I’m often asked if I run a sleep clinic here in Derby, and my answer sometimes surprises families, no I don’t! (though I often pop up at events here in the Midlands).
In fact, I work with families all over the UK and internationally. I don’t need to meet you or your child in person to help improve sleep. Everything I do can be delivered online, allowing me to provide personalised support wherever you are in the world.
So, what exactly is a sleep clinic, and how is it different from working with a sleep consultant?
What is a sleep clinic?
Sleep clinics can be NHS or privately run and are most commonly used to investigate medical sleep disorders. In adults, this is often for conditions such as sleep apnoea, assessment for CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), or overnight sleep studies.
Paediatric sleep clinics also investigate medical conditions that affect sleep, including sleep apnoea, chronic insomnia, narcolepsy and disorders that affect a child’s breathing overnight. They may use overnight sleep studies or actigraphy, where sleep patterns are monitored over several nights, to better understand what is happening physiologically while a child sleeps.
These services play a really important role in diagnosing and managing medical sleep conditions.
Is this the type of support I provide?
No, these aren’t the children I work with on a 1:1 basis.
As a paediatric nurse with over 20 years of experience, I’m very familiar with these medical conditions, but they don’t fall within the scope of my sleep consultancy work.
Before I begin working with any family, I carry out a comprehensive health assessment and ask parents to complete a detailed online questionnaire. This helps me identify whether there could be an underlying medical cause contributing to a child’s sleep difficulties.
Making sure a child is appropriately assessed is incredibly important. If, during my assessment, I have concerns that a medical condition could be affecting sleep, it is my responsibility to advise families to seek further assessment through their GP or the appropriate healthcare professional before we begin sleep support.
So who do I work with?
The families I support are usually struggling with things like:
- Frequent night waking
- Difficult or lengthy bedtimes
- Early morning waking
- Sleep associations, such as needing to be rocked, fed or held to sleep
- Sleep that simply feels exhausting and unsustainable for the whole family
By the time families come to me, they’ve often tried countless pieces of advice, made changes to routines and searched the internet for answers, but nothing has made a lasting difference. That doesn’t automatically mean there’s an underlying medical reason.
More often, it means sleep needs a fresh perspective. One that looks holistically at the whole child, supports their emotional and developmental needs, and works alongside the parenting style that feels right for the family.
Sleep is like a jigsaw puzzle
I often describe sleep as being like a jigsaw puzzle. Every piece is connected, and changing one piece can affect another. That’s why I never focus solely on bedtime or night waking. Instead, I take time to understand the whole picture, looking at routines, sleep patterns, development, feeding, emotions, temperament, family life and so much more.
Together, we gently make changes over a three-week period that are realistic, responsive and tailored specifically to your child.
Why ongoing support matters
The real difference isn’t just the sleep plan.
Throughout our three weeks together, we have online consultations, daily WhatsApp support and regular check-ins. We work very closely together because that’s what creates lasting change.
This isn’t about quick fixes or leaving families to figure things out on their own. It’s about giving you personalised guidance, reassurance and the confidence to understand your child’s sleep long after we’ve finished working together.
What about Health Visitors?
Some health visiting teams are able to offer sleep advice and practical recommendations, and as a former health visitor myself, I know how committed they are to supporting families. Unfortunately, the reality is that services are incredibly stretched. Health visitors simply don’t have the capacity to provide the intensive, personalised support that families experiencing significant sleep deprivation often need. That’s where working with a dedicated sleep consultant can make such a difference.
So, do you need a sleep clinic or a sleep consultant?
If you think your child’s sleep difficulties could be caused by an underlying medical condition, it’s important to speak with your GP or healthcare professional so they can refer you to the appropriate service if needed. However, if your child is otherwise fit and well, meeting their developmental milestones and sleep has simply become overwhelming or unsustainable, I’d love to help.
Many families tell me they find reassurance in knowing that their child’s sleep is being supported by both a qualified sleep consultant and an experienced paediatric nurse. It gives them confidence that their child’s health has been carefully considered before we make any changes.
If you’d like to chat about your child’s sleep, you can book a free 30-minute Sleep Rescue Call. We’ll talk about where you are now, where you’d like sleep to be, and I’ll explain exactly what working together could look like.
Simply click the Book Now button to see my current availability.
Topics: Baby sleep, Tips for parents
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