Photo by Melissa Driggers Photography
A Sleep Consultant in Northern Virginia | Interview with Susan’s Sleep Solutions
What’s the one thing people always seem to associate with having a newborn? Lack of sleep, right? Sometimes the unsolicited advice can get a bit overwhelming. If you want to talk to a professional before your baby arrives (or after as well of course), check out this sleep consultant in Northern Virginia, Susan’s Sleep Solutions. Take a look at how Susan can help you prepare for your newborn’s arrival to set you up for sleep success from the start.
Interview with Susan’s Sleep Solutions – Sleep Consultant in Northern Virginia
Q: As a sleep consultant in Northern Virginia, what exactly do you do for expecting families at Susan’s Sleep Solutions?
A: For expecting parents, I offer education about newborn needs in the form of a free guide as well as periodic webinars. For parents who want a plan of action on day one, I do offer a healthy habits plan that supports your newborn in learning healthy sleep skills from the start! I love this plan because it is really flexible, taking in consideration the incredible demands that are on new parents, and it spans over the entire 4th trimester (12-14 weeks) of life!
Q: What’s your background or training in sleep consulting?
A: I am a certified sleep consultant via Sleep Sense. The component of training takes about 6 months to complete and includes an intensive 2-4 day training (appx 30 hours) pre and post trainings (appx 30 hours), and a year long mentorship. Part of my certification requirements was to have read all the leading books on child sleep and sleep training techniques. It’s quite extensive!
Beyond my certification, I am a mom who was at rock bottom and hired a consultant myself to help me with my then 6 month old’s sleep! Our experience was life changing and I knew I wanted to help families just like ours who need the specialized support! And, as a Kindergarten and PreK teacher for 14 years, I often had conversations with parents about their chip’s sleep and the impact we were seeing in the classroom. 9/10 behavior challenges were rectified with better sleep!!
Q: What is your philosophy/methodology at Susan’s Sleep Solutions?
A: Every baby and family is different and working on your child’s sleep needs is not as simple as a cookie cutter approach. When I work with your family, I make sure the plan is a best fit for your family and takes into consideration your lifestyle and goals. I have a variety of methods I use to support you child usually based on age and family circumstances to be sure your family gets great sleep. We meet to go over everything I have proposed and I ensure that families are 100% comfortable with the method before actually putting it into practice – we can make any changes necessary to make sure you are comfortable with the plan. For newborns, since it’s not formal sleep training, we start with the pick-up/put-down method.
Q: How much support does Susan’s Sleep Solutions include?
A: I believe they my support is what sets me apart from other consultants. When we work together, we get to now each other very well and I don’t take it lightly that you have asked me to support your family in such an intimate way!
My newborn plan is standardized and spans over 12-14 weeks of life. It includes follow up/troubleshooting phone calls and unlimited email amongst other support measures. Once baby reaches 14-16 weeks+, my support is tiered based on the perceived needs of the family. This ranges from “I just need the plan but not much support” to “I need unlimited text support to get me through this!”. I also offer in home overnight services for the DMV area. I believe that sleep is a necessity and not a luxury so I try to offer something for everyone. If there is something you need but don’t see, be sure to ask!
Q: When is the best time to start working with you at Susan’s Sleep Solutions?
A: This is a great question! For expecting parents, I find it’s best to come together for a consultation before baby comes so you are ready to go on birth day! Newborn sleep is chaotic and flexible so I think it’s important for new parents to know to just do the best you can!! After baby reaches 3/4 months+ and you find that you baby is needing a lot of support from you to fall asleep and/or you have heightened anxiety around your child’s sleep then it’s time to get in touch with me! Babies who don’t sleep well usually turn into toddlers who don’t sleep well and helping babies learn great sleep skills is just thaaaaat much easier than teaching toddlers good sleep habits. If you have a toddler who needs help, though, it most certainly can be done!!
Q: If you could give an expectant mother one piece of advice, what would it be?
A: Do what works best for your family. Ignore Google and snuggle that new baby – there is no such thing as a spoiled newborn!
Thanks so much Susan for the great interview! I hope this has helped give you an idea of what you’ll find with Susan’s Sleep Solutions. If you’re interested to find out more or check out her services for older babies and kids, take a look at her website.
Susan Lattuca – Sleep Consultant in Northern Virginia
If you’re here reading about how Susan, a sleep consultant in Northern Virginia, can help you when your newborn baby arrives, I would love to talk to you about your maternity and newborn photography needs. Check out the links at the top of the page to learn more about me.
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