What is your approach to managing sleep struggles?

My approach integrates medical knowledge, a detailed understanding of sleep disorders, and vast experience working with families to provide safe, reliable and trustworthy advice when it comes to your child’s sleep.

I believe that sleep issues are very individual and the factors that contribute to them can vary enormously. This is why your child’s sleep log, detailed questionnaire, and hour long consultation are essential to understanding the intricacies of your child’s sleep difficulties.

I approach childhood sleep in the same way I approach any health complaint that I see as a doctor; I take time to gather as much information as possible, discuss the potential management options and your feelings towards those options, make a clear plan towards improving your child’s sleep, and then offer you support and make any necessary adjustments along the way.

I do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to sleep training. For this reason I feel strongly that families should be given options when choosing how to improve their child's sleep health. Giving patients autonomy and choice is a strong ethos in my medical practice and I don’t think that improving childhood sleep should be any different. Every child and every family is unique, so whilst I am happy to guide you as to what may work best in your circumstances, I will always give you options and respect your preferences.

Will my baby cry during the process?

It’s completely natural to worry about crying when making changes to how your baby sleeps. Some sleep consultants will tell you that they can make changes without any tears but I would always be wary of these promises. In all honesty nobody can really guarantee this and in practice it would be very difficult to achieve.

None of us like change and crying may be the only way that young babies are able to communicate this frustration. Even very gentle sleep training methods still involve changing the way your baby falls asleep, and unfortunately even these small interventions may lead to some crying.

My approach is always responsive and tailored to your baby’s temperament and your comfort level. The important thing to remember is that you will be supporting your baby every step of the way and showing them as much love as possible throughout the process.

Why should I trust your advice? What are your credentials?

I hold a UK medical degree as well as postgraduate qualifications in General Practice (Family Medicine) and ENT. I am a member of The Royal College of General Practitioners and The Royal College of Surgeons. I am a practising GP in Chelsea, London, working in both the private sector and the NHS. ​In my role as a GP I have been lucky enough to form excellent connections with London's leading paediatric specialists.

I obtained my Paediatric Sleep Consultant qualification with The Sleep Consultant Academy and a second qualification from EDS Training. I am also a member of The British Sleep Society. 

Through continuous education and professional development, I pride myself on staying up to date with the latest medical guidelines and advances relating to paediatric sleep medicine, paediatrics and maternal health. This ensures that my advice is always evidence-based and backed by science. 

Why don’t you offer your sleep packages without a support option?

In all honesty I believe that I would be doing my clients a disservice by offering my packages without any support. If you are choosing to invest your time and money by hiring me as your sleep consultant, then I want to ensure you are getting the very most out of that investment.

I know that many families may feel that they would be happy to simply receive a sleep plan and then implement that plan on their own, but in my experience questions will invariably come up and tweaks and adjustments often need to be made depending on how your child responds. Sometimes we may even have to make rather significant changes to the plan a few days in.

Some parents may initially feel that they would like to proceed with a method of sleep training that achieves results in the shortest possible time, but as they start the process they feel that the method that was first discussed is no longer what they feel comfortable with. If support is not available then they are left with a sleep plan which they no longer feel able to follow. This is not the outcome that I want for any of my clients.

When working with me I want you to feel heavily supported throughout the process, and I want to give you the highest chance of achieving your desired results.

What if my child has sleep problems in the future?

I’d love to be able to tell you that after sleep training your child you will never encounter any sleep issues again. Unfortunately this is often not the case.

You child will likely go through many sleep disruptions in their first few years of life. Whether it’s a sleep regression linked to learning a new skill (potty training is a classic one!) or a sudden fear of the dark, periods of bad sleep can happen.

Everything that you and your child have learned during our time together will of course stand you both in good stead for minimal disruptions, but sometimes you may need some extra help to get things back on track.

Any returning clients are encouraged to contact me directly so that we can discuss how I can best help you. I have a special package for returning clients called ‘Extra Sleep.’ This is a bespoke package that we can design together once I know the details of your current sleep struggles.