*This is a picture of my daughter as an infant, during a supervised photoshoot.
Wearing a bow or any loose articles during sleep is not recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
My Story
I have always wanted to help children and families. After graduating with my Bachelors degree in Psychology from Loyola College in Maryland, I went on to get my Clinical Psychology Masters degree with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University in Malibu California. Upon returning to New York (where I grew up and where my family resides), I ended up going back to school to get an additional Masters degree in Education, and I spent 11 years working as a Special Education teacher. I loved working with all different kinds of students and their families.
Then everything changed. I had my daughter…
And I realized I didn't know anything about baby sleep!
After working with kids and families for so long, I was surprised to learn for myself just how difficult sleep can be! I found myself reading multiple books, scouring the internet, and getting some very questionable information from various internet groups I had joined. I decided to invest in the Snoo, assuming that would at least buy me 6 months or so to figure out the whole sleep thing. It did help with her sleep… until she was 4 months old. Then she was done with it, and I was one scared Mama! I remember seeing pictures of babies sleeping in their cribs, and I would wonder how we would ever get there.
So it was back to the Internet, with all of it’s various opinions and contradicting information. It was overwhelming, especially now that I was up every 1-2 hours at night. After reading a few more books, trial and error, and many sleepless nights, I was finally able to find what worked for us.
Those first few nights that I was able to get a good night’s sleep cannot even be explained in words. I was a whole new person! And going to bed at night looking forward to hours of sleep as opposed to the dreaded “night shift?” It was AMAZING. The whole vibe in my house changed, and we were all happier and healthier.
I knew I needed to share this with other families.
Why should other families be struggling with this same issue? Parenting is hard enough without being sleep deprived! If only there was a way to share what I had learned with other families…
And that’s when I learned about sleep consultants: these magical people who will help you get your child to sleep without all the internet searches, book reading, and cringing over message boards. A person who will listen to your situation, work with you to find solutions that you are comfortable with, and help you reach your sleep goals in a timely manner. I knew I needed to do this.
I attended the Family Sleep Institute. I learned even more about the science of sleep, various sleep philosophies, and proven methods for helping kids learn how to sleep. Every family, every child, and every situation is unique. However, there are guiding principles for sleep that can help all families.
Working with families as a sleep consultant has been everything I had hoped it would be. Being able to give a family the gift of sleep is such a joy, and I would be so happy to share this with you.
