4 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Pediatric Sleep Consultant

So you need a pediatric sleep consultant but how do you choose one? Do you go with a sleep consultant or sleep coach? What about a gentle sleep coach or a holistic sleep coach? Does the title matter? With so many pediatric sleep consultants out there how do you choose one? We’ve compiled a 4 questions you think should of when choosing a professional to work with your family.
1) What’s in a title?
- Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, Sleep Coach, Holistic Sleep Consultant, Holistic Sleep Coach, Gentle Sleep Coach, etc. So many titles for the same career. Is there a difference between all the titles? Well yes and no. A title should say what you do, and that’s true to a point. All sleep consultants and sleep coaches work on making changes to sleep. But the difference is in their approach.
2) Does their approach align with your values?
- Look beyond their title and examine their approach. What is their definition of gentle? Is a gentle approach important to you? Do you consider leaving baby to cry with check-ins gentle? Our approach takes gentle to a whole new level where baby isn’t left to cry.
- What about a holistic approach? A holistic approach looks at the whole picture. Daytime and nighttime factors should be taken into account when creating a sleep plan. If the sleep consultant isn’t asking about feeding, nutrition, outside time, etc then that can hardly be considered a holistic approach.
3) Do you feel validated and heard?
- When working with a sleep consultant, you should feel validated and heard. Your concerns be addressed. You should be completely comfortable with your sleep consultant before implementing any plan. If the plan doesn’t feel right, can you change it?
4) What knowledge and experience do they have?
- The sleep consultant you choose should be knowledgeable and experienced with infant and child sleep. Did you know that anyone can be a sleep consultant as it’s not a regulated field? No training needed. When choosing a sleep consultant, look at their education and experience. Do they have other expertise that could help your situation such as being a registered psychologist?
With so many sleep consultants out there, and so many titles and approaches, it can be confusing. Enter the free phone consultation. Narrow your choice down based on what they say their approach is, then arrange a free consultation call to ask them more questions. Really get a feel for how they work. Look beyond the title, social media, blogs, etc. Can you connect with them over the phone?
If you can, then you can probably be confident that working with them will be beneficial for you and your family. If you don’t connect with them over the phone, then keep looking. It’s worth it to find the right sleep consultant for your needs.