Sleep training plans for babies and children - Support for restful and light sleep (2023)

Before.

Arthur had never slept much, but that improved when I stopped breastfeeding at about 17 months. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse and we often slept together to sleep and sleep. I say unfortunately in the broadest sense; I loved his hugs and closeness, but I was pregnant again and neither of us could sleep properly, including Arthur. The straw broke as our peaceful bedtime extended and everyone burst into tears. After the bath we played our whole routine in our bedroom and Arthur screamed when you tried to take him to his room.

After.

From the beginning, our daily life was in Arthur's room. I won't lie it was hard and without Gemma on the end of the phone I'm not sure I could have done it (pregnancy hormones). All the advice and support she gave us was sensible and loving. After an hour of initial fussing around Arthur fell asleep and only woke once during the night and after 5am and both times we let him go back to sleep without fuss - amazing! It wasn't even two weeks ago, he's been sleeping through the night ever since, he's happier in the mornings, my husband and I got some sleep (he's glad he's not in the guest room anymore!) and Arthur literally throws himself into his crib Time for sleep. Not only has his sleep improved but we also had separation issues at nursery, since we started this journey he is much happier and will run for breakfast without looking back. I was afraid this would affect our bond, but it made them stronger and the hugs are too much. I wasn't convinced it would work with such strong sleep associations, but I'm so glad I was proven wrong. I would 100% recommend Calm & Bright.

BECCA

Dear Friends of Calm and Bright,

I want to thank you for your help and support with my 8 month old daughter Delilah. When I contacted her I was really on my knees, she was taking hours to calm down before going to sleep and during the night or waking up 8-9 times a night. She barely slept during the day without being fed or rocked a lot. We have been using your SOS sleep schedule pdf and since implementing it he now takes 2 long naps a day and last night he slept 10 hours straight!!! It calms down wonderfully, no tears and not much fuss. I have noticed that she is generally more alert, happier, more interested in food and wakes up feeling refreshed and satisfied.

The way you laid out the plan and talked about controlled crying and protesting gave me the confidence to follow my instincts and realize that it's not going to benefit any of us, least of all Delilah, if we continue the way we have been. I felt empowered to do what I felt was right for my family without judgment.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

LUCY

I was very skeptical about using any kind of sleep aid as I didn't think it would be possible for my little one to sleep the way he is now, but I was so exhausted I couldn't go on and I'm so glad I stumbled upon Calm & Bright. Lucy was great throughout the process. I couldn't have done it without her - she was so knowledgeable and supportive and gave me the confidence to make the changes so my son would sleep well.

I am amazed that within a few days we could see an improvement in his sleep and adjustment time. It took me 2 hours a night to get my 18 month old son to sleep, then he would wake up 3-4 times a night and sleep with him the rest of the night after the first wake up. Now he goes to his crib at 6 in the morning, I say good night and leave the room and he immediately lays down and falls asleep happily!!

Then he sleeps soundly until 6am (every night, in his own bed, without me!!)... it's like a miracle!! He also calms down in the middle of the day and takes 1.5 to 2 hour naps during the day, which he has never done before.

It's so nice to have some kid time in the evenings. My son is definitely happier and calmer now that he is sleeping well and so am I!

It really is the best money I have ever spent and would recommend it to anyone...I wish I had discovered it years ago with my first child!!

Many many thanks.

LOUZI

We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us put Toby to sleep!

We set out to become two parents for the third time, oh so grateful for the gift of our second son after the heartbreaking loss of our baby girl the year before. When Toby was born, we vowed not to pick up bad sleeping habits. rocking, feeding to sleep, pacifier, co-sleeping! Fast forward eight months and all this happened and happened. Toby would wake up 3-4 times a night and couldn't go back to sleep without our intervention for minutes and sometimes hours.

After losing our daughter, we hated that Toby cried, and even though we were exhausted, we didn't feel strong enough to start sleep training. He also has a number of allergies which added to our doubts about letting him cry it out if he is unwell.

However, we hated that we didn't have the energy to play and enjoy our grown son or even enjoy each other. We were both afraid to go to bed at night because we didn't know what would happen.

Not to mention that Toby had outgrown his crib in our bedroom and had to move into our second (and only other) bedroom with his big brother. There was no way for him until he slept much, much better.

After Christmas we finally got in touch with Eva from Calm and Bright. It was the best decision we could have made for our family! Completely exhausted and close to tears most days, it was a HUGE relief to talk to Eva and accept that we were going to help Toby (and ourselves).

Eva gave us the strength and confidence to teach Toby to sleep when we didn't quite know how.

We removed his pacifiers and sleeping position and put him in his big crib in his brother's room. He slept through the first night. We actually couldn't believe what was happening. After that there was no turning back.

Not only did the sleep get better. His daily schedule was also better and as parents adjusting to the birth of a second child it really helped us be more organized so we could enjoy our days with BOTH boys.

