I often get asked “What made you interested in becoming a Sleep Consultant?”
In my past 7 years working as a Management Consultant in an International Firm, I realise my passion is in helping my clients solve people and organisation issues – the same kind of passion I discovered when I unknowingly started preaching the importance of good sleep habits to my friends who had children who were struggling with sleep problems.
However, all I could share back then was just what I read in books and based on what worked and didn’t work for my daughter. I then asked myself if there was a way to make myself more knowledgeable in order to help more families out there. After months of consideration, I decided to pursue a certification in the Sleep Sense Program, and here I am – your certified infant and child sleep consultant from Malaysia, ready to help you and your child get through those tough nights!
With the Sleep Sense Creator – Dana Obleman (6th from the left)
I’ve also put together some FAQs about the program, feel free to reach out to me if you have questions about the philosophy behind the Sleep Sense method:
Q: Where did this program originate from?
A: The Sleep Sense program was created by Dana Obleman, USA, as a direct result of her extensive research. I am certified to use her methods to teach parents and children to be independent sleepers, which has been proven with over 30,000 clients the past 13 years.
Q: Are there many other Sleep Sense consultants?
A: I am the first Sleep Sense consultant in Malaysia, and yes, there are about 80 of us all around the world (and growing)!
Q: What’s so great about the technique and how will it benefit my child?
A: The program stresses on the importance of letting children learn how to soothe themselves into deep, restful sleep. It teaches your child to be independent and not rely on their parents or props (eg. rocked to sleep/ bottle/ pacifier/ nursing) to help them sleep. Healthy sleep habits make for healthy children, and uninterrupted sleep can improve a child’s immune system, mood and brain development.
Q: Is this endorsed by doctors?
A: The sleep plan is not medical advice, it is a step by step plan to help your child sleep better and not intended to replace medical advise from your doctor or paediatrician or other trained health care professionals. It is recommended that you seek the advise of a doctor regarding any matters that may require medical attention or diagnosis. Doctors may recommend their patients to see a sleep consultant if they think the parent or child needs help, however, this will be up to the parents to take up the advise
Q: How does the consultation work? What is the solution?
A: The consultation will take place over 2 or 3 weeks (depending on child’s age), where it includes a private 60-90mins consultation, detailed and fully customised sleep plan, 4 follow up phone calls and email support for 1 week. The detailed solution will be in your child’s sleep plan, customised according to your child’s needs.
Q: Does the solution involve a lot of crying?
A: Crying is your child’s way of protesting change, and you can expect that making changes to their sleep habits will result in some protest. However, I will never ask you to leave your child alone to cry if that is not something that feels right for you, that’s the beauty of this program, we can develop a sleep plan that you are comfortable with.
Q: I am not located in Malaysia, can I still use your services?
A: Certainly so! With the beauty of technology nowadays, most of my consultations are through emails and over the phone/ Skype/ FaceTime. My consultations are in English, and I accept international PayPal payments.
Is your child having trouble falling asleep? Are they waking up multiple times every night? Do they need to be rocked/ nursed/ carried to sleep? Are you getting enough rest?
xx
Wing Yan