South Florida Newborn Sleep Consultant
Newborn Sleep Plans & Support
If you’re here, you most likely have recently brought home your baby – CONGRATULATIONS!
We wait so long to finally bring home our baby that it almost seems surreal at first. As everyone’s journey into parenthood is different, let me start by saying if you’re here, you’re an amazing caring and wonderful parent! Wanting sleep for you and your new baby is not selfish or wrong. I know a lot of parents feel that being exhausted is just part of parenthood, but it doesn’t have to be. Good Little SleeperZzz, your South Florida newborn sleep consultant, can help.
Don’t get me wrong; the first few months can be exhausting as you adapt to life with the responsibility for another human being. However, everyone’s first few months at home can be so different for families. Some families struggle with feeding and weight issues, while others struggle with reflux or allergy issues, and some families struggle with it all. It’s never easy to bring home a new tiny (yet demanding) little person into your home, but we all figure it out eventually.
Good news – there is a lot of help out there for new parents trying to find their way!
When I work with families of newborns, it’s about so much more than sleep!
Feeding goes hand-in-hand with sleep at the beginning of life, so we spend a lot of time discussing feedings. It’s essential that in the first 4-6 weeks, you and your new baby find your feeding bond, whether you are breastfeeding or formula feeding. Food is more than just calories; it is the way we connect and bond with loved ones. If you think about it, both in our culture and society, we bond over food and celebrate life’s milestones and accomplishments with a good meal. So, what could be more important at the beginning of your journey with your child than to find your feeding bond?
Once babies are eating and gaining weight well, sleep is the next main concern – right?
My newborn sleep plans for South Florida families focus on education and empowering parents to find what works for them and their new growing family.
We’ll discuss routines, schedules, and age-appropriate expectations, which will set the foundation for learning what works for your family.
Newborn parents hear a lot of advice and get told what works and what doesn’t work from many different people. There is pressure for new parents from everywhere. Sometimes there is pressure to do things a certain way due to religious or cultural family beliefs. Sometimes, it’s societal pressure to do things because all your friends with children have done it in certain ways. Whatever that pressure looks like for you and your family, it’s important to have the proper support that helps you be the parents you want to be. This is part of the foundation of my business – educating parents about their choices and empowering them to do what they feel is best for their families. I never want to pressure parents into anything they are not comfortable with.
I will never ask you to leave your squishy newborn alone to cry.
I will always discuss the different options with you – the pros and cons of any decision. Then I let you decide how comfortable you are with your decision and set your expectations appropriately to help you reach your sleep goals. Also, it’s important to know you can change your mind. We can always change our plan of action, so no plan is ever set in stone. Being flexible will better help us find what works best for you and your family. There are many ways to reach your goal.
When to Sleep Train
When considering “sleep training” at these younger ages, I highly recommend getting some sleep basics under your belt. During the newborn phase, so many parents are overloaded with excessive amounts of advice and information from friends, family, and the internet. So, where is a parent to turn to with all this information? My newborn sleep education class! I offer a range of sleep classes, including a newborn sleep education class. The newborn class is geared towards parents-to-be up to 12 weeks old. In this hour-long class, we will discuss the following:
- Basic newborn sleep cycles and regression
- The in’s & out’s of feeding around sleep
- Sleeping and feeding red flags
- Co-sleeping, room sharing, and sidecar cribs
- Safe sleep
- Schedules and routines
If this sounds like the perfect starting place for your sleep journey, then join me at my next class!
Click the button for the next available class date and times.
Often parents reach out to find out how soon we can start sleep training. This is a loaded question! It all depends on your definition of sleep training. It would be unrealistic to expect your newborn to sleep through the night in the first 3 months of life, although I have seen it happen. Most babies are down to 1-2 feeding a night by 4 months old and many babies don’t need an overnight feed after 6 months. However (and this is a big HOWEVER), every baby is different. I have worked with babies who still needed a night feed at 7 months, and I have worked with babies that have slept 10 hours at 10 weeks old. Every baby is unique so never compare your baby to anyone else’s or even to a sibling. During our time together, we will find the right balance for you and your baby.
In general, you can start shaping a newborn’s sleep schedule and routine between 8-12 weeks old. And my South Florida newborn sleep consultations will help you with this.
It is important to note that most babies will not be able to “sleep through the night” until at least 4-6 months old depending on the baby. “Sleeping through the night” is also a phrase that has many definitions. We can discuss what it means for you and when you should expect that from your child once we get started working together.
The first step to start this process is getting clear about what your sleep goals are for your new baby. During our initial time together, we will first have a preliminary sleep evaluation call – discussing your goals, timeline and any struggles you may be dealing with.
The next step is a Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire. This will get me all the details needed to help create your personal sleep plan and help me to best guide you through the entire process.
Once I have created your customized sleep plan, we will schedule your one-on-one consultation (approx. 1.5-2 hours long). This is where we will review your sleep plan, step-by-step, and make any adjustments that are needed to make sure you are comfortable, happy and ready to move forward.
Included with all my sleep plans is continual follow-up support in the form of phone or email. It’s important to me that you can reach out for questions or concerns when you need to. I usually have daily follow-up calls or emails with all my clients to make sure they are supported throughout the entire process. I also have more on-demand support in the form of daytime and overnight text messaging as well as in-home support for local families.
South Florida Newborn Sleep Consultant
My passion is helping families like yours in South Florida get the sleep they need in a way they are comfortable with while getting the support they need to continue seeing success. If you’re ready to get started on the path to healthy sleep habits for your newborn, schedule your free sleep evaluation call – or if you have any questions, reach out to your South Florida newborn sleep consultant today!
It’s also good to know – it’s never too late to sleep train. You may not be ready now or you may have an older child who is still struggling. I work with kids up to 10 years old because it’s never too late to teach healthy sleep habits!
He has learned to put himself back to sleep and we never thought that would happen, it has been simply amazing! We used to be the parents who got no sleep, now our friends are jealous that he sleeps so many hours through the night and their child doesn’t!I brag to EVERYONE about how well he sleeps and that we have a life again!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I never dreamed I would sleep through the night for 8 hours again! You are awesome!
My wife and I are also sleeping better and we a better parents for it as we are able to enjoy our new son. Thank you for all your help. I will definitely recommend this system to any new parents
From 2 proud and well rested parents (and one cute little boy)
It’s been a blessing for me and my husband, but of course also for her, since she wakes up very happy and goes about her day happier than ever and as active as always, too. Again, congratulations on your new baby girl and thank you for your wonderful program. Wish you all the best all the way from San Juan, Puerto Rico.