Sleep consultant

[SignedUpJust4This]

Have you used one? Do. You recommend? Will they make me do CIO or controlled crying?

I was referred to a sleep consultant by my heath visitor on the NHS (in the postcode lottery, we are in a winning area where I live!).

She mainly just helped to reassure me about what was normal. I thought she'd tell me to night wean (baby was 8 months ish) but she didn't and she was supportive of my choice to cosleep when necessary in order to get rest.

She mainly suggested a shh pat technique which is no cry and said that if we wanted to do a method that involved some crying (controlled crying) to wait until 11 months.

Shh pat didn't work at all for us but I did try to offer cuddles instead of breast for night feeds and put a red night light in which has massively helped. Eventually I did controlled crying with breast feeding in between 'crying' to comfort but I only did it when her cries where more low level grumbles rather than hysterical abandonment which wasn't until she was 10 months. Every baby is different. I still breastfeed her to drowsy now at 15 months but she will also fall asleep without.

I've also seen the written recommendations of two other private consultants that friends used. One was very relaxed with a lot of breastfeeding (which is where I got my method from) and one was a much stricter routine based method. I think ultimately you need to speak with the consultants before to find out what sort of methods they recommend to see if it's for you.

Currently a SAHM but have worked as a sleep consultant. It depends on the consultant, I have never advised any form of controlled crying and I've never known any consultant that does work with those methods to encourage it if the parent wasn't comfortable doing so!
Feel free to DM me if you're after sleep related advice! I've been out of the game a while but happy to do my best!

Oh thank you 4! I'm desperate. I posted another thread about it actually. It's so frustrating because she used to be such a happy self settler...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/sleep/3612638-9-month-old-wakes-every-40-60mins-for-last-3-months

Yes we used Carol Mae Grassick for both of ours and she is great.

I used Carol Mae too. She's brilliant!