"

13/07/2024

It's one of those rare times when they go to sleep at bedtime, in their own crib, WITHOUT waking 32 minutes later. What a time to be alive?

12/07/2024

The benefits of contact nap are undeniable - it can help to regulate your baby's heart rate, breathing and temperature, it can improve success of breastfeeding and aid weight gain, and it promotes a secure and healthy bond.

But that doesn't mean you should feel guilty for feeling touched out and wanting to get some space. If you want to watch my webinar all about naps, drop me a comment and I'll send you a link to find out more.

11/07/2024

I’ve started to get lots of questions about how to manage sleep with a little person while on holiday. I’m not at all jealous, I promise!

I’ve decided to put together some tips and advice that should be helpful if you’re going short haul or if you’re going on a staycation.

☀️ Focus on making memories - Having a rigid routine might help your baby get more sleep, but you don't want to spend your entire holiday locked in a hotel room and not experiencing new things. Getting out will help your little one's circadian rhythm and will help tire them out.
☀️ Keep bedtime familiar - try to make the bedtime routine as familiar as possible including similar steps you'd normally have at home. Make sure they have familiar items they would typically have at home - like a comforter or sleep sack.
☀️ Take old unwashed bedsheets - for the very little ones, it can help for bedsheets to smell familiar. So rather than taking nice clean pyjamas and a sleep sack, instead take ones that have been used for a night or two.
☀️ Have naps on the move - naps in a sling or in a stroller might be helpful and will allow you to get out and about. Products like a snooze shade or a rockit might help to get longer naps in a pram.
☀️ Keep the bedroom dark - It can be really hard to make the room super dark, but this is where things like portable gro blinds can be helpful while you're away to help block out the light.
☀️ Be flexible - be flexible with your routine because your little one might get more tired during the day if they are experiencing lots of new things. Nap times might need to be flexible.

But most of all, enjoy yourself!

Remember, follow for more useful baby sleep advice.

10/07/2024

I'm back again with another mini sleep guide, and this week it's for toddlers aged 14 months.

The recommended range of sleep across a 24-hour period for toddlers between 1 and 2 years of age is vast - 11 to 14 hours of sleep is recommended, but as low as 9 or as high as 16 can also be normal. I always ask families I work with to avoid fixating on numbers. If your baby is content between periods of sleep and they are meeting developmental milestones you really shouldn’t feel anxious.

At this age, most will now be on 1-2 naps per day with nap lengths ranging from 30 minutes - 2 hours in length with wake windows of 3-5 hours between sleeps. This phase is a transition phase where they may have 2 naps some days and other days they have 1.

At 14 months, a day with 2 naps *could* look like this:

7am: Wake Up
10:15-10:45am: Nap 1 (3.25 hr wake window)
2:15-3:45pm: Nap 2 (3.5 hr wake window)
6:55pm: Begin bedtime routine
7:25pm: Place in cot
7:45pm: Asleep (4 hr wake window)

At 14 months, a day with 1 nap *could* look like this:

7am: Wake Up
11:30am - 2pm: Nap 1 (4.5 hr wake window)
6:10pm: Begin bedtime routine
6:40m: Place in cot
7pm: Asleep (5 hr wake window)

NOTE: This is just a sample routine, every child can tolerate different amounts of sleep. Be guided by your child’s own sleep cues.

Remember to save this post to refer back to, and share it with anyone you think would find it useful.

Follow for more helpful baby sleep advice.

10/06/2024

Claire has reached out for help a few times over the first year of parenting - initially when in the depths of the 4-month-regression, later when her daughter was 9 months old and sleep had gone off track, and finally when Claire returned to work and her daughter started childcare and this had shaken things up a bit. This is what she said:

"Janine is wonderful!
We have sought her guidance multiple times, she has always been so knowledgeable and reassuring.
She really understands the anxiety of a sleep deprived parent.
I’ve recommend her to all my friends dealing with the toils of sleep training in the early years."

04/06/2024

90% of parents have bed-shared with their baby at some point, whether that's for part of the night, all of the night, or just occasionally.

Guidance from the NHS now acknowledges that many families do this out of necessity and The Lullaby Trust provides guidance to mitigate the risks associated.

If you're practising safer co-sleeping, then there's no rush to transition. But if you are ready to make the move, then this post will give you lots of tips to help prepare. If you're looking to make the transition, let me know in the comments and I'll send you a DM with a link to an article with detailed advice on how to approach this.

And remember to follow for more useful baby sleep advice

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+447841471037

Website

https://www.bedtimechamp.co.uk/

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