Many families experience sleep challenges, and it is not a reflection on you as a parent or a failing. I absolutely do not believe in bad habits or blame. I entirely feel that there is plenty of scope and opportunity to gently and sensitively encourage better sleeping tendencies from any age that you feel ready. Although you may feel alone, frustrated and vulnerable, please know that sleep issues affect up to 70% of parents at some point in their parenting career. Even if you feel that you have tried everything, my unique approach will encourage a positive response and allow you to start to reach your sleep goals. Establish a bedtime routine. Follow a consistent 30- to 45-minute baby sleep routine to help transition your little one from awake time to sleepy time. A nd start it early enough that you’ll finish before she becomes overtired.If she’s been falling asleep at the breast or bottle, schedule that feed before the bath or books, so you’re able to put her to bed while she’s still awake. But - it is intense - I’ve become so obsessed with the timings of everything, because she now really struggles to fall asleep if overtired and going to sleep even 10 min late can cause loads of crying. Maybe this was always the case and I’m now more aware of what’s going wrong. So this means naps are a bit of a lottery and several times a week we will have horrible screaming nap refusal, but she’s exhausted, and now her sleep anywhere other than the cot is really poor. But when timings are right she will have two beautiful 1.5hr naps in cot and it all feels worth it! Lucy's programme is gentle, she does not advocate cry intensive methods and encourages a stay-and-support approach. Following our chat, she sent me a schedule tailored to my son's age and we set to work a couple of days after our meeting.

Sleep training my son with Lucy has saved us in so many ways. We are all so much happier and healthier, mentally and physically. I couldn't recommend it enough to any parents struggling out there. There is no need to struggle, to be sleep-deprived, to be unhappy and scared of bedtime and dread night time. Not when there are incredibly qualified people such as Lucy that can completely transform your whole family's lives in just four weeks.The American Paediatric Association advises strongly against it because of incidences of infant mortality due to suffocation, yet there are well-regarded parenting books which strongly advocate it as a natural and normal way for babies to sleep," she says. "I believe that it is a parenting choice. I don't advise parents to do it but I do not judge either if this is something that they have decided to do."

A common misconception among parents is that if they just shorten or stop naps, then their baby will sleep more soundly at night. Kedzierska-Teague says the importance of making sure the bedroom is tidy is often overlooked. “The clutter can be really stimulating.” WhatToExpect.com, Co-Sleeping, Bed-Sharing and Room-Sharing: What's Safe and What Isn't?, November 2020.

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Geoghegan suggests that parents should be aware of nap guidelines for their baby’s age “but don’t fixate on them, some babies need more or less than others”. She also believes that while consistent naps time is important, parents shouldn’t feel like they have to be home every day for them. The problems can be initiated by any one of or a combination of these events and of course, ones that I haven't listed, that each contribute to a cycle of over-tiredness and fuel your recent sleep issues, until sleeping through the night becomes a distant memory. I often describe this scenario as a perfect storm. Lucy says: 'Many parents report success with this method and within that then it deserves consideration. I always want parents to make changes and adjustments and use approaches that resonate for them. However, I do find that it may be over-stimulating and confusing for the child. It is suggested that you PU when crying and PD when calm- this could lead to mixed messages and ultimately teach your child to cry, when ultimately we are aiming for your child not to cry and for them to feel supported and accompanied as they learn.' Re-establish the day time sleep. Sleep issues feed each other. If your child is under 5 and not sleeping well at night time, consider reintroducing the nap in an effort to help them become better rested. Most children up to age 3 will still biologically require a daytime sleep, so help it happen. After 18 months a lot of children will need just one nap and the ideal time for that to happen is from 12 noon onwards. If they are resistant to napping in the cot or bed then I suggest that you just help the nap happen in any way possible - car, buggy, couch. If a nap is not achievable, encourage quiet time instead. Please ensure that quiet time does not include television but rather reading or listening to audio books for example. But with some patience, consistency and help from your partner or family, you’ll get there eventually and they'll learn to fall asleep without your help.