Navigating the Waters
A gentle sleep shaping & coaching program
"Before working with Erica, I would spend HOURS bouncing on the ball attempting to get my 5mo to sleep and sometimes it honestly just felt like I was making him more awake and agitated. After just days of support with Erica, he seems to finally be getting "quality" sleep and much more of it! Almost everyone that comes over to visit seems to notice how much happier and well-rested the little guy is! He is so peaceful during his nighttime routine now it’s almost as if he’s enjoying it and knows I’m helping him get the good sleep he needs. I realize that this will all fall into place with some coaching in a couple months when he’s ready. I feel infinitely better about his sleep (and mine) than I did when I first reached out. Erica is truly a sleep magician". Diana, month 5
featured on MAMA GLOW: Read Erica’s article on Demystifying Newborn Sleep
Part 1: Support & Sleep Shaping for Parents
with babies younger than 6mo
Welcome to Navigating the Waters ~ Gentle Sleep Shaping for children 1-5mo.
With a background in Mental Health and Women's Studies, two decades of Pregnancy, Birth, Postpartum doula support, and new parent group facilitation, I mentor new parents around normal infant sleep, wellbeing, and the many layers of new parenthood.
What is Sleep Shaping and why is it important for parents and babies under 6mo?
When your baby is this little, our goal is that they learn to enjoy sleep, and that we have a parent who is more confident and connected to their child. During our time together, you'll learn what’s truly age appropriate for this time (specific to your child's month of age), and you will take with you many tools and tips for weeks and months to come. This knowledge is empowering, and catered to you and your unique baby. Our aim is to keep the baby calm and soothed, and to learn to sleep the amount they need! Sleep shaping is not sleep training. Actually, I don’t even use the words “sleep training” with the older babies! Babies need guidance and love, not training. Our main focus during this young and tender time is not independent sleep (independent meaning: ‘drowsy but awake’ at naps and bedtime) unless your baby is clearly ready for this really big skill closer to 5/6mo. Every baby is different.
So what do we work on then? There’s SO much we can work on.
At this young stage, you will receive from me:
During 1-5mo sleep shaping, you will do your best to make small changes every single day, all while following baby’s readiness. Remember, your baby’s unique developmental stage and normal infant behavior all play in a role in what’s occurring sleep wise at this young and tender time.
The fee for your 60-90min gentle sleep shaping consult is $275. Included in this fee is one 40min follow up call whenever you need it while your child is 1-5mo. You can always decide if you’d like more follow up support. Each subsequent 40min follow up call is $75 and includes 2 supportive days of log checks before we speak. Some people use these follow up calls once a month or once every 2 weeks, or just 1-3x total before baby turns 6mo. It depends on your needs. Again, because I don’t teach independent sleep until closer to 6mo, these sleep ‘shaping’ calls are to educate you, support you, make things much easier, and keep you on track so that by the time your baby is old enough for independent sleep, you have a lot of really important ground work in place.
Please note: I do not offer back-forth email/text support with clients around sleep progress. Our work stays on our phone calls.
If you’d like to move ahead, please let me know asap so that I can send you an intake, agreement, and your initial reading materials. We can also email about our schedules and I’ll get you in for a first consult very soon!
This offering is invaluable! It’s my passion to support new parents and to make sure you are receiving the information and support that you deserve.
With a background in Mental Health and Women's Studies, two decades of Pregnancy, Birth, Postpartum doula support, and new parent group facilitation, I mentor new parents around normal infant sleep, wellbeing, and the many layers of new parenthood.
What is Sleep Shaping and why is it important for parents and babies under 6mo?
When your baby is this little, our goal is that they learn to enjoy sleep, and that we have a parent who is more confident and connected to their child. During our time together, you'll learn what’s truly age appropriate for this time (specific to your child's month of age), and you will take with you many tools and tips for weeks and months to come. This knowledge is empowering, and catered to you and your unique baby. Our aim is to keep the baby calm and soothed, and to learn to sleep the amount they need! Sleep shaping is not sleep training. Actually, I don’t even use the words “sleep training” with the older babies! Babies need guidance and love, not training. Our main focus during this young and tender time is not independent sleep (independent meaning: ‘drowsy but awake’ at naps and bedtime) unless your baby is clearly ready for this really big skill closer to 5/6mo. Every baby is different.
So what do we work on then? There’s SO much we can work on.
At this young stage, you will receive from me:
- my extensive 1-5mo sleep guide that covers all-things sleep and well-being for young babies
- a thorough intake process so that I can thoughtfully prepare for our consult
- one 60-90min initial consult and one 40min follow up call (option to purchase more follow up calls)
- a thoughtful perspective on YOUR baby’s unique challenges and needs, and a ‘whole picture’ approach to working on your baby’s sleep shaping process
- tips to greatly optimize your baby's daytime sleep
- an understanding of why your baby's nighttime sleep is not yet organized and how to help baby back to sleep in the night with more ease and less stress
- tips on how to cope with this challenging time, and how to make slow-paced changes that work for everyone involved
- help to lessen certain sleep associations (rocking, pilates ball, nursing, etc), according to your baby’s readiness
- support in moving from bed sharing to baby’s own bassinet/crib
- support with naps in baby’s own sleep space
- help to kick the nurse-to-sleep association if desired
- a nourishing, predictable and consistent bedtime routine that works for your family.
- newfound trust in your judgement and instincts instead of comparing your child to another parent's baby
- and of course: baby massage and bottle feeding tips, info on safe sleep; info on true signs of reflux; (transitioning out of) swaddling info; 4mo sleep progression info; sleep, culture, and lifestyle info; insight on sleep and temperament
- a modified version of DbA for your baby under 6mo (we never rush this though!);
- and much more!
