Welcome to Tiny Sleepers Big Dreamers

Some of you may have already noticed but I wanted to formally introduce Laura to the Tiny Sleepers Big Dreamers Team! Laura is a wealth of knowledge in both behaviour and sleep! Yes, you read that right, Laura is also a behaviour therapist! I am looking forward to all the exciting things we have planned for the future and it won’t just be about sleep! Do you have a topic you want us to give tips about for your little one(s)? Let us know! As a welcome to the team, we would like offer clients 15% off all packages booked between November 15th 2017 – November 30th 2017. Want to know more about what makes Laura amazing? Keep reading to find out! Don’t forget to “Like” her Facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/tinysleepersbigdreamersLaura/

Photo credit: https://www.stephaniewebster.ca

Hello, my name is Laura Lederman and I am writing my first blog for you. Yes, you! You are more than likely that tired “walking zombie”, AKA Mom! I was once like you, I use to be so tired I could barely see straight but kept fighting through it thinking it will get better. I kept telling myself eventually he will learn to sleep. I gave him 12 full months and he still had not learned to sleep through the night or nap in his own crib. I hadn’t slept longer than 3 consecutive hours for the entire first year of my son’s life. I was done waiting!

I reached out to work with an AMAZING sleep consultant (it may have been Holly) and was given my life back in a few short days when my son slept. He actually slept 12 hours and it was freaking BLISS!!!!! I then knew why some mom’s LOVED everything about their maternity leave. Thankfully, I had extended mine to 18 months. My son continues to be an amazing sleeper year’s later, even with the dreaded transition to a “big boy bed.”

Let me tell you a bit more about myself. I live in Durham with my husband and son. I have been working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for almost 17+ years. I have worked as an Intensive Behaviour Intervention (IBI) Therapist and a Behaviour Consultant. For most of my career, I have been working with kids with Autism and training parents on how to apply behaviour principals to improve their children’s behaviour and everyday living skills. I have been blessed to help families all over the world.

When I was young my father always told my sister and I “I don’t care what you do for a living, you can make $8 or $800 an hour, just make sure you do something you love because you will spend more time in your life doing that then anything else”. He is right, you spend more time with the people you work with than your own family! I have been amazingly lucky to have a career that is my passion. It was difficult for me to reach out asking for help as I am usually the one helping others but it was the BEST thing I have ever done, sleep is a science. I needed someone to teach and give me the proper tools for my son to learn. Turns out sleep coaching is an extension of what I have been doing most of my adult life. Someone once gave me a gift, and now I have the pleasure of giving that gift back to you. That gift of sleep!

Reflecting back, I put A LOT of pressure on myself coupled with pressure from others. Joining some Facebook Mommy groups was one of the worse things I ever did. I would read through posts which would make me feel so guilty because I wanted to SLEEP! More importantly, I wanted my son to sleep but reading post after post saying, enjoy the cuddles, they grow up so fast, babies aren’t meant to sleep through the night, you’re being selfish, they need you, sleep training is mean and cruel, when they are ready they will sleep. The Mommy guilt was OVERWHELMING.

Well, I took the leap and with the support and knowledge of my sleep coach… BOOM he slept 12 hours straight in a few short nights! He couldn’t sleep through the night before because he hadn’t been taught the skill. Teaching your child to become an independent sleeper is one of the best gifts you can ever give. It’s a gift that truly benefits the entire family. You are not being unreasonable, cruel or selfish.

I hope you take the leap of faith and reach out for help. I know that you will be so happy you did.

I look forward to speaking and working with you.

Laura