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

[pattymc]

and was it worth it?

Oh and by the way was very anti cc so they supported me with my way!

Hi Often CC is done wrong I there are different methods and some times it can be confusing, Seeker, more often than not sleep issues do not sort themselves out in a few weeks, children need to be helped to fall asleep on their own and get back to sleep on their own. I think your right parents get desperate and don't see why you seem to have an issue about parents getting some help? With my very anxious clients we reassure babies every 2-3 mins, it's not barbaric and I agree with the other poster that being sleep deprived for over a year maybe longer affects you as a parent, better to have a good nights and usually any sleep training is only for a few nights. Millpond is good if you are prepared to go it alone and follow the plan and it is tailored to your individual need also I think maybe Millpond doesn't do CC but I know they also use only voice comfort rather than touch, parents make the choice which works for them.

I suppose it depends whether you've bought into the myth that babies "should" be sleeping through the night by x months, and if they aren't then it's a 'sleep problem". I hate the fact that our society pathologizes so readily and sells "solutions" equally readily.

the bottom line for me is that babies are both totally programmed to put themselves first for survival, and totally designed to adapt to whatever environment they pop out into. the first point means that there is no 'morality' for a baby, they will do just what gets them the most attention, which is in a broad way what will ensure they survive better in most situations. but the second point means that really, they will cope with a lot of stuff and not be 'damaged' by it. i'm not talking about chinese/romanian orphanage-standard neglect here, just eg, getting them used to getting themselves to sleep, and self-settling, or having a very set meal schedule as another example - or not! if you are not a very organised mummy, and they will cope. there are always exceptions of course, but i don't think you are wrong or evil for wanting a 'solution' to an issue which is ruining your life! baby will cope, billions have.

I don't agree that you 'sign up' for being woken in the night when you have a baby. Yes, for the first six months or so, but once a baby goes onto solid food there is no need for them to wake for food in the night.

They may wake for comfort, but if you do gentle sleep training you can 'wean' them off needing that comfort in the night. That is better for parents and kids.

I agree with co'sleeping, I didn't do it very much with my twins (logistical nightmare) but plan to do it with no.3 for the first few months. But after that it will be sleep training to get them to sleep well on their own. I believe that is better for the child as well as me.

My SIL has a 20mo who wakes each night and takes about 2hrs to re-settle. It also takes her an hour or two to get him to sleep in the first place. She cuddles him until he falls asleep then puts him in his cot when he invariably wakes again and she is back to square one with the cuddling. She is exhausted after 1yr+ of this.

I don't think you 'sign up' for that when you have children. I would be on my knees now if my twins didn't sleep well. It's hard enough to look after them without being sleep deprived too. When they wake in the night they just sing/chat and then go back to sleep.

Yes, we did. it was fantastic, really worth the money and definitely not CC. We had a complicated situation with an SN DC, although he was not the one with the sleep issue it did impact on the situation. It took a long time, 8 weeks or so and at the end he was not sleeping 7 - 7, (still doesn't at 2.9, wakes once per night) but it was a major improvement on the 7 times plus per night I was up for before, often for up to an hour, sometimes more.

I will try to find the link to the lady I used, she was a lifesaver - really truly a lifesaver.

Here it is Naturally Nurturing In fact thinking about it again I am tempted to write to her and thank her for helping us out so much. She gave me the confidence to deal with sleep issues that arose later and without ever criticising what I did she helped me move forward. I spent ages on the phone to her, sometimes in tears as at the beginning I was so sleep deprived I could not think straight!

Yes - just used Millpond, DD was a great sleeper until just before her 3rd birthday, we have spent a hideous year of taking turns on the sofa etc, within a week of using Millpind she was only waking once a night and 4 weeks on she is sleeping so well, we have our happy cheerful daughter back, and her behaviour has improved no end. It involved no controlled crying at all but a gradual withdrawl. Well worth the money which was £250.

Hi there,

I'm working for Channel 4 and we are looking for families who are having difficulty getting their unders 4s to sleep to take part in a new series.

The families would get the opportunity to work with a top child sleep expert on a one-to-one basis. The expert believes that they can deal with most sleep issues within a 4 week period, and that sleepless nights will be a thing of the past.

If you want to know more please contact me/respond to this post or see our ad in the media requests forum

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/media_nonmember_requests/923567-Are-you-a-sleep-deprived-Parent-A-new-Channel-4

I have permission to put this post up by Mumsnet HQ.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Nastasia
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