Will I be letting my child “Cry It Out”

No. I offer several different sleep training techniques based on what seems to be the best fit for your child and family. When using these gentle sleep training techniques, parents are encouraged to check in and comfort their child at intervals while allowing them to learn how to self-soothe. This approach aims to create a secure attachment between parent and child while promoting independent sleep habits. Breaking habits is hard and the way babies are able to communicate their displeasure is through crying. It is important to understand that some tears may be inevitable during this process as it is a new experience for the child. Parents are guided on how to provide comfort and reassurance while also allowing the child the space to develop their self-soothing skills. Consistency, patience, and empathy are key components of implementing these gentle sleep training techniques.

How long will sleep training take?

The length of sleep training depends both on the individual child as well as the technique used. The gentlest approaches can take 1-2 weeks to start seeing improvements while other approaches can start seeing results in 3-4 nights. We will work together to make the best plan for you and your family and get you better rest as soon as possible.

What’s included in my custom sleep plan?

For our Dreamy Slumber and Sleep Serenity packages you will be receiving a customized sleep plan created just for you based off of your intake form. This document identifies habits or areas to improve and outlines concrete steps guiding you through what to do at bedtime, advice on sleep schedules, what to do when your child wakes up in the middle of the night and how to handle naps. Additionally both of these plans include a video consultation where we will go over the plan together to make sure you understand everything it says.

What is a sleep prop?

A sleep prop is something that your child is reliant on to fall asleep. This can be a pacifier, or an action like being rocked to sleep or nursed to sleep. Sleep props can inhibit your child from getting a good nights rest because they are dependent on these props to move between sleep cycles resulting in waking up frequently throughout the night. At Return to Rest we will work with you to help eliminate sleep props and build skills for independent sleep.