I’m Kirsty, a Baby and Child Sleep Therapist. I support families in creating healthy sleep habits for the whole family, giving you the tools and confidence to carry on for the future and any challenges you may face.

Do you have bedtime battles with your little one? Nap time struggles? Early wakings? Frequent night waking? Or need some routine for your little one’s day?

I can help by offering;

* FREE discovery calls * Bespoke sleep support * Age-appropriate, realistic routines and techniques for babies and children 0 months – 7 years.

To achieve at your own pace, better sleep for you and your family.

Having A New Baby!

 

Nothing prepares you for the sleep deprivation you face as a new parent, and I think the best thing you can do is lower your expectations. Yes, you may be blessed with a good sleeper, but if you’re not, that’s OK, don’t suffer. Ask for help!

Did you know babies are born too soon? We humans can’t physically carry them for any longer than nine months, which is why you should prepare to imitate life in the womb for your baby to be most settled. This is otherwise known as the fourth trimester, and you should think of your baby as a foetus outside the womb during this time.

Cuddling is what your baby wants, don’t worry about the beautiful nursery you have decorated; they can enjoy that in a few months. Instead, expect fussiness and crying from your newborn and exhaustion from you.

Before birth, your baby is lavished with rhythmic sensations, lots of jiggly motion and whooshing sounds from the blood pulsing through the uterine arteries. To give your little one the best fourth-trimester care, you can implement “The 5 S’s.”

  • Swaddle
  • Shush
  • Sway
  • Hold on the side/stomach position
  • Suck

    Sleep therapist Maidenhead
    Sleep Therapist

My Top 5 Tips For Better Sleep With A Newborn. 

1. Swaddle – From birth to 4-5 months, babies have what we call the startle reflex; swaddling them prevents this startle reflex from waking them. Swaddling can encourage better, longer sleep for babies. Even If your baby doesn’t seem to like swaddling, stick with it! Once your baby rolls, you must stop swaddling.

2. Dream feed – A dream feed is a good idea to give once you go to bed to keep your baby topped up to encourage longer stretches of sleep.

3. Use white noise – White noise creates a comfortable womb-like environment that calms babies, encouraging them to fall asleep and link sleep cycles.

4. Follow the eat, wake, sleep cycle – The baby wakes from sleep and immediately eats. Then the baby is awake for a while to play. Then the baby goes back to sleep….

This cycle has several purposes. First, it encourages full feedings by allowing the baby to eat immediately after waking. The baby will have the most energy immediately after waking, making him more inclined to take a full feeding and go longer between feedings.

Also, by feeding the baby after sleep rather than before sleep, the cycle prevents the baby from associating food with sleep or using food as a sleep prop when using this cycle, feeding before bedtime is typically only feeding before sleep.

5. Create a pre-nap and bedtime routine – Babies crave routine, structure and predictability. Creating a pre-nap and bedtime routine prepares them for what comes next, sleep!

A pre-nap routine could be – upstairs, nappy change, into a sleeping bag, close the blinds, turn on the white noise, have a cuddle and put into their cot and say you’re sleepy words. “nap time now.” or “love you night night.”

A bedtime routine would be a little longer with a bath, massage, story, feed, turn on white noise, into a sleeping bag, cuddles, into bed, and sleepy words again. Repeating these daily routines quickly encourages your little one to fall into a routine.

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

I’m a sleep consultant, but I’m also a mother.

I’m not going to tell you to leave your baby to cry and ignore their needs, just like I wouldn’t do that to my children. But I’m not going to tell you that you need to suffer from sleep deprivation and that it’s part of parenting. It’s not.

I’ve helped many families make positive sleep changes for their whole family, including;

  • Laying newborn sleep foundations, giving new parents tips and advice on normal newborn sleep.
  • Frequent night wakings.
  • Sleep associations you want to break
  • Toddler bedtime battles.
  • Early rising.
  • Nap struggles.
  • Routine support.

And more!

I would love to chat with you more…  my number is 07834244230. Email is kirsty@thechildsleeptherapist.com or check out my website www.thechildsleeptherapist.com

ANYONE THAT HAS BOOKED A SESSION IN THE FUTURE OR THE PAST WITH FIONA NORMAN GETS 20% OFF – JUST QUOTE FIONAS NAME WHEN BOOKING!