Last fall, the sleep situation in Rebecca David?s household seemed hopeless. Two-year-old Solomon, co-sleeping with his parents, babbled loudly and flung his arms around most of the night. Meanwhile, four-month-old Noah was sometimes in his bassinet but mostly also in the family bed, nursing or snuggling. Both woke up constantly and weren?t in any hurry to close their eyes again. ?Sleep was a mess,? recalls Rebecca, who lives in Langley, BC. ?I was desperate.?
She had resigned herself to zombie status when she met a mom who?d hired a ?sleep coach? and reported that her baby now slept like a champ. Rebecca investigated, and that night, she told her husband, Blesson, that she was interested?but that it was pricey. ?How much?like $5,000"? he asked. A year-long contract, she told him, which would cover both boys, was $850. His reply: ?What are you waiting for"? There was a time when, if your baby refused to sleep, you asked your mom for help or read a book. If that failed, you rocked and shushed all night, dreaming of a future of uninterrupted sleep.
But today, many families are taking a more proactive approach, turning to sleep coaches to help them teach their kids to get to sleep and stay that way. Maybe your once-great sleeper is now up all night, or a vacation in a new time zone has messed up bedtime. Or maybe your kid simply never learned to fall and stay asleep without tons of help. In person or by phone, text, email or Skype, sleep coaches?also called sleep ...