Question 1

What method do I follow?

Accepted Answer

My method is always determined after I understand your child and your particular problem and situation.  The method is actually decided based on many factors like your child's age, temperament, personality, and daily routines and habits among other things. Based on these I develop and tailor a plan that suits your baby and your unique situation. There are numerous methods that have been developed to address child sleep. I find every method has its pros and is effective when used under the right circumstances and in the correct manner.   The real challenge is determining what is the right strategy for your baby. I have an entire blog on the Cry-It-Out method and my view and opinion on it, as that is the question most parents have on their mind :) To state in short, I rarely use the CIO approach.

Question 2

Why do I only offer Video/ Audio consultations?

Accepted Answer

When I started my working with Child Sleep and Food Habits, I initially did offer in person consultations. But as time passed and word spread about my consultations, I had clients from different parts of India asking me how they could also avail of my services. I also found that parents found it challenging to travel in the traffic of Indian cities and reach at the appointment time and then stay patiently to do long sessions with me, along with a baby in tow. As my Service does not require any physical tests, there was no real reason to meet any of my clients in person and so I switched my modus operandi to Video / Audio sessions. In the last 9+ years that has been the only way I do all my consultations. In the early day some of my clients used to be a bit apprehensive about this method of consultation, but they have no reservations about it after they have tried it. Now, ofcourse this method of consultation is not uncommon at all and is infact appreciated.   Because of this method of consultation, I have been able to serve clients from many first and second tier cities in India and clients internationally from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Switzerland, France, UAE / Dubai, Oman, Qatar, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, USA, Canada.

Question 3

Do I need a crib to sleep train with you?

Accepted Answer

Not really. I understand that every family's situation and preferences are different. I will work with your sleeping arrangement as long as it is safe for the child. If I find it is not, I will advice you on ways you can baby proof it. In the last 10 years at least 50% of the parents who worked with me were bed sharing and many continued to bed share.

Question 4

Are you professionally trained?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I am a certified Maternity and Child Sleep Coach. I have learned through my own experience as a mother of two children and furthered it studying from international experts in the field and also by advancing my education with the International Parenting & Health Institute, USA. I am also a member of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants.

I am not a Pediatrician or a medical professional and will not consult you on any medical concerns. If you have any health related concerns for your child or their sleep, please consult with your doctor or other licensed medical professional.

Question 5

What is the best age to begin sleep coaching?

Accepted Answer

Instilling good sleep habits can begin the day you bring your baby home. Sleep coaching, however, generally begins around 5 months of age. At this age most children are developmentally ready to take longer naps and consolidate their nighttime sleep.

However, parents can begin establishing good sleep habits right from the start. I think we can all agree that it’s easier to start your child off on the right foot than addressing challenges later. Prevention is always better than the cure!! Which is why in the last few years many parents will consult me in their last trimester or soon after their delivery to ensure they start off on the right foot.

Question 6

What ages of children do you work with?

Accepted Answer

I typically work with children up to the age of 6 years. However, I have occasionally worked with older children as well.

Question 7

How long does it take to see results?

Accepted Answer

Even though this is the most common answer, there is really no concrete answer I can give. Given that no two babies, parents or situations are the same, it is hard to say definitively how quickly results can be achieved. However, in my experience most parents can expect positive changes within two weeks...and some in just a matter of 2-4 days. The important thing is to be 100% committed to the Sleep Right Plan and follow it consistently to achieve the desired results..

Question 8

Will my baby cry during the coaching period?

Accepted Answer

Young children communicate happiness with smiles and laughter, and displeasure with unhappy noises or crying. This is their basic way of communication!! When you make changes to their sleep habits there will be some level of protest. Crying is your child's way of protesting change.

However, I always try to employ a compassionate and practical approach towards teaching your child positive and lasting sleep habits.

Question 9

Does your program involve the baby crying a lot? Is this harmful?

Accepted Answer

The Sleep Right Program utlises a compassionate and practical method in its implementation. While there may be some amount of protest crying while training, the goal is to always try to keep it to the least minimum possible. The amazing thing about babies and toddlers is how smart and capable they are to understand a situation. Once they recognize the methods in the Sleep Plan, you will be surprised at how quickly their protests and cries turn to positive acceptance.

That said, I believe Gary Feldman (Medical Director, Stramski Disorders Center, Miller Children's Hospital ) answers this question best. In his own words he says:

"The crying during sleep training in itself will not affect the child psychologically. It's important for parents to understand something: the issues, the sleep disorder and the behavior disorder that the child has over the long term is actually probably worse than the few days or the week or so that the child is gonna spend crying. You must understand that they're crying when they're being trained. They're not gonna cry the same amount every night. It's gonna get less and less. But how it affects quality of life, how it affects the interaction between the parent in the daytime when you have exhausted parents and you have a child who's demanding. Think about it that way versus a child who's cried for a few days who's sleeping better, the parents are sleeping better. The child is not perceived as being demanding or irritating in the daytime, and generally, the quality of time and the quality of care that the child receives and the enjoyment that the parents get in the day is far outweighs the brief moments of crying that were encountered when they were training."

Question 10

Do you work with children with special needs like Autism, Down Syndrome, etc?"

Accepted Answer

I currently do not working with families whose children have special needs as it is outside my scope of practice.

Question 11

Both my children are bad sleepers. Do I need to buy 2 separate packages?

Accepted Answer

Families with twins or multiple children enrolling in the Sleep Right Program at the same time, can benefit from 50% off the additional package. For siblings, two separate packages need to be taken to reflect the fact that age differences, as well as unique characteristics of each child, need to be taken into consideration for developing a customized Sleep Right Plan. In case you want your children handled separately, i.e. you want to get one child trained with the program before starting the next child, then we will have to treat them as two separate packages too.

Question 12

Can my child continue sleeping in my room?

Accepted Answer

That is generally not a problem. My methods are always designed to suit your parenting styles. You will be involved in shaping the design of the Sleep Right Plan. So rest assured if you like to continue co-sleeping then the plan will be designed to include that.

Question 13

What is a Sleep Consultant / Sleep Coach? What do you do?

Accepted Answer

A Professional Child Sleep Consultant / Coach is a professional who can aid you in teaching your baby the skills necessary to put themselves to sleep. Unlike sitting up or rolling over, good sleep habits are not innate to a baby! Being able to put themselves to sleep is a skill most babies need guidance to learn…and they are fully capable of learning this. A Baby Sleep Coach can provide the information and support you need in teaching your baby develop healthy sleep habits he/she needs for healthy development.

As a Sleep Consultant, I work with the parents to understand in detail their unique challenges and situation (home setup, family, child habits and patterns, etc.) to develop a customized, Sleep Plan to help them with the child. I then help them with the implementation of the Sleep Plan to help maximise the success of the program.