Eva also helped us with our own adjustment to Toby so we could settle into ourselves. After eight months of needing each other, I felt really weird and almost sad even though I was so relieved. Even when Toby started sleeping through the night, we didn't want to! We woke up scared and almost expected him to wake up. Eva helped us with reassurance through these complicated emotions.

Fast forward two weeks to Toby's first birthday. He still sleeps through the night (despite various illnesses and learning to crawl and stand in his crib), takes two good afternoon naps and is a very happy baby, and we sleep through the night too! The boys still share a bedroom and we both have a good bedtime routine. In addition, we also enjoy our older son and he is no longer afraid even at night. We are not afraid of the night anymore!! It's the best feeling ever and we'll never lose the skills we learned!

Thank you again Eve, forever grateful.

CLAIRE

Our baby Bjorn was never a good sleeper. With each month that he grew and reached another milestone, my husband and I secretly hoped that Bjorn would miraculously sleep through the night, but alas, that did not happen.

By the age of 7 months, Björn was waking up crying (sometimes screaming!) up to six times a night, resisting naps and only being soothed by singing, rocking or feeding. Every night we worried about how the night was going to go and finally (after countless yelling at each other when we woke up early in the morning and my sleep was disturbed) my husband and I were willing to get support to help Bjorn find his himself calm.

We talked to a friend who recommended Calm and Bright and he assured us that in less than a week our little one would be sleeping through the night. We just couldn't imagine it, but we were desperately hoping for the same result as our friend and the many testimonials we had read online... and we were not disappointed.

After an in-depth discussion with our designated sleep coach, Lucy, we wanted to start the program. Lucy's communication was amazing. honest, sincere and responsive. She helped us throughout the day (sometimes hourly!) and adjusted Bjorn's sleep schedule accordingly. He gave us insight and understanding of Bjorn's sleep patterns and helped us read his sleep tips, which were undeniably useful in everyday life.

Lucy also made us feel extremely supported throughout the program. This taught us to know when to step in or hold back during Bjorn's self-soothing, and so our little boy slept a solid 11 hours on the second night of the program and continues to sleep 11-12 hours every night. He also no longer resists naps, and on the rare occasion he is moved, Bjorn will fall asleep almost immediately using the self-soothing abilities that C&B have given us all... just amazing.

I am writing this review for you! I too was in the sleep deprived state you are in now. I convince myself that maybe my baby doesn't need sound sleep and that I should accept that...but you don't. When you feel ready to follow the program introduced by C&B, which teaches you and your baby the skills and tools to self-soothe, say get well soon to restless nights and sleep problems, and say hello to your new parents with energy - yourself!

HELLA & ROS

Dear Gemma, here is our testimony. I was really looking forward to writing this!

To start, I'll explain how bad things were before. Finlay started sleeping well, for 3-4 hours, until he was 3 weeks old. He then became ill and was hospitalized for a week. The night he came home I realized that things had changed. He wouldn't even settle for 5 minutes if he wasn't held down. He would wake up often, probably every half hour, even when I was holding him. Frequent night awakenings continued until 18 months of age with no sign of improvement.

His night awakenings were so violent that I became a complete emotional wreck. I was nervous, irritable and angry, our family life suffered. My husband Rich and I often fought over who was more tired! We tried everything and read every book we could think of.

I felt like I was giving Finley the comfort he needed by constantly being by his side at night. I tried sleep training but it was heartbreaking to hear him cry. Also, I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing, so I didn't continue.

I first heard about Calm & Bright from a friend who had a 3 year old and a 1 year old and told me about the amazing changes they had experienced since getting help. (Both kids now sleep almost every night.)

I struggled for another five months before contacting Gemma, confident that things would improve on their own. After our first contact I felt much better. I had full confidence in Gemma from the start that things would get better.

Already after the first nights we noticed improvements. The support was great, I really felt like I had a friend I could turn to for advice at any time. We worked through Finlay's sleep issues together and he was there for us through every obstacle.

Now he generally sleeps from 8pm. to 8 a.m. with a 2-hour nap between 12 p.m. and 2 a.m. I never thought this would be possible!

Teaching Finlay to sleep was one of the hardest tasks for me as a parent, but it was worth it, both for Finlay and myself and Rich. Finlay is generally a much happier child since he sleeps better. He gets sick much less often and recovers faster.

The best part was actually feeling like I was the mom I wanted to be. I can walk softly, laugh and joke and have a lot more patience and fun with Finlay. Our personal life is much better. We can really enjoy being parents and spending some quality time together again as a couple. We are even thinking about having another baby, which would have been impossible before!

My advice to anyone considering using C&B would be to contact them immediately. Don't wait and hope it gets better. Organize things so you can enjoy your child. You're really doing it for her.

Thank you for your help Gemma. I can't think of anything more or different you could have done.

You have changed our lives for the better. We will be eternally grateful for your help. You are great!!!

Lots of love

SALLY, RICH & FINLAY