colleenfs
01-12-2005, 03:40 PM
Julia has been a terrible sleeper since birth. We've tried everything to get her to sleep better; I've read every sleep book out there; and no one in the house was getting a good night's sleep. (We refused to let her come into our bed.) In November, it had gotten to the point that one of us often had to sleep on an air mattress in her room, just to keep her in calm and make her stay in bed. I still think that a lot of her sleep problems were separation-based.
Finally, we called the Sleep Lady, Kim West. She is a licensed social worker who specializes in children's sleep issues out of Baltimore. http://www.sleeplady.com/ Kim works with out of state clients over the phone to develop a step by step sleep plan. She checks in with parents every few days and coaches us along to ensure that we don't give up or give in too soon. She is not there to ridicule you for past mistakes, but she will help you to deal with the problem at hand and constructively come up with a solution. The process is slow, but it works.
We started working with Kim in early December, and over the course of the month, we saw real progress. Julia has been sleeping through the night and staying in bed in the morning pretty consistently since Christmas Eve. Kim favors a gradual, loving, compassionate approach - no crying, threatening, cajoling, or yelling at the child. It does take time, but it is worth it.
If anyone would like more details, please let me know. If any of you are at your wits end with a child who does not sleep well, I recommend Kim's approach. It is nothing new or earth-shattering (I had seen this approach in several sleep books) but since she checks on you, she keeps you accountable and doesn't let you quit. (Plus, we paid for her service, so we didn't want to waste our money. ) She also just published a new book, which may be helpful too. http://www.sleeplady.com/resource_books.htm
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that we finally have a good sleeper! (And just in time, before the new baby arrives...)
~Colleen
Mama to Julia 1-10-02
Jumping Bean due 7-23-05!
http://lilypie.com/baby4/020110/3/4/0/-5/.png
http://lilypie.com/days/050723/0/25/1/+10/.png
Finally, we called the Sleep Lady, Kim West. She is a licensed social worker who specializes in children's sleep issues out of Baltimore. http://www.sleeplady.com/ Kim works with out of state clients over the phone to develop a step by step sleep plan. She checks in with parents every few days and coaches us along to ensure that we don't give up or give in too soon. She is not there to ridicule you for past mistakes, but she will help you to deal with the problem at hand and constructively come up with a solution. The process is slow, but it works.
We started working with Kim in early December, and over the course of the month, we saw real progress. Julia has been sleeping through the night and staying in bed in the morning pretty consistently since Christmas Eve. Kim favors a gradual, loving, compassionate approach - no crying, threatening, cajoling, or yelling at the child. It does take time, but it is worth it.
If anyone would like more details, please let me know. If any of you are at your wits end with a child who does not sleep well, I recommend Kim's approach. It is nothing new or earth-shattering (I had seen this approach in several sleep books) but since she checks on you, she keeps you accountable and doesn't let you quit. (Plus, we paid for her service, so we didn't want to waste our money. ) She also just published a new book, which may be helpful too. http://www.sleeplady.com/resource_books.htm
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that we finally have a good sleeper! (And just in time, before the new baby arrives...)
~Colleen
Mama to Julia 1-10-02
Jumping Bean due 7-23-05!
http://lilypie.com/baby4/020110/3/4/0/-5/.png
http://lilypie.com/days/050723/0/25/1/+10/.png