The Sleep Société

You’re not supposed to just ‘know’ this stuff.

When to put them down. How long they should nap for. What bedtime should actually be. Why yesterday’s schedule worked perfectly and today’s was a disaster.

Nobody hands you a framework. You get fragments. A wake window from Google. A nap tip from a friend. A Reel that contradicts the Reel you saved yesterday. And then you’re standing in the nursery at 2pm doing mental maths on your fingers trying to figure out if this nap is too early or too late.

So you wing it. And by 5pm everything is falling apart and you’re not even sure why.

Here’s what I know after many years of doing this work. A huge amount of what looks like a sleep problem on the surface, is actually a scheduling problem in disguise. The wrong wake window. A nap that’s landing too early or late, too long or too short. A bedtime that’s fighting your child’s biology instead of working with it. Thirty minutes off and the whole night pays for it.

I built the Sleep Schedule Blueprint to fix exactly this. Designed for babies and toddlers between 4 to 36 months. Sample schedules for every age bracket. Wake windows, nap targets and overnight sleep your child actually needs. Plus blank templates for you to map out your own day.

It’s free. And it’s the same tool I use with the hundreds of families I have worked with 1:1.

DM or comment BLUEPRINT and I’ll send it over.

That 2am feed isn’t fixing anything. In fact, it’s keeping you stuck.

You didn’t plan this. You were exhausted, your baby was screaming and feeding was the only thing that worked.

So you did it. Night after night after night.

Now it’s the only way your baby falls asleep (and back to sleep when they wake) and you can feel it in your bones that this isn’t sustainable.

Here’s what no one told you: your baby isn’t broken. They’ve just learned a pattern.

And patterns can be changed.

But not with a new sleep sack. Not with a different white noise machine. Not by putting them down “drowsy but awake.”

With an actual plan.

A clear system that walks you through exactly how to change the way your baby falls asleep, along with everything else that matters when it comes to mastering sleep.

No guesswork. No contradictory advice. Just a clear framework that works.

Comment SYSTEM and I’ll send it to you.

Magical May roundup 💫✨

December roundup 🥂🫶🏼

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.. 🎄✨

Farewell November, hello 39 🥂✨

I couldn’t let World Book Day pass us by without giving you a run down of my top 5 sleep/ parenting books 😃

1. Why We Sleep- Matthew Walker

2. The Happy Sleeper- Heather Turgeon & Julie Wright

3. Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems- Richard Ferber

4. French Children Don’t Throw Food- Pamela Druckerman (I know, I know.. just trust me on this one!)

5. The Happiest Baby on The Block- Harvey Karp

And if you’re looking for a quick & easy read on sleep training in general and the various methods that exist, check out ‘My Child Won’t Sleep’ on Amazon by

In 2023,
I hope you find time to be happy.
Not just strong.

~ Louise Kauffman

If your feed is anything like mine right now, it’s probably jam-packed with perfect 2022 highlight reels, motivational quotes and talk about goal setting/ vision boarding/ how to make 2023 your best year yet.

All of which I am absolutely here for btw (I love a good goal planning sesh and vision board moment!), BUT, it also *might* happen to leave you feeling a little ‘less than’.

If so, here’s some important little reminders heading into a fresh, new year-

Your happiness absolutely matters too (in fact, it’s pretty much key to everything).

You are already enough.

You can’t (and shouldn’t have to) pour from an empty cup.

Just because you carry it well, doesn’t mean it’s not heavy.

You don’t have to do it all (especially not all at once).

It’s so important to look after yourself both physically and mentally.

Acknowledge how far you’ve already come.

It’s ok say no to the things that don’t align (and yes to those that do!)

It’s more than ok to ask for (and accept) all the help you can get.

And ultimately, if you’re not happy with something, you DO have the power & ability to change things.

So whatever your goals & aspirations are for this brand new year, I hope they protect your peace and bring you all the happiness in the world ✨

Honest post alert!🚨

It really saddens me to see just how many of you are out there, struggling away with your child’s sleep unnecessarily.

I see it daily in my inbox and DM’s. I hear it at the school gates and in my own friendship groups. On and offline, shattered, sleep deprived parents are EVERYWHERE.

I’ve heard it all-
I’m scared I’ll traumatise my child
I don’t know where to start
Other people will judge me for it
I don’t want my baby to cry
I can’t afford a sleep consultant
We’re a lost cause anyway

Etc.

But mostly, the overarching theme tends to be that prioritising sleep is somehow… selfish. And that maybe you’ll be judged for your decisions.

Sleep is NOT an indulgence. It’s a basic human need just like food, water, clothing, shelter. We literally cannot function without it (yet so many of us try to).

