The Nurturing Sleep aim is to ensure that each baby and child feels safe and reassured in relation to sleep.

It’s important that emotions are understood and addressed because sometimes they can become barriers to healthy and restorative sleep. To effectively address these possible barriers and emotions we need to dig deep to understand the baby or child from the inside out, and what may be triggering difficult sleep situations such as stalling at bedtime, resistance to cot or bed, night waking and night crying or screaming.

Sleep Support

Many parents ask what I do, however, I don’t know what I’ll suggest in each sleep situation until I have found out what the barriers are to optimal and peaceful sleep. It’s not about applying a behavioural approach, it’s about digging deep to understand:

In a nutshell

What I do not do:

I do not use quick fixes, nor do I use behavioural approaches such as controlled crying, cry-it-out or even no-cry. Quick fixes and behavioural approaches serve to ‘train and condition’ a child to sleep without thought of their underlying emotional needs or experiences. While these approaches may suit some parents, I offer an alternative.

Please also note: I do not use behavioural approaches – therefore I do not use a no-cry approach – no-cry is a behavioural approach.

What my sleep approach is about

What I do:

It’s about responsiveness, listening, looking from the inside out to the underlying emotions and feelings, understanding the root causes of difficult sleep behaviours. My work is influenced by my training in prenatal and perinatal psychology, conscious parenting, the developmental-attachment theory (Neufeld), Aware Parenting, and of course, 35 years experience!

Nurturing Sleep

Behaviour Support

My behaviour support is appropriate for toddlers and preschoolers.

Throughout my work I have found a strong link between sleep and daytime behaviours. Typically, sleep disturbance is a symptom of other behavioural, social, developmental and/or emotional factors within the child’s life, or there is a cycle of sleep disturbance influencing daytime behaviours. It can all be linked!

In most cases when working with toddlers and pre-schoolers, I work with daytime behaviours to support sleep. As with sleep support, my approach is based on respect for how the child feels, and consideration of what is influencing those feelings and emotions. My focus is not on ‘fixing’ the observable behaviours, but rather understanding what is driving those behaviours from the inside out.

The support I offer is non-punitive; I draw on Dr Neufled’s developmental-attachment theory and approach, along with conscious parenting theory and understanding of prenatal and perinatal psychology (Birth psychology).

Within behaviour focused consultations, I help parents understand their toddler or preschooler from the inside out, and provide them with tools to help balance the underlying triggers, emotions and influences related to the tricky behaviours.

What its about – Whether we’re talking sleep or behaviour (or both)

  • It’s about relationship: connection, trust, attunement and attachment;
  • It’s about understanding the roots of sleep or tricky behaviour;
  • It’s about acknowledging the child’s early experiences (birth, early life).
  • It’s about meeting emotional as well as physical needs, and helping parents understand and balance those underlying needs;
  • It’s about making sure a child feels physically and emotionally safe to be his or her true authentic self;
  • It’s about empowering parents and carers through supporting understanding, informing, providing tools to support their unique child and providing a realistic level of support;
  • It’s about viewing each baby and child as a unique individual and respecting each child’s unique experiences, feelings and emotions.

  • It’s about realistic goals for each child and family.

Contact Ann

Ann Caird BA Certified Baby and Child Sleep Consultant.