Meet Susan
Hi there!
I’m Susan, a pediatric sleep consultant - It’s nice to meet you and I’m glad you found me!
I have always treasured sleep and am the kind of person who cannot function without at least 8 good hours of sleep at night. I have two girls of my own, 22 months and 6 years old, both who sleep 11 hours a night in their own bed and with no night wakings.
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There is nothing better than putting my kids to bed with a fun and happy bedtime routine KNOWING that they will stay asleep and that I am free to unwind in any way I want - often that is a Peloton ride, a glass of wine, hanging out with my husband, and/or binge watching a show on TV.
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But it wasn’t always like this!
Bedtime used to be the most dreaded time of day. Sleep deprivation is REAL and it was beginning to affect everything from my work to my relationships with my husband and girls. I was having a hard time focusing, I was easy to snap, and simply exasperated all the time. When my youngest turned 6 months we hit rock bottom - she was up every 2 hours during the night, would only nap on the go, and often was sleeping in our bed!
We were in survival mode and would do ANYTHING to get the baby to sleep just so WE could sleep.
Sleep deprivation is REAL and it was beginning to affect everything from my work to my relationships with my husband and girls.
This was my second kid, shouldn’t I be able to figure this out? I thought I had this baby sleep thing down - my first little one was a mostly decent sleeper (so I thought!)! I felt like a failure and was at a loss on this one.
Probably like you, we had already tried so so SO many different methods to help our little one sleep - cry it out, Ferber, the expensive Snoo, ALL of the sleep sacks (like Magic Merlin Sleep Suit, Zipadee Zip, weighted sleep sacks, etc.), and of course lots of Google searches. I was tapped out but refused to believe this is how it was going to be for the next few years. It was not sustainable and, frankly, it was dangerous. I confided in a friend just how terrible things were and she let me in on her little secret - that she hired a sleep consultant. We finally hired one and it was, and still is, THE BEST INVESTMENT ON ANYTHING BABY we have made to date! I sometimes still kick myself for not doing it earlier and also for not doing it for my eldest also!!
Probably like you, we had already tried so so SO many different methods to help our little one sleep.
​After our experience sleep training our baby, I started telling everyone I knew just how life changing it was! My husband and I were well rested and had time and energy to spend on each other and our children. My baby began hitting developmental milestones faster and stopped resisting sleep! That is when I started thinking about how I could help other families like ours, and yours, solve their child’s sleep troubles, too.
Getting your child to sleep well and restoring restful nights for the entire family shouldn’t be a secret, everyone deserves a great night’s sleep - why not you?
Through my experience as a Pre-K/Kindergarten teacher and a mom, I have witnessed the incredible importance good sleep has on young developing minds and bodies. I have also seen and experienced how detrimental it can be for children who are not getting good sleep. In fact, during my 12 years as a Kindergarten teacher, when I noticed behavioral challenges in the classroom with a kiddo, one of the first questions I would ask the parents is “How do they sleep at night?” and 9/10 would report their child slept terribly - I wasn’t surprised. Have you noticed the difference between your well rested kiddo and your sleep deprived kiddo? It really is like Jackel and Hyde!
If your child struggles to sleep, you are not alone! I HAVE BEEN IN YOUR SHOES and I completely understand the feeling of being flat out exhausted. The good news is, you now have me to help!
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How could a good night’s sleep help YOU? What would you do with time in your day knowing your child will be happily asleep and will stay asleep? The possibilities are endless!
I’d love to talk with you about what’s going on with your child’s sleeping habits and how I can help get your family back on track. Schedule a 15 minute info call today - Let’s do this, TOGETHER!
Through my experience as a Pre-K/Kindergarten teacher and a mom, I have witnessed the incredible importance good sleep has on young developing minds and bodies.
My Method
No one likes to hear their baby cry. No one. And although I don't use the Cry It Out method, tears are often involved. Why? Because babies cry, that is how they communicate, and they will be telling you, through tears, that they don't like change. And that is exactly what sleep shaping/training is - it is changing the way your child falls asleep. With my program, we will work together to make the transition to sleep as smooth and easy as possible for everyone involved. I will teach you what to expect and exactly what to do which is nearly half the battle.
I believe our jobs as parents is to make our babies and children feel safe and secure and also to teach them good habits. This is true when learning how to sleep as well and this philosophy is the cornerstones of my methods. My methods, while not no-cry, are the most supportive options of sleep shaping/training available. They are based on an interval reassurance program with the option of staying in the room with your child with a gradual exit plan.
You will be involved in supporting your child in this work - they will not be left to do this completely on their own! I walk my clients through a sequence of scaffolded steps that will teach your baby the skills necessary to fall asleep on their own and stay asleep without the help of anyone or anything. Sleep is a skill that can be taught and nearly all sleep challenges can be solved with the right coaching. And, through this work, you will continue to support your child in forming a secure child-parent attachment.
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Finally, at the end of our work, you will have a Star Sleeper, a happy child, and you will be back in control, knowing how to respond to your child's sleep needs...as a bonus, you will be getting good sleep yourself!
My Favorite Things
In my experience as a mom and a sleep consultant, there are some products I love to recommend that make life, and going to sleep, a little easier. Here are some of my favorite things.
Sound machines
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Sleep Sacks
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Clocks
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Humidifiers
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Other Baby Things
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