4 Reasons To Hire A Sleep Consultant

While many people who hire sleep consultants know they are going to do it before they ever have children, some are slogging through the information. The internet is chock full of people shouting about every parenting choice’s rightness and wrongness that can ever be made, and maybe you need one more opinion to tip you one way or the other. 

We’re here to put in our 4 cents – one for each of the reasons we support folks who hire a sleep consultant. 

1. Searching for THE PLAN

There are some great resources to help parents get a handle on teaching their children to sleep. And that can be part of the problem – everyone disagrees about which books to read, or which book made the difference. 

Every family is unique, so it makes sense that there are shelves and shelves of books on the subject of children’s sleep. You can read all the books, try to follow their plans, and see how it goes. That is what most families plan and rarely how it goes. 

2. Your Friends

They mean well. We know they do. But sometimes your friends don’t make this easy. Did your friend get a magic baby that sleeps well all on their own, and they have to switch on a white noise machine, and *poof* now it’s morning time?

Or your friend won’t stop sharing a horror story they experienced? Or an experience of a friend of a friend – and now their baby is broken and never sleeps ever? 

We hope you have people in your life who can say, “Wow, that sounds so hard. I know you are doing the best you can.” And then they give you a big hug, leave some food ready to go in the fridge, and then take the garbage out when they leave. 

3. Help To Adjust Focus

One widespread attribute of new parents is the hyper-focus on parts of your baby’s behavior that may or may not be “normal.” Everyone needs some reassurance that their child is developing well and growing normally. But the wealth of generational wisdom can be lacking, which would offer new parents reassurance. 

Working with a sleep consultant can be a moment of removing the focus from one part of your child’s behavior and zooming out – so to speak – on broader areas where small adjustments can make a huge impact. 

As the saying goes, some new parents can’t see the forest for the trees. Your baby’s sleep isn’t just about being tired. It can be about digestion and hunger, it can be about overstimulation or being too tired, or it can be a growth spurt or developmental leap. Having a broader understanding is a huge benefit of bringing in another person to help guide your parenting.’

4. Postpartum Fatigue

It’s hard to help someone else sleep when you aren’t getting enough yourself. Your patience is reduced. Your emotions are closer to the surface. 

Yes, every parent expects to have to sacrifice somethings when their baby arrives, but depending on how long and how much you have been sacrificing t may be time to fill up your tank and get some help. 

Making decisions and interpreting information accurately isn’t possible when we aren’t taking care of ourselves. And as a new parent, your connection to your child is a strength, and a reason to have people you trust to help give perspective when you aren’t sure of what to do.