Let’s be real. Whoever coined the phrase “sleeping like a baby” never spent any time around our babies. Maybe it’s the heat. Maybe it’s the humidity. But here in Hotlanta, our wee ones like to party all night. Whether it is for a colicky newborn or a toddler known for their bedtime coups, the following sleep trainers can get your night owl on a sanity-saving sleep schedule. Trust us—it can be the difference between night and day.
Healthy Happy Sleep
This operation is run by two mothers with backgrounds in education and pediatric nutrition, and they offer a range of services from a simple phone consultation with a certified child sleep specialist to an in-home sleep training sleepover, with various other service options in between. Not sure you’re ready for a sleep consultation but want to see how your nights compare to the norm for your kiddo’s age? Check out their online sleep guides for useful information and a general framework of sleeping habits at different stages.
Atlanta’s Sleep Coach
If you’re looking for a kinder, gentler sleep coach, Kate Gardes is your gal. A mother of two herself, and also a trained Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Kate spent the first year of her daughter’s life sleep deprived because she wasn’t comfortable with the “cry it out” model for sleep training. With various packages that all include a phone consultation, a personalized sleep plan, and follow-up calls, you’ll be sleeping like a baby in no time.
Dream Team Baby
Dream Team is major league in the infant sleep arena. Based in New York, they offer telephone “teach me” packages, out of town “stay with me” packages, and individual hourly telephone consultations that all begin with an intensive sleep assessment and ends with customized coaching and follow-up. With testimonials that claim that the Dream Team “changed our lives,” “got my toddler to go to sleep willingly,” and “performed a miracle,” you can bet you’ll get what you pay for.
Moms on Call
If you’ve had a baby in Atlanta during the last ten years, you’ve heard of them. Moms on Call is the local authority on infant care and sleep, and they’ve now grown to include toddlers in their repertoire. Founded by two pediatric nurses, Moms on Call provides each client with an in-home visit where they show you the ropes of infant care (how to properly suction a nose, and how to properly swaddle a baby, among other things), and by the time they leave, you’ve got a peacefully napping baby and an arsenal of tricks up your sleeve for taking care of that screamer. Not sure you’ll remember everything they tell you? No worries. The consultation comes with your own copy of the Moms on Call book, and they also have a nifty app you can download to your computer or smartphone. Or, if you want to bypass the in-home visit, you can also take one of their online courses.
Need a no-strings-attached one night stand (of sleeping)? Check out these awesome Atlanta area night nurses.
—Shelley Massey
Photos courtesy of CarbonNYC via Flickr Creative Commons, t r e v y via Flickr Creative Commons, tokyosucks via Flickr Creative Commons, pmeidinger and footloosiety via Flickr Creative Commons
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