How to become a sleep consultant

I had no idea what a sleep consultant was 9 years ago. I was leaving my corporate job because I was tired of working 60 hours per week, carrying 2 cell phones and never seeing my daughter. I knew I wanted to keep working and be able to spend more time with my daughter. Once I got my daughter sleeping through the night, I fell in love with the idea of coaching tired parents to help their entire family sleep all night. 

I absolutely love my job! Getting to help tired moms and dads to get their family sleeping well is so rewarding when all of our efforts pay off. Maybe you have an interest in pursuing this work as well! Here’s how to become a pediatric sleep consultant. 

First, you need to take a pediatric sleep consultant course. There are a few different factors you need to consider when choosing a sleep consulting course. You’ll need to decide is if you’d like to take the course in-person or online/remotely. There has been a rapid rise in online courses over the past few years (thanks Covid!) that have made it incredibly easy to access sleep consultant training from virtually everywhere. However, if attending an in-person class is how you learn best, you’ll want to look for one near you. Costs vary from course to course and you’ll need to evaluate what you’re getting for your hard-earned money. Make sure you look at the curriculum of the course and the certification requirements. 

The next thing you’ll need to decide is if the course you are looking at has all of the information you’ll need to learn. To be a professional sleep consultant you’ll need to know all about the different sleep training methods as well as the science of sleep, what's normal for newborn, infant and toddler sleep, and have an understanding of the challenges to a child's sleep at different ages. Sound like a lot? Don’t stress. A course will walk you through each of these points and guide you on the journey to becoming a pediatric sleep consultant. There are many, many options out there for courses. If you do your research using the tips I’ve given you, you’ll be able to find a course that is just right for you.

The last things you will need to have is drive and motivation. Decide if you want to work on a team with another sleep consultant or want to start your own business. Each path has its pros and cons; if you want to start your own business, you’ll need to do things like create a website and social media presence, develop a marketing plan, handle bookkeeping and finances and work with clients. Working for another sleep consultant eliminates most of those administrative tasks and lets you focus on what you like doing, working with clients! 

If you want to have a rewarding side-gig or replace a full-time income, sleep consulting can be a great way to do that. Ask me how! Email me at christine@sleepsolutionsbychristine.com and let’s schedule a quick chat to answer any questions you might have. 

Happy learning!

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