The Gentle Sleep Specialist

The Gentle Sleep Specialist Sleep Consultant, Paed Nurse, Mother, 15 yrs exp. O.G Baby and Toddler sleep programs, 1-1 ✨🫶
(531)

Hi, chances are you are on my page because yourself or someone close to you is struggling with infant/toddler sleep. It is one of the biggest issues parents face and one of the first questions we ask one another "how are they sleeping?"
Yet we are given such little, if any information on the facts surrounding sleep and the best practices to ensure sleep times are a positive experience. I am a mot

her of a wonderful little girl and not so long ago was also in a position of despair and sleep deprivation. This all turned around for me when I reached out and got the information and tools I needed to establish positive routine and equip my daughter to sleep well. I am a paediatric nurse so healthy and safe sleeping are at the forefront of my practice. I understand where you are at and urge you to take the necessary steps to put happy back into your home and relationships.

10/06/2026

Anyone else almost go into like a freeze mode during nap.

You have the best intention. Then you sit down. Then 27 min goes and they are up. You’ve done nothing you said you would.

I think this is some kind of survival mode. But it’s not serving either of you.

Comment CATNAP1 for our free resolve catnap video ♥️♥️

The wild part is that post is the grandmother rocking the babe, lucky for that mum to have that support. I wonder if tho...
08/06/2026

The wild part is that post is the grandmother rocking the babe, lucky for that mum to have that support. I wonder if those posting also have to work full time or their partner can do a settle. I wonder if their baby is even above 6 months. Sleep deprivation feels even worse after 1 year let alone 2. ♥️ sending love mamas. Remember there are hundreds of thousands of parents who get sleep help who don’t shout their views to shame others. Thats why you feel alone. But you’re not xx

No wonder so many families are convinced their baby’s can’t sleep well. That they are low sleep needs. It’s a thing and ...
05/06/2026

No wonder so many families are convinced their baby’s can’t sleep well. That they are low sleep needs. It’s a thing and unfortunately there are average programs out there taking money to tell you all is well, when you are drowning in exhaustion.

I’ve seen it. I’ve worked with low sleep needs babes all the time and I know truly there is still a path to better sleep. Even when you’ve been told otherwise 🤎

02/06/2026

If your baby’s sleep has suddenly become unsettled around 8 months of age, you’re certainly not alone.

Around this age, many little ones are becoming more mobile. They may be crawling, pulling to stand, cruising around furniture or desperately trying to master these new skills. they may also be going through some separation anxiety and have big cognitive leaps.

So what can we do to support sleep during this stage?
Around this age, awake times will generally sit around 2.5 hours, however there is plenty of variation. Some babies may comfortably manage 2 hours to 2 hours 15 minutes, especially before nap one, while others can stay happily awake for 3 hours. Both can fall within normal limits.

Most little ones are still having 3 naps per day. However, between 8 and 9 months, many babies begin to play around with the transition from 3 naps to 2 naps.

If your little one is comfortably managing 3 hours awake time with ease, then moving towards 2 naps may be a viable option.

Whenever a little one regresses in sleep, we want to make sure they are building enough sleep pressure throughout their awake periods.

During awake time, are they wide awake, engaged, playing, moving, exploring and genuinely ready for sleep when sleep time arrives?

If they are having super lengthy feeds, multiple feed offerings, or becoming drowsy during feeds, this can sometimes reduce sleep pressure and make settling more difficult.

From there, I would focus on the self-settling piece.

If you have been playing a significant role in helping your little one get to sleep whether that’s rocking, feeding, dummy replacement, patting, bouncing or other methods what you will often find is that sleep becomes either chaotic or consistently inconsistent.

Giving your babe the ability to go down wide awake in their sleep space and fall asleep independently is often one of the biggest factors in seeing the end of frequent wakes and catnaps.

Lastly, if you feel like you’ve gone from one regression to the next, or you’re concerned this stage is beginning to create longer-term habits that aren’t serving your family, I wouldn’t wait longer than two weeks before reaching out for support.

I didn’t know if I could do it. How could I be successful when I’ve always been doubted. How could I be successful when ...
31/05/2026

I didn’t know if I could do it. How could I be successful when I’ve always been doubted. How could I be successful when I was too worried to have things in case I lost them. How could I be successful when I’m not conventional. How could I be successful when my brain feels like it runs differently to others? You know the real organised type. Turns out it was exactly what gave me every ability I needed at each time.

30/05/2026

Twelve years of evidence sitting in front of you right now.
The baby who wakes every two hours. The one who will only feed back to sleep. The one who screams the moment you try anything different. The one who get better at sleep for a week or so then off again. The one you’ve convinced yourself is just wired this way. The one every method has failed. The one you’ve stopped hoping for because hoping costs too much when it keeps not working.

I have sat with that baby. Thousands of times. In hundreds of different homes with thousands of different families who said the exact same thing you’re saying right now.
She’s different. Mine won’t be the one it works for.
And every single time, when we understood what was actually driving the waking and built a plan around that specific baby in that specific family, things changed.
Not because those babies were easy. Because they were understood.

It’s time to send me a dm 🫶

28/05/2026

Anyone else baffled!!!???? Why does society not get louder about the actual things SIGNIFICANTLY impacting children’s lives??

20/05/2026

You see it right, the reply on the Mums groups. You hear it, the throw away comment said with such ease.
Co sleeping is “natural” they say. Like breastfeeding right? Does it always work? Not always…..

Not only does it dismiss where a mother is truly at, but it makes the solution seem so simple… like she just hadn’t thought of it. Like there’s something wrong with her. Like the expectation she had for sleep, wellbeing, or survival somehow was “too much” to ask for.

Today alone, I spoke to four women who said things like:

“I’m broken.”
“I don’t recognise myself anymore.”
“My mental health is in pieces.”
“I physically and mentally cannot keep going.”
“I genuinely don’t know how to survive this.”

And yet somehow the answer from the sidelines is often just… co-sleep

Many little ones are still stuck in deeply habitual waking patterns even when co sleeping.

I see toddlers waking every 1–2 hours at 18 months, 2 years old, needing feeds all night long.
Little ones lying right beside mum but still crying to be stood up and rocked 2 hourly.
Three and four-year-olds needing bum pats or constant parental intervention multiple times a night. Mothers who can’t sleep because they are hyper vigilant all night long.

Proximity alone is not always the answer.

And can we please stop pretending that a mother desperately trying to escape survival mode has somehow failed because connection wasn’t enough?

There is nothing natural about a mother feeling regret. Desperate to escape the life she once dreamt of.
When you see it support it with love. Mamas are literally wanting to die out there 😭

17/05/2026

What’s your little one’s default nap time?

It’s exhausting hey! I can tell you it has very little with what you do when they wake up!

Want a resolve? Comment catnap1 and I will send you the link to our FREE catnapping solution video.

♥️

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Perth, WA
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