Hi, I'm Helen, I am a Parenting Consultant and have qualified as a Health Visitor, Paediatric Nurse and Gentle Sleep Coach. My full professional qualifications are listed below but what sets me apart is that I have 4 kids of my own and 22 years experience working with families. Essential Parenting is not a franchise so I can tailor every plan to meet the needs of the parent and the child.

The Aims of Essential Parenting

• To help you set up a calm, safe sleep environment.
• To introduce happy, achievable bedtime routines.
• To help you to understand what developmentally normal sleep looks like.
• To help with routines, feeding, weaning, communicating with your child, punishment-free behavioural techniques.
• To help with regulating those big emotions, family wellbeing, and stress/anxiety management.

What You Can Expect

• I use a parent led approach rather than a didactic method of teaching.
• I am dedicated to working alongside families with evidence based methods they are comfortable with in a gentle but confident way.
• I am committed to infant mental health, parent-infant attachment and the responsive and respectful care of children.
• I do not use cry it out, or controlled crying methods.
• I will empower parents by demystifying common sleep myths and helping them to understand developmentally normal sleep.

Sleep is only one part of parenting and must be addressed holistically taking the entire family into consideration to realise the full benefits.

Qualifications

RNDipHe (child) - Children's Nurse
BSc Hons (SPHVA) - Health Visitor
Certified holistic sleep coach (level 6)
Multi agency level 2 and 3 child protection
Associate of IHV - institute of health visiting
V100 - non medical prescriber
Trained in Solihull approach
Trained in the Henry core training course (health, exercise, nutrition)
Completed the Unicef Baby friendly breastfeeding course
Completed safer sleep awareness course
Member of the International Association of Child Sleep Consultants
Member of British Sleep Society