Sleep Programmes
Step-by-step downloadable guides with the exact information you need to transform your baby's sleep.
Our programmes cut through the noise of sleep training to provide you with a no-nonsense, responsive approach that's helped over 3000 families.
Let Me Take You Back...
To the winter of 2019 when I was pregnant. My husband and I were having lots of late-night conversations, discussing our excitement and fears about having a baby.
By far our greatest fear was the sleep deprivation.
We are both people who *need* our sleep and all we were hearing from friends, family and society at large is that we were heading into a few sleep-deprived and stressful years.
But the more we talked about sleep, a little voice in my brain kept saying: there must be a way.
There must be a way to make the first few months (and years) better, good even, as far as sleep was concerned.
So I decided to really delve deep into the subject of sleep: reading lots, researching and listening to podcasts. Thus began my journey into learning all things baby sleep.
After our son was born and after the first few crazy newborn weeks, we began to gently nudge him into a daytime routine. We optimised his sleep environment and gave him opportunities to fall asleep independently from the beginning. We were intentional about sleep and followed a plan.
He slept through the night from four and a half months old.
Long, consistent naps. Happy, straight-forward bedtimes. And both parents able to share the load when it came to sleep.
And his sleep has remained consistently brilliant over three years down the line.
He is a happy, healthy and happily-attached little boy. And we as parents are happy, healthy and well-rested too.
I loved seeing the sleep theory I had learned whilst pregnant put into practice. I saw so clearly how – despite it often seeming like a totally random mystery – there really is a formula to baby sleep.
So, I decided to train as a Sleep Consultant, to help other parents to bring balance back to parenthood and take the stress out of sleep.
Three and a half years on, we've helped over 3000 parents to transform sleep.
Our mission is to help you to unlock predictable sleep so that you can reclaim your sense of identity, reconnect with your partner and most importantly, have the freedom to enjoy life and parenting fully.
AS SEEN IN:
This Is For You If
Your Little One...
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Is waking up lots overnight
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Falls asleep whilst feeding
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Needs to be rocked or held to sleep
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Can only nap in the pram or buggy
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Only takes short naps and fights naps
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If the lack of sleep is impacting you
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You're SO ready for much better sleep!
Choose Your Sleep Programme
Imagine Being Able To...
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Find the joy in parenting again!
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Put your baby down awake at bedtime in their cot without tears
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Have the confidence to know you're doing when it comes to sleep
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Have the patience and rest to enable you to be the parent you want to be
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Have predictable breaks every day when your baby naps in their cot
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Have more time for yourself and each other in the evenings
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Stop feeding, rocking, cuddling, walking, holding to sleep each night
Have A Look Inside
A taste of what you can expect from your sleep programme
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What settling methods does the Sleep Programme include?We teach “controlled comforting” which is where you will stay in the room with your little one to reassure them as they are falling asleep. And for older babies, "controlled crying" which is where you will leave your baby's room for short intervals (starting from 1 minute) and return to reassure. We only recommend introducing one of these settling methods after making sure that your baby’s sleep environment and daytime sleep are working well though, so that we minimise any crying as much as possible and ensure the best chance of success. Our Sleep Programmes guide you through these three areas step-by-step. We do not advocate the “cry it out” method which is leaving your baby’s room and not returning to reassure.
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How much crying will there be?This totally varies from baby to baby but when we are introducing any kind of “change” for our baby crying is a normal reaction. Just like sometimes when you are taking them out of the bath they cry, or when you’re changing their nappy, or getting them into the car seat. It is our job as parents to reassure them through this initial change and friction and by being totally consistent we can show them that this new “normal” is actually quite wonderful for everyone! For babies up to 4 months we are just giving tiny amounts of practice at settling in their crib and staying with them the entire time. It is mostly about getting really great sleep foundations in place for younger babies. For babies over 4 months, the first couple of nights and days there is usually crying and this is the hardest bit of the process. We give you a time limit on that and a “plan B” for what to do if your baby doesn’t settle during the allocated amount of time. So rest assured, this will never be going on for “hours and hours”. Whichever settling method you choose, we introduce it gently at the beginning so that your baby is seeing you for either constant or very frequent reassurance.
