Sleep is the Holy Grail of parenting, and so many people struggle with it, but there are actually lots of things you can do, from birth, that can mean your baby sleeps really well, allowing you chance to recover, and to enjoy being a parent. Recognising what your baby needs in order to sleep well, plus using certain sleep signals can make a huge difference to everyone’s quality of life.

If things have started to go wrong with sleep patterns, it is important to be able to see clearly what the problem is, figure out why it is happening, and find the solution that is right for you and your baby, in your particular situation…and this is what I will teach you.

Sleep problems are the biggest fear, but feeding is the biggest minefield.

There is so much confusion, contradictory advice, bad science, pressure and stress surrounding this whole topic, that it can be difficult to find any safe , sane ground.

I am equally supportive of breast, formula and combi feeding, and I have a huge number of tricks, tips and strategies that I can share with you.

You will learn how to know when your baby is hungry, or  properly full, how to supplement if your supply is low or if you are struggling, how to safeguard or build up supply, how to switch between breastmilk and formula, which formula to choose, which bottles are right for your baby, how to sterilise.

You will learn how to demand feed efficiently, and how to devise a feeding routine for breast and formula feeding…literally, everything you need to know about infant feeding will be there for you !

Routine is another subject that can polarise parents, largely due to the misunderstandings about what exactly constitutes routine. I will explain the differences between types of routine, and when each sort may be applicable. A gentle routine can act as a scaffolding around which you can build your day, and by building in a degree of flexibilty, you can compensate for any activity or situation, as well as accomodating demand feeding. A routine can also act as a base line to help you learn to recognise what your baby is telling you…how they react to hunger, pain, tiredness or overhandling, in fact when I am doing an emergency trouble shoot, the first thing I do is to put baby on to a routine (which I will give you) to create stability. Babies are constantly changing from one phase to the next, so I will also teach you how to assess and adapt your routine to cope with your baby as they develop…you will always be playing ‘catch-up’ but you will be well prepared to deal with it.

Caring for a healthy baby can be exhausting, but caring for a sick or distressed baby is one of the hardest things you will ever do as a parent. I will teach you what ‘normal’ looks like, and what to look for if you think your baby is unwell, and how to care for them and manage their symptoms in the more everyday illnesses. Reflux and colic can be very distressing, but I will help you work through their symptoms to try and work out if that is what they have, and also help you talk to doctors and health workers get the proper diagnosis if necessary. I will share all the techniques I use to help manage these conditions, and cope with the crying and the other symptoms involved, and how to take care of yourself in such a stressful situation.

No one can ever predict accurately how they are going to react to the birth of their first baby, and hormones and emotions can run high. We are led by society to believe things will be a certain way, but pregnancy and birth can always take unexpected turns, both good and not so good, which can leave you struggling to understand and process. The key to coping is to try and remain open minded, and to look honestly at what is happening, and to realise that you are not the only one who has ever felt this way…you are not alone. Everyone in the Parenting Academy has access to the learning material, but only those agreeing to be tolerant and supportive will have access to the online community, and together we will build an awesome base of strength and support that we can all contribute to, and tap in to, when we need it. You will learn that as soon as you post about your problem or experience, there will be countless others letting you know they are going through the same thing, and offering encouragement and advice, because you will all become ‘Baby Detectives’

Trust me…this is more important than you can imagine ! Before your baby is born you wont even think about it, but after the birth it will be one of the most constant things on your mind. Trapped wind causes pain, and a baby in pain will not feed properly or settle to sleep, or even relax to be cuddled, so thorough winding is vital. I will teach you about your baby’s anatomy, how they get wind and why they get wind. I will also teach you the positions, movements and sequences you can use to chase out every last little bubble, whilst minimising the risk of your baby being sick. You will learn how winding/burping can play a very important role in the management and treatment of reflux and colic and bring real relief to your baby, as well as helping you learn to read your baby so you can tell when they have wind, and when they don’t.