1. Hi Chris, firstly a very warm welcome to the Sevenoaks Mums business directory. Baby sleep training has traditionally always been a very female orientated industry, what inspired you to embark on this journey?
Thanks for having me. It’s great to be listed with you and to be asked to do this interview. Since becoming a Dad myself I have realised just how important sleep is! Everyone makes the joke ‘welcome to the no sleep club’ but you don’t realise how impactful it is until you are in it. When my eldest son had sleep problems I became so passionate about learning more about the causes and solutions which led me to completing my training. As dramatic as it sounds the whole family getting sleep is literally life changing! I love helping people and helping them make that change. This market is dominated by women and I’ve been so conscious of that; I don’t want to impose on an industry where women are so successful. I’m hoping to offer something a little different to complement that.
2. Is there anything that sets you apart from other baby sleep experts?
Well I am literally the only man in the UK doing this which is daunting but exciting. I often wonder if parents think that because I’m a man I might use less gentle strategies, such as the infamous “crying it out” but it’s actually the opposite and I am aligned to a very gentle approach. My main objective is to design very bespoke training plans alongside parents. I have seen so many sleep consultants throwing out the same plan to all of their clients but I really appreciate how different babies and their families are.
3. Up to what age of child can you help? For example, have you got any tips and techniques for older kids who are struggling with sleep?
This is a great question as I’m often asked if things are ‘too late’ for their child. But generally that is not the case and I can provide solutions up to 5 years of age. Generally with older kids the challenges have come from long-lasting habits which are yet to be broken. A big driver of sleep related issues is lack of self-comfort; any child – or adult for that matter – must be able to soothe themselves from within to get them off to sleep. If they cannot do this, they will continue to look for those external aids to comfort themselves, such as the breast or bottle for feeding, dummy or white noise as examples.
3. What’s your top 3 pieces of advice for new, struggling parents?
Don’t worry about a sleep routine in the first few months. It’s so cliche but the newborn phase really does feel like both a lifetime and a flash! When your little one is feeding every 2 hours it feels never ending. But it does pass, and they will start to sleep for longer stretches. Enjoy the cuddles and find a good boxset to watch!
When you can, put your little one down for some of their naps in a bassinet or their cot. Have them sleep in the room with you for comfort, but it’s good for them to get used to sleeping not just in your arms. You are still with them, but you are laying a great foundation for the future.
When you do put your little one down to sleep, one key tip is to put them down content and tired but awake. It’s so important that they use this time being tired but awake in their bassinet or cot to comfort themselves to sleep. By doing this, you are providing them with lots of opportunities to develop that self-comfort skill which is so important to them getting off to sleep and staying asleep longer.
4. If you had your time again as a new parent yourself, would you do anything different?
As a young baby my eldest son did not want to sleep in the day at all. Because he was a great night sleeper we didn’t worry too much about it. It became our running joke that he had more stamina than us (which is still true to this day)! But as he got older it became a real problem. He was overtired at bedtime which sounds like the ideal situation in theory, but it resulted in him not taking enough milk before bed and the whole process being very long winded. With the knowledge I have now I would have worked harder to get him taking more regular daytime naps.
5. What’s the most common mistake new parents can make?
There are no mistakes. Everything us parents do is out of love. Sometimes we do things to solve one problem which can then inadvertently create another, for example rocking or patting our baby to sleep which can inadvertently create a sleeping aid. However, that can be resolved in a short space of time and new parents should just continue to dote on their babies and enjoy every special moment.
6. Lastly, what can parents expect after a few sessions with yourself?
I’m all about fast and effective results! When you reach out to a sleep consultant you are typically at the end of your tether and you are all in need of sleep. I haven’t taken on a client yet that I haven’t been able to help and I think that’s down to the bespoke nature of my programmes and the fact I also offer daily check-ins to ensure the strategy we are using is working. You can see improvements in a matter of days and full results within 2 weeks.
www.thedaddysleepconsultant.com
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