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How long does it take?The content of the Sleep Programmes is exactly what we cover in our one-to-one consultations and we find that most families will see a huge improvement in sleep within 1-2 weeks. Often, under a week if you are able to follow the plan to a T. If you are wanting to take a gentler approach (controlled comforting) then progress can take longer.
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Will the routine mean I’m stuck inside all day?No. We had enough of that during lockdown for a lifetime! One thing we recommend is if you are wanting to work on getting your baby used to napping in their crib or cot that for the first week you aim to do as many naps at home as you can. This way your baby gets practice 2-3 times per day plus practice at bedtime and overnight which means progress happens much quicker as they get “used to” their new sleep environment sooner. This means, crying decreases right down and they are settling happily within 1-2 weeks.
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Do I need to stop feeding to sleep?You absolutely don’t “need” to do anything if it doesn’t feel right for you. If feeding to sleep is something you are enjoying currently then it’s totally fine to continue that for as long as it is working for you. Often though, when a baby is relying on something like feeding in order to get to sleep initially, they are then needing that same thing in order to fall BACK to sleep when they are stirring between sleep cycles during the night. So if you are wanting to get longer stretches of sleep happening or work towards your baby sleeping through the night then often that means introducing the skill of independent sleep where your baby will be going into their crib or cot awake and then getting themselves to sleep (just as we do!)
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Does it matter if my baby is still in our bedroom?No, you can absolutely still do the sleep training with your baby in your bedroom as long as they are in a cot or crib. The sleep programme is not suitable for if you are co-sleeping and wanting to continue co-sleeping. You don’t need to move your baby into their own room in order to get your baby sleeping well, and we follow the Lullaby Trust’s guidelines on sleeping in the same room as your baby up to the age of 6 months. The "getting them used to falling asleep in their crib or cot" bit is usually the harder bit, the "transitioning them to their own room" bit is usually fairly easy and actually, way more of a big deal for us than it is for them!
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How long do I have the Sleep Programme for?The Sleep Programme is a downloadable, interactive PDF and you have lifetime access.
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What if it doesn’t work?In answer to this question, think of a Sleep Consultant a bit like a Personal Trainer – if you are able to follow their plan then you will absolutely be able to reach your goals. As long as your baby is healthy and you are able to follow the exact guidance in the sleep programme, you will be able to transform your baby’s sleep. We’ve helped over 2000 families to improve sleep and have over 95 five star reviews on Google if you want to read from other parents who have been where you are. If you are unable to follow the plan for whatever reason, that will hinder progress. But you can always pick back up again when you feel ready, and continue. We also offer a 30 day money-back guarantee if you are unable to make progress after implementing our method.
Dear Tired Parent
I know you're struggling.
Your baby has just woken again, or it's 3am and they won't settle or it's 5am and they're wide awake. Everyone says having a baby is hard but is it supposed to be THIS hard?
You need help with sleep but you've Googled and Instagrammed your way into baby sleep analysis paralysis! And, combined with the sleep deprivation it's leaving you frozen and not knowing what to do next.
You may be blaming yourself for "bad habits" you feel you've got your little one into. Or wondering if yours is just a bad sleeper? Or wondering if it's too late to change things?
I'm here to tell you ABSOLUTELY NOT. You can 100% make changes if you are ready to and it is not too late. Good sleep - longer stretches of uninterrupted sleep and predictable naps - are totally yours for the taking. My sleep programmes walk you through how to understand and help your baby to sleep better, step-by-step without ever needing to leave your baby to "cry it out".
Meet The Sleep Chief
Hello! I'm Emily, founder of The Sleep Chief, OCN Level 5 certified Sleep Consultant and fellow parent to a small person. Getting no sleep or terrible sleep for months on end is not something you just have to "put up with" and is 100% something which can be worked on and improved in a relatively short period of time.
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