Welcome Parents!
If you are here it is likely because you are as tired and mentally exhausted (and lost!) as we were. We are honored that you are taking your time to browse our website. We hope that you get something out of it - whether it be some helpful sleep tips, the comfort of knowing you aren't alone in this journey or the inspiration to take the first step towards one-on-one support!
What do we do?
INFANT AND TODDLER SLEEP COACHING
POSTPARTUM MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Sleep is essential to physical and mental health, happiness and quality of life – for both you and your baby!
Sleep is just as important as eating and drinking, but yet it often gets placed on the back burner as we are usually in survival mode, just trying to get through another day and night. Sleep deprivation makes us even more vulnerable to mental health struggles such as postpartum depression and anxiety, which can effect our ability to be the best parent that we want to be! And as we know from personal experience it can start to break down our relationships and heighten loneliness and isolation.
Sleep is equally important for your little one. Babies, toddlers and children need quality sleep to thrive. Infants are capable of being good sleepers at a young age, but sometimes they need some extra help learning these important life skills. Enter West Coast Sleep Consulting...
Sound Familiar?
Does your baby need to be fed, held, bounced or rocked to sleep?
Is your baby only taking short naps? 30-45 minutes?
Is your baby waking multiple times in the night?
Is your baby going to bed late? And waking up early?
Has your bed been taken over? (and not by your spouse!)
Is your own lack of sleep starting to take a toll on your family and your relationship?
What does this mean? Well, it likely means that your mental and physical health is suffering because of it. Or maybe that you aren't enjoying this time like you should be (which is a devastating, but common feeling). When we deprive our body from sleep, we increase the chance of postpartum depression and anxiety, lower immune system functioning, irritability (especially with our partners), poor nutrition and exercise, memory loss (and overall fuzziness) - the list goes on!
Good News: These are all common problems and they can be fixed! With our help, your baby will learn how to go to sleep independently, take long and rejuvenating naps and be all around a happier baby! And then we can work on supporting your own overall health and improving your ability to be the best parent that you can be!
Or maybe yours is a little older...
Do you need to lay with your toddler/child to get him/her to sleep?
Are you playing games for hours before your toddler/child goes to sleep?
Is your toddler/child getting out of bed 100x at bedtime? or throughout the night? or up at 5am to start the day?
Do you need help successfully transitioning your toddler to a big bed?
Do you dread bedtime because of behavioral issues?
What does this mean? I'm going to guess that your patience is low (with your little one AND your partner) and there is a lot more raising your voice (or ripping out your hair!) then you'd like. Once you get your little one down you're likely really feeling the guilt from that and wishing you had a do-over. You probably aren't getting any "me" time when you're spending the whole evening fighting with your toddler and that can take a huge toll on your mental and physical health.
Good News: These are all common problems and they can be fixed! With our help, your toddler/child will learn how to go to sleep independently, respect the bedtime boundaries and have a happier bedtime and good night sleep!
What other parents have said...
We were in desperate need of help. Our little one co-slept with us, which resulted in very little sleep for everyone. Further, he would only take 30 minute naps if we slept beside him, making it impossible to complete any chores or have breaks during the day when my husband was at work. With Natasha's help our little one now sleeps in his crib for 11 to 12 hours at night and takes naps longer than 30 minutes. The service that Natasha provided us has immensely improved our quality of life. My husband and I are very grateful for Natasha's help...
-Amy Pistone, Victoria BC
For months my husband and I debated whether to hire a sleep consultant as our 7 month old son had been continuously waking throughout the night for the past 3 months. After our first phone consult with Kelsey, we felt confident in our choice and we knew we were in good hands. With each night that passed our sons sleep(and ours) improved greatly. Now after the first week our son is consistently sleeping through the night and napping twice a day. We cannot thank Kelsey enough for her continued support, knowledge, and encouraging words along the way.
-Laura & Evan Huber, Richmond BC
We had been struggling with sleep since he hit the 4 month regression and I decided we needed help. I felt completely lost like I had no idea how to make him sleep better; and since Kelsey started helping us, we have turned a major corner. She really instilled that confidence in both my husband and I that we needed to get through this. It gets easier every time he goes down because I keep sticking to that plan that Kelsey drafted to OUR lifestyle. NIGHT 2 OF SLEEP TRAINING AND MY 8 MONTH OLD SON SLEPT FOR 12 HOURS!!!
-Meaghan Wilson, Victoria BC
Philosophy
OUR APPROACH, BELIEFS AND VALUES
West Coast Sleep Consulting is based off the strong belief that healthy sleep habits make for healthy children. A well-rested child is curious, energetic, happy, playful, and eager to learn. When parents entrust us as their child’s “sleep guide,” they are placing a great deal of trust in us, and we want to let you know that we take this responsibility very seriously.
We place so much emphasis on accommodating different parenting styles. The bottom line is that you, as a parent, need to be comfortable with your new sleep plan in order for it to work for your child!
Our approach to improving your child’s sleep is pretty simple:
We’ll give you honest information about WHY sleep is so important for your child’s well-being. This will give you all the motivation you need to make changes to your child’s sleep habits, because it truly is what’s best for your child!
We’ll lay out an easy-to-follow, step-by-step plan that lets you make some choices about what is the right approach for your child. All children are different, and nobody knows your child better than you do. We encourage you to use your knowledge of your child to customize his or her sleep plan.
We’ll show you how to measure success. No, you shouldn’t expect your child to sleep 12 uninterrupted hours on the first night — although it does happen! But we will be right there with you along the way letting you know what to expect.
No Judgement!
We will meet you where ever you are at in your baby's sleep journey! Do not be ashamed if you feel that you are doing all the "wrong" things! There is nothing wrong with whatever you are doing as long as it works for your family. When it no longer works for you or your little one and the family is suffering, then we will support you to make the changes needed. We assure you that we have been there and completely understand that when your little one is not sleeping you do whatever you can to get some shut eye for you and your family! This is survival! We encourage you to be open and honest with us about what does and doesn't work and rest assured that you will not be judged in return. We strive to create a safe and comfortable relationship with the families that we work with!
The most commonly asked question: will my baby cry?
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. That’s why we’re always sure to tell parents that our program will most likely involve at least some amount of protest on the child’s part.
Please understand that we will never ask you to leave your child to cry alone, nor will we ask you to ignore their cries. Our method is by no means a “cry it out” approach. The reason that our techniques are so effective is that it lets you develop a plan that you feel comfortable with, based on what you know about your child.
If you have any questions at all about our philosophy or methods, please don’t hesitate to ask!
Meet the Team
We are a team of Social Workers and Clinical Counsellors who specialize in maternal wellness. Be sure to check extended health benefits for coverage.
Reach out to us!
West Coast Sleep Consulting is based out of beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, but works with families all over the world!
All packages and services are available via phone, email, and/or Skype/Facetime!
Near or far - We would LOVE to hear from you!