I’ve worked with young children and families for a long time now, (over 40 years) and one thing that I’ve learned is that the most important factor influencing children’s lives is how they feel; their emotional wellbeing.

The main aim of my Emotional Wellbeing approach is that the child’s feelings are recognised in relation to their behaviours. In a nutshell, I believe that behaviours tell us about how the child is feeling. Those feelings can be related to relationship, parental depression, pregnancy, separation, cognitive and physical developmental stages such as separation anxiety, birth traumas and early experiences such as tongue ties, illness, reflux, separations to name but a few.

The aim of the Emotional Wellbeing approach is to ensure that each child feels safe, reassured and supported to sleep peacefully.

Ann Caird BA

The roots of my approach

Relationship and Attachment.

My work and approach is very personal to me, my life as well as my work. It is not just based on my professional experience, study and research. It is also about my own personal experience of chronic pain and debilitating illness as a young married woman, a time when I was bedridden for 2 years, and my recovery from those dark years.

Healing and recovery was, and still is, emotionally and physically painful, but the most important factor relating to my recovery was having someone close to listen, validate, support, and allow me to heal without judgement or criticism; someone to provide the emotional safety that is the foundation for true healing. It was (and still is) a strong attachment to someone I trusted implicitly.

I had someone to listen, someone to trust; someone who provided emotional safety; Someone who cared unconditionally and accepted me for however I felt – happy, sad, afraid or anxious. Sound familiar? Probably, because I’m talking about the qualities of trusting relationship – secure attachment.

This is why I have a deep empathy for babies and young children struggling to sleep; This is why I look deeply into each case history to identify the emotional influences: how the child feels, and do not use standard behavioural sleep training approaches.

The Nurturing Sleep approach stresses the importance of connection, listening, healing and play for each baby and child’s emotional wellbeing.

My emotional wellbeing foundation is available to sleep consultants trained through the International Parenting and Health Institute;

No other training faculty has permission to teach my Emotional Wellbeing approach.

This work is protected by copyright.

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Ann Caird BA Certified Baby and Child Sleep Consultant.