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Original poster

Has anyone paid for a trouble shooter to come in and help deal with your child's sleep problems?

35 replies

pattymc · 18/02/2010 19:37

and was it worth it?

OP posts:
cbmum · 18/02/2010 19:41

No, but I have often wondered whether it would be worth it. DD is 17 months old and still doesn't sleep through the night.

choufleur · 18/02/2010 19:42

a lot of 17 month olds don't sleep through cbmum.

I guess it would depend on the severity of the sleep problem patty. What's the problem and how old is your DC?

littleducks · 18/02/2010 19:44

there was a mumsnetter who did, a good while back now....she wrote an article about it too, i will see if i can find it but her verdict was a definite yes

I have often decided i would in moments of desperation but couldnt afford it so soldiered on!

PardonMyClench · 18/02/2010 19:49

Well I have a 3 .6 year old who wakes 2-4 times on average but can be up to 6-7 times and a 10 mo who wakes 3-5 times a night so YES.

PardonMyClench · 18/02/2010 19:50

Sorry that should be YES i would but No I haven't .

littleducks · 18/02/2010 20:16

This is the article she wrote, i'm still looking for the thread......it was a while back but i dont think it will have been deleted

Original poster
pattymc · 18/02/2010 20:17

I was just interested as there was someone talking about it in the queue at my local coffee shop and I was ear whigging and she basically said it was the best money ever spent, 3 days and the problem solved. was temped to get the number but sure it's very expensive and not guaranteed

OP posts:
eastendmummy · 18/02/2010 20:22

I've used Millpond for DS when he was coming up to 1 and was waking 5+ times a night for no reason (i.e. not hungry, cold, wet etc...) other than habit.

They were brilliant, supportive and it was very easy for them to see what I was doing wrong and the best way to fix it.

He's now a great sleeper and actually takes me upstairs at bed time and climbs into bed. I would really recommend it. It was about £300, which is a lot, but it's helped not only my DS but also my marriage! www.mill-pond.co.uk

neenz · 18/02/2010 20:34

If it was solved in three days then it almost definitely involved controlled crying. You don't need an expert to do that for you... Toddler Taming by Dr Christopher Green has a good section on sleep. Or just google controlled crying.

If you don't agree with leaving your child to cry then you probably wouldn't agree with what the sleep expert does. So it all boils down to do you agree with CC or not?

I love it BTW - I think it's brilliant . You have to be strong though and not cave in.

TomThumbMum · 19/02/2010 19:44

I paid a sleep advisor - £250 - she worked via telephone with me for 3 wks. It was supposed to be gentle and responsive as I hadn't wanted to do controlled crying. It was basically a drawn out version of CC, strating with going in regularly but after three nights and hours of crying I just decided I had to wait longer between visits. It was awful and it has not solved our problems. One bout of teething (which in our case has been every few wks) and all the colds and ds is back to waking up six times+ and I can't just ignore him when he could be in pain. It has been nice to have 15 nights of sleep in the last ten months though!

Original poster
pattymc · 21/02/2010 15:14

has anyone else had any experience? thank for replies so far, mill pond looks interesting but have to admit very dubious as to whether this kind of thing works, wouldn't everyone resort to it or do you think it's the cost that puts people off?

OP posts:
Zedbed · 23/02/2010 09:10

Yes, we got someone in. We were absolutely at the end of our tether...it cost a fortune but we were desperate. She came to our house, observed our then 6 month old and diagnosed reflux.(Doctors had just said he had colic!)He was waking 5 to 10 times a night. She sorted out medication, then began sleep training. A camera was puton the cot so we could see what was happening,then she went in and said "sleepy time, night night" and went out again! She would go in and out sporadically, sometimes just saying those words on the monitor. The words were always the same, no picking them up, just a reassuring pat and then out. He screamed the whole night the 1st night, the 2nd night he slept 12 hours through!
It hasn't been an easy ride but at least we know he can sleep through the night now. He still wakes very early, (between 5am and 6am), but I guess that will get later as he gets older, like our 2 year old.It was worth doing though....

LauraIngallsWilder · 23/02/2010 09:20

I think if you are ok about CC and havent got the will/guts/strength to survive the process on your own, without caving in, then £300-£450 isnt too bad. - if it results in a great sleeper.

I would definitely pay more for someone to actually be there though - just on the telephone doesnt seem very helpful!

guessandhopeforthebest · 23/02/2010 19:57

We used a sleep counsellor who was fantastic. She came out to our home and then drew up a plan to solve our problems. She also does night nannying. www.brendathenanny.co.uk/night_nanny.html. Good luck!

osjo · 25/02/2010 14:37

Hi I am a sleep trouble shooter and with my experience most families have 3-4 nights of help and most sleep issues are much improved or solved within a week. I work 8pm - 6am Flexible at weekends and the charge is £120 per night. I find my clients incredibly grateful and if you think of the other cost you pay in your house for fixing things having a full nights sleep when you are sleep deprived is money well spent!!!

Amberc · 25/02/2010 19:40

I got a sleep advisor in and paid £250. She came and slept at my place for the first two nights and basically her advice was controlled crying. I didn't even know about it then (or was too chicken to use it) but it did work. You can save £250 and find a million articles on controlled crying on MN!

neenz · 25/02/2010 23:05

osjo, just out of interest, how do you set yourself up as a sleep trouble shooter? Do you have to register or have any qualifications etc? I might be looking for a change of career

osjo · 25/02/2010 23:09

Hi If mums are very anxious or tired it is worth getting some one in, the trouble shooter will guide a mum through the night so just offering support in the middle of the night so mum's don't give in and then it will work. As I work in London and the surrounding areas there is a huge demand for this service.

seeker · 25/02/2010 23:12

Hope you've paid for tht advertisment!

So you know in your hear of hearts that controlled crying is barbaric and cruel, and can't bring yourself to do it, so you pay someone else to do it for you?????

NonnoMum · 25/02/2010 23:13

Interesting thread. Thank you. Now, just got to steal save up a few hundred pounds...

seeker · 25/02/2010 23:15

Or just wait a few weeks and it'll sort itself on it's own. Tbe "scam" here is that people don't pay money to people like this until they're desperate, and usually people reach the point of desperation when it's whatever it is is at it's worst and will get better soon anyway.

neenz · 25/02/2010 23:20

I think that depends on the age of the child Seeker. If it is, say, a 14mo and it is waking five times a night then I don't think that is something that will just right itself in a few weeks with no intervention.

CC is not barbaric and cruel IMO, especially after the age of 12m. Sleep deprivation on the other hand, is a form of torture.

seeker · 25/02/2010 23:30

Agree to disagree. IMHO when you have a baby you sign up for being woken in the night. If you don't want to be woken in the night, then co-sleep.

BertieBotts · 25/02/2010 23:34

I would quite like to be a sleep trouble shooter person to advise people along the lines of the no cry sleep solution - I wonder if there would be a market for that at all?

oftenlurkingrarelyposting · 25/02/2010 23:36

Another vote for Millpond - changed our lives. 11 month ds not sleeping and both of us working full time - 2 days later we all slept. Changed our lives, nothing radical, just reinforcement but invaluable. Best money ever spent.