Typically, once a child has transitioned to a big boy/girl bed, consolidated night sleep can be observed within 2-3 weeks. I usually work with children older than 2 years for about 3 weeks. This is more of a long run rather than a sprint. This is also because children at this age at this age, are not only smart, but they’re also shrewd and persistent. On top of that, they’re only influenced by authentic stories, so I need to collaborate with you as parent to create a credible narrative around bedtime. This is tough but that’s why I love working with this age group, because for me, too, each story is interesting, educational and personal.

Furthermore, behavioral challenges at bedtime often occur during daytime hours as well if the child still naps. To address this, I recommend implementing proven strategies that can be practiced during the day to establish a solid foundation for improved bedtime and nighttime behavior. You can also extend the practices learnt during the sleep program to other daytime activities. This way you can motivate your child, help their independence and avoid or soften tantrums.

Definitely! I help families with children across the ages in achieving restful sleep! It’s a myth that babies grow out of being bad sleepers. It doesn’t happen by parental wish for many families, but the myth prevails so parents feel ashamed talking about their older children who don’t sleep well. I can assure you that it’s just normal, but it doesn’t mean you have to put up with it silently. Child insomnia is no less important than adult insomnia! What’s more! My job is exactly this: I coach families who have sleep problems to develop healthy sleep habits. It’s never too late to help your children develop proper sleep habits, which will not only enhance their sleep quality but also their overall happiness, learning abilities, and behavior – enabling them to excel during the day too!

For children up to 7 years old, sleep scientists recommend 10-12 hours of sleep at night. Consequently, it’s advisable to set a bedtime no later than 8pm, aiming for a wake-up time between 6:30am and 7:30am. Avoid the common trap to let you children run around until late in the night, hoping that they will eventually collapse and sleep better. This strategy doesn’t always work properly, and it results significant amount of sleep debt for your child night by night.

Keep in mind that establishing a solid sleep routine early on can help your child maintain healthy sleep patterns once they begin primary school, which typically starts earlier than childcare or kindergarten. Healthy sleep habits allow smooth bedtimes without fights and exhausting attempts to go to bed and fall asleep easily. If you are tired of the difficult bedtimes, be sure, your child, too. I can help you make it work like a natural reflex, a happy moment for you and your child.

It’s typical for children between 2 and 6 years old to drop their daytime naps. Though it may be sad news for parents, it is a natural process, and the silver lining here is that you can now organize full day programs with your family without worrying about the naps. The situation can get more complex when a child goes to a daycare/kindergarten with strict policies about naps. When I work with families, I don’t usually encourage reinstating naps if a child has already stopped, except in certain situations where it’s clearly necessary. Also, I collaborate with the parents and the daycare/kindergarten to give recommendations that are specific for the child’s sleeping needs. Nevertheless, transitioning to an entire day awake without nap significantly increases the number of consecutive hours a child is active (i.e., 6-12 hours), which is why it’s crucial to monitor your child’s bedtime and make it earlier if they experience any sleep difficulties deriving from exhaustion.

No. There are multiple reasons why.

If this were possible, the human race would have become extinct long ago. Children are so deeply ‘hardwired’ to cry when they need something that nothing (let alone the good and caring parents I work with) could teach them to stay silent when they want to cry. The parents who are listening, not just responding in autopilot, and also communicating with their children in a sensible way, encourage their children to use their crying for better communication.

Children naturally ‘speak’ the language of crying, which has been causing bad feelings in parents (and in those who hear them) since the dawn of mankind. Throughout evolution this bad feeling has served the function of encouraging parents to listen to their children. Could this be forgotten or unlearnt by a mother or a father? Impossible. Every time we hear our child crying, we get the same feeling: something is pushing and pulling us towards our child. This feeling can and should be managed  to raise our children and stay sane but this feeling cannot be removed from us. The same way children cannot unlearn crying when in need.

You can read more about this in my blog >>> here.

You don’t have to choose between strong attachment and healthy sleep habits. Your children need a healthy, flexible, sensitive, loving mum, not one that takes care of them exhausted, irritated and out of a sense of duty and guilt.

You want to be in close physical contact with your child, it’s just natural that you do. It’s healthier if you do it by a conscious choice and not because you fear the attachment between you and your child will break if you take some me-time while your baby sleeps. Lying in the dark room next to each other, waiting for your child to fall asleep so you can finally sneak out hoping that you don’t wake them up again and restart the tedious process with swallowed anger and resentment is not an ideal attachment style. Children grow if we give them not only the independence but also shape their experience how to do it right so that they can be confident and want the changes that are crucial for them to grow up.

Keep in mind that attachment parenting in fact refers to the attachment of the mother to the child and not the other way around. Healthy babies by nature are attached to their mother (and father and caregiver) no matter what, even when the mother cannot be attached to them. True attachment parenting demonstrates a healthy attachment from the mother towards the baby by remaining healthy, sensitive to her own needs, responsible for her own health, self-loving, and confident. On difficult days (when things go sideways, which can occur when there are children at home) mothers don’t risk to break the attachment with their children. As the matter of fact, when things go worse than just a bit sideways (e.g. postpartum depression), babies attach even more, not less. The key is to express feelings be them positive or negative, as children can connect to your feelings. Give your baby and yourself safe sleep and then bond when you can dedicate your attention to your baby.

