Try the free help first
Public health nurse
Visits free within three days of you coming home. Ask about sleep at the checks around 3 months and 9 to 11 months.14
Your GP
Book in when your baby's sleep changes suddenly. Something like an ear infection can be the cause.15
Parentline01 873 3500
Monday to Thursday 10am to 9pm, Friday 10am to 7pm, in Ireland.16
Health visitor
In the UK, call your team between reviews. Some areas run a health visitor sleep clinic.15
Cry-sis0800 448 0737
Every day 9am to 10pm in the UK, for babies who cry a lot or sleep badly.17
Lullaby Trust0808 802 6869
Weekdays 10am to 2pm in the UK, for questions about how your baby sleeps safely.18
The Sleep Charity03303 530 541
The UK's National Sleep Helpline, Monday to Thursday 9am to 11am, and three evenings a week.19
Basis
Durham University's free site sets out the research on how babies sleep.20
A typical Irish package runs two to four weeks
- Sometimes a free 15-minute call first.Familyzzz and CulaBaby offer one.1
- A form and a sleep diary.CulaBaby asks for three days of your baby's sleep, and The Lullaby Lady reviews your diary before the call.1
- A one-hour video call.Five of the seven Irish packages we read open with one.1
- A written plan for your baby.Every package we read includes one.1
- Two to four weeks of follow-up by message or call.Sleep Matters in Cork answers email weekdays from 8am to 3pm and holds a video call each week. Sleepy Stars sells a bedtime visit or nights in your home.1
All five Irish consultants who give a starting age begin their full package at four months or later. For a younger baby they offer a single call or a recorded course.1
In England anyone can call themselves a sleep consultant
There is no protected title and no duty to follow safe sleep guidance.2 The Irish consultants we read list course certificates and voluntary memberships, such as the International Association of Child Sleep Consultants.1
A BBC undercover investigation found consultants telling parents to put newborns to sleep on their fronts, and one suggesting towels and muslins in the cot. Both go against NHS and Lullaby Trust advice.3 Check any plan against the safe sleep basics on the map page.
Where a consultant trained tells you their style
Responsive
You answer every cry. The consultant works on feeding, the body clock and what suits your family, with no sleep training.
Parent in the room
You stay and comfort while your baby learns to fall asleep with less help. There may be some crying, with you there.
Mixed toolbox
The consultant picks a method to suit you, anywhere from sitting by the cot to timed checks or cry it out.
The nine schools consultants train with
Nine of the thirteen Irish consultant sites we read name no school. Ask, and look the school up below.1
| School | Course | What it teaches | Babies under 6 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Sleep Institute US, since 2011 | 11 months, with an 8-week practicum | Every method from the chair to cry it out, matched to the family8 | Support as needed, and no sleep training before 4 months |
| Gentle Sleep Coach US, Kim West | 3 months, then a year of mentoring | The Shuffle: you sit by the cot and comfort, and your child is never left alone to cry7 | A separate track for 0 to 5 months |
| Sleep Sense Dana Obleman | 3 days in person, then 3 months of group mentoring | Stay in the room, or leave and check at fixed 2, 5 or 10 minute gaps11 | Not stated |
| Holistic Sleep Coaching UK, Lyndsey Hookway | 16 modules, over 100 hours, about 4 months | No behavioural sleep training, and no child left alone to cry4 | Not stated |
| Institute of Pediatric Sleep and Parenting US, since 2014 | Self-paced; most finish in 4 to 6 weeks | No-tears, middle-ground and cry-it-out modules9 | A separate newborn certificate for 0 to 3 months |
| IPHI, formerly IMPI since 2009 | About 4 months self-paced, then 16 weeks live | No sleep training approach5 | Covered, from pregnancy on |
| Center for Pediatric Sleep Management US | Self-paced reading and case studies | Every method from pick up, put down to cry it out10 | Covers 0 to 4 years |
| The Sleep Charity UK charity | 3 days online, with a family case in between | A behavioural approach for health, education and care staff12 | No; it starts at 12 months |
| Possums, NDC Institute Australia | 12 to 24 months, for registered health professionals only | Cued care with no sleep training6 | Yes, from birth |
A plan with two weeks of support costs €250 to €495 in Ireland
We read the prices on ten Irish consultants' sites on 5 October 2026.1
One call6 consultants
Plan and 2 weeks6 consultants
Plan and 4 weeks3 consultants
Ask these five questions on the free call
- Where did you train, and for how long?The courses in the table above run from four weeks to two years.
- Will any part of the plan leave my baby to cry alone, or with timed checks?The answer tells you where they sit on the map.
- What age do you start at, and how do you handle night feeds?22
- How much support is included, for how many weeks, and what happens if the plan isn't working?22
- Does your advice follow the HSE and Lullaby Trust safe sleep guidance?21
We make Snug. It keeps the sleep diary a consultant asks for, and tells you when the next nap should start.
Get SnugSources
We checked every source on 5 October 2026 through a search tool's copy of each page, so open a link to see the page itself. Prices are each business's own, on that day.
- Irish consultant sites: Sleep Matters, The Baby Sleep Coach, services and about, The Lullaby Lady, about, CulaBaby, about, Phoenix Dreams, The Lullaby Lady, Sleepy Stars, Familyzzz, CulaBaby, Babogue, Ask the Midwife, Lisa's Little Sleepers.
- Clyde & Co. Unregulated infant sleep advice, May 2026. clydeco.com
- MadeForMums. Unsafe baby sleep advice warning as unregulated experts investigated. madeformums.com
- Holistic Sleep Coaching. holisticsleepcoaching.com; and Does holistic sleep coaching mean no crying? holisticsleepcoaching.com
- International Parenting and Health Institute. Child sleep consultant certification. parentinghealthinstitute.com
- NDC Institute. NDC accreditation. ndcinstitute.au; Possums. possums.org
- Gentle Sleep Coach. gentlesleepcoach.com; The Sleep Lady Shuffle. sleeplady.com
- Family Sleep Institute. Child sleep consultant certification, and Sleep training 101. familysleepinstitute.com
- Institute of Pediatric Sleep and Parenting. Sleep consultant certification. instituteofpediatricsleep.com
- Center for Pediatric Sleep Management. FAQs. thecpsm.com
- Sleep Sense. What you need to know about Sleep Sense, and Interested in becoming a baby sleep coach? sleepsense.net
- The Sleep Charity. Sleep practitioner training course. thesleepcharity.org.uk
- Tiny Sleepers packages, Sleepy Angels Consultancy, and Tiny Sleepers' guide, How much does a baby sleep consultant cost in the UK?
- Citizens Information. Maternity care and the public health nurse. citizensinformation.ie
- RDaSH NHS health visitors. Child health and development. healthvisitors.rdash.nhs.uk
- Parentline. Contact. parentline.ie
- Cry-sis. Contact us. cry-sis.org.uk
- The Lullaby Trust. Safer sleep information. lullabytrust.org.uk
- The Sleep Charity. National Sleep Helpline. thesleepcharity.org.uk
- Durham University. Baby Sleep Info Source (Basis). durham.ac.uk
- Mother&Baby. How to check if a baby sleep expert is qualified. motherandbaby.com
- Tiny Transitions. What should parents consider before hiring a baby sleep consultant? tinytransitions.com
- Mommywise. False sleep consultant reviews and four other red flags. mommywise.com