sleep experts/trainers

if you hired a sleep expert/trainer was it worth the money? what was their method?

 

I have a newborn care specialist come in 5 nights a week with the twins. She is worth every penny. They are 2 months old and I have them on a schedule. They aren't quite ready to sttn yet, b/c they are still kinda small, but she's stretching out their night feeds and we have them on a every 4 hour feed during the day. She will train them to sttn probably in a few weeks when they are a little bigger. I interviewed several gals before I chose her. She does a good job and has given us many useful tips on scheduling and working with the twins.

 

I've never heard of this. I'll be interested to see what others say. How do you find a sleep trainer? Are they night nannies?

 

Kind of… another twin mom at my son school recommended this sleep specialist when she came and visited me when the twins were 3 w old (i think she saw the fear in my eyes)… The Sleep expert had been doing this for 25 years.. (she has even been hired by people she once was the night nanny for) I could afford 4 nights a week… she was a twin herself and she has a long list of twin moms as recommendations… any who… her method was more not picking them up when they stirred and shhhing them… and she had them going 4 hrs at 4 weeks, 6hrs at 6 weeks, 8 hours at 8 weeks, and final we were done when she got them to 10 hours at 10 weeks (4 hr feeding schedule during the day). I think the “secret” (as I had to follow up her methods on the off 3 days) was the not picking them up… when you’re tired and sleep deprived… instead of spending 45 min pushing back the feeding, we/I tend to give them a bottle so we can go back to bed… but if that’s what your paid to do all night, it’s not that hard… our bedroom was right next to the babies and they never woke me w/ their cries… so she didn’t let them cry… she just shhh them and patted them back to sleep for as long as possible THEN fed them…

All I know was it was the BEST $$$$ ever spent…EVER!!!! I would give up my day nanny in a heartbeat if it had to be one or the other…

Good luck,
Elizabeth

PS I was bf and formula feeding… so I got up a couple times to pump when she was here… and never heard a sad baby…

 

Were your twins full term or preemie? Speaking of $, just how much should I expect to pay a sleep trainer?

 

the reason i brought this topic up is that a friend recommended a sleep trainer to me & i was thinking about hiring her but my husband thinks it'll be a waste of money (of course, he's not the one sleeping with two babies every night & having to get up a gagillion times to feed them). anyway, her website is www.cheekychops.ca - it seems to me her prices are pretty reasonable. and she does an initial phone consultation for free which i did this afternoon. she seems super nice & like she knows what she's talking about. it looks like she also does night nanny service but we wouldn't be able to do that because a) we live in different provinces & b) it's way out of our budget! i'd really like to hire her - now i just have to convince DH!

 

It's totally worth it to me. My ds gets up ALOT at night, and the $$ was worth my sanity. We pay ours $22 an hour OUCH! She's on the upper end, but worth it. I interviewed another gal who wanted $24 an hour..that was pushing it! Anyway, she has started sleep training ours and they sleep 5 hours a night. Pretty soon, she will work on sttn. Better her than me!

 

QUOTE(bebedoc @ Sep 24 2008, 07:02 PM) [snapback]996117[/snapback]
Were your twins full term or preemie? Speaking of $, just how much should I expect to pay a sleep trainer?

mine were born 36w 4 d

and ours made a deal... we filled in odd days so she only charged us $15, normally she charges $20... plus we were flexible... all I wanted was 4 days a week didn’t care what those 4 days were

like i said before... sooo worth it... have DH do a weekend and i bet he'll be up to spend the money... my DH did one night and was on board... i even hear him tell other expecting parents... find it in your budget... even if you contribute less to your retirement this year... investing in your sanity right now is a better investment in this market any ways...

 

Just a few snippits:
-be wary of not having them eat all night long w/o them choosing to do so when bfing. When you are bfing you can't see how much they are getting during the day and they could very well need those feeds at night!

-when they are older you may some of your fondest memories are of nursing them one on one and rocking them in the middle of the night. I know for me atleast they are, and are some of my fondest one-on-one memories of them as infants.

I am not saying you can't do some sleep training but I think you may be better off hiring some to take the duty of taking care of them overnight a few nights a week, let the babies guide you on thier sleeping habits and you can help prolong the feeds at night as poster e mauro said.

 

QUOTE(excitedk @ Sep 26 2008, 10:25 PM) [snapback]999743[/snapback]
Just a few snippits:
-be wary of not having them eat all night long w/o them choosing to do so when bfing. When you are bfing you can't see how much they are getting during the day and they could very well need those feeds at night!

-when they are older you may some of your fondest memories are of nursing them one on one and rocking them in the middle of the night. I know for me atleast they are, and are some of my fondest one-on-one memories of them as infants.

I am not saying you can't do some sleep training but I think you may be better off hiring some to take the duty of taking care of them overnight a few nights a week, let the babies guide you on thier sleeping habits and you can help prolong the feeds at night as poster e mauro said.


I agree. This is what our night time newborn care specialist does. She's not there to sleep train them now. We still do on demand feeding at night. It just happens that they will go 5 hours now . It's just sooo worth it having someone there that you trust to feed them a few nights a week so you can get a good nights rest. I didn't realize the pay was negotiable till after we hired her..so you can always try to negotiate a lower salary. I hope you find someone you like and trust..so you can get a few good nights rest!

 

QUOTE(debfitz @ Sep 27 2008, 01:18 AM) [snapback]999943[/snapback]
I agree. This is what our night time newborn care specialist does. She's not there to sleep train them now. We still do on demand feeding at night. It just happens that they will go 5 hours now . It's just sooo worth it having someone there that you trust to feed them a few nights a week so you can get a good nights rest. I didn't realize the pay was negotiable till after we hired her..so you can always try to negotiate a lower salary. I hope you find someone you like and trust..so you can get a few good nights rest!