During 1-5mo sleep shaping, you will do your best to make small changes every single day, all while following baby’s readiness. Remember, your baby’s unique developmental stage and normal infant behavior all play in a role in what’s occurring sleep wise at this young and tender time.
The fee for your 60-90min gentle sleep shaping consult is $275. Included in this fee is one 40min follow up call whenever you need it while your child is 1-5mo. You can always decide if you’d like more follow up support. Each subsequent 40min follow up call is $75 and includes 2 supportive days of log checks before we speak. Some people use these follow up calls once a month or once every 2 weeks, or just 1-3x total before baby turns 6mo. It depends on your needs. Again, because I don’t teach independent sleep until closer to 6mo, these sleep ‘shaping’ calls are to educate you, support you, make things much easier, and keep you on track so that by the time your baby is old enough for independent sleep, you have a lot of really important ground work in place.
Please note: I do not offer back-forth email/text support with clients around sleep progress. Our work stays on our phone calls.
If you’d like to move ahead, please let me know asap so that I can send you an intake, agreement, and your initial reading materials. We can also email about our schedules and I’ll get you in for a first consult very soon!
This offering is invaluable! It’s my passion to support new parents and to make sure you are receiving the information and support that you deserve.
featured on ELLIE: Read Erica’s article Everything You Need to Know About Infant Sleep
Part 2: Gentle Sleep Coaching for children 6 months to 5 years old
“Before returning to Erica for coaching support, my 6mo son was starting to wake up every 1-2 hours, only going back to sleep with more nursing. We were both exhausted and frustrated. I knew I did not want to try cry-it-out, but I was also of the mindset that, given his temperament, maybe he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep on his own and/or sleep through the night until he was much older. Working with Erica’s wonderful guidance and her tailored approach, my son learned to fall asleep independently in just a few nights. I was able to coach my son in a way that was comfortable for me and my son in order to get the sleep he and I both desperately needed, and I had Erica’s help each step of the way. She is one of a kind and I highly recommend her!” Diana, month 7
Receive in depth, hand-held, gentle sleep support and coaching for one full month
This unique offering will take you from where you are, to where you need to go, and more. I'm with you every step of the way as you help your child learn new sleep skills. You will absolutely feel an increase in well-being and confidence, and be able to teach your child with ease and patience. I believe in sustainability and that when you take time on things, they last.
Why a month of care? Some things we work on yield quick results, and others take more time. If you are working on only a couple of small sleep goals, I will create a smaller package for you.
You'll receive:
This is a gentle fading-out sleep coaching approach. This is not a cry-it-out approach. Please read more about my training here.
This unique offering will take you from where you are, to where you need to go, and more. I'm with you every step of the way as you help your child learn new sleep skills. You will absolutely feel an increase in well-being and confidence, and be able to teach your child with ease and patience. I believe in sustainability and that when you take time on things, they last.
Why a month of care? Some things we work on yield quick results, and others take more time. If you are working on only a couple of small sleep goals, I will create a smaller package for you.
You'll receive:
- an in-depth intake and individualized look at your goals, so I can meet you where you are in your sleep journey
- a 60 minute initial consult to kick-off our work together and create a plan for your family
- eight 30 minute support calls to arm you with as much support as possible!
- regular written communication on our shared sleep log, in order to: evaluate progress, provide insight and tips, suggest day-by-day adjustments, and navigate all situations as they arise.
- a personalized look at bedtime routine, bedtime coaching, night wakings, early rising, and nap coaching.
- support in maintaining the nursing relationship and breast milk supply if applicable.
- support in weaning the feeds of your choosing.
- a review of your child's temperament as it pertains to healthy sleep habits and sleep space review.
- a go-to expert for all things new parenthood, whenever you need perspective
- a compassionate gentle sleep coach to keep you moving forward, day by day
This is a gentle fading-out sleep coaching approach. This is not a cry-it-out approach. Please read more about my training here.
featured on AfterThird: Read Erica’s personal story Thriving as a Single Parent
Before working with Erica, I had a lot of anxiety around my son’s sleep habits and schedule. We were looking to get our 2.5yr old son on a more consistent nap schedule and nighttime routine, and what we loved most about working with Erica was her flexible and low-stress approach. Erica was always really kind and encouraging, keeping our adjustments manageable and reminding us that sleep coaching tends not to be linear.” Jeannette
"Erica helped me navigate the emotional changes from leaving a co-sleeping relationship and helped us slowly integrate a new bedtime routine. Within a few weeks, we established a REAL nighttime routine for my youngest (not just lumping him in with the routine for my older two) and he was sleeping, through the night, in his own space." Jessica
“Our son wasn’t sleeping terribly but we knew it could be better. Gentle coaching is 100% the reason our son now puts himself to sleep and sleeps through the night. Erica’s kindness and calming guidance really helped us feel confident in what we were doing everyday. We can’t thank Erica enough.” Denise
"Erica is a thought leader for all things birth related. Her expertise goes back almost 2 decades. She not only helped my child get to bed...she helped me uncover the parent I wanted to be." Jill
"Erica helped me navigate the emotional changes from leaving a co-sleeping relationship and helped us slowly integrate a new bedtime routine. Within a few weeks, we established a REAL nighttime routine for my youngest (not just lumping him in with the routine for my older two) and he was sleeping, through the night, in his own space." Jessica
“Our son wasn’t sleeping terribly but we knew it could be better. Gentle coaching is 100% the reason our son now puts himself to sleep and sleeps through the night. Erica’s kindness and calming guidance really helped us feel confident in what we were doing everyday. We can’t thank Erica enough.” Denise
"Erica is a thought leader for all things birth related. Her expertise goes back almost 2 decades. She not only helped my child get to bed...she helped me uncover the parent I wanted to be." Jill
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