Sleep Trainer vs Sleep Consultant: What’s The Difference?

In the world of baby sleep, you find sleep experts who are “sleep trainers” and “sleep consultants”. This begs the question of what is the difference between a sleep trainer vs a sleep consultant?

 

The sleep industry is unregulated, which means that anyone can call themselves a sleep trainer or a sleep consultant without having to meet specific requirements or criteria. So the onus is on you to find an expert who you trust, with credentials that make sense to you, and who will be a good fit for your family. 

 

In this blog post, I am going to talk about: 

 

Is there a difference between a sleep trainer and a sleep consultant? 

 

What is a sleep consultant and what do they do? 

 

How much does a sleep consultant cost? 

 

Grab a cup of coffee and let’s dig in! 

 

 

Is there a difference between a sleep trainer and a sleep consultant? 

 

Yes and no…. Let me explain! 

 

It really depends on who you ask and what your definition of “sleep training” is. 

 

If someone is a “sleep trainer” then they likely all about “sleep training”. Sleep training usually involves “cry it out” and can mean following a prescribed set of steps that applies to all babies. Don’t get me wrong, this certainly isn’t always the case, but over time sleep training has come to mean different things to different people and is a blanket term to cover a wide range of ways to ultimately help your baby sleep independently. 

 

A sleep consultant doesn’t necessarily use “sleep training” as a strategy to help your baby get better sleep. A sleep consultant also will offer more than one strategy and work collaboratively with you to help your baby sleep better. 

 

 

What is a sleep consultant and what do they do? 

 

A sleep consultant is a sleep expert who works with you to improve your baby’s sleep. 

 

 

We at The Peaceful Sleeper are all certified sleep consultants. Our goal is to take a holistic approach as we work with you to meet your sleep goals in a way that works best for you and your family. 

 

We offer a multitude of different strategies to achieve your sleep goals and firmly believe that every baby can get better sleep. It’s all about staying in your little one’s zone of proximal development and playing detective to know when and how to make tweaks to the plan. 

 

We also offer different ways to support you. We can hop on a 30 minute call with you to answer any sleep questions you have, or we offer longer 60 minute consults, which are great for creating an individualized sleep plan. Not only that, but we also offer more long term support. This can look like 10-20 minute calls a few times a week, or daily check ins for as many weeks as you would like. 

 

Another way we can support you is to have video calls for bedtime or naps. This allows us to watch the baby monitor with you to help you decipher your little one’s cues and know how and when to intervene. 

 

Those are all the virtual options. If you would rather work one-on-one in person, we also offer in-home consultations. This can be for a few hours, overnight, or for the weekend. You can also add on additional virtual follow up support. 

Every baby and every family are different, which is why we offer this type of custom support where you can build the level of support that works best for your family. 

 

 

How much does a sleep consultant cost? 

 

There is a large range in the cost of a hiring a sleep consultant, as it depends on who you are choosing to work with and what level of support you are looking for. 

 

If you are just looking for courses or guides that you can implement on your own, these often range from $30-150. 

 

If you are looking to work one-on-one with a sleep consultant, it’s around $100-$150 an hour. 

 

For support packages that involve follow up support over the course of a few weeks, the cost usually starts around $250. 

 

In-home support is not that common, and isn’t offered by a lot of sleep consultants, but we do offer it, and our price starts around $200 for an hour but is discounted if you purchase an overnight or weekend package. 

 

If you are interested in working with us, you can check out our different support options and prices here. 

 

And if you would like to build a custom support package (which start around $199) let’s hop on the phone for a free 10 minute call! 

 

 

 

Recap on sleep trainer vs sleep consultant 

 

Getting solid and restorative sleep, for children and adults, is life changing! And every one can get better sleep! It’s just a matter of taking an approach that is a good fit for your family. Not every approach will work for every baby and every family. 

 

Whether it is a “sleep trainer” or a “sleep consultant” shouldn’t really matter as long as it is a sleep expert that aligns with your values, will work collaboratively with you, and who feels like a good fit. 

 

To learn more about The Peaceful Sleeper method and our approaches, you can check out our website, follow me on Instagram, or sign up for our free email series! This email series is GOLD! I send you perfectly timed FREE sleep tips based on the age of your little one. 

 

We are always here to support you on your sleep journey, and help you meet your sleep goals. Better sleep is always possible!