This is the reason why I offer a free video call, where you have the opportunity to ask questions from me and have a first impression to decide whether you want to work with me or not.

It certainly will be different with me because I am not selling a mass-service. What I sell is one of a kind: you don’t only get access to my knowledge and experience about sleep, the service doesn’t stop at coaching but you also get in a deeper touch with your own understanding of parenting. You reframe your inner struggles so that you can get in the right mindset and create own, new normal in your family life. I’ll not tell you what is normal, but I surely guide you towards order and inner piece, to see your situation in a different perspective and to let you choose the way that is appealing to you.

It is essential to differentiate between co-sleeping and room sharing, as the terms are frequently mistaken for one another. In this context, co-sleeping refers to sharing a bed with your baby. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ safe sleep recommendations (AAP Safe Sleep), it’s not recommended to share the same bed with your infant, so I do not work with families who opt to bed-share.

For older children it’s more about the mental and physiological safety. Children observe and pick up a lot of intimate vibes between the parents but they may not be ready to deal with them. If only one parent is sleeping with the older child, the child might take on a psychological role in the family unconsciously that was not their to carry. It is advisable for the parents who sleep in the same bed with their older children to evaluate carefully the reasons and the consequences of their choice of bed-sharing.

To help your child develop effective, independent sleep skills, they require a suitable, age-appropriate, and safe individual sleeping area.

I would avoid moving your older child out of the usual sleeping environment. If I have to choose I always recommend to move the smaller child (younger than 18 months) so that the siblings will not wake each other and you can dedicate your full attention to the child in sleep program. After the program you can put them again into the same room. The reason why I recommend it is because children after 18 months tend to stick to certain permanence of objects and react badly to changes. For older children I pay special attention to their sleeping environment exactly for this reason: they should be safe, calm, loved and happy in their place to sleep. This is the basis of the whole sleep program.

Definitely! One of the wonderful aspects of one-to-one coaching is our ability to customize sleep plans to meet your family’s unique needs. As many families often have their children in daycare or have a nanny due to busy work schedules, it’s essential that all caregivers are on the same page about the sleep habits, and everyone is onboard to maintain the approach consistently. There is practically no limit how many caregivers of a given child can attend the consultation, because the goal is to prepare everyone to enable developing healthy sleep habits for your child. I provide guidance and support to ensure that everyone involved has the knowledge and tools to maintain a consistent sleep routine for your child. As the matter of fact, your child can also join us sometimes as I encourage open discussion about sleep with your child.
The crucial factor in assisting your child in building solid sleep habits and becoming a thriving little sleep expert yourself is maintaining consistency. This entails ensuring that all caregivers involved in your child’s care, such as mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, or nanny/helper, adhere to the same consistent method when getting your little one ready and settling them in their bed for sleep.

I recommend to start building healthy sleep habits first and then potty train. Why? First of all, the success with establishing good sleep habits and consolidating the nights will come faster. In about a few weeks time your child sleep can be significantly improved, while potty training may last longer especially for the night. Some children wear nappies during the night up until they are 5-6 years old — you certainly don’t want to wait so long for a good night sleep for your child and yourself. Second, once the nights are consolidated potty training is easier. Better sleep has a good impact on digestive issues, and establishes a stable foundation for your child daily/nightly routine. Consistency does magic to small children, and healthy sleep habits can break potty easier.

Keep in mind that sleep coaching is not a substitute for pediatrician, healthcare specialist or psychological care. To what level I can improve the sleep of your child will depend on the health problem. If it is about a condition from which the child is expected to recover soon, I might suggest to wait until full recovery.

If this is not expected soon, then my suggestions will depend on how much the medical conditions and the taken drugs and treatments impact sleep itself. I often collaborate with the child’s main healthcare provider and ask for doctors’ clearance to start the sleep program. I might add that it happens sometimes after a successful sleep program that children with suspected neurodevelopment disorders (e.g. ADHD) become symptom-fee after a few nights of good sleep.

If your child needs special care on a long term, then I would collaborate with his/her healthcare provider and suggest healthy sleep habits that are sustainable along with the child’s treatment and help getting as much restful sleep as it is possible.

To maximize the likelihood of achieving a positive sleep experience through our sleep program regimen, it is advantageous that you remain at home throughout the entire duration of the program. Look at your calendar to find a time when you have at least 2 weeks of “normal” activity (no vacations, weddings, doctor’s appointments, or big schedule changes). The best time to begin this sleep overhaul is when your child will be in her/his typical environment for two consistent weeks. If your child goes to daycare or school, I recommend to schedule the sleep program to a period when the child goes to daycare at least for about 7 days throughout the whole 3-week program.