I always say that I am here to serve those that wish to be served. I am not in the business of convincing anyone to sleep train their child if they don’t want to.

And I will actively avoid conversations (both online and IRL) with people who are not on the same page as me when it comes to the importance of sleep.

However, on and in the interest of maternal mental health in general, I am breaking my own rules & telling you how it is:

You should NEVER feel guilty about sleep training
Let science & research be your guide (not the anti-sleep training brigade)
Broken sleep is not healthy for you OR your child
Being perpetually exhausted is not a badge of honour
If your child has trouble sleeping, you can do something about it
You’re not a lost cause or a hopeless case

If you’re struggling with your little one’s sleep, let this be the kick in the bum you need to do something about it. Forget about what everyone else thinks, YOU DO YOU.

Your mental and physical health matters. So does your child’s. Sleep is a key part of that. Get unstuck & make it happen!

“We’re a lost cause”

“It’s too late”

“There’s no hope”

These are just SOME of the limiting beliefs and stories I hear parents tell themselves with regards to their little ones sleep.

And here’s the deal. Like anything in life, if you truly believe you are stuck with no way out, that’s likely where you’re going to stay. (And this inaction results in the same sh*tty outcome, which further fuels the belief by providing ‘proof’ that there is in fact… no hope.)

A huge amount of what I teach my clients (probably without them even realising it) is around mindset towards their child’s sleep.

Shifting from those unhelpful, often deeply rooted negative thoughts (“it’ll never work for me”), to a positive, far more productive, “actually-yes-I-CAN-do-this” attitude.

And before you know it, the ‘magic’ starts to happen. (Which isn’t magic at all btw, it’s just good old fashioned neuroscience!)

Attitude and mindset are critical when it comes to making (and sticking with) big, exciting, often difficult changes. Amongst other things of course.

Every child CAN learn to sleep well if you really want them to. But yes, your actions MUST align with whatever it is you say you want.

There’s no elevator to success as they say, one must take the (correct) stairs! 🤗

If you know me at all, you know I am a BIG fan of sleeping bags/ wearable blankets for babies + toddlers in a cot.

Why?

Because they keep the sleep environment consistent, help prevent climbing and are a safer alternative to blankets/ loose bedding.

But as with anything baby related, it's so important to do your due diligence when shopping for the perfect sleeping bag.  In order to keep your little one snug and most importantly, safe all night long:

☑️ Ensure a good fit. Check to ensure the sleeping bag fits your child correctly and their head is not at risk of slipping through the neck hole. Equally check to ensure their arms cannot get stuck inside the bag.

☑️ Make sure your child is dressed appropriately based on the tog and temperature of the room (most brands will provide their own set of guidelines for this).

☑️ Avoid designs with strings, cords, ties, ribbons or buttons that could pose a strangulation or choking risk and ensure safe fastenings such as concealed poppers or zips.

☑️ Buy only from a reputable retailer and avoid products that are poorly manufactured.

The CCPC safety guidance issued earlier this month relating to sleeping bags + baby nests (following thousands of product recalls between 2021-2022), whilst very welcome, is long overdue. 

As parents + sleep professionals we must remember that just because something is sitting on a shelf in a store, or readily available to buy online, it does not necessarily mean that it's safe.

A bit late to the party I know, but I wanted to wish each and every one of you a very Happy New Year! 💫✨

After a busy year I took the last couple of weeks off to celebrate the festive season with my people. These babies grow so fast (in a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of way 👀), so I really feel it’s important for us all to slow down and unplug from time to time.

I am SO incredibly thankful to each and every one of you who welcomed me into your homes in 2021 (virtually of course!) and for trusting me to help you navigate through what is without a doubt one of the toughest parts of early(ish) parenthood- the lack of sleep! 😵‍💫

As cliché as it sounds, I genuinely feel so blessed to attract the kind of clients I do. Each family is different, every child is unique, but every single one of you are a pleasure to work with.

It’s not easy to open yourself up to a complete stranger and be prepared to make the big (and little) changes that are required with improving your child’s sleep picture. And for me to be able to witness firsthand the lifestyle transformations each one of you achieve, well it’s a real privilege to be a part of it.

To all my fabulous little graduates of 2021 and your mummies, daddies and caregivers: I am so proud of each and every one of you 🎓

And to my families of 2022, I am excited to meet you all and witness the incredible greatness I know you will achieve! 💪🏻

Here’s to a brand new year, a clean slate and hopefully some more ‘precedented times’ for us all 🙏🏻

Hello 2022… let’s be having you! 🍾✨

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