I totally agree with Kristi. I have such wonderful memories of breastfeeding both boys together at night and then all fall ing asleep together. Yes, you are tired - but your body adjusts and you get used to it. I don't understand why there is such a rush to STTN - babies are suppose to wake up for feeds/ comfort, etc. The earlier a baby sleeps through the night the better apparently and is worn like a medal or excellence or something. It is only the media and all the hundreds of books that make mothers think that if their baby isn't STTN by so many months there must be something wrong with your baby! Of course it is your choice if you want a night nanny but just dont be too quick to train your babies - babies will naturally sleep for longer periods of time with each month. I would prefer to put that money to other good uses!

 

if you end up not being able to afford one theres some good books out there you can get for FREE at the library. i know most of us dont have time to read, but even just looking at the chapter list and reading what you can helps. i skip all the "scientific" chapters about sleep. ive read (bits of it!) the no cry sleep solution, geared more for younger babies, and then the healthy sleep habits book(i think thats what its called...). both pretty much say what a night nurse/nanny/sleep trainer is doing, difference is YOU have to do the work. yea its tiring, but in the end theres a sense of pride that comes with it, at least for me. i dont work right now, so my babies are my job. unfortunatly its not an 8-5 kinda thing

 

I just want to add … and I am sure all PP would agree… every family needs are different… every person is different… my dh can work perfectly normal off 4 hrs sleep at night… ME… NOPE… I need 8 hours, it’s a fact … maybe it’s my age (34, but my mom says it’s been a fact since I was a very small child)… who know… but I know it and I work w/ it… doesn’t make me less of a loving mother because of it… I still have the fond middle of the night feeding as she only did 4 nights a week…
Find someone that fits YOUR family… as schools… what one child may thrive in (strict, ridged rules) may shut down another… I found someone who completely agreed w/ me… if they are hungry, we feed them… even if it’s only been 2 hours and they are 9 weeks old… but I found she was right… I shhhed them until I they showed signs they were hungry… crying not just making noise… good luck w/ whatever you do… my oldest DS didn’t sttn until he was 9 m and I resorted to CIO… something I swore I would never do… but I think that when I learned I needed sleep… as I was a monster… you all may handle sleep deprivation lovely.. not me

In the end when all is said and done… you HAVE to do what is right for YOU and YOUR BABIES :hug:

 

i should probably clarify - i'm not looking to get the girls to STTN yet. they're too young & don't weigh enough to go that long without night time feeds. the problem i have right now is that my girls will not sleep ANYwhere other than on me (we've tried bouncy chairs, swings, even sleeping next to me in bed doesn't work, they have to be on my chest) - so not only is the quantity of my sleep compromised but so is the quality. i don't mind getting up to feed them but i need guidance on getting them to sleep in their crib. and i'm too close to the situation to be objective about it or see what the solution is. so that's why we're thinking of hiring her - although, we'll be doing the phone consultation package (comes with 3 weeks of daily support). i just need someone to help me come up with a clear cut plan, that both DH & i can stick to & who can encourage us when we want to give up or think it isn't working. that's worth $200 to me!

 

My daughter was exactly like that - she thought I was her pillow - of course I loved it and let her do it so it was really my fault she wouldn't nap or sleep in her crib. But when it came to the point when she really had to sleep in her crib we followed the pick up - shhh - and put down method - we got her sleepy, put her down, she would cry, we picked her up just until she quietened, then put her down again. It took a lot of work to begin with over a couple of days - and many pick ups put downs (but I cant stand letting them cry it out). But after 2 or 3 days she went down fine. Of course, with twins that's double the pick ups and put downs! Good luck with whatever you choose - they will soon get the hang of it.

 

QUOTE(miss_bossy18 @ Sep 27 2008, 09:43 AM) [snapback]1000336[/snapback]
i should probably clarify - i'm not looking to get the girls to STTN yet. they're too young & don't weigh enough to go that long without night time feeds. the problem i have right now is that my girls will not sleep ANYwhere other than on me (we've tried bouncy chairs, swings, even sleeping next to me in bed doesn't work, they have to be on my chest) - so not only is the quantity of my sleep compromised but so is the quality. i don't mind getting up to feed them but i need guidance on getting them to sleep in their crib. and i'm too close to the situation to be objective about it or see what the solution is. so that's why we're thinking of hiring her - although, we'll be doing the phone consultation package (comes with 3 weeks of daily support). i just need someone to help me come up with a clear cut plan, that both DH & i can stick to & who can encourage us when we want to give up or think it isn't working. that's worth $200 to me!

I can help for free :ibiggrin: PM me if you want the help, I have helped several bfing moms on here with sleep issues.

 

QUOTE(miss_bossy18 @ Sep 27 2008, 10:43 AM) [snapback]1000336[/snapback]
i should probably clarify - i'm not looking to get the girls to STTN yet. they're too young & don't weigh enough to go that long without night time feeds. the problem i have right now is that my girls will not sleep ANYwhere other than on me (we've tried bouncy chairs, swings, even sleeping next to me in bed doesn't work, they have to be on my chest) - so not only is the quantity of my sleep compromised but so is the quality. i don't mind getting up to feed them but i need guidance on getting them to sleep in their crib. and i'm too close to the situation to be objective about it or see what the solution is. so that's why we're thinking of hiring her - although, we'll be doing the phone consultation package (comes with 3 weeks of daily support). i just need someone to help me come up with a clear cut plan, that both DH & i can stick to & who can encourage us when we want to give up or think it isn't working. that's worth $200 to me!



I think that hiring someone sounds like a great idea for your situation. I had no idea you could hire a sleep trainer! That sounds like what my mom did for me when the girls were born though - she spent every night at my house for the first 3 weeks and really helped me to get them on a good schedule.